Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Wahine Disaster.
The Wahine was the ferry that sailed between Lyttelton Harbour near Christchurch and Wellington.
At 8:30pm on the 9 April 1968, the Wahine left Lyttelton Harbour carrying 734 passengers and crew, and one stowaway.
At the same time a tropical cyclone was making its way down the country. The Cook Strait was experiencing strong southerly winds, rain and poor visibility.
The ship entered Cook Strait just as Cyclone Giselle swept south. The Wahine rolled violently back and forth as it made its way in the storm in winds of up to 100 knots.
In the early hours of 10 April, the ferry ran aground and capsized at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
Sadly, 53 people lost their lives.
14 Responses
that is really sad
Really sad I was learning about this at school
that is so so sad?????????
that is so sad
that’s REALLY sad 🙁
this is so sad i want it to never happen again
my dad was 3 when this sad moment happend
This is quite sad. They should not have gone on the ship in a cyclone.
That is so sad☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
i never seen this before
sad to see
my dads parents and his siblings were on that boat a few months before the disater
super sad
this is sad