Service Updates

While we are probably months away from things returning to normal for our inter-island services, and Wellington CBD is a work in progress, all things considered we are managing to operate relatively smoothly in the circumstances.

Here are some of the typical FAQs we have been asked in the past few days.

Are inter-island road delivery times back to normal yet?

We are managing two days north to south at present but south to north is three days. As Christmas volumes ramp up and if ferry sailing schedules remain limited, we may struggle to maintain this. However if the Wellington linkspan can be repaired quickly, ferry sailings should be restored to full schedule.

How are your drivers coping in Wellington CBD? Can the sender or recipient of a parcel to a cordoned building have the parcel redirected?

Cordons remain in place around a number of buildings. Any customers worried about items sent to those sites can contact us and we will redirect to another address. For latest updates on city outages and closures see: http://wellington.govt.nz

Do the linehaul trucks operating between Picton and Chch on SH7 now require two drivers?

Still with only one driver but they must take a 30 minute break after 5.5 hours of driving.

How long is it taking a linehaul truck to reach Chch from Picton (or vice versa)?

It varies between 5.5 and 7.5 hours, dependent on traffic volumes, time of day and day of the week. And note previous question for break time requirement.

How are your airfreight loadings – still at capacity or is there available space?

Airfreight volumes are up, but we are flying additional rotations to cope with volume and are running chaser vehicles to all South Island destinations to have freight in place overnight, albeit the deliveries may be later in the day than normal.

My company normally uses your interisland road freight service, but because of the possible delays, can I airfreight at surface rates during this exceptional time?

Unfortunately we cannot offer this. Airfreight services are charged at usual rates, regardless of circumstance.

Now that there is limited access to Kaikoura via Army convoy, can I send parcels there again?

The Army trucks are carrying emergency supplies only. We are still asking customers not to send anything to Kaikoura until further notice, as we can do nothing with it at present and it will be returned to customer until we can be certain we have permitted access and can operate as normal.

Where can I get more updates on road conditions and earthquake probabilities?

For latest road updates, see NZTA website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz

For earthquake updates, scenarios and probabilities, see GeoNet website: https://www.geonet.org.nz