Wellington Head Troubles Police

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 6

Wellington Head Troubles Police

'•The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON, April 17.

The police would like to see the name Wellington Head, in the Marlborough Sounds quietly changed.

For the second time in the last six months, police this week rushed men and ambulances to the Wellington Heads—at the entrance to Wellington Harbour—in response to a Mayday call. In both cases it turned out the call referred to Wellington Head in the South Island, at the entrance to Tory Channel.

similar misunderstandings had occurred before.

During the Cook Strait swimming attempts, many people had been confused by the name Wellington Head the start or finish of most strait swims— and few people realised it was actually in the South Island.

After the Mayday call last Sunday, the keteh Awatea was found just outside the Tory Channel and the effort in Wellington City was wasted. Aircraft Cail

My senior officers and 1 have discussed this," he said “We agreed that it would be well to change it."

The Surveyor-General (Mr R. P. Gough), who is also secretary of the Geographic Board, promised that his office would look at the duplication today.

Last year, police rushed men and equipment to the harbour entrance but the light aircraft which asked for help made a forced landing some miles away at Makara—its call had been that it was halfway between Wellington Head and Makara.

; The police suggestion has merit," he said. “With the coming of faster transport it is getting more and more important to avoid duplication of names wherever possible. “We’ll have a look immediately at what the head might I best be called."

Chief Superintendent J. W. Saunders, officer-in-charge of the Wellington police, said