Chris Friedman and girlfriend Alona, after the boat they were on sank in Akaroa. Photo: Chris FriedmanA passenger aboard a tourist boat that ran aground outside Akaroa Heads on Banks Peninsula on Saturday says some on board were panicked and crying, when they realised the vessel was in trouble. More than 40 passengers and crew were evacuated to nearby boats, when the Black Cat Cruises catamaran ran into difficulty at Nikau Palm Valley Bay about 12.20pm Saturday. "We put on our life preservers and we saw that a number of other vessels, private vessels, were surrounding us. Black Cat Cruises said it's the first time in more than 40 years that anything like that had happened.
