An engine fault was the cause of a loss of power on an Interislander ferry on Saturday night.
KiwiRail said a faulty cooling system caused all of the Kaitaki ferry's four engines to shutdown, triggering a mayday from the vessel.
On Saturday afternoon the ferry departed from Picton but lost power and dropped its anchor in the Cook Strait, southwest of Sinclair Head.
Though life jackets were handed out, the 800 passengers and 80 crew onboard were safe and nobody panicked.
Tug boats later assisted the vessel in its journey to the Kaiwharawhara terminal in Wellington.
"A leak occurred in a connection that is part of the cooling system, which resulted in a loss of pressure," Interislander executive general manager Walter Rushbrook said.
Repair work is still underway, but KiwiRail could not confirm when the ferry would return to passenger services.
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