Newspaper Article – Airlift helps HB couple reach home

Airlift helps HB couple reach home

A Hastings couple arrived home at 2.30am today after waiting seven days to cross Cook Strait.

Les and Rona McCarthy were among the thousands of people caught in the Cook Strait ferry strike, which has stranded many travellers on both sides of Cook Strait.

The McCarthys were on their way home from a family reunion in Timaru when they arrived in Picton last Wednesday.

The last ferry sailing was at noon Wednesday and they were booked on the 2pm boat.

That ferry never sailed and the backlog of travellers began to build.

Mrs McCarthy said they enjoyed their stay in Picton, but toward the end of the week the novelty had worn off.

“The weather in Picton was lovely, which made things a bit easier. We really had an extra week’s holiday at extra expense.”

It cost the McCarthys another $500 in accommodation on top of their holiday costs. There were also incidentals like food and petrol to take into account.

Luckily the McCarthys were not pressed for time, unlike other travellers’ who had their holiday plans wrecked or disrupted.

The McCarthys could have flown home but they had their car. “Many people had to fly home and leave their cars in Picton. Many of the overseas visitors were very angry at having to leave cars in Picton and fly to Auckland to get home,”’ she said.

Picton was completely booked out for the week and many people were sleeping in vans on the side of the road.

Mrs McCarthy said people were becoming angry at having to wait so long. “A lot of people were blaming the Government for not stepping in and doing something.”

The stranded travellers were treated well in Picton.

“Local shopkeepers and the general public were very sympathetic toward us. They couldn’t do enough for us,” she said.

The McCarthys joined the protest march in Picton’s main street yesterday, after a great throng of people made a noisy and deliberate display.

“We saw them go past and thought, ‘No, we won’t join them’, but they came back down a little while later so we joined in,” Mrs McCarthy said.

The McCarthys were told at 4.45pm yesterday that they were to fly out from Blenheim at 6.45pm.

“It was a bit of a mad rush to get there, but we were going to make it whatever happened,” she said.

Photo caption – Mrs McCarthy