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Severe weather conditions have derailed Labor leader Jacinda Ardern’s travel plans, and instead of getting stuck in Invercargill, she has gone to Dunedin and then flown to Christchurch.
He had been in Southland on Monday to meet with business leaders and iwi, and to announce that Labor would extend the life of the troubled Tiwai Point smelter by up to five years.
Ardern arrived in Invercargill from Dunedin by road on Sunday night, when the weather was already changing.
Jacinda Ardern had to get into a truck to get out of town.
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A Labor Party spokesman confirmed Monday afternoon that Ardern and his entourage were heading to Dunedin by road in hopes of catching a flight to Auckland.
The spokesman said the prime minister was informed on Monday morning that the flight had been canceled.
They weren’t sure if the last flight would go ahead, so they made the decision to go to Dunedin.
Ardern posted a video on Facebook Monday night from Christchurch International Airport. She said they had driven to Dunedin and then caught a flight to Christchurch and then were planning to catch a flight to Auckland.
The flight to Christchurch was “a little sick to my stomach,” he said. The region was being whipped by strong winds.
“I think everyone, good flyer or not, would have been a bit white on that last flight.”
Invercargill Airport General Manager Nigel Finnerty said Monday that the plane from Invercargill to Auckland was among the flights canceled due to weather.
“We’ve had sleet and hail on the track and the front entrance makes the weather unpredictable at the moment,” he said.
In a video posted to Facebook Sunday night, Ardern said: “We are here in Dunedin, heading for Invercargill, experiencing the weather like everyone else.”
Ardern was due to appear at events in Auckland on Tuesday.
