Mattresses, blankets shifted into ferry terminal as Cyclone Gabrielle cancels crossings

Tuesday, 14 February 2023

Mattresses are moved into the Interislander ferry terminal as sailings are cancelled due to Cyclone Gabrielle.

KiwiRail staff were moving mattresses, pillows and blankets into Picton’s Interislander ferry terminal on Tuesday as passengers – stranded by cancellations caused by Cyclone Gabrielle – were looking at more than a week in the port town before they could next get on a ferry.

Sydney couple Jo and David Reid were told the earliest confirmed booking KiwiRail could give them was Thursday next week.

They were heading back to Wellington to continue their two-week New Zealand holiday when they received an email on Monday telling them their ferry had been cancelled. The couple turned up at the Interislander terminal on Tuesday anyway.

Cyclone Gabrielle has reached the top of the south, and boaties in Picton are advised to stay off the water.

“The earliest date they’ll give us is February 23, it makes us angry,” Jo Reid said.

* Effects of Cyclone Gabrielle hit Manawatū-Whanganui

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The earliest Sydney couple Jo and David Reid can get booked on a ferry is February 23.

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Her husband said it was the lack of communication from Interislander that was most frustrating.

Interislander employee Michael Mason cooks up a storm for stranded passengers at the departure terminal, which is closed due to Cyclone Gabrielle precautions.

“The weather’s intervened, which is understandable, so we’ve been down to see the lady at the desk and said we want the first ferry out of here, and we’re told that’s booked up. They can give us a refund, but that’s all that they could do …

“Then we tried to get clarification on when we should come back again and try to find out if there is any space or not on a ferry that may be sailing, but we were told if there was a sailing at 6.30am, we definitely wouldn’t be on that one.

“They said we may get on a later sailing in the day, but we would just have to front up and they weren’t taking any bookings. If there was any space, they’d put us on, if not we’ll have to wait and we could be waiting a number of days.

Kay Ball and Dan Flynn turned up at the Interislander terminal on Tuesday, despite the ferry cancellations, as they need to get their trip rebooked as soon as possible.

“We haven’t found any accommodation yet, we’ll probably end up sleeping on the floor here. We’re not too happy,” Reid said.

All shipping operations to and from Picton, for ships over 350 gross tonnes, were suspended on Tuesday, from 10am to 10pm.

However, Tory Channel – the main route into the Marlborough Sounds – was set to be closed until 2pm Wednesday, due to the predicted wave heights and wind strength brought on by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Marlborough Harbourmaster Jake Oliver made the decision to suspend marine operations after discussions with Port Marlborough and the ferry operators.

He was expecting wind gusts of up to 100kph around Picton and possibly even higher in the outer Marlborough Sounds. The pause on operations could be extended depending on the movement of the weather system, Oliver said.

The Aratere tied up in Picton and going nowhere on Tuesday.

Steady streams of passengers turned up at the Interislander terminal on Tuesday seeking assistance. The terminal was closed to the public, but a sausage sizzle had been set up outside.

Husband and wife Dan Flynn and Kay Ball, on holiday from Columbus, Ohio, were in the region for the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival at the weekend before their ferry was cancelled.

Ball said luckily they could stay with friends in Rarangi on Tuesday night, but were still unsure if they'd be able to travel on Wednesday.

Marlborough Harbourmaster Jake Oliver said the marine conditions will be pretty bad for the next two days.

“We were scheduled to sail today but we’re in a big mess and we’ve also run out of medicines because we expected to be back today, so it’s unfortunate.

“We found out [on Monday] and came down [Tuesday] because we know everything will get booked up and we need to get back tomorrow, but we don’t know. We’re trying to explain the priorities of it, we have other places booked and my husband has run out of his medicine, my husband has a pacemaker so he’s on blood thinners,” Ball said.

“It's our biggest worry,” Flynn said.

English tourists Anne and Phil Hampson were on the 3.45pm sailing from Wellington on Monday that broke down near the entrance to Tory Channel.

They had journeyed south from Auckland in the hope of escaping the wild weather.

“But the ferry broke down in the middle of the Cook Strait and we were drifting for an hour and a half.

“It was a bit worrying actually because you’re just waiting around, and then we were told we had to get there (Picton) because a storm was bearing down,” Anne Hampson said.

This comes roughly two weeks after another Interislander ferry, Kaitaki, lost power and was adrifting towards the south coast of Wellington until its anchors caught.

The Hampsons said they had since found out their return ferry journey on Friday had been cancelled.

“They’ve blamed it on the weather, but the ferries aren’t working properly. One’s had a power surge and the other one is only for freight, and they’re not allowing passengers on.

“So we have to find another plan, hopefully the weather will improve soon,” she said.

Interislander executive general manager Walter Rushbrook said on Tuesday Interislander was using the Picton terminal as accommodation for its passengers affected by ferry disruptions.

“Accommodation in Picton and Blenheim is stretched beyond its capacity, and we have decided to make the terminal available as [a] last resort.

”We are grateful to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui for extending manaakitanga to whānau and providing additional mattresses from Waikawa Marae for people to sleep on at the terminal.”

A KiwiRail spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday the Interislander ferries were heavily booked for February, meaning there was little space available.

“The weather event has complicated our backlog this week …

“We appreciate the patience of our customers, and we will open our bookings as space becomes available.”

On Tuesday morning, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty confirmed a national state of emergency was declared.

In a statement, he said this was only the third time New Zealand had declared a national state of emergency.

“A National State of Emergency gives the National Controller legal authority to apply resources across the country in support of a national level response.”

Most of Marlborough had rain on Tuesday, with Kenepuru Head copping the most at 81mm by 1.30pm, according to the Marlborough District Council's rain report.

Picton had 38.4mm and Waikawa had 42mm, while Blenheim only had 7mm.

Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor on Monday urged people to stay off the water, keep an eye on river levels and stay off the roads, unless for essential travel.

“Powerlines may be affected by falling trees or branches and driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles,” she said.

Taylor also advised people to keep up-to-date with the weather forecasts and said Marlborough Civil Defence and Emergency Management were monitoring the situation closely.

The council’s rivers and drainage team was also keeping a close eye on rainfall and river levels, particularly on the East Coast.

Marlborough District Council advised residents to work out what supplies might be needed and make a plan. Have materials and tools ready to repair windows, such as tarpaulins, boards and duct tape.