Events In History
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4 February 1975First woman swims Cook StraitAmerican Lynne Cox swam from the North Island to the South in 12 hours 7 minutes. The fourth person to do so, she battled heavy seas and strong winds. Read more...
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6 February 1947Liner Wanganella refloated in Wellington HarbourThe liner, carrying 400 passengers, struck Barrett Reef in Wellington Harbour on 19 January. Only an unusually long spell of calm weather - dubbed 'Wanganella weather' by locals - saved it from becoming a total wreck. Read more...
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25 August 1920First flight across Cook StraitCaptain Euan Dickson completed the first air crossing of Cook Strait, flying a 110-hp Le Rhone Avro from Christchurch to Upper Hutt with the first air mail between the South and North Islands. Read more...
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12 February 1909SS Penguin wrecked in Cook StraitThe Picton-Wellington ferry SS Penguin struck rocks in Cook Strait and sank in heavy seas off a rugged, isolated coast. Only 30 of the 102 people on board survived. Read more...
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26 August 1866Telegraph line laid across Cook StraitAfter two bungled attempts and near disaster at sea, the installation of the first communications cable between the North and South Islands of New Zealand was completed. A simple copper telegraph cable was laid on the sea floor from Whites Bay, north of Blenheim, to Lyall Bay on Wellington’s south coast. Read more...
Euan Dickson was one of the most successful Allied bomber pilots of the First World War, flying 175 raids, and shooting down 14 enemy aircraft with the help of his observer.
Read more...Articles
Wahine disaster
This April marks the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the ferry Wahine. With more than 50 lives lost, this was New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster. The Wahine’s demise on 10 April 1968 also heralded a new era in local TV news as pictures of the disaster were beamed into Kiwi living rooms.
- Page 2 - Timeline to tragedyThe events that led to the drowning of 51 people in the Wahine disaster of 10 April
Cook Strait rail ferries
On a fine, calm day ‘Cruising on the Interislander’ can be like a luxury Mediterranean cruise. But on a bad day Cook Strait can be one of the world's roughest stretches of water: seasickness, dodgy food and wildcat strikes have all been part of the colourful Cook Strait ferry story.
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Page 2 – 'The floating bridge'
Before 1962 rail struggled to compete with ships for inter-island business, but the road/rail ferries changed that.
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Page 3 – 'An array of awful pies'
In the 1960s, the ferries' food and services fell short of the glossy ads, but now they are more upmarket.
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Page 4 – Rough crossings
Crossing Cook Strait is often idyllic, but it can be one of the world’s roughest stretches of water as it's part of the westerly wind belt known as the Roaring Forties
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Page 5 – Branding the Cook Strait ferries
From 'puke' green to funnells sprouting ferns, the ferries' branding and appearance have had many changes.
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Page 6 – Strikes and strandings
Cook Strait ferries were vital to the flow of freight and passengers between the North and South islands, and interruptions because of bad weather, mechanical problems
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Page 7 – Fast ferries on Cook Strait
The old fable about the tortoise and the hare was replayed on Cook Strait as fast ferries offered travellers a quick dash across the ditch.
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Page 8 – Sailing into the 21st century
The new century brought mixed fortunes for Cook Strait’s ‘iron bridge’.
Related keywords
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast, and runs next to the capital city, Wellington. It is 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point, and is considered one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world.
