Weather, tempers stay hot

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 1

Weather, tempers stay hot

By

BARRY SIMPSON

There were many hundreds of angry people in Picton yesterday. In beautiful, sunny weather they sat fuming in cars, caravans, the ferry terminal, in buses, and lay about on the grass. Hundreds of vehicles were parked in Picton, and about 1000 people with them, all victims of the railwaymen’s strike in Wellington. Some who arrived last Wednesday night and watched the morning ferry leave for Wellington with passengers only aboard were furious. Their anger, in one case at least, had resulted in telegrams to the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and to radio stations, advising them of the travellers’ plight. The lucky ones with caravans have had an extension to their holidays, but for many with only cars or motor-cycles or in buses there was the choice of sleeping in cars or outside on the Picton foreshore.

Some pitched tents, others erected camp beds inside the terminal, an i others just wrapped themselves in sleeping bags and slept under the stars. Fortunately the weather at Picton has been warm. “I can understand a strike — I hear it has something to do with replacing an uneconomic train service *”ith an economic bus — if t .re is justification for it,” aid one Aucklander, already two days overdue on his leave who echoed the views of many spoken to. “But I have yet to read or hear of any justification for this one. Are people losing jobs, or a lot of money, or what?”

Among the many travellers stranded at Picton were overseas tourists. Some in a bus tour are due to fly

out ot New Zealand on Thursday. A Swiss couple who had saved a week of their trip to see the North Island before flying our on February 27 will see little of the north. The worst hit were groups of students returning to start the new academic year. One group, which had been working at Twizel throughout the holidays to earn

money for their studies at Auckland University has been stuck at Picton since Thursday. They say they will be too late to register, and will miss what accommodation was available in Auckland, and the chance of buying second-hand books. “Don’t throw that eggshell away, we will probably need it for tea,” said one of the officials of the Marlins

(Auckland) swimming team, as the team attacked the morning dishes. The team, which had competed at the national age-group championships at Nelson, has been stranded in Picton since Sunday. Money was running very short, and the longest part of the trip was still to come. However, many put aside their anger for a moment to

speak of the “wonderful” J Picton people who had taken people into their homes for meals and for a good night’s I sleep. They praised too, the mothers of the St Mary’s pre-school group, of Blenheim, who filled cartons and plastic containers with sandwiches and brought them to Picton to distribute among the hungry.