However, the cause was too important, she said.
Rosemary Penwarden (60) returned to Dunedin yesterday after being arrested and charged with trespassing on Tuesday.
Along with 30 others — including 14 from Otago — Penwarden boarded OMV support vessel Skandi Atlantic in Timaru on Sunday.
Of those, 16 were arrested for trespassing and a further 12 protesters were issued with trespass notices after leaving the vessel, a police spokesman said.
One was also charged with resisting police.
The Austrian company has plans for exploratory drilling in the Great South Basin this summer.
Ms Penwarden said the occupiers were able to walk straight on to the ship, however two people went around to the front and climbed the mooring rope.
Locked to various parts of the vessel in duos for two days, the protesters had little interaction with staff, expect when they washed the ship.
‘‘I think they were quite deliberately giving us a shower, because it must have been quite uncomfortable for them.
‘‘It was uncomfortable for us too to invade their space, but we were there for the wider purpose, to delay OMV drilling.’’
They delayed the boat, which was planned to leave for Taranaki to meet a drill rig, by two days, she said.
On Tuesday morning uniformed police arrested the protesters who remained on the boat.
Ms Penwarden said the law had not allowed their voices to be heard.
‘‘I’m not happy to be breaking the law, to be honest I’d rather be gardening, but this is too urgent not to act.’’
A Police spokesman said scaffolding was erected above the ship’s bridge around its mast, which the last two protesters had tied themselves to.
All the arrested protesters are due to appear in Timaru District Court in January.
An OMV spokesman said it was not in the position to comment on police measures.
‘‘It is up to the police and the port authority to determine what legal breaches have occurred and what action they consider needs to be taken.’’
It reiterated it respected the right to protest if the activities did not threaten the ‘‘health and life of people’’.
‘‘Equally OMV has a right to go about our lawful activities under permits issued by the Crown.’’
