Terrified cruise passengers injured when their ship rolled in massive seas during the storm battering New Zealand are to be offered compensation for having their dream holiday ruined.
The Pacific Sun, with 1732 people on board, struck trouble 600km north of Auckland on Wednesday night, when it ran into 90kmh winds and 7m swells.
The ship lurched 20 degrees, smashing windows, crockery and glassware.
Some passengers feared for their lives, with one sending a email to TV3 which read: "We are nearly on our side. If we get out of this, it will be a miracle ... I am so scared."
At least 40 passengers required medical attention for cuts, bruises and sprains, with three people remaining under medical supervision.
The ship was expected to reach Auckland this afternoon, where a Maritime New Zealand investigator would look into what happened.
Spokesman Ross Henderson said MNZ was limited in its jurisdiction because the Pacific Sun was not a New Zealand-registered vessel and the incident occurred so far out at sea, but investigators could demand repairs to the ship before it departed.
Anthony Fisk, spokesman for operator P&O, said the course for the cruise between Vanuatu and Auckland had been planned to avoid as much of the poor weather as possible, but had still been unexpectedly caught out.
Damage to the ship was "superficial" but was likely to delay the departure of Pacific Sun's next cruise, he said.
A total of 3382 passengers have been affected across the two cruises.
Mr Fisk said the company would do all it could to help passengers, and that included offering compensation on a "case-by-case basis".
