A launch that ran aground just south of Cape Kidnappers has finally been salvaged.
The crew of the Geisha, who'd almost completed a trip between Picton and Napier last Friday night, abandoned the boat after the engine failed.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which is responsible for cleaning up oil spills within the coastal marine boundary, finished removing oil from the grounded launch on Tuesday.
Council spokesperson Bryce Lawrence says salvage efforts during the week were hampered by high seas that restricted vehicle access to less than a hour either side of low tide.
But on Friday a salvor managed to remove the badly damaged launch from Waimarama beach using a bulldozer and a specially made sled.
Mr Lawrence says council staff quickly recovered a small amount of oil that leaked from the hull during the operation.
