Six days after losing power in Cook Strait and drifting close to rocks on Wellington's south coast - the Interislander ferry, Kaitaki has just returned to service, but carrying freight only for the next two weeks.
The cause of last Saturday's power cut was a fault in the ship's engine cooling system caused by a leaky connection. 864 people were on board.
Interislander Executive General Manager Walter Rushbrook says only after further performance and assurance checks will Kaitaki resume taking passengers.