Supermarkets have been stocking up and South Island construction companies are bracing for even more shortages with two Interislander ferries out of action from today.
The Aratere leaves for Sydney today to undergo scheduled maintainence, but the Kaiarahi is already out of action due to problems with its gearbox.
That's expected to take some weeks to fix, which leaves only one Kiwirail ferry - the Kaitaki - in operation for the foreseeable future.
Emma Hatton reports.
