Many survivors of the wahine disaster were taken ashore by rescue vessels. Former wellington harbour board pilot captain john brown remembers the wahine disaster. The wahine founders in wellington harbour alexander turnbull library, ep19681648a1af the sinking of the lytteltonwellington ferry wahine is new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. Tev wahine was a twinscrew, turboelectric, rollonrolloff passenger and vehicle ferry. The passenger service connecting wellington and picton dates all the way back to 1875. The wahine ship sinking in wellington harbour, 10 april 1968. The company behind it now has its eyes set on a direct service from the cbd to the airport. Fifteen minutes later the ferry wahine left lyttelton harbour for wellington.
From digital new zealand a curated search from selected institutions all results. The wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online. Throughout the morning, the danger of the ship sinking seemed to pass as. The wahine disaster catalyst for change ministry for culture and. Kevin boon, the wahine disaster, nelson price milburn, petone, about 1990. Our nz ferry ticket bookings can be changed or cancelled without a fee. The disaster, just off wellingtons rocky southwest coast, was the deadliest. Interislander ferry dev aratere leaving wellington heads 22 september 2014. The sinking of the lytteltonwellington ferry wahine on 10 april 1968 was new zealands worst modern maritime disaster.
She was launched in 1965, at the fairfield shipbuilding and engineering company in govan, scotland, and worked the new zealand interisland route between wellington. Max lamberts 1970 history the wahine disaster nzetc nzbc classics wahine disaster nzonscreen books and articles. Conditions at the time were southerly gusting 100 kmh, southerly swell 6m, very high sea easing. List of those killed in the wahine disaster nz disasters.
Fifty years ago today, the wahine sank in the entrance to wellington harbour eight hours after running aground on barrett reef, with the loss of 51 lives at the time and two more later from injuries. Vision and footage from archives new zealand te rua mahara o the kawanatanga. The significance of the wahine disaster for new zealand goes well. We have provided cook strait ferry peak and off peak prices along with departure and arrival times for crossings between wellington and picton. Further information wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand. She finds it fascinating and very different from her own diary of school life and troubles with friends. It is 1968 when debbies grandmother gives her a copy of her forefathers old sea journal. Wahine wrecked in wellington harbour new zealand history. Extropical cyclone giselle was battering new zealand with full hurricane. The sinking of the lyttelton wellington ferry wahine on 10 april 1968 was new zealand s worst modern maritime disaster.
And then she boards the ferry wahine for a voyage to wellington. Fortynine years ago, on 10 april 1968, the passenger ferry wahine. The wahine disaster 50 years on wellington airport. Wellington city archives city archives are the repository for the wellington harbour board and the union steamship company records, containing original source material relating to the wahine disaster. The union line ferry was hit by the full force of extropical cyclone giselle, one of the worst storms to hit new zealand last century. 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. Visit the wahine gallery at wellington museum of city and sea. Survivors of the wahine disaster tell their story 50 years on rnz. Then, in the early hours of 10 april, the ferry ran aground and capsized at the entrance to wellington harbour.
Coincidentally val and debbie return to wellington on the wahine at the same time. Discover library resources on the sinking of the interisland ferry, wahine, off barrett reef. The tev wahine, carrying 610 passengers and 125 staff, ran aground as it entered the harbour in the early hours of this morning. Wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online. The new zealand maritime records exhibition on the wahine. Two new zealand defence force nzdf historians have published an ebook confirming. Soon the ship broke nearly in half and went down nose first. An illustrated history of new zealand shipwrecks, grantham house, wellington, 2007.
Wellington will become the first place in the southern hemisphere to have a fully electric passenger ferry. Survivors of the wahine disaster tell their story 50 years. Get ferry timetable, accommodation and tickets for traveling from wellington to picton. Tucked into kevin mitchells copy of a book about the history of the wellington free. Explore the new zealand scenic areas via water by ferry from north to south island. I agree with selsey prebook and then you know you are arsured of a place on the ferry. Nzhistory wahine disaster a good overview of the disaster. After a while ada noticed that the boat was no longer rolling from side to side, but was starting to reel, having developed a significant list.
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