- Opua
Update 29 September, 2020:
Jacob Kraus, Sophia Ulbrich and Hans Borner were detained in custody in Auckland after they arrived in the Bay of Islands in breach of border restrictions on Friday afternoon. Borner and Kraus will be jailed in Mount Eden Prison, while Ulbrich will be in Auckland’s Womens Prison until their flight back to Germany on Thursday afternoon.
Read full article by RNZ here.
Posted 28 September, 2020:
The 16 meter German yacht “Anita” with three German crew on board arrived in Opua, Bay of Islands, NZ on Friday 25 September.
They has applied for an exemption to the NZ Covid-19 border restrictions prior to leaving Nuku Hiva (French Polynesia) two and a half months ago, however had departed on passage before a reply had been received. As it turned out, their application for an exemption was denied.
“The action by these individuals to knowingly travel here without approval demonstrates a blatant disregard for New Zealand’s border restrictions and will not be tolerated,” said an NZ Immigration representative.
A ban on foreign vessels was relaxed in early September to allow foreign fishing or cargo ships to enter New Zealand, or vessels which had been granted an exemption by the Director-General of Health. However, NZ Immigration have made it clear in recent weeks that a potential future cyclone does not provide sufficient basis to warrant an exemption from the Order for yachts currently in the South Pacific wanting to head to NZ.
As SY Anita entered Opua she was met by the NZ Customs patrol vessel and escorted to a quarantine dock. All three German nationals on board have been refused entry to NZ and arrangements are being made to fly them back to Germany as soon as possible. Their yacht is liable for seizure and duty liability and is being held in Customs control for further investigation.
Further Reading:
- South Pacific: Australia and New Zealand Refuse Cyclone Refuge for Yachts (Noonsite)
- Three Germans detained after breaking Covid border restrictions (Otago Daily News)
- German yachties had ‘blatant disregard’ for New Zealand law – Immigration NZ (RNZ)
- Three German nationals detained in Bay of Islands after breaking Covid-19 border controls (NZ Herald)
- NZ rejecting yachts from Pacific ‘ludicrous’ – Ocean Cruising Club boss (Interview with Guy Chester (OCC) and RNZ)
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Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
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A world wide police state now in operation.
Let’s not drive reckless, avoid to travel reckless. We are all responsible for the elderly, the children, the sick, the people who cann’t afford heath care, etc.
It’s not just the Covid-19 that is causing all this disruption, it is the ignorant bureaucrats and politicians trying to do right that is causing the unnecessary pain. Death and destruction by a typhoon is a very real risk that can only be mitigated by avoidance. A sailboat crew at sea for three weeks have already been quanrantined- they pose NO risk to anybody! I wish the politicians (who continue to receive their paycheck, medical benefits, and vacation benefits during lock downs) could be held directly liable for their actions. Maybe their decisions would be a little more rational. For me, I will not spend my money or time in New Zealand.