An elderly passenger aboard the Majestic Princess cruise ship was airlifted by helicopter to Auckland City Hospital after experiencing a medical emergency.
The evacuation occurred at ~8:15 am on Saturday, April 8th, according to a spokesperson for the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.
In the meantime, the ship's itinerary was modified due to severe weather conditions on Thursday.
Captain Tony Draper informed passengers of the changes in a letter, explaining that the ship would not be stopping at Bay of Islands on Friday and Tauranga on Saturday due to high winds and heavy seas around the North Island. Instead, the ship will sail directly to Auckland (New Zealand) and anchor outside the port to avoid the worst of the weather system.
The captain expressed optimism that the passengers would still enjoy a comfortable cruise despite possible rough seas. The ship spent the night anchored off the coast of Browns Bay in Auckland and is scheduled to arrive at the Ports of Auckland on Sunday morning.
At the time of the accident, the ship was on a 5-day, one-way cruise from Sydney NSW Australia to Auckland, themed as "Easter".
For more Majestic Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.