Latest news with #CookStrait
RNZ News
a day ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Strong winds force Cook Strait ferry cancellations
Bluebridge has cancelled three sailings while the InterIslander has also cancelled the Aratere's crossings. Photo: RNZ / Mary Argue Cook Strait passenger ferry sailings have been cancelled due to strong winds and large swells. MetService was forecasting four-metre swells and winds of over 80km/h in the Cook Strait on Sunday. InterIslander cancelled the Aratere's 4pm sailing from Wellington and the return 8.50pm trip from Picton. Kaitaki sailings had also been delayed by almost five hours after the rough weather added to crossing and turnaround times. Bluebridge cancelled two sailings earlier in the day as well as their early morning sailing due to depart Wellington at 2am on Monday. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Final sailing date for KiwiRail's Aratere ferry announced
Aratere has been plagued by problems in recent years. Photo: RNZ KiwiRail has confirmed when its Interislander Aratere ferry is expected to make its final sailing. The ferry will be retired when Interislander ferry Kaiārahi returns to service following scheduled dry-dock maintenance in Singapore. KiwiRail has announced it expects Kaiārahi to return to service at 3.30pm on 18 August and anticipates Aratere 's final scheduled Cook Strait sailing will depart Picton at 11am on the same day. Aratere has been plagued by problems in recent years. Among those, this year a propulsion fault meant the ferry had to wait at anchor for hours in Queen Charlotte Sound overnight while a specialist electrician came to fix the problem, while last year the ferry ran aground in Piction and was unable to be refloated until the following morning. The ship, which first entered service on the Cook Strait in 1999, is being retired ahead of port infrastructure work being done in preparation for the new rail-enabled ferries set to arrive in 2029. Arartere 's wharf in Picton is due to be demolished later this year as part of the new ferry project and as it requires specific loading and unloading infrastructure, it cannot use the other Interislander wharf in Picton while port upgrades there and in Wellington. Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said the ferry's retirement was a significant milestone in the company's transition to a modernised fleet. "This is the start of our preparation for the new ships, and while it will have some impact on capacity on Cook Strait until they arrive, we will make it as smooth as possible for our passengers and freight customers. No booking changes are required for freight customers or passengers as a new two-ship timetable is already in place. "The capacity of the two new ferries will be larger than our current fleet of three ships, so while this change is challenging, it's a necessary step towards a more efficient and sustainable future," he said. To support rail freight operations, Interislander would use road-bridging, where rail freight was moved by trailer onto its vessels, and reconnected to trains at the other end. "Significant preparation has already gone into super-charging this operation - including bringing in new equipment, recruiting and training new staff and fine-tuning our rail freight handling processes," Roy said. "Our transition timetable optimises the additional time needed for road bridging to ensure all rail freight will be serviced at the levels our rail freight customers need and expect. This has already been factored into current bookings," he said. Roy said the business was still considering options for the sale of Aratere after retirement, and the vessel would be laid up at its Wellington berth while it worked with a shipbroker. A private farewell event for Aratere crew would be held early next month.
RNZ News
30-07-2025
- RNZ News
Around NZ in 90 days: Two adventurers' climate fundraising
Huw Kingston and Laurence Mote are half-way through their 90-day, 4000-kilometre journey from the north to the south of the country, which will also seem them tackle the slopes of 24 ski areas. It's all in aid of raising funds for Save the Children - specifically, a project in Vanuatu to build climate-resilient classrooms. Resilience is something Laurence knows well - in 2013 the former Kiwi representative cyclist was left in a coma after a bee sting and is now legally blind. This Alpine Odyssey is not Huw's first - he did something similar in Australia three years ago - just one of many incredible expeditions he's undertaken. Both of them take a well-deserved break in their journey before they head across Cook Strait to tell Kathryn why they wanted to do this adventure, and the challenges they've struck along the way. More information about how to donate is here. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
20-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Sounds Air to cut services
Regional airline Sounds Air says it is retrenching its services to focus on its viability. It is ending its Blenheim to Christchurch services, as well as its Christchurch to Wanaka services from September 28. That comes after the company withdrew its Wellington to Taupo and Wellington to Westport trips in December 2024. Sounds Air says aviation has been hit by escalating costs and a low dollar that have combined to trouble the viability of all regional airlines. The company is reverting to its roots, starting in 1987, as an airline providing services between the North and South Islands across Cook Strait. Andrew Crawford is the managing director of Sounds Air. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
CNA
10-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Robertson wants All Blacks to back their skills in second France test
WELLINGTON :Scott Robertson said he wants the All Blacks to continue to back their skills in the second test against France this weekend after making two enforced changes to his starting side for the Wellington clash. The experienced Patrick Tuipulotu has been named in the second row in place of captain Scott Barrett, who has been ruled out of the rest of the series by a calf tear, and Caleb Clarke comes into the side for Sevu Reece. Winger Reece was concussed when the All Blacks edged a weakened France team 31-27 in Dunedin last weekend to live up to their reputation as slow starters to the international season. Even though a wet and windy day is forecast for Saturday, Robertson said he wanted the All Blacks to continue to try to create all over the pitch at Wellington Regional Stadium. "You play fast, you think fast, you adapt fast, and we've got the skill set to do it," he told reporters on Thursday. "So we'll keep creating and if the southerly comes in off the Cook Strait, we'll adapt and play into the wind and the rain as well. But our intention is to use our skills as much as we can." Ardie Savea steps up from vice-captain to skipper the team in his home city and is likely to retain the role for next week's final test in Hamilton. The French are missing most of their regular starters but Robertson said the All Blacks had definitely not underestimated them, even if the media had. "They're very, very consistent, and I think the narrative's changed a little bit around what team they brought," he said. "They've brought a team that has quality enough on the day, so it's test match football on the weekend." The other change to Robertson's matchday squad was on the bench, where Fiji-born centre Timoci Tavatavanawai gets a chance to win his first cap in place of Quinn Tupaea. The 27-year-old earned his chance with a brilliant Super Rugby Pacific campaign in which he was a constant threat to the opposition with power, pace and a strong presence over the ball at the breakdown. "He's pretty much like another number seven over that ball," said loose forward Tupou Vaa'i. "He is such a good ball carrier, he's obviously a leader as well. He doesn't say much but he leads with his actions and it's awesome to see him get his opportunity. "It's always good to have him on your team because you don't have to tackle him." Team: 15–Will Jordan, 14–Rieko Ioane, 13–Billy Proctor, 12–Jordie Barrett, 11–Caleb Clarke, 10–Beauden Barrett, 9–Cam Roigard, 8–Christian Lio-Willie, 7–Ardie Savea, 6–Tupou Vaa'i, 5–Fabian Holland, 4–Patrick Tuipulotu, 3–Fletcher Newell, 2–Codie Taylor, 1–Ethan de Groot
