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Auckland's biggest ferry operator says it cannot guarantee there will not be a repeat of the weekend debacle that left around 80 passengers stranded on Waiheke Island.
The passengers, who had tickets, were forced to spend the night out in the cold on the island because there was not enough room for them on the last ferry home.
Police have charged two of them with allegedly storming the terminal building and stealing food and blankets to keep warm.
The passengers were cold, tired and glad to finally get home after being left with no choice but to rough it on Waiheke's wharf on Saturday night.
Fullers spokesman Ian Greenslade says although people purchase a ticket it doesn't give Fullers an obligation to carry them on a specific service.
The company says they were not able to extend the hours that staff had already worked and bringing in another crew would have taken a long time so they waited for the morning shift to begin.
"We are not able to exceed those limits because of the safety factors involved," says Greenslade.
Uncertainty reigned among those forced to stay at the wharf and
chaos unfolded.
Bria Lamberton says a pregnant woman ended up sleeping on the
floor of the marquee of a wedding venue - underneath
tablecloths.
"We were stuck, we were trying to ring 111. We were ringing the police, trying to get through to find out what was happening," Lamberton says.
The passengers believed a boat was coming back to get them.
"There were a couple of policeman standing right next to us who heard the whole thing and they said we're sending another ferry - it will be here in half an hour to pick you up," says Lamberton.
But Greenslade denies the passengers were ever promised another ferry.
"I don't believe that to be the case, no. There was a lot of noise, there was a lot of congestion, people may have heard discussions about other vessels coming back but the answer was there was not," he says.
Garth Lamberton says if they had known there would not be another ferry they would have made other arrangements.
Police were called when the terminal building was broken into and food and blankets were taken along with boats. Bonfires were lit and tagging had appeared by the morning.
Two men have been arrested and charged with burglary and unlawfully entering a property. Detectives say they identified the men from security tapes and they are not ruling out further arrests.
Senior Sergeant Erin Marsden says damage included tagging in the toilets and on the outside of the building and stolen food from the ferry terminal.
Part owner of Waiheke Espresso Harold Singh says he lost around $100 worth of food and drink, but is relieved nothing in the cafe was damaged.
Locals say the island was busier than usual on Saturday night - including a dance party with 1200 people at a vineyard.
Fullers knew of the extra crowds in advance and says it simply cannot guarantee the situation will not happen again.
It has offered complimentary tickets for those stranded.
