PICTON FULL WHILE WELLINGTON CLOSED

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31984, 10 May 1969, Page 48

PICTON FULL WHILE WELLINGTON CLOSED

(New Zealand Press Association/

BLENHEIM, May 9.

Nearly 1000 people with more than 250 cars were waiting patiently at the Picton ferry terminal this morning for news that Wellington Harbour was open again.

But for the weather it might have been New Year’s Eve in Picton last night. The town bulged —but coped—with a 40 per cent population increase brought about by the cancellation of four rail-road ferry sailings from the port.

Accommodation was found for all the stranded ferry passengers, either on board the Aranui or in hotels, guest houses and private homes. In the Aranui, passengers slept in the fore and aft lounges as well as in the 24 regular berths.

Some of those waiting at Picton had been there since yesterday morning, their stay broken by a trip in the Aranui as far as Tory Channel and back when weather conditions in Cook Strait forced her back to Picton. The Picton stationmaster, Mr N. Harrison, said the passengers had displayed “wonderful patience.” Their wait ended when Wellington Harbour was reopened at 10.42 a.m.

Cancellation of sailings by Cook Strait rail ferries in the storm added another 240 waggons to the backlog at the Picton and Wellington terminals.

The Railways Department assistant general manager, operations, Mr T. M. Small, said today that another 150 waggon spaces have been lost

because the early sailings after the service resumed had been used to clear school* holiday car traffic only. The backlog of waggons would be cleared as soon as possible, but in the meantime the department was unable to meet requests for waggons for inter-island freight,

As the backlog was reduced the department would be meeting a limited number of requests for waggons. It would increase this number stage by stage as the situation returned to normal, Before yesterday’s cancelltion the backlog was 250 waggons.