NEARLY A RECORD

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 68, 17 September 1936, Page 10

NEARLY A RECORD

WELLINGTON TO AUCKLAND

Although the Awatea shattered the record between the United Kingdom and New Zealand an her maiden voyage from the Clyde, the vessel was by no means aiming at a record when she left Wellington for Auckland on Tuesday night. Nevertheless, the new liner came very close to breaking the record set up by the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's Wairangi last year. Unfortunately, the exact time set up by the Awatea from Wellington Heads to Rangitoto Beacon, Auckland, is not available, otherwise a more accurate comparison between the time of the two vessels would be possible. The Wairangi covered the distance of 537 miles in the fast time of 1 day 8i hours, at an average speed of 16.65 knots. 1 The Awatea's time between the two harbour entrances is not known, but from wharf to wharf she took 1 day 9 hours 5 minutes, or 50 minutes longer than the Wairangi. The Awatea has a speed of over 23 knots, and had there been any desire to break the record there is little doubt that it could have been done with very little effort. As it was, the vessel must have averaged only about 16$ knots.