Ferry operator floats link with SI
Taranaki travellers could soon be flocking to the South Island with much more ease if the idea to launch a ferry from Whanganui gets off the ground.
‘‘Imagine it,’’ South Taranaki mayor Ross Dunlop said. ’’An hour from Hawera you could jump on the ferry and go to the South Island. It would shorten the trip considerably. I think Taranaki people would travel to the South Island a lot more. It would be brilliant.
‘‘It would also be great for trade and local industry.’’
Dunlop’s praise for the idea comes on the back of Whanganui businessman Neville Johnson’s visit to Nelson to drum up support for his plan to set up a ferry between Whanganui and Motueka.
Johnson’s company Midwest Ferries is promoting the potential use of three ferries, including one that could do the trip in just four hours, while the other two would take six and 10 hours respectively.
Johnson has been investigating options for a roll-on, roll-off service for the past six years and said as well as cargo the ferry would offer tourists an alternative travel option and allow quicker access to and from the West Coast.
Dunlop said he fully supported the idea and his council would put its weight behind the proposal via the South Taranaki District Council’s representative on the Whanganui Harbour Board.
He acknowledged there could be challenges with the west coast weather and the Whanganui bar but said he hoped advances in technology could help to make a Whanganui ferry a reality.
However, Dunlop’s enthusiasm for the proposal was not backed by Taranaki regional councillor and Road Transport Association member Tom Cloke who said he did not think the idea was viable.
One of Cloke’s main concerns was the practical challenges of the west coast’s rough seas and the bar at Whanganui’s harbour.
He said the cost of buying a ferry large and powerful enough to handle those conditions would be a barrier.
‘‘I don’t think it will ever get off the ground. They looked at one from New Plymouth to Nelson and that didn’t stack up and that was an easy port to get into,’’ Cloke said.
‘‘I wouldn’t get too excited about it.’’