A group of Rhythm and Vines festival-goers were forced to trek through the night in deep mud and torrential rain because their pre-booked bus never showed up.
They claim the $70 bus pass didn’t provide service for the trips it advertised to and from the multiple-day festival, with no explanation.
An attendee, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald she and her friends were left feeling unsafe, out of pocket and disappointed.
Now in its 23rd year, Rhythm and Vines is regarded as one of the most popular and well-attended New Year’s festivals in Australasia, having attracted more than 375,000 people to Gisborne since its inception in 2003.
This year’s festival, held from December 28 to January 1, made headlines as “Rhythm and Rain” after severe weather turned the site into a mud pit.
The attendee said this was her third time at the festival and had purchased a similar bus pass for trips to and from Makaraka previously, which was reliable.
“This year, however, the bus never arrived. We were left in an unsafe situation with no sober driver available to get us home,” she said.
On the way to the festival on the first day, she said they were “panicking” after waiting over an hour and a half for the bus that never arrived.
Luckily, a designated sober driver friend was able to take them to the venue.
While the group waited for a bus home at the end of the night, a staffer told them they didn’t know whether the bus was still running.
They were later told that the bus staff were unsure why the bus was not running, but that it would not be operating this year.
“It was horrible. We were all very stressed,” the attendee said.
She said they were forced to squeeze onto other bus services and walk the rest of the way each night. The only other option was a $200 taxi.
She and her friends walked the remaining 30-minute distance at around 2.30am.
“We were tired, and it was the first night it was raining, and we were freezing.
“It was horrible,” she said.
The attendee said there was no communication from Rhythm and Vines or Mish Tix to advise that the bus service would not be operating, despite it being advertised.
“We would have organised an alternative and safe way home.
“It was all kind of up in the air, so we didn’t know what to do,” she said.
When they asked why the service was still advertised and why no communication had been sent out, she said the group received no clear explanation.
She said she later received an email stating there was a strict no-refund policy.
A Rhythm and Vines spokesperson told the Herald they were working directly with affected customers and that refunds would be provided to those who are eligible.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the spokesperson said.
The attendee said they were “extremely disappointed” by the situation, which she called unsafe and poorly communicated.
“They really didn’t care at all. They were just like, ‘we’re sorry, but we don’t know why this is happening’ ... Our whole festival experience has changed now because we have anxiety about how we’re going to get home safely, and then we can’t enjoy our pre-drinks or anything,” she said.
This comes after Hidden Valley festival in Auckland was slammed over queues, buses and toilet chaos just days earlier.
Rain-soaked punters at this year’s event on December 27 say they had to wait hours to get inside and encountered a two-hour delay for pre-organised transport after the festival.
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