The Aratere is commencing freight-only sailings, with passenger sailings expected again at the end of the month. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Interislander ferry Aratere will return to full passenger service at the end of this month.
The Interislander ferry ran aground on 21 June just north of Picton while on a freight-only sailing.
Maritime NZ placed a detention notice on the vessel while it investigated the cause of the crash. That was lifted on Wednesday.
Interislander documents, leaked to RNZ this week, showed a staff member "inadvertently" pressed a button which caused the ship's autopilot to change direction sooner than it should have.
The vessel started an "alteration of course ... almost (1 nautical mile) prior to the planned waypoint", the document stated.
The ship's crew noticed the turn to starboard but were unable to get back control of the vessel quickly enough to prevent it running aground.
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said the ferry would have a graduated return to service, in line with instructions from Maritime New Zealand.
He said that involved freight-only sailings from now until full passenger service resumed on 28 July.
"All passengers previously booked on Aratere have been transferred to an alternative sailing.
"We are working to reach all customers and expect to have contacted everyone with their new sailing times by the end of today."
Meanwhile, a Marlborough district councillor said Picton's community was suffering as it waited to hear the government's plan for new ferries.
In February, KiwiRail confirmed a new terminal building and wharf would no longer be built in Picton after the Inter-Island Resilient Connection (iReX) project to replace the ferry fleet was canned in December.
The project was cancelled after it was revealed costs had quadrupled from $775 million in 2018 to about $3 billion in 2023.
Local iwi have called the cancellation a "heavy blow".
Government ministers received a report from the independent ferry advisory group in June but details were still under wraps.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has refused to confirm or deny whether the group suggested that KiwiRail no longer operate Cook Strait ferries.
"Ultimately those decisions have to go to Cabinet before any statements are made."
Councillor Barbara Faulls said locals felt like they were in limbo, and ongoing ferry troubles were adding to the uncertainty.
She worried for the mental health and wellbeing of many business owners and Picton was in decline, she said.
"It's sad to see."
A lot of construction work had halted as businesses waited to hear about the ferry plan, Faulls said.
"It's had a huge impact on, not only accommodation businesses, it's impacted restaurants, it's impacted in terms of staff and trying to work out what rosters would be needed and having to lay off people."
Many tourism operators spoken to by RNZ said the Aratere's grounding, and the public's overall image of ferries, was affecting bookings.
But Picton tourism leader Tracey Green, from Destination Marlborough, said the low season always meant fewer visitors, and numbers were normal for this time of year.
Green said she had noticed a change in travel patterns, though, with some people opting to fly, or choosing Bluebridge over the Interislander.
