Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry cancellations extended, passengers told no standbys available

The Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry was due to resume carrying passengers across the Cook Strait yesterday, but ongoing gearbox issues mean passenger sailings have been cancelled for another several days.

The Kaitaki was taken out of action a couple of weeks ago with gearbox problems, having only just been cleared to continue carrying passengers again after a breakdown in the middle of the Cook Strait in January.

Kaitaki was supposed to go back to regular sailings, but a service alert on Interislander’s website announced that would not be happening yet.

“We are working on repairing the gearbox issue on Kaitaki but it is taking longer than expected. To provide customers with some certainty we have made the very difficult decision to cancel all remaining passenger bookings on Kaitaki sailings through to March 19,” the alert said.

A short time later Interislander released a further service alert starting sailings were now cancelled until March 22 instead.

“Those customers impacted can get in touch with our customer service team on 0800 802 802 from 8am to 5pm daily to rebook. We have halted ticket sales on our website to ensure we prioritise available space for those from the cancelled Kaitaki sailings.

“We have increased staffing levels to ensure your call is answered as quickly as possible. Please have your booking number available.”

The alert warned passengers not to go down to the terminals in hopes of being squeezed onto a different sailing, as Interislander is not offering standbys for sailings.

“Be aware that there is very limited accommodation available in Picton, Blenheim and Nelson if you intend to drive north.”

The further cancellations are the latest in a string of misfortunes plaguing the Cook Strait ferries, with both Interislander and Bluebridge experiencing multiple cancellations, breakdowns and engine problems with their fleets.

The chaos has left thousands of passengers stuck with their cars in the wrong island, or having to fork out hundreds of dollars for last-minute flights to get home.

Some people have even resorted to getting medium-term accommodation until they can take another ferry over, while others have abandoned their cars to fly home, with plans to fly back later and collect them.