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Ever heard of Wanganella weather? Fifty years ago, a fortuitous 18 days of calm weather saved a transtasman liner from certain destruction on Barrett Reef. Peter Attwell reports.
FIFTY years ago tomorrow, the transtasman liner Wanganella was on its first post-war voyage from Sydney to Wellington when it struck the outer rocks of Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour - the same reef struck by the ferry Wahine 21 years later.
At 11.30pm on a clear night with calm seas, Caption Darroch of Wanganella mistook the recently replaced flashing buoy light in front of the reef for the southernmost leading light, which is used to guide ships into the harbour and is about 4km further to the north. The ship, with some 400 passengers aboard, struck the reef and remained fast on the rocks. Attempts were made to refloat it by putting the engines full astern but to no avail. There appeared...