The loss of power meant water supplies were cut and people around the region were asked to conserve how much they were using. There were reports of residents stocking up on bottled water at supermarkets.
The transmission tower collapse at Glorit, Auckland, about 45km west of Warkworth, happened at the same time another circuit connecting Northland to the grid was down for maintenance.
The downed pylon near Kaipara. Photo / Michael Craig
“[This] highlights how fragile the infrastructure in Northland is,” Northland MP Grant McCallum said. He said this was “the last thing [Northlanders] needed”.
Forty-seven people spent the night aboard the stranded vessel, and while no one got hurt this time, the lack of injuries (or worse) should not be taken as a given.
“The Interislander ferries are at end of life, and there have been repeated incidents, such as the loss of power on the Kaitaki last year,” national secretary Carl Findlay said.
New Zealand has to have modern, acceptable Cook Strait ferries. Findlay said the Government had made an error cancelling the iRex project, which not only threatened the transport network but the safety and wellbeing of crew and passengers.
The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground just out of Picton on Friday night.
“If this incident does not shake the Government out of its complacency about the need for investment in new vessels and infrastructure, what will it take?”
While the vessel has been refloated, the consequences of the incident will continue to be felt, as it will have an impact on the country’s transport network. The Aratere is the only rail-capable ferry on the Cook Strait.