‘We were being smashed’

• Author: Rachel Canning
• Published date: 09 December 2021
• Publication title: Taupo Weekender

Rob Burgess was part of a group that arrived home on a 56-foot power catamaran on October 22, but it was far from smooth sailing

Three power station workers from Taupō found themselves stuck in Australia when the travel bubble closed in July.

Working for hydroelectric power stations in Kangaroo Valley, two hours south of Sydney, self-employed engineer Rob Burgess says he and workmates Nick Whelan and Wesley Daniell didn’t meet the criteria when the “come home directive” came from the New Zealand Government.

“We arrived in Australia on March 28, but you were only allowed back if you had left New Zealand no earlier than April 8. We were eight days out.”

A fourth workmate, Wil Radford, also from Taupō, arrived in May and was able to get home in July.

While they were waiting, Wesley became injured in a recreational accident and decided to stay in Australia with his father who lives there.

That left Rob and Nick and so began the “soul-destroying” bid to win a place in the lottery for a spot in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).

At their first attempt, Nick was number 590 in the queue and would fly home in a month.

“I was number 18,000 and that was the best I ever did,” Rob says.

Their client continued to employ them and they had accommodation paid for during the additional three months stay.

“We were a lot better off financially than many other Kiwis who were in Australia and couldn’t get home.”

Rob heard about New Zealand sailor David Mason assembling a crew of stranded Kiwis to sail a boat across the Tasman.

“It was just banter. I wasn’t seriously thinking about it. But then I missed out on the MIQ lottery for the fourth time.”

He contacted David who said “you’re in” but another Kiwi, Andrew Bates, got in touch to offer Rob a place on a pleasure boat he was skippering. The Uis Gabeatha (a Gaelic phrase meaning water or life) was leaving sooner and departing from a closer port.

“The boat was a 56-foot power catamaran. A Kiwi guy had bought it without seeing it and registered it in New Zealand.”

The Uis Gabeatha was sailing in a week and, ironically, Rob left Australia two days before Nick.

On the evening of Friday, October 15 the crew of seven sailed out of Coffs Harbour, expecting to reach Opua, New Zealand in 12 days.

There were two spare days to use up to fulfil their MIQ requirement of 14 days isolation and they figured on some game fishing at Lord Howe Island.

There were three experienced sailors on board; Rob, skipper Andrew Bates who has completed...