Capital’s tributes include rescuers
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute yesterday to the 53 people who died during the Wahine disaster, the 683 survivors, their families and their rescuers.
Speaking at a Wellington waterfront memorial, she said that even after 50 years in some ways the disaster came to define generations and what it meant to be a New Zealander.
‘‘Acts of courage cast a light on one of our darkest days,’’ Ardern said.
The inter-island ferry, travelling from Lyttelton to Wellington, hit Barrett Reef in Wellington Harbour on the morning of April 10, 1968, and sank hours later near Steeple Rock.
Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Wellington mayor Justin Lester also paid tribute at the service.
Ardern said Eastbourne and Seatoun communities helped survivors ashore and looked after them before they got further care from police and civil defence.
‘‘The legacy of the Wahine is one of sadness for the lives lost, but also one of gratitude to the rescuers.
‘‘The Wahine disaster is one of the six major disasters of the century that affected New Zealand and our history. The tragedies of the influenza pandemic, Hawke’s Bay earthquake, Tangiwai railway disaster, Erebus disaster, Canterbury earthquake and Wahine disaster all had a significant impact on our country.
‘‘Recognising events, such as the Wahine tragedy, ensures New Zealanders are aware of our history. It’s important that we learn from these tragedies and continue to build our resilience as a country,’’ Ardern said.
Former Dominion journalist Clive Conland attended the memorial and remembers covering the disaster in a haze.
Reporting on the storm had been exciting at first until reporters realised the gravity of the situation as survivors and the dead started coming in.
In hindsight one of the saddest aspects was that the emphasis had been on Seatoun when more resources should have been sent to Eastbourne, Conland said.
One of his strongest memories was seeing another young reporter return to the newsroom, sit down and stare at his typewriter. ‘‘He was shell-shocked by the trauma of what he had seen and what had gone on.’’
Earlier in the day, an Interislander ferry sounded its horn to mark the sombre occasion. Services and events were held across Wellington.