Drunk sailors terrify Nelson family

HMNZS Taupo. File photo / Northern Advocate

The Royal New Zealand Navy has been left red-faced after a group of drunken sailors allegedly terrified a Nelson family, prompting the service to launch an investigation.

The sailors had been drinking at the aptly-named Ocean Lodge pub, in the Nelson suburb of Tahunanui, before they tried to barge into a family home last week.

The incident had embarrassed the navy, which was sending a military policeman to meet the sailors' boat, the HMNZS Taupo, when it arrived at Lyttelton on Thursday, The Nelson Mail reported.

The sailors allegedly tried to get into the home through the back door before smashing windows and kicking in a door.

Felicity Hurst, her son, daughter and her daughter's friend were in bed when they were awakened about 11.30pm.

"They were smashing and smashing and in quite a frenzy, yelling," Ms Hurst said.

She called police, who rounded up nine members of the Taupo's crew and took them back to Port Nelson in a prison van.

Nelson Bays police acting district commander Inspector Brian McGurk said it was a serious incident and best dealt with through a formal armed forces disciplinary process.

Fleet operational support Captain Dean McDougall said it would begin an investigation and written apologies would be in the mail as soon as the Taupo docked.

- NZPA