Ruatoria airline helps out when bridegroom and best man stranded in Gisborne

Mahanga Maru and Air Ruatoria helped the bridegroom and his best man get to Auckland in time for the wedding after their flight out of Gisborne was cancelled.File picture

Air Ruatoria’s Mahanga Maru came to the rescue on Monday afternoon to help two key ingredients of a bridal party get to a wedding in Auckland after their flight from Gisborne  was cancelled.

The bridegroom and his best man made it to Auckland in time after a desperate call to the Ruatoria airline.

On Monday afternoon Mahanga got a call from the groom’s brother, Luke Hamlin, and he was stressed.

“He told me his brother was getting married in Auckland the next day, and their flight from Gisborne to Auckland had been cancelled.

“They were essentially stuck in Gisborne.”

Flying the pair direct to Auckland would have been a huge expense. So Mahanga hatched another plan which involved flying them to Napier to catch a connecting flight north.

“They were very happy with that plan,” he said.

“They were facing a six-hour drive to Auckland and I don’t think that Luke or his brother, the groom, really wanted to be too stressed too much, so what we came up with was a solution that worked really well.”

Mahanga was offered an invitation to the wedding but declined.

“I said to the groom, ‘I’m probably a little bit busy tomorrow’, but I texted him Monday night just to make sure they were in Auckland.

“The groom and his brother were very happy to be there.”

The plan also worked out in the favour of another stranded flyer, whose Auckland to Gisborne flight had been cancelled. He picked up a flight to Napier.

“That meant that I could pick up passenger ‘Fred’ from Napier and bring him to Gisborne on my return flight, after dropping Luke and the groom off at Napier for them to catch their flight to Auckland.

“Everyone ended up happy, which made me happy,” Mahanga said.

“I’m certainly happy to help people, that’s what’s it’s all about at the end of the day — especially when you’re going to get married.” — RNZ and Gisborne Herald reporters