List of Cook Strait crossings by sea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable crossings of the Cook Strait by sea.
| Date | Crossing | Participant(s) | Craft | Departure point Arrival point |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1843 | First steamship | SS Clio[1] | North Island Picton |
||
| 23 February 1890 | First canoe | George Parkes and James Parkes | 2 x Rob Roy-style canoes | Mana Island Picton |
Both canoes were fitted with lug sails.[2] |
| 13 January 1895 | First canoe (solo) | H.V. Shearman | Rob Roy-style canoe | Paremata, Porirua Picton |
Also sail-assisted. Shearman was 16 years old.[2][3] |
| 23 March 1962 | First kayak | Irvin Openshaw | self-built kayak | Mākara Beach Perano Head, Arapaoa Island |
Crossing took 5 hours, 15 minutes.[4] |
| 17 January 1963 | First waterskiers | Wayne Davidson, Gordon Hanna, and Michael Taylor | Waterskis | Mākara Beach The Brothers Rocks |
The three skiers were towed behind two boats.[5] |
| 24 January 1978 | First windsurfers | Grant Beck, Susie Gibbs and Chris Wylie | 3 x windsurfers | Cape Terawhiti Tory Channel |
Crossing was the subject of a short documentary by Sam Neill.[6][7] |
| 3 February 1978 | First surf ski | Alexander McKenzie | Surf ski | North Island South Island |
While accompanying younger sister Meda McKenzie on her first swim across Cook Strait.[8] |
| 17 March 1981 | First rower | John Argue | Skiff | Anakiwa Petone, Lower Hutt |
Total distance rowed was 90 km (56 mi).[5] |
| 28 March 1984 | First surf ski (double crossing) | Alexander McKenzie | Surf ski | North Island South Island |
While accompanying sister Meda on her double swim across Cook Strait.[9] |
| South Island North Island | |||||
| 12 January 1986 | Smallest yacht | Gavin Brady | P-class sailing dinghy | Mana Island Picton |
Dinghy was 2.13 m (7.0 ft) long. Gavin was 12 years old, and escorted on the crossing by his parents' 13 m (43 ft) trimaran.[10][11] |
| 18 April 1987 | First hovercraft | Stephen Preest | Self-built hovercraft | Picton Plimmerton |
First crossing and double crossing.[12] |
| Plimmerton Picton | |||||
| 29 January 2008 | Fastest amphibious vehicle | David McKee Wright and Brendon Hodge | Sealegs 6.1m Sport RIB | Arapaoa Island, Marlborough Sounds Ōwhiro Bay, Wellington |
Made the 40 km (25 mi) voyage in 47 minutes.[13][14] |
| 6 September 2008 | First van | Adam Turnbull and Dan Melling | Roofliss | Waikawa, Marlborough Mana, Porirua |
The converted 1990 4WD Toyota Tarago van could reach speeds of 5 kn (9.3 km/h).[15][16] |
| 27 September 2012 | Fastest crossing | Warren Lewis and Chris Hanley | NZ1 Skater catamaran | Wellington Picton |
Passage took 1 hour, 33 minutes. The offshore powerboat was fitted with two 525 hp (391 kW) engines.[17][18] |
| 27 March 2021 | First kite foilers | Justin Groblar and Brian Walters | Kite foils | Mākara Beach Perano Head |
First crossing and double crossing.[19][20] |
| Perano Head Mākara Beach | |||||
| 31 March 2021 | First hydrofoil bike | Hayden Reeves | Manta5 Hydrofoiler XE-1 | South Island North Island |
Hybrid powered hydrofoil.[21] |
| 1 November 2021 | First rower (double crossing) | Pam Dickson | Rowing scull | Mākara Beach Perano Head |
Dickson had previously swum Cook Strait.[22][23] |
| Perano Head Oteranga Bay | |||||
| 16 April 2024 | First prone paddleboarder | Brittany Spencer | Paddleboard | Waikawa, Marlborough Ohau Point, Wellington |
Journey took four hours, eight minutes.[24] |
References
- ↑ "Picton in New Zealand". Port Guide. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- 1 2 "Kayak or Canoe?" (PDF). New Zealand Canoeing & Rafting. No. 30. Drury, South Auckland: New Zealand Canoeing Association. Spring 1983. p. 5.
- ↑ Lomas, Roger (November 2002). "Ebb and Flow" (PDF). Auckland Canoe Club Newsletter. Ponsonby, Auckland: Auckland Canoe Club. p. 10.
- ↑ Hills, Heather (2005). "Kayak History: Kayaking Versus Legal Tomes". Kayak NZ Magazine. No. 33. Silverdale, Auckland: Canoe & Kayak Ltd. p. 18.
- 1 2 MacIntyre, David; Field, Michael; Quinn, Christine (1983). "Incidents and achievements". Cook's Wild Strait : The Interisland Story. Wellington, NZ: A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd. p. 150. ISBN 0589014447.
- ↑ "Windsurfers cross Cook Strait". The Press via Papers Past. 25 January 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Surf Sail (1978)". Digital NZ. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ Chapman, Madeleine (11 February 2021). "'You either swim or you sink': 23 hours in the Cook Strait with Meda McKenzie". The Spinoff. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Meda aches 'all over'". The Press via Papers Past. 28 March 1984. p. 56. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Gavin's sure he can do it". The Press. 21 January 1986. p. 1. Retrieved 1 February 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ↑ Sail-World; Brady, John (23 June 2008). "Congressional Cup winner also crossed Cook Strait". Sail-World.com. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Island-to-island on air". The Press via Papers Past. 21 April 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Company elated to set Strait record". The New Zealand Herald. 29 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Cook Strait Crossed By An Amphibious Vehicle". Scoop.co.nz. 29 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "A plan to cross Cook Strait in a van". Stuff. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Two men cross Cook Strait in a van". Radio New Zealand. 6 September 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Cook Strait record broken by Fairview". New Zealand Powerboat Federation. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Boat crew break 30-year Cook Strait record". Stuff. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Patience and persistence pay off as foiling history made at Cook Strait". 1news.co.nz. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ Turner, Shea (29 September 2021). "Cook Strait tamed by foiling kite surfers". Stuff. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ Lines-McKenzie, Jo (31 March 2021). "Successful crossing of Cook Strait on Manta5 e-bike". Stuff. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ Hamilton-Irvine, Gary (8 April 2021). "Rowing: Pam Dickson sets her second Cook Strait record". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Grandmother rows Cook Strait". Radio New Zealand. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ↑ "Nelson Surf Lifeguard Becomes First Kiwi to Cross Cook Strait on a Prone Paddleboard". Surf Life Saving New Zealand. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
See also
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