<p>Cruising in New Zealand is booming in popularity with the U.S. traveler. Recent figures show that New Zealand&rsquo;s cruise industry has grown from 27 cruises and 19,400 passengers in the 1996/1997 season, to last season&rsquo;s 116,200 passengers on 98 cruises. U.S. travelers make up the single largest nationality to explore New Zealand by cruise ship, with Americans accounting for 39 percent of all international passengers. Boasting 9,800 miles of coastline, New Zealand has several ports easily reached by cruise ships. The small distances between these ports allow cruises in New Zealand to stop every day, meaning passengers can see more in a shorter time than in other destinations. Sixty-eight percent of all passengers indicate that, having had a taste of New Zealand on a cruise, they would be likely to return to New Zealand for a future vacation.</p><p>Many of the major cruise lines visit New Zealand, including Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Silversea, Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas. Highlights of a typical cruise itinerary include the Art Deco town and plentiful vineyards of Napier in the Hawkes Bay; the surf beaches of the Bay of Plenty; and the diverse cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. All cruises to New Zealand also cruise Milford Sound. Cruising season to New Zealand is between October and April, when the southern hemisphere summer is at its peak. For more information, visit www.newzealand.com.</p>