The ferry departs the scenic Wellington
harbor, nearly completely sheltered from the more rugged waters
of the Cook Strait, passing by the Pencarrow Lighthouses on the
starboard (or right side
for landlubbers) as you leave Wellington Harbor. On top of the
hill is New Zealand's first lighthouse. Erected in 1858,
Pencarrow Lighthouse was constructed in England and shipped to
New Zealand in 480 segments. The lighthouse was run by the
country's only female lighthouse keeper along with her six
children. The Lower Pencarrow Lighthouse was built on the beach
below in 1906 to be used during the frequent foggy conditions
that rendered the hilltop lighthouse useless.| Pencarrow
Lighthouses |
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| Pencarrow Upper
Lighthouse |
Pencarrow Lower
Lighthouse |
These
red colored rocks, visible from the starboard (right) side of
the ferry, is steeped in Maori history. Formed over 200 years
ago, Maori folklore tells two tales of the origin of the rocks.
In one version, Kupe--the famous Polynesia explorer was
gathering shellfish when one clamped his hand. Kupe bled and
stained the rocks red. In the other tale red is the blood of
Kupe's daughters. Fearing for their father's safety on a long
voyaged, they gashed themselves in grief over his absence. In
addition to being spotted from the ferry on clear days, there is
also a trail from Owhiro Bay that leads to the location. During
the winter months a colony of seals may be found nesting there,
Winding
around the tip of the North Island the ferry passes by the
Karori Lighthouse, perched on a rocky stone perch just offshore.
A unique feature of the lighthouse is that it is tilted. Because
of this, it is often referred to as the "Leaning Lighthouse." It
was designed this way to make it easier for the lighthouse
keeper to climb the ladder to the beacon. Built in 1915, it
stands 20 meters above sea level and was designed to withstand
the fierce winds of Cook Strait. It served its purpose for
eighty years and was decommissioned in May 1996, replaced by a
flashing beacon on the mainland at Tongue Point.
Winding
around the west end of the North Island and heading into the
Cook Strait, the West Wind Farm comes into views. Completed
in 2009, it boasts 62 towering windmills. It
was built in this location to take advantage of the strong "wind
tunnel" effect of the Cook Strait, which provides steady and
reliable breezes. The power the windmills generate power about
73,00 homes each year.
Cook
Strait is the rugged chanel between New Zealand's North and South
Islands where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. It is one
of the most violent and unpredictable stretches of water in the
world. At 45
degrees south of the equator, the Cook Strait lies firmly in
what sailor call the "Roaring Forties" a region between 40 and
50 degrees south, where the winds circle the earthly unimpeded
by any major land mass. There is an annual swim event to cross
this roughly 22 kilometers (14 miles) of open sea. Swimmers who
succeed are rewarded with a life time pass on the ferries
operating between the two islands. The photo to the left shows
the ferry traversing the strait when the waters were calm, while
the photo to the left shows a ferry during a turbulent crossing. During the winter months, humpback
whales can be seen migrating through the channels which--which
was why was such a big business until the 1960's.| Whale
Watching in the Cook Strait |
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Leaving the Cook Strait, the
Interisland Ferry makes an abrupt turn to port (left) and enters
a narrow protected channel the is reminiscent of the fjords of
Scandinavia. This is a very remote and beautiful setting, and to
either side of the water are the Marlborough hills. Much of this
scenery may only be accessed by water. The first landmark
visible from the deck of the ferry is the former Perano Whaling
Center. As you can see from the photo below, all that remains
are skeletal remains of the original building. The whaling
station was established in 1923, as a small village consisting
of whaler and their families. They hunted humpback whales on
their annual migration through the Cook Strait; more than 3,000
whales were hauled ashore here to be processed for baleen (whale
bone) and whale oil. Whaling continued until 1964, although
whales were not fully protected in the region until 1978. As
with most bans, whaling ended largely because it was
economically unfeasible; fewer whales migrating through the Cook
Strait and the availability of alternate raw material
essentially doomed the industry. The remaining building is now
used for conservation, supporting the counting and tagging of
Humback whales as their numbers slowly rebuild. The photo
to the left shows how the station looked when in operation,
while the photo to the right shows it was it looks today. |
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| Arapaoa Island |
The Endangered
Kiwi |
The Predatory
Stoat |
The Tory Channel
merges with Queen Charlotte Sound at about the latter's
mid-point. It begins at the north part of the island and the
Tasman Sea, and follows a path that parallels the Tory Channel,
albeit on the other side of the mountains. Compared to Cook
Strait and the Tasman Sea, Queen Charlotte Sound is calm, and
was Captain Cook's favored port of call on his three voyages, a
place to take on supplies and repair his ships. (for anyone
interested in the voyages of Captain Cook, we recommend The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides)
By entering the Queen Charlotte Sound, the
Interisland Ferry is on the last leg of this 96 km (60 miles)
journey. In addition to the unspoiled splendor of this remote
landscape, two landmarks are visible from the ferry and they
underscore the maritime riches of this area. The first are the
Salmon Farms; king salmon have been farmed here for more that 25
years. Salmon thrive in the sound's cool, clear waters. They are
hatched in fresh water and then transferred to the large sea
pens that line Queen Charlotte Sound. When fully grown, the fish
are harvests and then sent to Nelson (due west of Picton on
Tasman Bay) for processing. The photo to the left shows a salmon
fishery and the pens that dot the coastline. The photo to
the right offers a closer view of the pens.
The second landmark spotted
from the ferry is also tied to the maritime industry, this
time in the form of mussel farms. They are identifiable by the
clusters of large oval buoys (photo to the left). The only
sign of the substantial mussel farms beneath the tranquil
surface. Since the 1970's the sound has been considered an
ideal location for farming green-lipped mussels. The mussels
are grown on lines below the surface (photo to the right),
attached to the buoys above.
Continuing
down the Queen Charlotte Sound, the ferry reaches its port of
call, Picton. It is a quiet place, a small town built around the
ferry trade. It is also the jumping off place to holiday spots
on the Queen Charlotte Sound. For Great Journey New Zealand
passengers, it is the gateway to the Marlborough wineries.
