Thousands of cruise passengers have been left frustrated and a little confused after their cruise ship was turned away at the New Zealand border and forced to divert to Tasmania.
P&O Cruises Australia, which operates the Pacific Adventure ship, has confirmed that passengers on its 13-day Kiwi Adventure voyage will no longer visit New Zealand.
The ship left Sydney on Monday, but passengers learned it would not proceed to its planned destination on Friday after unwanted organisms were discovered on board and bad weather prevented a necessary hull cleaning.
A P&O Cruises Australia spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News Australia on Saturday morning that the undesirable species was discovered “shortly before scheduled sailing”. The cruise line had planned to clean the ship and remove the seeds offshore near the Bay of Plenty along New Zealand’s north coast. However, bad weather “made it too dangerous” and forced sudden changes to passengers’ itineraries, a spokeswoman said.
Yahoo understands that the undesirable species is a type of muscle or oyster growth. “It’s OK in Australia, but not liked in New Zealand,” the spokesperson said.
Like Australia, New Zealand has strict biosecurity laws and underwater cleaning opportunities are very limited in the region.
In a statement provided to passengers on board and later shared on social media, the company’s directors said: “Unfortunately the weather did not match the forecast and once the divers entered the water the situation changed dramatically.” [to clean the ship]. ”
The changes will force passengers to spend more time on the boat without disembarking, instead traveling to Hobart, Port Arthur or Eden. But some have expressed anger and expressed a desire to return to Sydney, Nine News reported.
Passengers will receive a $300 onboard credit and a 50% credit toward future travel.
P&O Cruises Australia, like other cruise lines, warns customers in its terms and conditions that itinerary changes may occur during a voyage.
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