The interislanders three ferries kaiarahi, aratere and kaitaki, offer a convenient and regular daily rail, commercial freight and, passenger ferry service crossing cook strait from wellington in the north island to picton in the south island. She was launched in 1965, at the fairfield shipbuilding and engineering company in govan, scotland, and worked the new zealand inter island route between wellington. Interislander is one of the worlds most scenic ferry journeys. Throughout the morning, the danger of the ship sinking seemed to pass as. Ferry crossings take approximately three hours with several sailings each day. The wellingtonlyttelton ferry wahine had been in service for just over 18 months when it sank in wellington harbour on april 10, 1968.
Picton to wellington ferry tickets, compare times and prices. Visit the wahine gallery at wellington museum of city and sea. In new zealand the city is infamous for two things. The interisland ferry, travelling from lyttelton to wellington, hit barrett reef in wellington harbour on the morning of. Have traveled on the ferry before and i think i see an improvement each time. The tragedy can be attributed to one major cause the weather. As new zealand is made up of two main islands, it will be necessary for you to book a ferry crossing if you are travelling from the north to south island or vice versa. The wellingtontopicton ferry offers daily service one way, with jawdropping views along one of the worlds most scenic waterways. She was launched in 1965, at the fairfield shipbuilding and engineering company in govan, scotland, and worked the new zealand interisland route between wellington and lyttelton from 1966 on 10 april 1968, near the end of a routine northbound overnight crossing from lyttelton, she was caught in a. This is the story of the wahine disaster, told by those who were there.
The sinking of the lytteltonwellington ferry wahine on 10 april 1968 was new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. There are no hidden extras or surprises such as added fuel surcharges or booking fees and we do not charge you anything extra for. Cook strait ferry prices wellington to picton ferry. I agree with selsey prebook and then you know you are arsured of a place on the ferry. View new zealand ferry timetables and search for new zealand ferry offers. Ferries and water taxis can get you from a to b, or simply take you on a joy ride. Permission of the alexander turnbull library, national library of new zealand, te puna matauranga o aotearoa must be. Wahine wrecked in wellington harbour new zealand history.
The sinking of the lyttelton wellington ferry wahine on 10 april 1968 was new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. New zealand interislander passenger and car ferry ticket. Museum of wellington city and sea, wellington, new zealand. The sinking of the lyttelton wellington ferry wahine is new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. Fiftyone people lost their lives that day, another died several weeks later and a 53rd victim died in 1990 from injuries sustained in the wreck.
This is the date recognised as the birth of the interislander ferry service. Whats more, welly, as its locally known, is new zealands windy city, buffeted by chilled air funnelled through cook strait, its force amplified by the windtunnelling effect of the citys highrise buildings. I am writing a book, and i would love a photo of a cabin, from either the. Potential disasters and opportunities for resilience. Compare picton to wellington ferry times, prices and book ferry tickets at. A great guided tour and wellingtons 10 best hopoff stops. Acts of courage cast a light on one of our darkest days, ardern said.
A list of the best free things to do in wellington, new zealand. New zealand ferries wellington to picton wellington. Dedicated to those who drowned in new zealand rivers between 01 january 1840 and 30 june 1881. Kevin boon, the wahine disaster, nelson price milburn, petone, about 1990. Follow the links for more information on nzhistory, te ara and other sites. There are so many great things to do in wellington and lots of them are free so enjoy your time in. Wellington goes to new zealand story book earlylearninghq. The 92 km, three hour journey between wellington and picton is one of new zealands most iconic. New zealand disasters timeline new zealand disasters. Opportunities for water travel are almost everywhere in new zealand.
Then, in the early hours of 10 april, the ferry ran aground and capsized at the entrance to wellington harbour. Discover library resources on the sinking of the interisland ferry, wahine, off barrett reef. Book new zealand interislander ferry tickets to and from wellington and picton with interislander ferries online in advance to enjoy our cheapest available ferry ticket price the price you see is the price you pay. Survivors of the wahine disaster tell their story 50 years on rnz. Using aferry will always get a great deal on your ferry to new zealand. After the disaster, the great northern decided that they needed more snow sheds along the route. There are no hidden extras or surprises such as added fuel surcharges or booking fees and we do not charge you anything extra. This is a list of new zealand disasters by death toll, listing major disasters excluding acts of. The picton wellington ferry route connects the south and north island of new zealand via the cook strait and is currently operated by 2 ferry companies. Book your ferry to your new zealands capital from the south island today simply and securely with aferry. The best free things to do in wellington travels of a. Vision and footage from archives new zealand te rua mahara o the kawanatanga. Step aboard and let us take you on a journey through the history of the cook strait ferry.
Wellington ferry port in new zealand connects you with picton in new zealand with a choice of up to 44 ferry crossings per week. The interislander ferry is the longest running cook strait ferry service in new zealand. Sadly, windless days are not the norm for wellington. Snow sheds over the tracks provide a way for avalanches. It hasnt all being plain sailing, but its cemented its place in new zealand history and is still going strong today. With a nickname such as windy wellington you could be forgiven for thinking wellington is not a place to visit, however this is far from the. Interislander cook strait ferry official the great journeys of new. The foghorn had been in storage in the wellington museum city and sea for years until it was rediscovered by a staff member who suggested that it be resurrected. Wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online. The ferries rangatira and hinemoa in wellington nzhistory, new. New zealand is a country that should be studied systematically by scholars and practitioners interested in emergency management.
Seen here at wellington in 1951, the ferries rangatira and the hinemoa were. On april 10, 1968, the interisland ferry wahine was wrecked as it entered wellington harbour. The history of the interislander ferry the great journeys of new. You can use aferry to book ferries from wellington on the north island of new zealand to picton, on the south island.
The journey is commonly referred to as crossing the cook. Its super convenient, all you have to do is drive on, enjoy the scenic cruise and then drive off. From wellington to christchurch by ferry and train. She was launched in 1965, at the fairfield shipbuilding and engineering company in govan, scotland, and worked the new zealand interisland route between wellington and lyttelton from 1966 on 10 april 1968, near the end of a routine northbound overnight crossing from lyttelton to wellington, she was. All libraries closed from 22 march due to covid19 novel coronavirus. List of disasters in new zealand by death toll wikipedia. With a population of around 400,000, wellington is new zealands second most populous city. Most roro ferries have a design weakness in that if their car deck gets flooded, the roro ferry can capsize in a few minutes, without allowing an orderly evacuation of the stricken vessel. The interislander has become an iconic kiwi symbol here in new zealand, shipping thousands of people between wellington and picton every single day.
Recognised as one of the worlds most beautiful ferry journeys, the interislander has been helping kiwis and tourists get between wellington and picton for over 50 years. Our interislander ferry is known as one of the most beautiful ferry journeys in the world and one of new zealand s most iconic tourism experiences. This timeline lists new zealands worst post1840 natural disasters, transport accidents, fires, mining accidents and other tragedies that have caused major loss of life. The new zealand maritime records exhibition on the wahine. These names were taken from the bay of plenty times for the 11th, th and 15th april 1968 and crossreferenced to the book the wahine disaster a tragedy remembered by emmanuel makarios grantham house.
Though there have been worse shipping disasters in new zealand with far greater loss of life, the sinking of the wahine in 1968 is by far the most well known. We have provided cook strait ferry peak and off peak prices along with departure and arrival times for crossings between wellington and picton. Experience the extremes of new zealands scenery, from the fertile farmlands of waikato to the volcanic peaks. The wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online.
Make the most of your web traffic and turn visits into bookings. Interislander cook strait ferry official the great. Nz disasters this collection looks at some of new zealands most significant national tragedies. Zm50gw will be on the air during the entire month of april 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the loss of the interisland ferry tev wahine zmgw. Book your interislander cook strait ferry from wellington to picton, with or without a vehicle.
Enjoy stunning 360 degree views of all of wellington, the harbour and cook strait. Our most famous ferry route is between wellington in the north island and picton in the south island. Fifteen minutes later the ferry wahine left lyttelton harbour for wellington. We are honoured to help commemorate this important event in new zealands history. The latest national and local news, breaking news, opinion, comment and reader views from around new zealand maritime disasters in nz waters nz herald new zealand herald. Tev wahine was a twinscrew, turboelectric, rollonrolloff passenger and vehicle ferry. Drone footage shows extent of flooding in new zealands south island video. So pick yourself a date and book your ferry tickets today. Wellington transportation guide wellington nz information.
New zealands longest running passenger service, the northern explorer is a long distance scenic train service running between wellington and auckland. The tev wahine, carrying 610 passengers and 125 staff, ran aground as it entered the harbour in the early hours of this morning. This special event station is one of three, each marking a maritime tragedy that occurred in 1968. Take advantage of our market leading nz distribution network. We have handpicked the best hop off and hop on stops in wellington. In 1936, in the storm that some consider as bad as giselle, the union line ferry rangatira ran aground on wellingtons southern coast. Max lamberts 1970 history the wahine disaster nzetc nzbc classics wahine disaster nzonscreen books and articles. Wellington ferry, compare prices, times and book tickets. Board the interislander ferry for a 3hour cruise across cook strait, which links new zealands capital city in the north island to a charming enclave in the south island. As part of the 50th anniversary commemorations in wellington on 10 april, the interislander ferry aratere will sail past during the dawn service at eastbourne. Wellington and around new zealand travel guide rough.
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