Wahine Disaster

The Wahine left Lyttelton at 9:40 pm en route to Wellington harbor, and although there were some storm warnings, they weren't taken too seriously as rough seas were pretty common in the Cook strait, this decision would later come to be regretted. 

The Wahine disaster was one of the worst modern maritime disasters in NZ, with 51 deaths and many more injured. it is also said to be one of the first major modern disasters in NZ as it was on the first of its kind to be filmed on television.

The Wahine disaster was caused when two storms met over the wellington harbor, creating one of the worst recorded storms in NZ history, with wind speeds up to 275 kph. while there were storm warnings, the Wahine was made to be able to handle high winds but no one could've expected them to go as high as they did.