Dive and Wreck sites around New Zealand

Banks Peninsula

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Kaikoura

Kaikoura is regarded as the marine mammal tourism capital of New Zealand with encounters to be had with whales, dolphins, seals and sharks. The Kaikoura coast is very exposed to southerly conditions, but is a good dive area.
Articles of interest: Captivating Kaikoura, Bushett Shoals.

Marlborough Sounds

The Marlborough Sounds covers an area of over 50,000 hectares, made up of nearly 100 parks and reserves, and 900 kilometres of unique foreshore comprising of sounds, reaches, harbours and large bays. A number of diving locations are in easy reach of Picton and Waikawa Bay. All are in the wake of the fast ferries, but offer rewarding diving, especially if you have time to explore, rather than take. The wrecks of the Mikhail Lermontov, Lastingham and Rangitoto ca be found in the Marlborough Sounds. Article of interest: In the wake of the fast ferries.

Wild Wave 1866

WILD WAVE, schooner: The schooner was lost in Pelorus Sound, near Opawa Bay, on June 21, 1866. The Wild Wave was caught in a terrific gale about 16 miles from Havelock, and capsized. Five of the crew were drowned, the master and cook only being saved by swimming a distance of over a mile to the shore. The vessel was formerly a centre-board barge, but had been altered to a topsail schooner and the centre-board removed, and it was believed that this was the cause of the vessel capsizing. More

Tairoa 1871

TAIROA, steamer: When crossing the bar at Port Molyneux on May 27, 1871, the steamer refused to answer her helm took a sheer to port, and struck on the rocks, close to the wreck of the Ada, which came to grief there in 1862. Every effort was made to refloat the Tairoa, the services of the river steamer being requisitioned, but all attempts proved unavailing. The Court of Inquiry was of the opinion that the master committed an error of judgement in entering the river after dark and against the ebb tide.
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Southminster 1878

SOUTHMINSTER, ship: On the morning of November 29, 1878, the ship went ashore inside Kelp Reef, between Cape Campbell and Flaxbourne. Steering a NE. b N. course on a voyage from Lyttelton to Wellington, she struck first on Shepherdess Reef, knocked her rudder out, and drifted inside Kelp Reef where she stranded, five miles south of Cape Campbell. Rocks pierced her hull, making four holes through which the water washed in and out with the rise and fall of the tide. In addition to the master, whose wife was a passenger on board, the Southminster carried a crew of 23 hands. The cargo consisted of reapers and binders, and American organs, from New York, in all about 500 tons.

Rangitoto 1869

RANGITOTO, steamer : Shortly after noon on July 30 the steamer left Nelson for Wellington with a large number of passengers, the majority of whom were women and children. When off Cape Jackson the vessel struck on a reef, the impact ripping a hole in her side four feet long and nine inches wide. As soon as possible the vessel was beached, close to where she had struck, at the foot of a cliff several hundred feet high.

Rakiura 1915

RAKIURA, steamer: The wreck of the steamer occurred at Stephen Island with dramatic suddenness, the vessel striking a rock within 20 yards of the shore at 4:57 a.m. on April 14, 1915. The crew launched a boat and made for D'Urville Island, which they reached at 9 a.m. Most of them were in scanty attire and were quite worn out when they landed. More

Pet 1907

PET, schooner: Stranded in Cannibal Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, on October 10, 1907, the casualty being caused through the schooner's steering gear -carrying away, and the vessel drifting ashore. The Pet was reported to have sustained only slight damage, but was not recovered and became a total loss. More

Mikhail Lermontov 1986

The wreck of the Lermontov lies in the bay of Port Gore, on her starboard side in 37 metres of water. She is a huge vessel, just under 600 feet long and over 20,000 tonnes. Any similarity to the Coolidge ends there, as this is a very different style of diving.

May Queen 1888

MAY QUEEN, barque: On January 26, 1888, the barque, inward bound from London, went ashore on the south side of Lyttelton Harbour, near Red Rock, and became a total wreck. The pilot boarded the vessel outside the heads, and beat up against a strong, uncertain breeze. More

Magnet 1844

MAGNET, barque : On September 3, 1844, the Magnet was wrecked at Ikolaki (Peraki) whaling station, south of Akaroa, one of her crew being drowned. The barque was cast on a rocky shore and went to pieces in two hours. The Magnet, which had sailed from Wellington for Waikouaiti on July 5, had on board about 50 tuns of oil, the property of Mr. John Jones, who was on board, and also money and property belonging to another passenger, a Mr. Curtis, nearly all of which was lost. The Magnet was the fourth vessel to be lost at this whaling station in three years, the others being the brigs Jewess, Transfer and Speculator. More

Lyttleton 1886

LYTTELTON, steamer : Struck on a reef close to the Beef Barrels and sank in the Current Basin, French Pass, on September 30, 1886. The steamer was bound from Collingwood to Wellington with a cargo of coal, and struck at 7.30 p.m., and in ten minutes sank completely out of sight in deep water. The master and crew proceeded to French Pass in the ship's boat, and were rescued by the steamer Murray. More

Lastingham 1884

LASTINGHAM, ship: Bound from London to Wellington, the ship was totally wrecked, with the loss of 18 lives, on Cape Jackson, Cook Strait, on the night of September 1, 1884, when she was sailing through the strait in a heavy north-west gale. The vessel struck on the mainland at Cape Jackson, which is the north-western point at the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound. The Lastingham struck bow on, and immediately broached to, when her side was exposed to the fury of a terrific sea. More

Kaponga 1932

KAPONGA, steamer : The steamer was outward bound from Greymouth to Auckland with a full cargo of coal, when, on the afternoon of May 27, 1932, she stranded near the entrance of the Grey River and became a total wreck. The depth of water on the bar was 22 feet, and when the Kaponga sailed she was drawing 18 feet 6 inches. She was preceded to sea at a short interval by the Union Company's Kalingo, which was not fully loaded. The Kaponga struck opposite the Signal Station, and subsequently moved out about twice her length. The sea was moderate, but the vessel's bow was gradually veered to the northward by the swell until she lay across the inner bar. More

Kaiwarra 1942

KAIWARRA, steamer: In poor visibility, due to heavy rain, the steamer stranded about 600 yards from the shore, opposite Black Birch Creek, and about a mile and a half north of Motunau Island, North Canterbury, shortly after midnight on the night of December 3-4, 1942. More

Hippalos 1909

HIPPALOS, barque: Foundered and became a total loss off Bluemine Island, Queen Charlotte Sound, on November 27, 1909. The barque sailed from Timaru, in ballast, for Kaipara on November 17. Nearing Cape Campbell, a north-west gale hampered progress, and it took four hours to reach Cloudy Bay. Here she anchored, and reported to headquarters, resuming her passage on November 25, but again put back on the 26th, owing to stress of weather. She sailed the same day at 8 p.m., and arrived off The Brothers Islands at 1.30 a.m. on November 27. More

Gazelle 1894

GAZELLE, barque : Bound from Rocky Island to Lyttelton with a cargo of guano, the barque was wrecked west of Waikawa Bay, Current Basin, French Pass, early on the morning of February 3, 1894, with the loss of eight lives. The barque carried a crew of ten, and the two saved were the second mate, who was washed ashore about a mile from where the Gazelle struck, and a seaman who jumped over the weather side as the barque's spars fell, and managed to keep afloat until daylight, when he reached the shore. They were later rescued by the steamer Lily and conveyed to Nelson. More

Clyde 1884

CLYDE, barque : On November 6, 1884, the barque was totally wrecked at Snuffle Nose, in Horseshoe Bay, four miles south-west of Akaroa South Head, with the loss of 18 lives, there being only one survivor, an apprentice named Gibson. The master, his wife, and three children were among those who perished. The wreck broke up very quickly.
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Abel Tasman 1936

ABEL TASMAN, steamer: Following heavy rain on July 17 and 18, 1936, there was a strong run in the Grey River, and this flood, combined with an abnormally swift ebb tide, caused the intercolonial cargo steamer Abel Tasman to break adrift from her moorings at the Greymouth wharf. More

Canterbury 1878

CANTERBURY, schooner : Totally wrecked in Tory Channel on March 4, 1878. The schooner was bound from Pelorus Sound to Wellington, and was blown ashore in Okakuri Bay, Tory Channel, where she had anchored for shelter from a strong gale.

Cowan 1948

COWAN, steam trawler: When returning to Lyttelton from the fishing grounds on March 9, 1948, the steamer struck the Port Levy rocks at about 9.30 p.m. The vessel was severely holed on the starboard side, filled rapidly, and sank within seven minutes. The crew of seven were all saved, one man jumping on the rocks as the steamer struck.

Holmbank 1963

HOLMBANK, motor vessel: A ship with a chequered history, the vessel ended her career of nearly 11 years on the New Zealand coast when on September 20, 1963, she stranded on a rock outcrop near Peraki Bay, on the southern side of Banks Peninsula. Her crew of 16 abandoned the vessel and were able to save most of their personal possessions but the ship became a total loss. More

Gael 1952

GAEL, motor vessel: On April 18, 1952, while bound from Motueka to Wellington with a cargo of 1,800 cases of apples, the Gael struck the south­eastern reef off the Beef Barrel Rocks and became a total wreck. The vessel left Motueka at 4 p.m. and at about 8.40 p.m., in very thick weather, was making for French Pass when she struck the rocks off the south-eastern corner of D'Urville Island. More

Koranui 1889

KORANUI, steamer : Totally wrecked on Peige Rocks, French Pass, on the morning of September 27, 1889. The Koranui was bound from Nelson to Wellington, and she was well off the land. When the French Pass light was sighted a course was shaped for it. After being on this course for a short time the steamer struck lightly, at about 2 a.m., on a rock supposed to be the outer edge of the Beef Barrels. More

Swallow 1879

SWALLOW, brigantine : Wrecked off East Head, at the entrance to Tory Channel, on June 28, 1879. The vessel left Lyttelton on June 26, bound for Newcastle. On the night of the 27th thick weather, with rain, was experienced, and at 12.30 a.m. the following day the master found his ship close in shore. Both anchors were dropped in order to save life and property; the crew then embarked in the boats and pulled out to sea, but returned to the brigantine at daylight. More

Excelsior 1878

EXCELSIOR, barge: On February 14, 1878, the barge, which was formerly a lighter at Lyttelton, went ashore at Amuri Bluff. The vessel was trading between Amuri and the Heathcote River, and after the crew had landed safely, the master abandoned the vessel to the underwriters as a total wreck. More

Ruru 1963

RURU, fishing vessel: While being towed, unmanned, by the trawler Lavenia from Greymouth to Westport on July 12, 1963, the Ruru developed a serious leak and sank about a mile and a-half offshore, off "Ten Mile", north of Greymouth. More

Lily of the Wave 1878

LILY OF THE WAVE, ketch : The ketch, a vessel of 10 tons, was stranded on the beach near Arrow Rock, at the entrance to Nelson Harbour, on May 11, 1878. More