NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

World Cup: Transport system lets down fans

APNZ
9 Sep, 2011 10:41 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Crowds wait to get into Party Central on Auckland's waterfront today ahead of the opening match of the Rugby World Cup. Photo / APNZ

Crowds wait to get into Party Central on Auckland's waterfront today ahead of the opening match of the Rugby World Cup. Photo / APNZ

Auckland's transport system ground to a halt tonight, stopping thousands of rugby fans getting to the opening game of the Rugby World Cup on time.

As an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 people took to the streets to celebrate, authorities were forced to close parts of the city to traffic.

And in the middle of the chaos people were bashed, pedestrians were hit by a bus and children were separated from their parents.

Some rugby fans, disgusted with the poor performance of Auckland's trains, want compensation for rugby tickets they say they couldn't use.

Nelson man Robert Paul said he had been in a train carriage at Britomart for 40 minutes waiting for it to leave for Eden Park. He had arrived in good time to get to the All Blacks v Tonga game and was upset he would not make it in time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We want our money back. We are not going to make it to the opening ceremony," he said.

He said some frustrated passengers got out of the train and began walking up the tracks towards Eden Park.

Another man, Peter Jacobs, said his train from Britomart was delayed for about an hour.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was pretty crammed in there but there were people singing the New Zealand and Tongan national anthems and having a bloody good time. I can't complain, really."

The Britomart transport hub later closed its doors.

At Kingsland, two citybound trains were brought to a standstill and one evacuated after smoke was seen billowing from a carriage.

Veolia spokeswoman Brooke Donovan said a passenger had let a fire extinguisher off in a carriage. Other passengers had been pushing the emergency stop buttons on the trains, causing more delays.

Discover more

New Zealand

World Cup: Transport survival guide

07 Sep 09:42 PM
New Zealand

World Cup: Queens Wharf Party Central schedule

08 Sep 01:52 AM
Business

World Cup breathes new life into wharf's Shed 10

08 Sep 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Get in early... the beer's cheaper

08 Sep 05:30 PM

Sharon and Laura Jones and Rob Purcell were furious with the train network.

They waited an hour on a platform to get on a train.

"Four trains went past, choc-a-block. We got here finally after waiting there for an hour," Mr Purcell said.

"They couldn't cope with that capacity. I thought it was a bloody joke," Ms Jones said.

Mr Purcell said that when they finally reached the city, he saw numerous pedestrians dicing with danger in the streets still open to vehicle traffic.

Lower Queen St and Customs St westbound were later closed to traffic on the advice of police.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But six people were hurt when a bus hit them in Fanshawe St in the city. The bus and a car had collided before the bus hit the group.

A 33-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman were taken to Auckland hospital.

Auckland District Health Board spokesman Mark Fenwick said both were in a stable condition.

Ferry services into the CBD were stopped this afternoon when the downtown area was at its fullest.

Authorities said that due to large crowds people were unable to get into ferry terminals and ferries were unable to offload passengers.

Police had to clear crowds from the ferry building area before sailings could recommence.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

North Shore resident Michael Maher said there were massive queues at the Devonport ferry terminal and hundreds of people were turned away from the 4pm sailing to Auckland.

"They said only people with tickets for the game could get on the ferry."

Early arrivals to the game said public transport to Eden Park appeared to be running smoothly.

Kevin McCaffrey said the bus ride from Albany to the stadium took just 25 minutes.

"Outstanding," he said.

A spokesman for Auckland Mayor Len Brown said the mayor, who was in the stands at Eden Park, was aware of the transport issues and would comment later tonight.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Brown decided yesterday to go the game by car in case there were problems with the trains.

Police said later this evening that given the public transport problems and in the interests of public safety people should not to return to the downtown and the Queens Wharf areas unless they had to.

They said people should revise their travel plans and consider taking cabs or walking home with a group of friends.

As the night wore on, the crowds in the CBD got rowdier and two men were taken to hospital after assaults.

A 38-year-old security guard was bashed outside Auckland Art Gallery and a 21-year-old man was assaulted outside The Stamford Plaza Hotel on Queen St.

Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said police had been looking after a number of children who had become separated from their parents.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

By 9pm tonight they were still looking after two children. Two other children, an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, were reported missing.

The crowds also took their toll on the phone networks.

Telecom spokesman Mark Watts said some people were experiencing network delays as a result of so many being in one place.

Despite many Vodafone users reporting problems, the company said its network was operating normally.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Melatonin to be available over counter at pharmacies, rules on ‘magic mushrooms’ relaxed

18 Jun 02:12 AM
New Zealand

Truck containing contaminated asbestos rolls, blocking Waikato Expressway

18 Jun 01:09 AM
New ZealandUpdated

Hospital machete attacker broke wife's lover's skull

18 Jun 01:06 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Melatonin to be available over counter at pharmacies, ‘magic mushroom’ rules relaxed

Melatonin to be available over counter at pharmacies, ‘magic mushroom’ rules relaxed

18 Jun 02:12 AM

Government has also approved the use of psilosybin, known as magic mushrooms.

Truck containing contaminated asbestos rolls, blocking Waikato Expressway

Truck containing contaminated asbestos rolls, blocking Waikato Expressway

18 Jun 01:09 AM
Hospital machete attacker broke wife's lover's skull

Hospital machete attacker broke wife's lover's skull

18 Jun 01:06 AM
'It's frustrating': Fire truck shortage for supermarket fire angers union

'It's frustrating': Fire truck shortage for supermarket fire angers union

18 Jun 01:05 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP