Ferry masters dunked over donut spins

By TONY GEE and DANIEL JACKSON

KAIKOHE - Hokianga Harbour's "donut" performing vehicular and passenger ferry has been brought into line and its masters ordered to stop doing maritime wheelies on the water.

Late-night antics on the harbour by the 175-tonne, 33m ferry Kohu Ra Tuarua surfaced last month when a local district councillor said reports of the vessel deliberately performing wheelies with cars and passengers on board gave cause for serious safety concerns.

During one 360-degree "donut" turning session in the harbour off Rawene about 1.30 am on October 29, a car crashed through the ferry's front safety barrier, although neither the vehicle nor its occupants went overboard.

Far North district and Hokianga councillor Joe Carr said it was lucky the car and people in it were not flung into the harbour during what he said was a 15-minute donut session.

The incident was reported to the Maritime Safety Authority for investigation.

Passenger Flo Joyce said she was returning about 1 am on the ferry to Kohukohu from a volunteer firefighters' function in Rawene.

"We were only a wee way out from the shore when the ferry started spinning."

A fight nearly broke out when one of the vehicles, a van, broke free and slammed into one of the ferry's gates, shearing it off.

"There was a bit of a dispute because the van's owner wanted to go up and confront the ferry driver, but he was stopped by the other passengers."

Mrs Joyce was not worried by the spinning ferry because she had been on board before.

"But when I got home and told my husband he said we all could have been thrown overboard."

Impact Services, which runs the cross-harbour service under contract to the vessel's owners - the district council, said donuts had been performed on several nights for the benefit of late-night revellers on board, who asked the crew to spin the ferry.

At a meeting between the company and its ferry masters, called to discuss concerns raised by Mr Carr, the masters were ordered to stop doing donuts.

Ferry manager Grant Potter said masters had been instructed that "wheelies are to cease forthwith."

Masters were also told they were not to leave the vessel unless it was tied up or someone else authorised and competent to run it was on board.

In a report to the council, Impact Services general manager Graham Carman said the company was looking at amending ferry masters' employment contracts with a view to introducing random drug testing as soon as practicable.

This should be done immediately for the protection of the ferry-using public, Mr Carr said.

Meanwhile, Mr Potter said the Maritime Safety Authority had completed its investigation into the October incident, and the company was now awaiting the report.

The council is also waiting for the report before it decides whether to consider the matter further.