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A "stupid error" has left a Waiheke resident fearing he will have to sell his home to avoid being stranded on the island.
Gary Andrew Dobson has appeared in the Auckland District Court facing two charges related to falsifying a Fullers Ferry monthly pass.
Fullers says it has a "zero-tolerance policy" and plans to ban Dobson from its ferries for two years.
But the married 49-year-old printer told the Herald on Sunday he was caught short with no money and his actions were not premeditated.
"I'm totally dependant on Fullers. Waiheke is a great place to live but I underestimated the implications of my stupid error."
Waiheke is the second largest of the Hauraki Gulf islands with 40km of beaches and a population of 8000.
Fullers is the only firm offering hourly ferries from Matiatia Bay, at the western end of the island, to downtown Auckland.
Commuters can buy $300 monthly unlimited-trip tickets which are stuck to a plastic pass alongside their mugshot.
With no money and desperate to get home, Dobson told the Herald on Sunday he "stuck a label" on an old pass on June 7.
Fullers staff failed to spot the fake, but three weeks later, when the British migrant tried to reuse the card, he was questioned by ferry staff and had to buy a one-way ticket to Auckland.
Thinking the issue had been dealt with, Dobson was surprised to see police waiting at the wharf.
"It was a stupid mistake. It wasn't like the crime of the century."
Fullers general manager Michael Fitchett said it was the first case of its kind he could remember during his 18-year career with the firm. "We have zero-tolerance policy for this sort of thing. One of our staff was vigilant and knew something wasn't quite right."
Since being charged, Dobson has had to take a 45-minute ferry to Half Moon Bay in Auckland's eastern suburbs, followed by two buses, to reach his workplace in Mt Wellington.
Fullers have since allowed him to buy a 10-trip pass, which can be used until the ban is enforced.
Senior Sergeant Ben Offner said the maximum penalty for fraud was 14 years in prison but Dobson's solicitor has asked for diversion.
Dobson told the Herald on Sunday the shame of being arrested for the first time was punishment enough. He is to reappear in court later this month and said the "ball is completely in Fullers' hands".
