Cook Strait

Friday, 11 January 2013

Ship departing Wellington into big swell

Wellington to Picton Ferry - Cook Strait & Malborough Sounds

Huge waves on Cook Strait caused most people to get sick

Crossing Cook Straight on the Interisland Ferry

Monte Stello - Cook strait Southerly 14/11/07/

William Webb Ellis Cup hits the Cook Strait

Lengthening Interislander's Aratere Ferry

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Cape Campbell
Cape Campbell ( from Scottish Gaelic: Cheap Caimbeul), Te Karaka in Māori language, is located in Marlborough, New Zealand, on the northeastern coast of the South Island. It lies at the southern end of Clifford Bay, 15 km northeast of Ward, and 42 km southeast of Blenheim. Cape Campbell lies close to the salt works at Lake Grassmere.
It is the third easternmost point of the south island, at a longitude of about 174^o16.5' East. The two easternmost points are West head (it is the western shore of the opening to Tory Channel - the opposing shore being on Arapawa Island), and Cape Jackson (between the entrances to Queen Charlotte Sound and Port Gore), both at a longitude of 174^o19' east.
The Cape Campbell Lighthouse has guided ships rounding the cape since 1870.
Coordinates: 41°44′14″S 174°16′34″E / 41.7372°S 174.2760°E / -41.7372; 174.2760

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Cape Terawhiti
Cape Terawhiti is the southwesternmost point of the North Island of New Zealand.
The cape is located 16 kilometres to the west of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.Ōhau Point, located on the northern tip of Cape Terawhiti and, along with Perano Head on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds, marks the narrowest part of Cook Strait.
It is also the closest point in the North Island to the South Island, with West Head, at the mouth of the Tory Channel being only 28 kilometres away (this point in the South Island lies to the northwest of Cape Terawhiti).
Cape Terawhiti, from which historic Terawhiti Station gets its name, came into being through a misconception of Captain Cook’s Tahitian interpreter, Tupaea. When, in 1769, Cook asked what the land in the east was, the local Maori replied simply, 'the east'. In fact Te Ra-whiti (The Rising Sun) is the general Maori term for the East Coast of the North Island. Omere is said to be the original name of Cape Terawhiti.
At the southern end of Cape Terawhiti is Oteranga Bay, the termination point for the inter-island Cook Strait power cable. The proper name for the bay is Oterongo.

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Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay is located at the northeast of New Zealand's South Island, to the south of the Marlborough Sounds. A recent Waitangi Tribunal settlement will see Cloudy Bay, given this name by Captain Cook in 1770, renamed Te Koko-o-Kupe / Cloudy Bay, with the Māori name recalling the early explorer Kupe scooping up oysters from the bay
The area lends its name to one of the best known New World white wines (Cloudy Bay Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc) although the grapes used in production of that wine are grown in the Marlborough wine region further inland.
The bay faces Cook Strait, stretching north-south over a distance of 30 kilometres from the southern extremity of the Marlborough Sounds (Port Underwood) to White Bluffs. Along its length is the delta of the Wairau River, which reaches the sea at two points. The southern of these forms an entrance to the Big Lagoon, just to the north of White Bluffs.

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Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east.
To the south the coast runs runs 30 kilometres (19 mi) along Cloudy Bay and past the islands and entrances to the Marlborough Sounds. To the north the coast runs 40 kilometres (25 mi) along Palliser Bay, crosses the entrance to Wellington harbour, past some Wellington suburbs and continues another 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to Makara beach.
The strait is named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770. In Māori it has the name Raukawa or Raukawa Moana. Raukawa may mean "bitter leaves".
Cook Strait is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. In good weather one can see clearly across the strait. At its narrowest point 22 kilometres (14 mi) separate Cape Terawhiti in the North Island from Perano Head on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Perano Head (South Island) actually lies further north than Cape Terawhiti (North Island).

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Golden Bay
Golden Bay is a shallow, paraboloid shaped bay at the northwest end of New Zealand's South Island. An arm of the Tasman Sea, the bay lies southwest of Cook Strait and west of Tasman Bay. It is separated from the sea by the Farewell Spit. The Aorere and Takaka Rivers flow into the bay from the south.
It is known for being a popular tourist destination, because of its good weather and relaxed, friendly lifestyle.
The west and northern regions of the bay are largely unpopulated. Along its southern coast are the towns of Takaka and Collingwood, and also the Abel Tasman National Park. Separation Point, the natural boundary between Golden and Tasman Bays is situated within the park.
In December 2011, it (as well as much of the Nelson/Tasman region) was hit by heavy rain and flooding, which caused to many homes around the Pohara/Ligar Bay/Tata Beach/Wainui area. The road to Totaranui, a popular isolated tourist destination was badly damaged and as of 2/06/12, work is only just starting to repair it. The floods meant a loss of custom for many shops and businesses in the peak tourist season.

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Hikurangi Trench
The Hikurangi Trench (also called the Hikurangi Trough) is a linear deep in the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, lying between the southern end of the Cook Strait and the Chatham Rise. Though much shallower, it is the southward continuation of the Kermadec Trench and forms part of the Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone. It represents the part of the subduction zone where the thick oceanic Hikurangi Plateau is subducting beneath continental crust of the Indo-Australian Plate. By contrast, the Kermadec and Tonga Trenches represent the parts of the subduction zone where oceanic crust of the Pacific Plate is subducting beneath oceanic crust of the Indo-Australian Plate.
Although shallower than the trenches north of it, the Hikurangi Trench reaches depths of 3,000 metres as close as 80 kilometres from shore. Its maximum depth is about 3,750 metres (12,300 ft).
At the southern end of the trench, off the coast of Marlborough, New Zealand, the seabed rises sharply, and because of the prevailing winds and tides in this area, many deep water species are found close to the shore. This food source attracts the whales for which the town of Kaikoura is famous.

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Kaikoura
Kaikoura (/kaɪˈkɔrə/ky-KOR-ə; Māori pronunciation: [kai.kɔʉ.ɾa]) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.
Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard.
According to the 2006 census, the permanent resident population is 2,172, a 3.3% increase since the 2001 census. The town is the governmental seat of the territorial authority of the Kaikoura District, which is politically a part of the Canterbury Region. The District has a land area of 2,046.41 km² (790.12 sq mi) and a 2006 census population of 3,621 inhabitants.
The Kaikoura Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench. The town owes its origin to this effect, since it developed as a centre for the whaling industry. The name 'Kaikoura' translates to 'meal of crayfish' ('kai'- food/meal, 'koura' - crayfish) and the crayfish industry still plays a role in the economy of the region. However Kaikoura has now become a popular tourist destination, mainly for whale watching (the Sperm Whale watching is perhaps the best and most developed in the world) and swimming with or near dolphins. There is also a large and readily observed colony of Southern Fur Seals at the eastern edge of the town. At low tide, better viewing of the seals can be had as the ocean gives way to a rocky base which is easily navigable by foot for quite some distance.

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Kapiti Island
Kapiti Island is a small but conspicuous island about 5 km (3 mi) off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long, running southwest/northeast, and roughly 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide, being more or less rectangular in shape, and has an area of 19.65 km² (7.59 sq mi).
The island is separated from the mainland by the Rauoterangi channel. The highest point on the island is Tuteremoana, 521 m (1,709 ft). The seaward (west) side of the island is particularly rocky and has high cliffs, some hundreds of metres high, that drop straight into the sea. The cliffs are subject to very strong prevailing westerly winds and the scrubby vegetation that grows there is low and stunted by these harsh environmental conditions. A cross-section of the island would show almost a right-angled triangle, revealing its origins from lying on a fault line (part of the same ridge as the Tararua Range).
The island's vegetation is dominated by scrub and forest of kohekohe, tawa, and kanuka. Most of the forest is naturally regenerating after years of burn-offs and farming, but some areas of original bush with 30 m (98 ft) trees remain.

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Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand. According to Māori mythology, the sounds are the prows of the sunken waka (canoe) of Aoraki.
Covering some 4,000 km² of sounds, islands, and peninsulas, the Marlborough Sounds lie at the South Island's north-easternmost point, between Tasman Bay in the west and Cloudy Bay in the south-east. The almost fractal coastline has 1/5 of the length of New Zealand's coasts.
The steep, wooded hills and small quiet bays of the sounds are sparsely populated, as access is difficult. Many of the small settlements and isolated houses are only accessible by boat. The main large port is Picton on the mainland, at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. It is at the northern terminus of the South Island's main railway and State Highway networks. The main small boat port is Waikawa which is one of New Zealand's largest and provides a base for leisure sailors and vacationers.

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New Zealand
New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.
During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.

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North Island
The North Island (Māori: Te Ika-a-Māui) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the slightly larger but much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is 113,729 square kilometres (43,911 sq mi) in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of 3,366,100 (June 2011 estimate).
Twelve cities are in the North Island: Auckland, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Hamilton, Hastings, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Wanganui, Whangarei and Wellington, the capital, located at the southern extremity of the island. Approximately 76% of New Zealand's population lives in the North Island.
Although the island has been known as the North Island for many years, the New Zealand Geographic Board has found that, along with the South Island, it has no official name. The board intends to make North Island the island's official name, along with an alternative Māori name. Although several Māori names have been used, Maori Language Commissioner Erima Henare sees Te Ika-a-Māui as the most likely choice.

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Palliser Bay
Palliser Bay is located at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, to the southeast of Wellington. It runs for 40 kilometres along the Cook Strait coast from Turakirae Head at the southern end of the Rimutaka Ranges to Cape Palliser, the North Island's southernmost point.
Inland from the bay is the plain of the Ruamahanga River, which has its outflow in the bay. This river flows into and also drains Lake Wairarapa, the shores of which are only 10 kilometres from the coast.
There are several notable geographical features in the area, including the Pūtangirua Pinnacles, Kupe's Sail and the Whatarangi Bluff - where erosion has had dramatic effects on the coastline.

Coordinates: 41°25′S 175°05′E / 41.417°S 175.083°E / -41.417; 175.083

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Taranaki Region
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island and is the 10th largest region of New Zealand by population. It is named for the region's main geographical feature, Mount Taranaki.
The main centre of the Taranaki region is the city of New Plymouth which has been voted the "Top City" in New Zealand. The New Plymouth District has over 60% of the entire population of Taranaki. New Plymouth is located in North Taranaki along with Inglewood and Waitara. South Taranaki towns include Hawera, Stratford and Eltham.
Since 2005, Taranaki has used the promotional brand "Like no other".
Taranaki is situated on the west coast of the North Island, surrounding the volcanic peak. The large bays north-west and south-west of Cape Egmont are prosaically named the North Taranaki Bight and the South Taranaki Bight.
Mount Taranaki, or Mount Egmont—Te Maunga O Taranaki in Māori—is the dominant feature of the region, second-tallest mountain in the North Island. Māori legend says that Taranaki previously lived with the Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu mountains of the central North Island but fled to its current location after a battle with Tongariro.

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Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) across. It extends 2,800 km (approx.) from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European to encounter New Zealand and Tasmania. The British explorer Captain James Cook later extensively navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s as part of his first voyage of exploration.
The Tasman Sea is commonly referred to in both Australia and New Zealand as The Ditch; for example, crossing the ditch means going to Australia from New Zealand or vice versa. In Māori, the Tasman Sea is called Te Tai-o-Rehua.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tasman Sea as follows:
On the North. The parallel of 30°S from the Australian coast Eastward as far as a line joining the East extremities of Elizabeth Reef and South East Rock (31°47′S 159°18′E / 31.783°S 159.3°E / -31.783; 159.3) then to the Southward along this line to the South East Rock.

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Tory Channel
Tory Channel is one of the drowned valleys that form the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand.
Tory Channel is named after the "Tory", a pioneer ship that brought British colonists to Wellington in 1840. It lies to the south of Arapawa Island, separating it from the mainland. At its western end it joins the larger Queen Charlotte Sound, which it meets halfway along the latter's length. Its eastern end meets Cook Strait close to the latter's narrowest point.
Tory Channel forms a substantial part of the ferry route between Wellington and Picton. Erosion attributed to the ferries, particularly the new faster ones (now discontinued), has resulted in speed restrictions.
One of the two candidates for the easternmost point in the South Island (along with Cape Campbell) lies at the entrance of Tory Channel. It is called West Head.
Energy Pacifica has applied for resource consent to install up to ten underwater tidal stream turbine, each able to produce up to 1.2 MW, near the Cook Strait entrance to Tory Channel. They claim Tory Channel has tidal flows of 3.6 metres per second with good bathymetry and access to the electricity network.

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Wahine disaster
The Wahine disaster occurred on 10 April 1968 when the TEV Wahine, a New Zealand inter-island ferry of the Union Company, foundered on Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour and capsized near Steeple Rock. Of the 610 passengers and 123 crew on board, 53 people died.
The wrecking of the Wahine is one of the better known maritime disasters in New Zealand's history, although there have been worse with far greater loss of life. New Zealand radio and television captured the drama as it happened, within a short distance of shore of the eastern suburbs of Wellington, and flew film overseas for world TV news.
TEV Wahine was a twin screw, turbo-electric, roll-on/roll-off passenger and vehicle ferry designed and built specifically for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, and was one of many such ferries which together provided a widely-used transportation system connecting New Zealand's North and South Islands. Dating back to 1875, on the two-way service for which the Wahine was operated, ferries plied the waters of the Cook Strait and the Kaikoura coast on a regular basis ferrying passengers and cargo back and forth between the two islands, making port at Wellington in the north and Lyttelton in the south.

wn.com/Wahine_disaster
Wellington
Wellington ( /ˈwɛlɪŋtən/) is the capital city and second most populous urban area of New Zealand. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. It is home to 393,400 residents.
The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island, and is the seat of the Wellington Region – which in addition to the urban area covers the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa. The urban area includes four cities: Wellington, on the peninsula between Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour, contains the central business district and about half of Wellington's population; Porirua on Porirua Harbour to the north is notable for its large Māori and Pacific Island communities; Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt are largely suburban areas to the northeast, together known as the Hutt Valley. Wellington also holds the distinction of being the world's southernmost capital city.
In 2008, Wellington was classified as a Gamma World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University. The 2010 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington 12th in the world. In 2011 Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011 named Wellington as fourth in its Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2011, referring to the New Zealand capital as the "coolest little capital in the world".

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Wellington harbour
Wellington Harbour is the large natural harbour at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. New Zealand's capital, Wellington, is on the western side of Wellington Harbour. The harbour was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current name in the 1980s.
In Māori the harbour is Te Whanganui-a-Tara (the great harbour of Tara). A Māori name for Wellington, Pōneke is often said to be a transliteration of Port Nick, although this etymology is disputed.
Wellington Harbour is an arm of Cook Strait, covering 70 km², with a two-km wide entrance at its southern end between Pencarrow Head and the Miramar Peninsula.
The harbour is of tectonic origin, and a major earthquake fault, the Wellington Fault, lies along its western shore. At the northern end of the harbour is the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, which largely follows the line of the earthquake fault to the north-east. The city of Lower Hutt is on this plain.
The central city suburbs spread around the hills overlooking the west and south-west of Wellington Harbour and its two large bays: Lambton Harbour and Evans Bay. Lambton Harbour is surrounded by the reclaimed land of Wellington's central business district and contains the majority of the city's port facilities. Evans Bay is an inlet between Mt Victoria and the Miramar Peninsula on the flight path to low-lying Wellington Airport. Another smaller bay, popular for its beach and cafes, is Oriental Bay.

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Abel Tasman
Abel Janszoon Tasman (Dutch: [ˈaːbəl ˈjɑnsoʊn ˈtɑsmɐn]; 1603–1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC (United East India Company). His was the first known European expedition to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight the Fiji islands. His navigator François Visscher, and his merchant Isaack Gilsemans, mapped substantial portions of Australia, New Zealand and some Pacific Islands.
Abel Tasman was born in 1603 in Lutjegast in what is now the province of Groningen, the Netherlands. In 1633, Tasman went to Batavia in service of the VOC; four years later he was back in Amsterdam. Tasman signed on for another ten years and took his wife along to Batavia. In 1639 Tasman was sent as second in command of an exploring expedition in the north Pacific under Matthijs Quast. His fleet included the ships Engel and Gracht and reached Fort Zeelandia (Dutch Formosa) and Deshima.
In August 1642, the Council of the Indies, consisting of Antonie van Diemen, Cornelis van der Lijn, Joan Maetsuycker, Justus Schouten, Salomon Sweers, Cornelis Witsen, and Pieter Boreel in Batavia despatched Abel Tasman and Franchoijs Visscher on a voyage of which one of the objects was to obtain knowledge of "all the totally unknown provinces of Beach".

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Aditya Raut
Aditya Raut (born on August 20, 1993 in Pune) is a record breaking long distance swimmer. He is barely 14 year as on 2007 and has a distinction of swimming across the five continental channels and is the youngest in the world do so and only third Indian to accomplish it. He many holds world records for swimming. He was born to Santosh and Shraddha Raut from Pune. He is taking education at Vikhe Patil High School, Pune.
Aditya was a normal child before he and his teacher discovered his natural talent to swim long distance. This happened when Aditya was advised by his doctor to swim to recover from a broken leg. His talent was spotted by Vinay Marathe who happens to be his coach.
Aditya is now participating in various international competitions around the world in Europe, Australia and Asia.

wn.com/Aditya_Raut
Barrie Devenport
Barrie Devenport (1935 – 25 July 2010) was a New Zealand swimmer and lifesaver who was the first person in modern history to swim Cook Strait.
On 20 November 1962, he swam from Cape Terawhiti in the North Island to Wellington Rock in the South Island in 11 hours, 13 minutes.
He died in 2010 on the Gold Coast, Australia, Australia, after an eighteen-month battle with cancer.

wn.com/Barrie_Devenport
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. Cook made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and joined the Royal Navy in 1755. He saw action in the Seven Years' War, and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec. This helped bring Cook to the attention of the Admiralty and Royal Society. This notice came at a crucial moment in both Cook's career and the direction of British overseas exploration, and led to his commission in 1766 as commander of HM Bark Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages.
In three voyages Cook sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted areas of the globe. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously achieved. As he progressed on his voyages of discovery he surveyed and named features, and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.

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Lynne Cox
Lynne Cox (born 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer. In 1971, she and her teammates were the first group of teenagers to complete the crossing of the Catalina Island Channel in California. She was always the slowest swimmer in her swim classes. She has twice held the record for the fastest crossing (men or women) of the English Channel (1972 in a time of 9h 57 mins and 1973 in a time of 9h 36 mins). In 1975, Cox became the first woman to swim the 10 °C (50 °F), 16 km (10 mi) Cook Strait in New Zealand. In 1976, she was the first person to swim the Straits of Magellan in Chile, and the first to swim around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Cox is perhaps best known for swimming the Bering Strait in 1987, from the island of Little Diomede in Alaska to Big Diomede, then part of the Soviet Union, where the water temperature averaged around 4 °C (40 °F). At the time people living on the Diomede Islands -- only 3.7 km (2.3 miles) apart—were not permitted to travel between them, although the Eskimo communities there had been closely linked until the natives of Big Diomede were moved to the Russian mainland after World War II. Her accomplishment eased Cold War tensions as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev both praised her success.

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Māori people
The Māori (Māori pronunciation: [ˈmaːɔɾi], English: /ˈmaʊəri/) are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Māori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time before 1300 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the "Māori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts. Early Māori formed tribal groups, based on eastern Polynesian social customs and organisation. Horticulture flourished using plants they introduced, and later a prominent warrior culture emerged.
The arrival of Europeans to New Zealand starting from the 17th century brought enormous change to the Māori way of life. Māori people gradually adopted many aspects of Western society and culture. Initial relations between Māori and Europeans were largely amicable, and with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 the two cultures coexisted as part of a new British colony. Rising tensions over disputed land sales led to conflict in the 1860s. Social upheaval, decades of conflict and epidemics of introduced disease took a devastating toll on the Māori population, which went into a dramatic decline. But by the start of the 20th century the Māori population had begun to recover, and efforts were made to increase their standing in wider New Zealand society. Traditional Māori culture has enjoyed a revival, and a protest movement emerged in the 1960s advocating Māori issues.

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Paul Caffyn
Paul Caffyn ONZM is a sea kayaker based on the west coast of New Zealand. He has completed a number of supported, unsupported, solo and group expeditions by sea kayak in various locations around the world. He has been described as follows by John Dowd
Caffyn was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2012 New Year Honours, for services to sea kayaking and water safety.
The expedition around the South Island started as an expedition along the Fiordland coast with fellow paddler Max Reynolds. Paul Caffyn continued solo and with ground support to complete the circumnavigation in 76 days.{ source: Obscured by waves}
Paul Caffyn sea kayaked solo around the North Island, with ground party support. The circumnavigation took 86 days, after which Paul undertook a crossing of Cook Strait by sea kayak.{source: Cresting the Restless Wave}
The expedition around Stewart Island was done with Max Reynolds, August and September 1979. This expedition departed from Bluff, New Zealand starting with a crossing of Foveaux Strait. { source: Dark Side of the Wave}

wn.com/Paul_Caffyn
Pelorus Jack
Pelorus Jack (fl. 1888 – April 1912) was a Risso's dolphin that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand, between 1888 and 1912. Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Collinet Point, near French Pass, a notoriously dangerous channel used by ships travelling between Wellington and Nelson.
Pelorus Jack was shot at from a passing ship, and was later protected by a 1904 New Zealand law.
"Pelorus Jack" is also a popular Scottish Country dance , named in honor the dolphin.
Pelorus Jack was approximately 13 feet (4 m) long and was of a white color with grey lines or shadings, and a round, white head. Although its sex was never determined, it was identified from photographs as a Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus. This is an uncommon species in New Zealand waters, and only twelve Risso's dolphins have been reported in that area.
Pelorus Jack would guide the ships by swimming alongside a water craft for twenty minutes at a time. If the crew could not see Jack at first, they would often wait for him to appear.

wn.com/Pelorus_Jack
Philip Rush
Philip Rush (New Zealand - born 6 November 1963) is a firefighter and long distance swimmer who is the current world record holder for the fastest two and three way swim of the English Channel which he completed in 1987 in a time of 28 h 21 mins (he completed the two way in a time of 16 h 10 mins)
(1st leg - 7 h 55 mins, 2nd leg - 8 h 15 mins, 3rd leg - 12h 11 mins)
To date only two other people have completed a three way channel swim. Jon Erikson in 1981 and Alison Streeter in 1990.
Philip also completed a two way swim of the English Channel in 1985 in a time of 17 h 56 mins.
Amongst Philip's other achievement include swimming the English Channel 10 times, the Cook Strait 8 times, including one of only two people to complete a Double Crossing, a feat he achieved on 13 Mar 1984 in a time of 16 h 16 mins and repeated on 9 Feb 1988 in a time of 18 h 37 mins.
Philip also became the first person to complete a double crossing of New Zealand's Lake Taupo (40.2 km) which he completed on 14–15 January 1985. He also holds the time record of 10 h 14 mins set on 10 March 1985.

wn.com/Philip_Rush
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha (1760s-1849) was a Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough. He was known as the Napoleon of the South Pacific.
From 1807, muskets became the weapon of choice and partly changed the character of tribal warfare. In 1819 Te Rauparaha joined with a large war party of Ngā Puhi led by Tāmati Wāka Nene; they probably reached Cook Strait before turning back.
Over the next few years the intertribal fighting intensified, and by 1822 Ngāti Toa and related tribes were being forced out of their land around Kāwhia after years of fighting with various Waikato tribes often led by Te Wherowhero. Led by Te Rauparaha they began a fighting retreat or migration southwards (this migration was called Te-Heke-Tahu-Tahu-ahi), conquering hapu and iwi as they went south, which ended with them controlling the southern part of the North Island and particularly the strategically placed Kapiti Island, which became the tribal stronghold.

wn.com/Te_Rauparaha

Ship departing Wellington into big swell

The "Suilven" ferry departing Wellington Heads into big southerly swell in Cook Strait, Ne...

published: 11 Feb 2008

author: vert999

Cook Strait crossing

Crossing the cook Strait in a modified Toyota van...

published: 07 Sep 2009

author: Lance Dodd

Cook Strait Giant Weta on Somes Island

Atalie with a Cook Strait Giant Weta on Somes Island. We found quite a few as we walked ar...

published: 27 Dec 2009

author: Eltrab36

Wellington to Picton Ferry - Cook Strait & Malborough Sounds

Our journey from Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait, through the Malnorough Sound...

published: 25 Dec 2007

author: onewaynewzealand

Cook Strait Storm 1

Cook Strait Storm, Wellington, Island Bay...

published: 25 May 2009

author: axces2000

Huge waves on Cook Strait caused most people to get sick

Huge waves on Cook Strait caused most people to get sick...

published: 11 Jan 2008

author: Kyle Sparks

Crossing Cook Straight on the Interisland Ferry

There was some rough water on New Years Eve day 2006. Part of my bike tour of New Zealand....

published: 26 Feb 2007

author: Bob White

Cook Straight Ferry

Swell in the Cook Straight...

published: 25 May 2009

author: Gordon Anderson

Monte Stello - Cook strait Southerly 14/11/07/

Monte Stello (Bluebridge) heading to Wellington from Picton in southerly swells 14/11/07/ ...

published: 10 Dec 2007

author: nzmc23

Cook Strait Giant Wetas! on Mana Island

We were out searching at night for potentially a new species of weta I'd seen on a photosh...

published: 28 Oct 2009

author: TheNaturesPic

William Webb Ellis Cup hits the Cook Strait

William Webb Ellis Cup hits the Cook Strait with the Great Rugby Road Trip...

published: 22 Mar 2012

author: nzrugby

Lengthening Interislander's Aratere Ferry

KiwiRail is delighted that Interislander's Cook Strait ferry Aratere has returned home fro...

published: 02 Oct 2011

author: Interislander Cook Strait Ferry

Conquering the Cook Strait Documentary

...

published: 11 Nov 2012

author: Warren Lewis

M 5.7 EARTHQUAKE - COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND 12/03/11

Highrise windows shattered, apartments were evacuated and houses shook as a 5.7 magnitude ...

published: 03 Dec 2011

author: EQReporter

Cook Strait

published: 11 Dec 2009

author: Pojoo

Cook Strait Drifters

ROMS simulations - tides only c/- Mark Hadfield...

published: 23 Mar 2011

author: Confused

Cook Strait drifting

c/- Stephen Chiswell - driven by AVISO...

published: 23 Mar 2011

author: Confused

Cook Strait Model Currents

using RiCOM care of Dave Plew/Roy Walters...

published: 23 Mar 2011

author: Confused

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photo: AP / Channi Anand

An Indian army soldier patrols near the line of control, the line that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, after a reported cease-fire violation, in Mendhar, Poonch district, about 210 kilometers (131 miles) from Jammu, India, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013.

India lashes out at Pakistan after deadly Kashmir encounter

The Star

09 Jan 2013

JAMMU, India (Reuters) - India slammed arch-rival Pakistan on Wednesday over a fire fight in the disputed territory of Kashmir in which two of its soldiers were killed, and said the mutilation of one of the bodies was "inhuman". India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony waits to speak at a plenary session of the 11th International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia Security Summit ... REUTERS/Tim Chong ... ....(size: 2.6Kb)

photo: AP / Jacques Brinon

Kurdish activists gather outside a building where three Kurdish women were shot dead, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013. Police say three Kurdish women have been shot dead at a pro-Kurdish centre in Paris in what the French interior minister is calling an execution.

Three Kurdish women shot dead in Paris

The Times of India

10 Jan 2013

PARIS. Three Kurdish women, including one of the founders of a militant group battling Turkish troops since 1984, were "executed" at a Kurdish center in Paris, the interior minister said on Thursday. Turkey's Anadolu news agency identified one of the victims as Sakine Cansiz, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK ... He called it a "totally intolerable act." ... ....(size: 1.7Kb)

photo: AP / Alexandre Meneghini

In this Oct. 24, 2012 photo, soldiers stop to check a car as they patrol in a convoy near the town of El Alcalde in Michoacan state, Mexico. Knights Templar, a quasi-religious drug cartel that controls the area and most of the state, monitors the movements of the military and police around the clock.

Mexico to compensate drug-violence victims

Al Jazeera

10 Jan 2013

Mexican has enacted a law that will ensure that the victims and relatives of crime are compensated with payments and social services from the state. The law, enacted by President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday, comprises the creation of a fund to pay relatives up to $70,000 in compensation for an innocent victim killed in attacks by drug gangs ... “There are thousands of people who have suffered the ravages of violence ... Share ... ....(size: 18.3Kb)

photo: White House / Pete Souza

File - Members of Congress, the Cabinet, and Supreme Court applaud as President Barack Obama enters the House Chamber to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Jan. 27, 2010.

Unworthy Governments and the Paine of It All

WorldNews.com

10 Jan 2013

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Lay then, the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. It is their sanguinary punishments which corrupt mankind." -Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man". If alive today, Thomas Paine would recognize that the United States Government is not worthy of its citizens ... He would caution the People ... Paine would also empathize with ... In another town, Paine would identify with ... (1) Paine, Thomas....(size: 4.8Kb)

photo: AP / NSW Rural Fire Service, James Morris

In this photo provided by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service a wildfire near Deans Gap, Australia, crosses the Princes Highway Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013.

Australia fires rage across regions with record-high temperatures

Denver Post

10 Jan 2013

Tammy Holmes, second from left, holds 2-year-old Charlotte Walker, left, and Esther Walker, 4, as they find refuge in water as fires rage nearby in Tasmania last week. Joining them were, from right, Caleb Walker, 6, Matilda Walker, 11, and Liam Walker, 9. Record temperatures across southern Australia cooled Wednesday, but the reprieve from the summer's extreme heat is expected to be brief. (Provided by the Holmes family) ... ....(size: 2.9Kb)

timeline:
2012
2011
2010
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Mayor says deal keeps us in the loop

Stuff

10 Jan 2013

Strait Shipping managing director Sheryl Ellison confirmed her company had met the ministry commercial director heading up the Clifford Bay investigations last month and had signed a confidentiality agreement. Strait Shipping operates the BlueBridge Cook Strait ferry service, in competition to KiwiRail's Interislander service. "Strait Shipping was ......(size: 3.5Kb)

Winds up to 130kmh delay flights and fell trees

Stuff

10 Jan 2013

Flights between Marlborough and Wellington were delayed yesterday morning as gusts of up to 130kmh slammed the capital ... Marlborough Airport manager Robyn Searle said no flights out of Blenheim were cancelled ... On Monday, Renwick woman Janette Cook escaped uninjured when a large silky oak tree toppled on to the Toyota Land Cruiser she was sitting in ... MetService issued a storm warning for Cook Strait from 4pm yesterday to midnight tonight....(size: 3.2Kb)

photo: WN / Aruna Mirasdar

Dried leaf in the hot temperature - hot weather

High heat, wind above average for Dec

Stuff

09 Jan 2013

The Nelson region sweltered under record high temperatures in December, coupled with some of the windiest conditions on record ... Motueka and Riwaka were the region's hot spots last month, when temperatures reached 31.9 degrees Celsius on Christmas Day - the hottest since records began in 1956 ... The highest wind gust recorded in December was 206kmh at Cape Turnagain, a headland part way between Hawke Bay and Cook Strait, on December 2 ... ....(size: 2.7Kb)

Wary eye on lake levels

Otago Daily Times

09 Jan 2013

Previous .. Next.  . The wet weather in Otago's west yesterday was expected to begin letting up in the early hours of this morning but lake levels remain high and the West Coast was cut off from Otago last night, when State Highway 6 was closed near Makarora ... The cruise ship Sun Princess was scheduled to leave Dunedin at 5pm on Tuesday to travel to Milford Sound, but rough weather forced it to return to Sydney via Cook Strait. ....(size: 4.7Kb)

Hillary Expedition Sees Return To Scene Of Near-Tragedy

Scoop

08 Jan 2013

Sarah Wilson has commenced her Cook to Cook Hillary Expedition and is currently climbing Aoraki/Mount Cook; a place that could have claimed her life when she was buried in an avalanche a couple of years ago. In November 2011 Sarah and her friend Cat Shand managed to climb New Zealand’s highest mountain, as the first leg of an expedition that was also meant to involve cycling up the South Island and kayaking across Cook Strait....(size: 3.4Kb)

Wellington, New Zealand: readers' tips, recommendations and travel advice

The Daily Telegraph

07 Jan 2013

Occupying the only gap in a 870-mile-long chain of mountains, and overlooking the magnificent Cook Strait that separates the North and South Islands, Wellington hasn’t tamed nature but lives alongside it ... Take the cable car to the top of the Botanic Gardens, with views down to the university cricket ground and distant Cook Strait....(size: 18.0Kb)

South more confident than north

NZ Herald

07 Jan 2013

But there is some good news for businesses north of Cook Strait - 67.3 per cent of North Island firms expect a rise in profitability in the coming year, compared with 64.9 per cent in the South Island, according to the survey ... By. ....(size: 1.5Kb)

A mako shark's excellent adventure

Stuff

07 Jan 2013

The last few months have been busy for Carol the mako shark. After spending spring in Fiji, October near the Coromandel Peninsula and November off the East Coast she opted to celebrate Christmas Day in the Cook Strait. At the moment she's making quick time towards Kaikoura ... Scientists have been tracking Carol, a 1.8-metre mako, using a satellite reporting tagging device known as a SPOT tag ... "Its absolutely amazing for us," he said ... ....(size: 3.4Kb)

Sailors winched from stricken boat

Stuff

06 Jan 2013

A cruise ship steamed to the rescue after a sailboat got into trouble in a heavy swell in Cook Strait this evening ... The abandoned boat is drifting near the mouth of Cook Strait ... ....(size: 1.1Kb)

More hot weather due this week

Stuff

06 Jan 2013

Another blast of hot weather is due from across the Tasman this week, and it could come with strange sunrises and sunsets caused by bush fires in Tasmania ... For most of New Zealand that cold front was due to leave mid-week, with more hot weather coming from Australia ... However, with rain working its way up the South Island's West Coast and due across the Cook Strait mid-week, Wellington could be one of the few places to miss out ... ....(size: 2.7Kb)

Second time lucky for Cook to Cook

NZ Herald

04 Jan 2013

When Sarah Wilson was buried under a metre of snow on Aoraki Mt Cook in November 2011, her only chance of survival was friend Cat Shand digging her out with her bare hands ... The task involves climbing Aoraki Mt Cook, cycling 700km up the South Island, then crossing Cook Strait in a tandem kayak - it's a feat that has never been completed in one trek ... It's why she will give the Cook to Cook another go....(size: 4.7Kb)

Athletics: Marathon journey ahead for Wilson

Otago Daily Times

04 Jan 2013

Nobody has ever completed the marathon journey known as the Cook to Cook in one outing ... The task involves climbing Mt Cook, cycling 700km up the South Island then crossing the Cook Strait in a tandem kayak and it's a feat that has never been completed before in one trek ... It's why she will give the Cook to Cook another go....(size: 6.3Kb)

Canned flights stranded 1000 people

Stuff

03 Jan 2013

Flight cancellations due to gales across Cook Strait on Wednesday left about 1000 passengers stranded as the holiday season comes to a close. Nine Air New Zealand flights to and from Wellington and Blenheim airports using its 19-seater Beech aircraft were cancelled, including four flights between the two ... Related story ... Ad Feedback ... ....(size: 1.9Kb)

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Cook Strait

Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east.

To the south the coast runs runs 30 kilometres (19 mi) along Cloudy Bay and past the islands and entrances to the Marlborough Sounds. To the north the coast runs 40 kilometres (25 mi) along Palliser Bay, crosses the entrance to Wellington harbour, past some Wellington suburbs and continues another 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to Makara beach.

The strait is named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770. In Māori it has the name Raukawa or Raukawa Moana. Raukawa may mean "bitter leaves".^[1]

Cook Strait is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world.^[2] In good weather one can see clearly across the strait. At its narrowest point 22 kilometres (14 mi) separate Cape Terawhiti in the North Island from Perano Head on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds.^[3] Perano Head (South Island) actually lies further north than Cape Terawhiti (North Island).

1 History
2 Geology
3 Islands
4 Tidal flow
5 Tidal power
6 Cables
7 Marine life
- 7.1 Game fishing
8 Transport
- 8.1 Ferry
- 8.2 Air
9 Swimming
10 Timeline
11 See also
12 Notes
13 References
14 External links

History [link]

A view from the summit of Mount Kaukau, Wellington across Cook Strait to the Marlborough Sounds in the distance.

Pelorus Jack

In Māori legend, Cook Strait was discovered by Kupe the navigator. Kupe followed in his canoe a monstrous octopus called Te Wheke-a-Muturangi across Cook Strait and destroyed it in Tory Channel or at Pātea.

When Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first saw New Zealand in 1642, he thought Cook Strait was a bight closed to the east. He named it Zeehaen's Bight, after the Zeehaen, one of the two ships in his expedition. In 1769 James Cook established that it was a strait, which formed a navigable waterway.

Cook Strait attracted European settlers in the early 19th century. Because of its use as a whale migration route, whalers established bases in the Marlborough Sounds and in the Kapiti area.^[4]^[5] From the late 1820s until the mid 1960s Arapawa Island was a base for whaling in the Sounds. Perano Head on the east coast of the island was the principal whaling station for the area. The houses built by the Perano family are now operated as tourist accommodation.^[6]

During the 1820s Te Rauparaha lead a Māori migration to, and the conquest and settlement of, the Cook Strait region.

From 1840 more permanent settlements sprang up, first at Wellington, then at Nelson and at Wanganui (Petre). At this period the settlers saw Cook Strait in a broader sense than today's ferry-oriented New Zealanders: for them the strait stretched from Taranaki to Cape Campbell, so these early towns all clustered around "Cook Strait" (or "Cook's Strait", in the pre-Geographic Board usage of the times) as the central feature and central waterway of the new colony.

Between 1888 and 1912 a dolphin named Pelorus Jack became famous for meeting and escorting ships around the Cook Strait. Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Collinet Point, near French Pass, a channel used by ships travelling between Wellington and Nelson. Pelorus Jack is also remembered after he was the subject of a failed assassination attempt. He was later protected by a 1904 New Zealand law.

At times when New Zealand feared invasion, various coastal fortifications were constructed to defend Cook Strait. During the Second World War, two 9.2 inch (23 cm) gun installations were constructed on Wrights Hill behind Wellington. These gun could range 18 miles (29 km) across Cook Strait. In addition thirteen 6-inch (15 cm) gun installations were constructed around Wellington, along the Makara coast, and at entrances to the Marlborough Sounds. The remains of most of these fortifications can still be seen.

The Pencarrow Head Lighthouse was the first permanent lighthouse built in New Zealand. Its first keeper, Mary Jane Bennett, was the first and only female lighthouse keeper in New Zealand. The light was decommissioned in 1935 when it was replaced by the Baring Head Lighthouse.

A number of ships have been wrecked with significant loss of life, such as the Maria in 1851,^[7] the City of Dunedin in 1865,^[8] the St Vincent in 1869,^[7] the Lastingham in 1884,^[9] the SS Penguin in 1909 and the Wahine in 1968.

Geology [link]

Wellington's south coast, seen from Island Bay

The shores of Cook Strait on both sides are mostly composed of steep cliffs. The beaches of Cloudy Bay, Clifford Bay, and Palliser Bay shoal gently down to 140 metres, where there is a more or less extensive submarine plateau. The rest of the bottom topography is complex. To the east is the Cook Strait Canyon with steep walls descending eastwards into the bathyal depths of the Hikurangi Trench. To the north-west lies the Narrows Basin, where water is 300 and 400 metres deep. Fisherman's Rock in the north end of the Narrows Basin rises to within a few metres of low tide, and is marked by waves breaking in rough weather. A relatively shallow submarine valley lies across the northern end of the Marlborough Sounds. The bottom topography is particularly irregular around the coast of the South Island where the presence of islands, underwater rocks, and the entrances to the sounds, create violent eddies.^[3] The strait has an average depth of 128 metres (420 feet).

The South and North Islands were joined during the last ice age.

Islands [link]

Tidal flow [link]

External images
	Animation of the tides in Cook Strait – NIWA
	Animation of the lunar (M2) tide component around NZ
	Cook Strait currents before and after high tide at Wellington – Te Ara: Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
	Underwater topography of Cook Strait – NIWA

The tidal flow through Cook Strait is unusual. On each side of the strait the tide is almost exactly out of phase, so high water on one side meets low water on the other. Strong currents result, with almost zero tidal height change in the centre of the strait. Although the tidal surge should flow in one direction for six hours and then the reverse direction for six hours, a particular surge might last eight or ten hours with the reverse surge enfeebled. In especially boisterous weather conditions the reverse surge can be negated, and the flow can remain in the same direction through three surge periods and longer. This is indicated on marine charts for the region.^[10]

There are numerous computer model representations of the tidal flow through Cook Strait. While the tidal components are readily realizable,^[11] the residual flow is more difficult to model.^[12]

Tidal power [link]

Cables [link]

Marine life [link]

Giant squid specimens have been washed ashore on Cook Strait or found in the stomachs of sperm whales off Kaikoura.

A colony of male fur seals has long been established near Red Rocks on the Makara Coast, west of Wellington.^[20]

Cook Strait offers important habitats to many cetacean species. Several dolphins (Bottlenose, Common, Dusky) frequent the area along with killer whales and the endemic Hector's Dolphins. Long-Finned Pilot Whales often strand en masse at Golden Bay. The famous Pelorus Jack was a Risso's Dolphin being observed escorting the ships between 1888 and 1912, though this species is not a common visitor to the New Zealand's waters.

Migratory large whales attracted many whalers to the area in the winter. Currently, an annual survey of counting Humpback Whales is taken by Department of Conservation and former whalers help DOC to spot animals. Other occasional visitors include Southern Right Whales, Blue Whales, Sei Whales and Sperm Whales.

Game fishing [link]

Cook Strait offers good game fishing. Albacore tuna can be caught from January to May. Broadbill swordfish, bluenose, mako sharks and the occasional marlin and white shark can also be caught.^[21]

Transport [link]

The Cook Strait ferry Arahura in the Marlborough Sounds.

Ferry [link]

Regular ferry services run between Picton in the Sounds and Wellington. Although Cook Strait is only 24 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, the ferry journey covers 70 kilometres. The strait often experiences rough water and heavy swells from strong winds, especially from the south. New Zealand's position directly athwart the roaring forties means that the strait funnels westerly winds and deflects them into northerlies. As a result, the Cook Strait is regarded as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world.

Air [link]

Swimming [link]

According to oral tradition, the first woman to swim Cook Strait was Hine Poupou. She swam from Kapiti Island to Dürville Island with the help of a dolphin.^[22] Other Māori accounts tell of at least one swimmer who conquered the strait in 1831.

In modern times, the strait was first swum by Barrie Devenport in 1962. Lynne Cox was the first woman to swim it, in 1975. The most prolific swimmer of the strait is Philip Rush, who has crossed eight times, including two double crossings. Aditya Raut was the youngest swimmer at 11 years. Stephanie Bennington was the youngest female swimmer at 13 years. Pam Dickson was the oldest swimmer at 55 years.

By 2010, 74 single crossings had been made by 65 individuals, and three double crossings had been made by two individuals (Philip Rush and Meda McKenzie). Crossing times are largely determined by the strong and sometimes unpredictable currents that operate in the strait.^[23]

On 10 October 2011 disabled Italian distance swimmer Salvatore Cimmino successfully swam 26 kilometres across Cook Strait, making him the first amputee to swim the daring crossing. The 47-year-old, who had his right leg amputated at the age of 15 due to cancer, entered the water at Makara at 8.47am and made land at Perano Head at 5.05pm.

On 17 February 2012 the 46 year old Irish man Steve Redmond succeeded in his bid to swim across the Cook Strait as a part of the Oceans 7 Challenge, a series of open water swims which test a swimmer's mental and physical endurance. ^[24]

Timeline [link]

Mists of time: The mythical navigator Kupe follows, in his canoe, the octopus Te Wheke-a-Muturangi across Cook Strait.
1642: Abel Tasman mistakes Cook Strait for a bight.
1769: James Cook establishes it is a strait
1822: Ngati Toa migrates to Cook Strait region, led by Te Rauparaha.
1831: Whaling station established in Tory Channel.
1851: Maria wrecked in on rocks at Cape Terawhiti, 26 people die.
1855: Severe earthquake on both sides of Cook Strait.
1865: Paddle steamer City of Dunedin sinks in Cook Strait, 39 people die.
1866: Cook Strait submarine telegraph cable laid.
1869: St Vincent wrecked in Palliser Bay, 20 people die.
1879: Kangaroo lays the first Telegraph cable across Cook Strait.
1884: Lastingham wrecked at Cape Jackson, 18 people die.
1904: Pelorus Jack is protected by New Zealand law
1909: SS Penguin wrecked in Cook Strait, 75 people die.
1920: First aeroplane flight across Cook Strait.
1935: Air services begin across Cook Strait.
1962: Cook Strait rail ferry service begins.
1962: Barrie Devenport swims the strait.
1964: Cook Strait power cables laid.
1968: TEV Wahine wrecked at entrance to Wellington harbour, 53 people die.
1975: Lynne Cox is the first woman to swim the strait.
1979: Paul Caffyn crosses the strait in a sea kayak.
1984: Philip Rush swims the strait both ways (13 March).
1984: Meda McKenzie swims the strait both ways (26 March).
1988: Philip Rush swims the strait both ways (9 February).
1991: Five new power and communication cables laid
1994: First fast-ferry service begins operation across Cook Strait.
2002: Two further communications cables laid.
2005: The retired frigate HMNZS Wellington is sunk off Wellington as an artificial reef.
2008: A resource consent is granted to Neptune Power to install a $10 million experimental underwater tidal stream turbine capable of producing one megawatt.
2008: Energy Pacifica applies for resource consent to install up to 10 marine turbines, each able to produce up to 1.2 MW, near the Cook Strait entrance to Tory Channel.

Notes [link]

^ Reed, A.W. (2002) The Reed dictionary of New Zealand place names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-790-00761-4. p 99.
^ McLauchlan, Gordon (Ed.) (1987) New Zealand encyclopedia, Bateman, P. 121. ISBN 978-0-908610-21-1.
^ ^a ^b McLintock, A H, Ed. (1966) Cook Strait from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, updated 18-Sep-2007
^ McNab, Robert (1913) A History of Southern New Zealand from 1830 to 1840 Whitcombe and Tombs Limited. ASIN B000881KT4.
^ Martin, Stephen (2001) The Whales' Journey: Chapter 4: The northerly migration Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-86508-232-5
^ Perano Homestead
^ ^a ^b Disasters and Mishaps – Shipwrecks, from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966, updated 2007-09-18.
^ Steamer 'City of Dunedin'- Mysterious Sinking
^ Dive Lastingham Wreck
^ Chart of Cook Strait
^ Lunar tides in Cook Strait, New Zealand
^ Bowman, M.J., A.C. Kibblewhite, R. Murtagh, S.M. Chiswell and B.G. Sanderson (1983) Circulation and mixing in greater Cook Strait, New Zealand. Oceanologica Acta 6(4): 383-391
^ Doesburg, Anthony (15 April 2008). "Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10504122. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
^ Renewable energy development: Tidal Energy: Cook Strait
^ Harnessing the power of the sea Energy NZ, Vol 1, No 1, Winter 2007
^ ^a ^b ^c Benign tides Energy NZ No.6, Spring 2008. Contrafed Publishing. Accessed 1 March 2009.
^ http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/ngts/2009/02/19/salty_water
^ ^a ^b "Cook Strait submarine cable protection zone". Transpower. 2006. http://www.transpower.co.nz/f1223,149142/149142_cook_strait-2006.pdf.
^ "$700m Cook Strait upgrade ready 2012". Otago Daily Times. 1 August 2008. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/15962/700m-cook-strait-upgrade-ready-2012.
^ Cook Strait seal colonies
^ The Marlborough Sounds Marlborough online. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
^ Polynesian History
^ "Cook Strait Swim". http://www.cookstraitswim.org.nz/history.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
^ "Swimmer Crosses Cook Strait". http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6441452/Swimmer-crosses-Cook-Strait. Retrieved 19 February 2012.

References [link]

Grady, Don (September 1982). Perano Whalers of Cook Strait, 1911-1964.. Intl Specialized Book Service. pp. 238. ISBN 978-0-589-01392-9.
Harris, Thomas Frank Wyndham (1990). Greater Cook Strait. DSIR Marine and Freshwater. pp. 212. ISBN 0-477-02580-3.

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cook Strait

Cook Strait: Ship Wrecks, Swells and Gales
New Zealand's Cook Strait Rail Ferries
Cook Strait Swim
NZ: Chance to turn the tide of power supply EnergyBulletin.net
Lewis, Keith Submarine cables Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 21-Sep-2007.
History of Cable Bay Station
A Powerful link: The Cook Strait Cable
NZ Documentary Film (2007) Fish & Ships The Island Bay fishing fleet.

Coordinates: 41°13′46″S 174°28′59″E / 41.22944°S 174.48306°E / -41.22944; 174.48306

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Only known portrait of William Webb Elllis, circa 1857, from the Illustrated London News.

Rev. William Webb Ellis (24 November 1806 – 24 February 1872) was an Anglican clergyman who is famous for allegedly being the inventor of Rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School.

Web Ellis's name is firmly established in rugby union folklore and the William Webb Ellis Cup is presented to the winners of the Rugby World Cup.^[1]^[2]

1 Biography
2 The legend
3 See also
4 References
- 4.1 General
5 External links

Biography [link]

Statue of William Webb Ellis outside Rugby School

Webb Ellis was born in Salford, Lancashire (some sources say he was born in Manchester as Webb Ellis himself said he was born there in the 1851 census as he later moved to the city). He was the younger of two sons of James Ellis, an officer in the Dragoon Guards, and Ann Webb, whom James married in Exeter in 1804. After his father was killed at the Battle of Albuera in 1811,^[3] Mrs Ellis decided to move to Rugby, Warwickshire so that William and his older brother Thomas could receive an education at Rugby School with no cost as a local foundationer (i.e. a pupil living within a radius of 10 miles of the Rugby Clock Tower). He attended the school from 1816 to 1825 and was recorded as being a good scholar and cricketer, although it was noted that he was 'rather inclined to take unfair advantage at cricket'. The incident in which Webb Ellis supposedly caught the ball in his arms during a football match (which was allowed) and ran with it (which was not) meant to have happened in the latter half of 1823.

After leaving Rugby in 1826, he went to Brasenose College, Oxford, aged 18. He played cricket for his college, and for Oxford University against Cambridge University in 1827. He graduated with a BA in 1829 and received his MA in 1831. He entered the Church and became chaplain of St George's, Albemarle Street, London and then rector of St. Clement Danes in The Strand. He became well known as a low church evangelical clergyman. In 1855, he became rector of Magdalen Laver in Essex. A picture of him (the only known portrait) appeared in the Illustrated London News in 1854, after he gave a particularly stirring sermon on the subject of the Crimean War.

His grave in "le cimetière du vieux château" at Menton in Alpes Maritimes

He never married and died in the south of France in 1872, leaving an estate of £9,000, mostly to various charities. His grave in "le cimetière du vieux château" at Menton in Alpes Maritimes was rediscovered by Ross McWhirter in 1958 and has since been renovated by the French Rugby Federation.

The legend [link]

Origin of the claim [link]

The sole source of the story of Webb Ellis picking up the ball originates with one Matthew Bloxam, a local antiquarian and former pupil of Rugby.^[2] On 10 October 1876,^[4] he wrote to The Meteor, the Rugby School magazine, that he had learnt from an unnamed source that the change from a kicking game to a handling game had "...originated with a town boy or foundationer of the name of Ellis, Webb Ellis".

On 22 December 1880,^[4] in another letter to the Meteor, Bloxam elaborates on the story:

"A boy of the name Ellis – William Webb Ellis – a town boy and a foundationer, ... whilst playing Bigside at football in that half-year [1823], caught the ball in his arms. This being so, according to the then rules, he ought to have retired back as far as he pleased, without parting with the ball, for the combatants on the opposite side could only advance to the spot where he had caught the ball, and were unable to rush forward till he had either punted it or had placed it for some one else to kick, for it was by means of these placed kicks that most of the goals were in those days kicked, but the moment the ball touched the ground the opposite side might rush on. Ellis, for the first time, disregarded this rule, and on catching the ball, instead of retiring backwards, rushed forwards with the ball in his hands towards the opposite goal, with what result as to the game I know not, neither do I know how this infringement of a well-known rule was followed up, or when it became, as it is now, a standing rule."

Bloxham's first account differed from his second one four years later. In his first letter, in 1876, Bloxham claimed that Webb Ellis committed the act in 1824, a time by which Webb Ellis had left Rugby.^[4] In his second letter, in 1880, Bloxham put the year as 1823.^[4]

1895 investigation [link]

The claim that Webb Ellis invented the game did not surface until four years after his death and doubts have been raised about the story since 1895 when it was first investigated by the Old Rugbeian Society. The sub-committee conducting the investigation was "unable to procure any first hand evidence of the occurrence".^[5]

Among those giving evidence, Thomas Harris and his brother John, who had left Rugby in 1828 and 1832 respectively (i.e. after the alleged Webb Ellis incident) recalled that handling of the ball was strictly forbidden. Harris, who requested that he "not [be] quote[d] as an authority", testified that Webb Ellis had been known as someone to take an "unfair advantage at football".^[5] Harris, who would have been aged 10 years at the time of the alleged incident, did not claim to have been a witness to it, additionally, he stated that he had not heard the story of Webb Ellis' creation of the game.^[5]

Thomas Hughes (author of Tom Brown's Schooldays) was asked to comment on the game as played when he attended the school (1834–1842). He is quoted as saying "In my first year, 1834, running with the ball to get a try by touching down within goal was not absolutely forbidden, but a jury of Rugby boys of that day would almost certainly have found a verdict of 'justifiable homicide' if a boy had been killed in running in."

It has been suggested by Dunning and Sheard (2005) that it was no coincidence that this investigation was conducted in 1895, at a time when divisions within the sport led to the schism; the split into the sports of league and union.^[2] Dunning and Sheard suggest that the endorsement of a "reductionist" origin myth by the Rugbeians was an attempt to assert their school's position and authority over a sport that they were losing control of.^[2]

The plaque [link]

A plaque, erected in 1895, at Rugby School bears the inscription:^[2]

THIS STONE
COMMEMORATES THE EXPLOIT OF
WILLIAM WEBB ELLIS
WHO WITH A FINE DISREGARD FOR THE RULES OF FOOTBALL
AS PLAYED IN HIS TIME
FIRST TOOK THE BALL IN HIS ARMS AND RAN WITH IT
THUS ORIGINATING THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF
THE RUGBY GAME
A.D. 1823

Image of the plaque at Rugby School

Controversy [link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2009)

A number of codes of mediaeval football allowed the carrying of the ball, as indeed do several other current football codes.

Some sources have claimed that Ellis may have actually been giving a demonstration of a sport known as caid, which was an ancient Irish game that is similar to rugby, and is the ancestor of Gaelic football. Some speculate that Ellis could have witnessed it during his youth whilst his soldier father was stationed in Ireland. Though this story, as dubious as it may be, adds fuel to the speculation that Ellis did not create the game per se, as there had previously been sports such as caid and harpastum, a game which was similar to rugby that was played by the ancient Romans. There was another game in Wales called "cnapan", which was still being played in 1823. That involved teams of up to 1,000 players on each side, and it was a running, handling and passing game with much physical contact and with elements that resembled scrums and lineouts. There was no kicking of the ball in that game, since it was made of wood and (to add interest) boiled in tallow to make it slippery! Could some of the boys at Rugby School have known about that game?

There is also much speculation as to what kind of rules were in place for football at the Rugby School. Some sources have claimed that the rules of the game being played were constantly altered. Malcom Lee said in an interview that "...the rules were discussed almost every time the boys went out to play and that adjustments were frequently made [to the game]" [1]

It is clear that the drop-goal was an integral part of the game at that time - indeed it was the major way of scoring a goal. The rules required a player to catch the ball cleanly and at the same time make a mark with his heel. That entitled him to a "free kick" i.e. free of interference by the opposition. They were allowed to line up on the mark, but not charge until the player offered to kick. If a player were running to catch the ball, what more natural than that he should continue his run after the catch (despite the need to dig in his heel)? There is little reason to believe that Ellis would have been the only, or even the first, player to do this.

References [link]

^ Davies, Sean (2007-08-10). "William Webb Ellis - fact or fiction?". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6255164.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Part I: 2. Football in the early-nineteenth-century public schools". Barbarians, gentlemen and players: a sociological study of the development of rugby football (2nd ed.). Oxon: Routledge. 2005. pp. 52–53. ISBN 0-7146-5353-5, 9780714653532. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vBUKfHq4lngC. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
^ According to military records, no man by the name of James Ellis (or any other Ellis) was killed or died of their wounds at the battle of Albuera in 1811. Having checked the records for all the 3rd & 4th Dragoon Guards, 13th Light Dragoons and all the infantry battalions, only the Royal Artillery records have not been checked. It appears unlikely that James Ellis was killed at Albuera.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Harvey, 2005: 246
^ ^a ^b ^c Harvey, 2005: 247

General [link]

Harvey, Adrian (2005). Football: the first hundred years : the untold story. Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-35019-0, 9780415350198. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Mjyb5r3rMlsC. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
K. G. Sheard, "Ellis, William Webb (1806–1872)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 accessed 23 October 2007

Persondata
Name	Ellis, William Webb
Alternative names
Short description	English cricketer
Date of birth	24 November 1806
Place of birth
Date of death	24 January 1872
Place of death

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Webb_Ellis

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

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