Ferry commuters in Auckland have been left fuming over delays while politicians, bureaucrats and ferry operator Fullers argue over who is at fault.
Hundreds of commuters on several ferries found themselves slowly circling the inner harbour this morning. One commuter said they were told over a loudspeaker system the delay was due to a cruise ship.
On top of that, Fullers cancelled three ferry sailings on the Devonport and Waiheke services.
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One Waiheke woman, Chloe Barker, said this morning was the third time this week her ferry has been cancelled due to cruise-ship arrivals.
In an email to Harbourmaster Andrew Hayton she said: "You are affecting the lives of thousands of commuters. We are late for our jobs, hospital appointments, childcare arrangements and other responsibilities because cruise ships are being prioritised over passenger ferries."
![Even while a cruise ship is docked, there are holdups. Her, a Harbourmaster vessel tries to shepherd a Fullers ferry into the tight gap between the Seabourn Encore and Pier 4. Photo / Chris Keall](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/JO6AREXIV7PVVC7K7CB4PRMJOQ.jpg?auth=e116694de3c8cb170e3cb7efbe815cd30ffc9772f3974641d79a5738a2044046&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
In a written statement, Fullers chief executive Mike Horne did not address the specific issues this morning, but pinned the blame for the wider problem on the growing number and frequency of cruise ship visits and significant disruptions to sailings from cruise ships docking and departing from the ferry basin.
Auckland Transport media manager Mark Hannan said "cruise ships did not cause the cancellation of ferry services", saying the decision not to run some services this morning was made by Fullers.