The largest cruise ship to ever visit New Zealand will berth in Tauranga on Boxing Day.

Tauranga is one of only six ports in the country able to accommodate the 168,666-tonne vessel, Ovation of the Seas, which is longer than three rugby fields (348m) and the fourth biggest cruise ship in the world.

The USD $1 billion (NZD $1.4B) Royal Caribbean ship, which is bringing4905 passengers and 1500 crew to the city, is scheduled to arrive at 6.15am and depart at 6pm the same day.

Its arrival's been made possible by the dredging of Tauranga Harbour earlier this year and signals an important milestone for the city's cruise ship industry, says Tourism Bay of Plenty CEO Kristin Dunne.

'This is a momentous occasion for both Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty tourism sector at large. It follows years of planning and logistics by multiple organisations and is a vote of confidence, bringing economic benefit to the wider Bay of Plenty region.”

To mark the maiden voyage, a ceremony will be held on board with the captain to present the Port of Tauranga with a plaque to commemorate the landmark event.

This will be attended by Tauranga City Mayor Greg Brownless, Tourism Bay of Plenty chairman Des Hammond and Kristin.

Kristin says the introduction of bigger vessels shows the confidence that cruise companies have in New Zealand as a destination.

'Tauranga rates time and time again as one of New Zealand's most popular New Zealand destinations. We look forward to sharing it with our global guests aboard the Ovation of the Seas.”

Following its stop in Tauranga, Ovation of the Seas will head to Auckland before returning to Tauranga on February 5, berthing alongside Emerald Princess for a double ship day, bringing an estimated combined 9500 visitors.

Ovation of the Seas' visit is part of the biggest cruise ship season on record for the Bay of Plenty, with 83 ship visits scheduled, carrying 153,000 passengers – including five ships berthing overnight in Tauranga.

TAKE A SELFIE AND WIN

To celebrate the Ovation of the Seas' maiden voyage, Royal Caribbean is running a selfie competition for a cruise on the newest, biggest and most technologically advanced ship New Zealand has ever seen.

All you need to do is take a selfie with Ovation of the Seas when in it arrives in port and post it to the vessel's New Zealand Facebook Page with the tag @RCLOvation. Entries close January 6, 2017.

The corner of Salisbury Avenue and The Mall will be closed on Saturday, December 24, and Monday, December 26, 6.30am to 10.30am on both days, to allow passengers to safely disembark.

Traffic coming down Salisbury Avenue will be diverted into Victoria Road and Prince Avenue to The Mall.