Auckland ferry catches fire off Waiheke Island

The Waiheke Island ferry caught fire this afternoon. Photo / RNZ

An Auckland ferry passenger says a fire broke out on an Island Direct boat from Waiheke Island and claims the staff response was “p*** poor”.

The woman told the Herald the boat had started motoring away from Matiatia when sirens started to blare this afternoon.

Then she started to smell smoke.

She said she could not see any flames and as an experienced sailor, she believed the crew would have sealed the engine room and extinguished the fire.

She said the boat was new and had only started sailing a few days ago.

“Before we’d even got out of the harbour, the alarms are screaming and I can smell it, smell smoke. They put the anchor down and shut the engine off and then we sat around for ages and then Coastguard came and evacuated us,” she said.

She said there were about 18 passengers on board and she had to help four of them into their life jackets. She was unimpressed with the response from staff.

“I’m going to be talking to Maritime New Zealand. There’s a bit of training necessary, obviously.”

The Herald has approached Island Direct for comment.

The Herald understands the boat was Te Wairoa, Island Direct’s second ferry. It is a 22m catamaran.

Coastguard told the Herald the Maritime Operations Centre received a mayday call at 3.40pm.

Two minutes later, Coastguard Auckland was notified and hit the water with three rescue vessels, a spokeswoman said.

Coastguard Auckland evacuated stricken passengers.

Coastguard Howick was sent to transport firefighters, along with the police Deodar boat.

No injuries have been reported, Coastguard said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to the fire on board the ferry at Matiatia Bay Wharf, Ōneroa, Auckland at 3.45pm.

Fire trucks from Ōneroa and Parnell responded and were transported to the ferry by Coastguard Howick and the police launch Deodar, a spokeswoman told the Herald.

Bruce Cameron, who was on a boat near Motatapu Island, told RNZ he heard a mayday call on VHF radio at about 3.50pm about a boat in trouble.

He told RNZ he had heard the vessel was on fire and could see it was about 2km from where he was.

He said he understood the fire had since been put out, but the boat’s steering had been damaged.

A Fullers Ferry had turned back to help, he told RNZ, but the height difference between the two vessels and the choppy sea conditions meant passengers could not be safely transferred.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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