German yachties jailed until flight home

Three German yachties refused entry to New Zealand after arriving in the Bay of Islands have been jailed until they board a flight home later this week.

Jacob Kraus, Sophia Ulbrich and Hans Borner were in police custody in Auckland after they arrived in Opua from Tahiti in breach of border restrictions last Friday.

They applied for an exemption after they had already set sail, but this was not granted.

The group appeared in the Auckland District Court today.

Judge Peter Winter remanded them in custody until their flight on Thursday afternoon.

The trio sought to stay in a hotel for 48 hours until their flight but the judge declined this request, citing Covid-19 concerns.