Sea link began last century

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 6

Sea link began last century

The beginnings of the interisland steamer service are inextricably bound up with New Zealand’s extensive coastal shipping service of the late nineteenth century. When road and rail links were still rudimentary, sea transport was the primary means of moving from one. [part of the country to [another. : Before the steamer express i service began, passengers land freight were moving regularly between Lyttelton and Wellington using through vessels such as those plying between Dunedin, Lyttelton, Wellington, Napier, and other points north.

The various services so fitted in that there were up to

five sailings a week between Lyttelton and Wellington.

The first exclusive Wellington-Lyttelton service did not begin until 1889 when the Takapuna ran a sort of shuttle service between the two centres during the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition in Dunedin. However, this service was stopped at the end of the exhibition. The service began in earnest in 1895 when the Penguin began a weekly run between Lyttelton and Wellington. By November. 1896, she was running three trips a week. The next year she was replaced by the Rotorua, the Te Anau, and finally the Rotomahana. a 1727-ton vessel which became known as

the Greyhound of the Pacific. For the next 10 years the Rotomahana was the mainstay of the service, assisted by a string of other vessels during the peak summer seasons.

In 1907 the Rotomahana was joined by the first vessel specially built for the service—the ’ Maori. A thoroughly modem turbine vessel of more than 3000 tons, the Maori worked till 1931, when she was relegated to the role of relief ship. She made her last voyage on the service in 1944, and was sold to Chinese interests m 1946. The Rotomahana was withdrawn from the sendee in 1908 and replaced by the Mararoa. Ths Sjlaori

Mararoa continued till 1913, when the Wahine, also specially built for the run, was introduced. Ute Wahine was commandeered for the First World War, but she rejoined the Maori in 1920. In 1931 the Maori was displaced by the Rangatira, a turbo-electric oil-burning vessel which sailed for 22 years before being relegated to the role of relief ship by the introduction of the new Maori in 1953.

The Rangatira finally became obsolete when the rollon vessel Wahine began sailing in 1966. The Rangatira’s partner for most of her working life, the old Wahm|. was dis-

placed by the Hinemoa in 1947.

The old Wahine finally met her end when, as a troop carrier, she was sunk during the Korean War.

Throughout the 1950 s the new Maori and the Hinemoa were the backbone of the service.

The Hinemoa was phased out by the new W’ahine in 1966 but the Maori, converted to a roll-on vessel, carried on until the introduction of the new Rangatira in 1972.

The new Wahine sailed for only two years before she sank in 1968 with the loss of more than 50 lives after striking Barretts Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.