Some rental companies dont allow rental vehicles on the ferry but you can drop vehicle off at wellington and pick up another vehicle in picton. This april marks the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the ferry wahine. Famous for a vibrant creative culture fuelled by great food, wine, craft beer, coffee and events, wellington is a cosmopolitan city with an energetic personality. Wellington ferry port in new zealand connects you with picton in new zealand with a choice of up to 35 ferry crossings per week. Do not just assume though that each ferry is running or that there is space available every day weekends, holidays, etc may also affect schedules. Wahine made this overnight trip six times a week, three in each direction. If you have a car you can take it across to wellington on the ferry. This is really convenient on arrival in wellington you simply drive off the ferry and head on your way.
It was filed on the evening of the disaster and contains a detailed description of the cause of the disaster, the death toll and the search and rescue scene. Interislander the interislander ferry service crosses new zealands cook strait, between wellington and picton, bridging the gap between the north and south islands. Survivors of the wahine disaster tell their story 50 years on. The wahine rolled violently back and forth as it made its way in the storm in winds of up to 100 knots, but came through undamaged then, in the early hours of 10 april, the ferry ran aground and. Apr 11, 2018 tuesday april 10, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. Further information wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand. Nzbc classics wahine disaster television nz on screen. Continue to wellington, new zealands capital city known for is vibrant art scene, worldclass restaurant culture, and active outdoor lifestyle. Interislander ferry ticket prices wellington to picton easy change tickets are flexible fares and allow you to change or cancel your sailing up to 2 hours prior to sailing without paying any fees. The wahine disaster wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand. 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.
Wellington is new zealand s capital city and is a stunning thriving seaside city with almost 400,000 residents. Sailing between wellington and picton several times a day, the interislander journey is considered one of the most beautiful ferry journeys in the world and one of new zealands most iconic experiences. A guide for the wellington to picton ferry cook strait. Kaitawa, carrying a cargo of coal, wrecked in heavy seas at cape reinga. Ferries to new zealand compare ferry routes and prices. If youre looking for cheap ferries from picton to wellington, youve come to the right place. Interislander ferry booking, timetables and tickets direct ferries. Connecting our north island and south island together since 1962, our interislander ferry service is new zealand s original cook strait ferry. Fiftythree lives were lost after the lyttletonto wellington passenger ferry capsized into the wellington harbour.
Interislander offers a convenient ferry service to wellington from picton in new zealands south island. It is often cheaper to fly from wellington to nelson if you book far enough in advance. When you book the free 60minute tour of parliament, youll see. So pick yourself a date and book your ferry tickets today. Sailing between wellington and picton several times a day, the interislander journey is considered one of the most beautiful ferry journeys in the world and one of new zealand s most iconic experiences. The novel is skilfully linked to another sinking in wellington harb. These news features include aerial footage of the ship after the storm, and nzbc reporters conducting dramatic interviews with survivors, police and the head of the union steam. The storm created a single cyclone that is still the worst recorded in new zealands history. With new zealand being split into 2 islands, getting a ferry is necessary to travel between the north and the south islands, and the cook strait is the major crossing point in new zealand. Wendekreisen highly recommends to pre book your sailing during peak season. Its an epic 681 kilometre 423 mile journey across the interior of the north island, through every kind of. The wahine disaster documentary museums wellington. This novel was originally part of the my story series titled abandon ship. Picton to wellington is a domestic route in new zealand and is operated by bluebridge and interislander.
The wahine disaster, wellington,1968 my new zealand story. Is it advisable to pre book tickets or can we wait to book until we arrive in new zealand. While experience, education and technology mean captains and crews are better equipped to handle the treacherous conditions today, the cook strait is home to two of the worst maritime disasters in the history of our country the 1909 penguin disaster and the 1968 sinking of the wellington lyttelton ferry, wahine. The interislander ferry service crosses new zealands cook strait, between wellington and picton, bridging the gap between the north and south islands. A rejacketed and retitled edition of a bestselling my story book, formerly titled abandon ship. We will be travelling from wellington to picton in the middle of january. This is a list of new zealand disasters by death toll, listing major disasters excluding acts of war which occurred in new zealand and its territories or involved a significant number of new zealand citizens, in a specific incident, where the loss of life was 10 or more. Interislander cook strait ferry official the great journeys. My other pages home chanthaburi chanthaburi temples. With 92 km of breathtaking views, the threehour journey between wellington and picton really is one of new zealands most iconic tourism activities. 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. The dwellington is located in the historic neighbourhood of thorndon wellington s birthplace. Some of the books may be available in branch libraries each book title links.
Intercity buses in wellington and picton connect with the three daily ferry crossings and ferry tickets can be purchased as part of your booking. There is no ferry to nelson it goes from wellington to picton, which is about a 3 hour drive from nelson. Interislander offers a convenient ferry service to wellington from picton in new zealand s south island. Find interislander timetables, ferry tickets and book interislander crossings online with. The sinking of the lyttelton wellington ferry wahine on 10 april 1968 was new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. The history of the interislander ferry the great journeys. The wellington new zealand city guide is available free at.
Fiftyone 1 people have died after a ferry capsized in wellington harbour, new zealand during one of the worst storms ever to hit the country. Connecting our north island and south island together, the interislander ferry service is new zealands original cook strait ferry. On 10 april 1968, disaster struck in wellington harbour as the wahine hit. Timeline to tragedy wahine disaster new zealand history. The union steam ship companys 8948ton rollon rolloff roro passenger ferry wahine, the largest ship of its kind in the world when completed two years earlier, left lyttelton at 8. The interisland ferry hit barrett reef at the entrance to wellington harbour. Auckland to wellington by northern explorer scenic train. Wellington is new zealands capital city and is a stunning thriving seaside city with almost 400,000 residents.
Sep 10, 2009 the wahine disaster occurred on 10 april 1968 when the tev wahine, a new zealand interisland ferry of the union steamship company, foundered on barrett reef at the entrance to wellington harbour and capsized near steeple rock. The topcat fast ferry, decked out as a taniwha, prowls wellington harbour early on new year day as part of a dawn millennium ceremony. Its the cook strait ferry from the north island and south island with i. An illustrated history of new zealand shipwrecks, grantham house, wellington, 2007. Straight off the motorway and right next to the thorndon tennis club the third oldest grass courts in the world.
Apr 01, 2021 interislander travels between the north and south islands of new zealand and is one of the most spectacular cruises in the world. Of the 610 passengers and 123 crew on board, 53 people lost their lives. There are two operators and their schedules can easily be found online. Storm warnings had been issued, but rough seas were nothing new in cook strait. Jun 16, 2019 take a look at some new zealand guide books for your trip. This film features a striking recreation of the wahine disaster and shares previously untold stories of survival. But taking a car on the ferry can get quite expensive. New zealands most destructive earthquake magnitude 7. When it comes to booking a ferry from wellington to picton or a ferry from picton to wellington, youve got to plan. You can rent a car at the ferry terminal in picton and i would want to do that in advance.
The ferry between the north island and south island nz. The wahine disaster augmented reality storytelling, as part. Apr 07, 2018 press release kiwirail an interislander ferry will sound its horn to mark the time the wahine struck barrett reef and another will form the backdrop to a flotilla on wellington harbour, as kiwirail helps commemorate the 50year anniversary of the wahine tragedy. New zealand ferry tickets north island and south island. In happier times, in the spring of 1999, captain gordon wood. Wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online. Debbie atherton keeps a diary and writes to it as if it were a pen pal. Ordered in 1964, the vessel was built by the fairfield shipbuilding and engineering company, in govan, glasgow, scotland for the union steam ship companys wellington lyttelton steamer express service in new zealand. New zealand ferry ticket prices wellington to picton. Connecting our north island and south island together since 1962, our interislander ferry service is new zealands original cook strait ferry. Ahn myeongmi, left, and moon jongtaek, parents of moon jisung who died in april 2014 in the sewol ferry disaster in south korea. The 23 best things to do in wellington epic 2021 guide. New zealand ferry crossing from wellington to picton new. The ferry connects the north island and south island as we cross the.
Fifteen minutes later the ferry wahine left lyttelton harbour for wellington, carrying 734 passengers and crew, and one stowaway the ship entered cook strait just as cyclone giselle swept south. The wahines 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. In total, 256 people died from this event and thousands were injured and large numbers 11,000 evacuated were left homeless. The 92km ferry between wellington and picton takes 3 hours and has been described by many as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. The wahine was within sight of land and many other vessels, including the smaller new zealand railways wellington picton ferry aramoana, which stood by to pick up survivors. The tev wahine, carrying 610 passengers and 125 staff, ran aground as it entered the harbour in the early hours of this morning. On 10 april 1968, during an exceptional storm, the interisland ferry wahine struck barrett reef in wellington harbour and. Booking your tickets for the cook strait ferry book in advance. List of those killed in the wahine disaster nz disasters.
The foundation of disaster response new zealand red cross. Wellington new zealand guide, wellington, new zealand. The history of the interislander ferry the great journeys of new. Fiftythree people died as a result of the accident, 51 on the day. A muststop on the classic new zealand wine trail an adventure that takes you through some of new zealands top wineproducing regions wellington is a great place to start your winetasting journey. Wellington harbour boards beacon hill signal station reports 4050 knot 7492kmh wind from the south.
Check with your preferred rental car for their policy. Many were blown across the harbour towards eastbourne beach, an area with difficult access. The wahine disaster augmented reality storytelling wellington. Discover library resources on the sinking of the interisland ferry, wahine. Alexander turnbull library, wellington, new zealand.
Below are a couple screenshots on ferry timings for each company from wellington to picton. Tev wahine was a twinscrew, turboelectric, rollonrolloff ferry. Museum of wellington city and sea, wellington, new zealand. This recording contains radio news coverage of the sinking of the lyttelton wellington ferry wahine on 10 april 1968. 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. Then, in the early hours of 10 april, the ferry ran aground and capsized at the entrance to wellington harbour. Leaving wellington interislander ferry and air nz plane. The wonderful northern explorer train is easily the best way to get from downtown auckland to city centre wellington, stressfree and in comfort at ground level, stopping off at the tongariro national park for a couple of days if you like. Survivors of the wahine disaster tell their story 50 years. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for th.
Throughout the morning, the danger of the ship sinking seemed to pass as. Vision and footage from archives new zealand te rua mahara o the kawanatanga. Today we are doing the new zealand ferry crossing from wellington to picton. With up to 891 ferries running a week, across 24 routes, book now with direct ferries to find the best ferry. Upon arrival, a sightseeing tour includes the famous beehive and parliament building and panoramic views of the city and harbor from the top of mount victoria. While experience, education and technology mean captains and crews are better equipped to handle the treacherous conditions today, the cook strait is home to two of the worst maritime disasters in the history of our country the 1909 penguin disaster and the 1968 sinking of the wellington lyttelton ferry.
Survivors of the wahine disaster tell their story 50 years on rnz. Nzbc classics wahine disaster on 10 april 1968 the lyttelton wellington ferry wahine ran aground and sank at the entrance to wellington harbour. Marlborough, wairarapa and hawkes bay are all a few hours drive or ferry ride away from wellington and offer unforgettable winery experiences. This is the date recognised as the birth of the interislander ferry service.
A quick minute walk to the thorndon summer pool and wellington s biggest supermarket. With more than 50 lives lost, this was new zealands worst modern maritime disaster. Learn about the events that unfolded when, in the early morning of 10 april 1968, two violent storms merged over wellington. List of disasters in new zealand by death toll wikipedia. Fifteen minutes later the ferry wahine left lyttelton harbour for wellington. Both interislander on viator, tripadvisor and klook and bluebridge regularly sell out of tickets, especially in summer, so the sooner you book the better. 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.
The towns of napier and hastings suffered greatly where many buildings collapsed. Interislander cook strait ferry official the great. Escape your routine and reclaim the weekend with an invigorating, restful, delicious and inspiring 48 hours. Interislander ferry booking, timetables and tickets.
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. The vessel was a large rollon rolloff ferry of 8948 gross tons and carried. The wahine disaster nzhistory, new zealand history online. Cheap car rental wellington matesrates car hire nz. This is the story of the wahine disaster, told by those who were there. See below for the picton to wellington timetable with all the ferries that go from picton to wellington. Below, you can find all the wellington ferry timetables, journey times as well as our best prices. Connecting our north island and south island together, the interislander ferry service is new zealand s original cook strait ferry. Following a trip to the south island to visit relatives, debbie boards the ferry to return home to wellington. The wahine rolled violently back and forth as it made its way in the storm in winds of up to 100 knots, but came through undamaged. Wellington ferry, compare prices, times and book tickets. Interisland ferry wahine sinks at wellington harbour entrance in violent storm. I carry her with me every day father of sewol ferry.
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