Focus: “It wasn’t the first one.” Passengers onboard the Norwegian Jewel reveal another tragedy before a man jumped from the cruise ship on Sunday. Video / Dean Purcell
Passengers aboard the cruise ship on which a man jumped overboard off Hawke's Bay are lamenting a "disappointing" disruption to their travel schedule - while revealing a second passenger reportedly died at Akaroa.
The Norwegian Jewel cruise docked in Auckland this morning at 6am, after abandoning its planned stop in Tauranga after a 62-year-old Australian man jumped overboard on Sunday night.
CCTV footage shows the man jumping around 7pm, near Mahia Peninsula. The Norwegian Jewel searched the waters nearby until the early hours of Monday morning.
Sydney resident Ben Edwards said he was "disappointed" about skipping Tauranga as he had planned to have lunch with his cousin there.
"I grew up here and it was a surprise to him [Ben's cousin]. We were in Picton and I called him and I said 'we'll see you. It will be great, we can have a bit of lunch, a bit of time together with the family', but unfortunately we didn't make it," Edwards said.
"I think the cruise staff did it very methodically and very professionally, and obviously they had to follow maritime law. The updates were very informative.
"There was a big crowd up on the deck and the ship was very disappointed they didn't get a stop over in Tauranga but incidents happen."
The Norwegian Jewel had to change its schedule to abandon a Tauranga stop after one of its passengers jumped overboard on December 29, 2019. Photo / Dean Purcell
Passenger Anna Edwards said staff closed off sections of the Norwegian Jewel where the man jumped from.
"They were circling and informing us that some helicopters were coming, and the spot light up on the ship was flickering all through the night," Anna Edwards.
"I went to bed at 3.30 in the morning and they were still looking out on the balcony. But the water was rough."
The Edwards also said a second person allegedly died on the third day of the Norwegian Jewel's trip at Akaroa.
"She didn't die on board, but when we anchored up in Akaroa she was taken by ambulance authorities, and the life saving helicopter was there but apparently she couldn't make it to the helicopter, from my understanding," Ben Edwards said.
Anna Edwards said passengers aboard the Norwegian Jewel subsequently heard the sick woman "didn't make it".
Cruse ship the Norwegian Jewel docked in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
Sydney residents Lilian Shub, 79, and Cynthia Katz, 82, said they were annoyed they had so little time in Auckland, after the Norwegian Jewel docked at 6am this morning and returned to Sydney at 3pm today.
"We missed our day in Tauranga and we didn't have enough time here [Auckland]. For this city it's much too short. Very rushed," Katz said.
Lilian Shub said the food and service aboard the Norwegian Jewel was "outstanding" but the disruption was unfortunate.
"The only thing was not their fault, was the man going overboard and they spent a long time looking - about 10 hours they have to stay searching," Shub said.
"When it first happened everyone was curious, wanting to know who it was - a crew member, a passenger. But then music plays and everyone just carried on as usual.
"But we wanted to see a bit of Maori culture [in Hawke's Bay] which we haven't seen at all."
The Norwegian Jewel docked in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
Perth resident Liz Smith said "all yesterday was quite subdued" on board the Norwegian Jewel but now back in Auckland's port the "excitement back a bit".
"It's disappointing we didn't make Tauranga, but understandable," Smith said.
"We had quite a big plan for there but one of those things. But we didn't spend as much as planned. We were going to do a day trip to Rotorua."
Maritime New Zealand spokesperson Vince Cholewa says aircraft and vessels have stopped searching the area near Mahia on December 30.
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