21st birthday takes back seat amid flight delays

Ben Brooks said he was booked on another flight from Wellington to Tauranga at 11.20am today which he hoped would not be cancelled.

A Tauranga man is hoping to make it home in time for his delayed 21st birthday celebration today after wild winds prevented him leaving Wellington yesterday.

Ben Brooks said he called his parents and used Facebook to put the word out to up to 100 guests that his 21st last night would be postponed.

Mr Brooks was put on five different flights yesterday, but they were all cancelled. He said last night there was a big lineup at Wellington Airport and everyone was turned away until this morning.

"What's happening is basically all the big planes that they said can go, can't go any more because the cross-winds in Wellington at the moment are getting stronger and stronger and stronger - so nobody's able to get out."

Mr Brooks said he was booked on another flight from Wellington to Tauranga at 11.20am today which he hoped would not be cancelled. He was stranded in Wellington after returning from working as a food and beverage attendant on Hamilton Island in Australia.

"My original flight was scheduled to depart at 11.20am, but obviously most of the flights from Wellington got cancelled, so I went up to the counter to see if there were any flights available for this afternoon and they put me on to the 3.45pm flight." When that flight was cancelled, he rebooked on a 4pm flight to Auckland to catch a link flight to Tauranga. However, that was cancelled too.