Storm brings back memories
Cook Strait ferries were cancelled as an early winter storm greeted Wellingtonians on the 50th anniversary of the Wahine disaster.
Yesterday’s gales were mere bluster compared with the cyclonic winds that sank the Lyttelton ferry on April 10, 1968 but they were enough to force many of the day’s planned commemorations indoors.
Across the country, temperatures dropped by up to 18 degrees Celsius from a week earlier.
Tornadoes took roofs from homes in Taranaki, and destroyed a house in National Park Village. Heavy snow fell across the South Island.
A midday ceremony on Wellington’s waterfront was moved to inside Shed 6, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to the 53 passengers and crew who died on the Wahine, the 683 survivors, their families and their rescuers.
‘‘Acts of courage cast a light on one of our darkest days,’’ Ardern said.
The weather then cleared somewhat for the crowds watching a flotilla of 50 boats pass the Wahine Mast memorial at Frank Kitts Park.
Earlier in the day, a dawn memorial service planned for a beach near Eastbourne, where many of the dead were washed up, was shifted to Muritai School hall.
After the ceremony, principal Bec Power noticed an elderly man hovering in the hall with his children.
Donald, as he introduced himself, was a crew member on the Wahine the day it sank. He donated two of his old pay slips, a Christmas dinner menu from the Wahine, and a flag from the ship to the school.
Power said the school was extremely privileged to look after the flag, and planned to have it framed.
At Wellington Railway Station, the Wellington Community Choir performed songs, including Blowing In The Wind, and Sloop John B, sung by passengers as they waited on deck before abandoning the Wahine.
Musical director Julian Raphael said: ‘‘It was sort of cathartic that they sung about what was happening.’’
As the weather deteriorated into yesterday afternoon, Cook Strait ferry crossings were cancelled into this morning.
Wellington will be spared the worst of the remaining storm, with severe southerly gales expected to ease. Persistent light rain and a high of 11C is expected for today.
Rain will continue to fall on tornadoswept Taranaki, where some residents will have spent the night without power.
Snow was forecast to fall over the Central Plateau overnight, with temperatures of -1C in Queenstown, 2C in Taupo¯ and 1C in Timaru and Blenheim.
Speaking at a Wellington waterfront memorial, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to the 53 people who died during the Wahine disaster, the 683 survivors, their families and their rescuers.
Ardern said yesterday that even after 50 years, in some ways the disaster defined what it meant to be a New Zealander.
‘‘Acts of courage cast a light on one of our darkest days.’’
The inter-island ferry, travelling from Lyttelton to Wellington, hit Barrett Reef in Wellington Harbour on April 10, 1968 and sank hours later near Steeple Rock.
Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Wellington Mayor Justin Lester also paid tribute at yesterday’s service.
Ardern said the 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 ...
‘‘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.’’
Former The 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 journalists realised the gravity of the situation as survivors and the dead started coming in.
On 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.
A crowd gathered at Muritai School in Eastbourne, a few kilometres from where many people washed up. Most of the dead were found on the Eastbourne Pen car row coast.
Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace addressed the crowd and reflected on how the Wahine incident left its mark on survivors and the people of Lower Hutt.
Rhys Jones, of the Wahine 50 Charitable Trust, thanked the Lower Hutt community for its part in rescue efforts 50 years ago.
Survivors were invited to place flowers with the wreaths, which will be moved to the Eastbourne Wahine memorial when the weather allows.
After the dawn ceremony, principal Bec Power noticed an elderly man hovering in the hall, waiting with his children.
‘‘This man named Donald introduced himself,’’ she said.
He had been a crew member on the Wahine the day it sank. He wanted to entrust some mementos he had been holding on to to the ‘‘right people’’.
He donated to the school two of his old payslips, a Christmas dinner menu from the ship and, most importantly, a flag from the ship.
Power said the school was privileged to look after the flag and planned to have it framed.
At the school, students had put together a museum of model boats, Lego, old photos and newspapers to commemorate the disaster.
At Wellington Railway Station the Wellington Community Choir performed songs, including Blowing In The Wind and Sloop John B, as commuters filed past.
Later that afternoon, Seatoun School hosted its Wahine Remembers exhibition. Survivors were among those transported back in time through the students’ projects with messages of hope, thanks and togetherness in times of darkness.