30 November 2023 , 12:30
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A couple were unable to go to their own wedding in Hobbiton after they were stopped from entering New Zealand.
Nearly-nuptialed beaus Janine Sheriff and Kyle Risk had been dreaming of a Lord of the Rings inspired ceremony in the New Zealand landmark, where couples often tie the snot on the set that brought the Shire to life in the Peter Jackson films.
Such dreams were scuppered after the cruise ship they were travelling on was turned around by Biosecurity NZ, they claim. The P&O Cruises ship Pacific Adventure was denied entry into New Zealand when officials found that its hull had high levels of biofouling and organisms growing on the hull.
The couple told ABC News they were "heartbroken" when they found out, having only decided to tie the knot after realising how close their cruise ship would get them to the undulating location.
The couple had dreamed of getting married in Hobbiton (Handout)"The plan was to get off the boat, go straight to Hobbiton, have our wedding, then head straight back to the boat for the rest of the honeymoon. Kyle is a massive Lord of the Rings fan and when we found we were going there, we jokingly mentioned they do a wedding package," Janine said, Stuff.NZ reported.
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The Pacific Adventure ship they were on was denied entry into New Zealand waters and rerouted to Tasmania. While they were sailing away from the island, friend and family who had already gathered at Hobbiton sent them selfies from the set. “I was furious. I saw Janine's face when we got the news. I was ready to explode," Kyle said.
The pair have not given up on their ring-related quest quite yet, having complimentary flights from P&O Cruises back to Sydney with plans to get married there instead. Kyle said that as long as they have each other, they will be fine. It was reported that P&O Cruises had previously attempted to clean the hull but bad weather had made it too dangerous for divers to do so. The cruise line gave the couple 50% back on their fare.
The incident is not the first this month in which strict-biohazard laws have scuppered a holiday. June Armstrong was travelling from Christchurch to Brisbane on May 2 to house-sit for friends when a group of security officers tapped her on the shoulder. The 77-year-old was told she'd need to fork out £1,570 because of a forgotten sandwich.
The pensioner had bought the gluten-free chicken and lettuce sandwich and a muffin at Christchurch Airport before boarding the 4am flight to Australia. After chomping through the muffin June decided to take a nap before getting to the sandwich. But she never did. When the nan woke up, she filled out the declaration form to make security staff aware of her prescription medication, only to fail to mention her sandwich, NZ Herald reported. When her bags were checked at Brisbane Airport, June realised she had made a mistake.
An official caught sight of the sandwich, prompting the OAP to ask if they could just throw it away for her. Instead she alleged they just said "12 points, $3,300." After realising that they were not joking, June burst into tears. She would later appeal the fine but to no avail.
P&O Cruises has been contacted for comment.