Sixteen passengers and crew on a cruise ship from Sydney have been injured after hitting rough waters on what was supposed to be a peaceful voyage around New Zealand.

The cruise ship Crown Princess was in the midst of a two-week round trip when it was slammed by wild winds as the liner changed course near Milford Sound on the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island last week.

Footage recorded in the ship’s kitchen showed the chaos as it began to be bombarded by high seas and listed to one side, sending workers scrambling to find something to cling on to. 

Kitchen staff then had to brace for the next big lurch as passengers in the cafe and restaurant rooms desperately grabbed onto whatever they could for stability.

Phone footage posted to social media showed plates, pots and pans smashing to the ground and food careening across the kitchen floor as the cruise liner endured the brunt of a fierce storm.

The swimming pool spilled over each time the ship tilted. 

‘The tables and chairs went sliding across the room, and a girl went sliding on her chair over towards the pool,’ one passenger said.

Another passenger said he was ‘walking along doing my lap and all of a sudden I realised the boat was on an angle’.

‘I had to hang on!’ he said, appearing more amused than frightened by the experience.

In the cruise ship’s gift shop, perfume and skincare products flew off the shelves, glass displays fell apart and designer bags were scattered on the ground, 9news reported.

Princess Cruises said crew responded quickly to the situation and at no point was the safety of the ship compromised.