Swimming across the Cook Strait
A DigitalNZ Story by Zokoroa
Swimmers who have achieved the feat of crossing the Cook Strait
Making history swimming the Cook Strait
Cook Strait lies between the North Island and South Island and is 22.5 km wide at its narrowest point. It connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest and the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. Both shores are lined with steep cliffs which can create a wind tunnel effect. The strong gusts of wind and tidal flows make it one of the roughest and most unpredictable stretches of water in the world. The challenging conditions have attracted swimmers, many of whom have failed to make the crossing and several who have succeeded.
The following acknowledges the first known swimmers across the Cook Strait and the current fastest, youngest and oldest swimmers. The Long Swims Database: Cook Strait swims lists the profiles of successful swimmers since 1962.
Mid-1700s: First person (& female) to swim Cook Strait was Hinepoupou of Ngāti Kuia, according to oral tradition
Map shows probable route she'd taken over 3 days to Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D’Urville Island, resting on rocks & islands
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
1831: First male was Whaka-rua-tapu of Ngāi Tahu who escaped from Te Rauparaha's waka as it neared north shore
He swam to the South Island & reached land near entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound. (Painting by Thomas Downes, c.1938?)
Alexander Turnbull Library
20 Nov 1962: 1st European male was Barrie Devenport (age 27) who swam from Nth Is in 11:13 hrs (Image: middle swimmer)
Image has a link to radio broadcast of race (57 secs). Inducted into International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, 1968.
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
12 Jan 1972: 1st person to swim from Sth to Nth Island was Perry Cameron (age 30) who took 9 hrs 36 mins
He received a Lifetime Award by the New Zealand Ultra Marathon Swim Awards in 2021
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
4 Feb 1975: 1st European woman was Lynne Cox (age 18) from the US who reached the southern shore in 12 hrs 2 mins
On two occasions, the Cook Strait cargo ferry Aratika hove to alongside Cox to shelter her from the strong wind
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
1978: First person (& female) to swim from both shores was Meda McKenzie (age 14-15)
3 Feb: North Is to South Is (12:07 hrs) & 15 Feb: Sth Is to North Is (11:23 hrs)
The Spinoff
13 March 1984: 1st non-stop double crossing by Philip Rush (age 20) from North to South to North in 16 hrs 16 mins
Also swam from Sth-Nth-Sth on 9 Feb 1988 in 18 hr 37 min. (Image: Links to video of Philip Rush on 24 June 1986)
NZ On Screen
24 March 1984: First person to complete NZ Triple Crown was Belinda Shields: Cook Strait, Lake Taupō & Fouveaux Strait
NZ marathon swims: Cook Strait (24 March 1980), Lake Taupō (March 1980), & Fouveaux Strait (24 March 1984)
Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
20 Feb 2005: Youngest (& male) is 11-year-old Aditya Raut from India - swam from North Is. to South Is. in 9 hrs 9 secs
Tauranga City Libraries
13 April 2008: Fastest swimmer from north to south is Casey Glover (age 21) - swam in 4 hrs 37 mins
Radio New Zealand
10 Oct 2011: First amputee to cross Cook Strait was Salvatore Cimmino (age 47) who took 8 hrs 18 mins
Cimmino (b. 1964 in Italy) had right leg amputated above knee due to cancer when aged 15, & began swimming when aged 40
Radio New Zealand
3 March 2015: Oldest male swimmer is Toshio Ogawa (age 60) from Japan who swam from South Island in 11:51:59 hours
Cartoon: Previously, an unsuccessful attempt by a 60 year old was made by Mike Bodger in 2010
Alexander Turnbull Library
24 Feb 2017: Youngest female swimmer is Caitlin O'Reilly (age 12 years) who swam from Nth to Sth Island in 7:19:56 hours
Also became 6th swimmer to achieve NZ Triple Crown: Lake Taupō (12 Feb 2019) & Fouveaux Strait (17 Feb 2021)
Radio New Zealand
4 April 2021: Oldest female swimmer is Susan Sherwen (age 60) who swam (direction unknown) in 9:56:37 hours
Also became 9th swimmer to achieve NZ Triple Crown: Lake Taupō (8 March 2020) & Fouveaux Strait (14 MArch 2022)
MOTAT
7 March 2023: Fastest swimmer from South to North is Andrew Donaldson from Scotland - swam in 4:33:50 hours
Swam from Perano Head in the Marlborough Sounds to Wellington. (RNZ interview, 24 March 2023: 8:24 mins)
Radio New Zealand
Braving the elements: Unsuccessful attempts making the news
Cold and exhaustion often overcame swimmers, especially after they had been in the water for many hours. Newsmedia accounts include the following:
On 4 Feb 1928, Ron Webster's attempt to swim across the Cook Strait was unsuccessful due to the coldness of the water
He'd been in the water for 2.25 hours & swum about 8 miles (See artilce by the Evening Post, 8 Feb 1928)
National Library of New Zealand
In 1929, Webster made plans for another attempt to cross the Cook Strait which were abandoned due to his health
(Image: Webster preparing for a trial swim)
Auckland Libraries
On 1 Feb 1929, Lily Copplestone (aged 20) unsuccessfully attempted to swim across the Cook Strait
Alexander Turnbull Library
An account of the cold water conditions faced by Copplestone was given by the NZ Truth (7 Feb 1929)
National Library of New Zealand
26 March 1996: Jo Kane (age 40), just weeks after a failed attempt, succeeded in crossing Cook Strait in 10:52 hrs
Audio (7 Sept 2020: 58:30 mins) Kiwi Yarns: Jo Kane described how she swam from the North Island to the South Island
National Library of New Zealand
Feb 1999: Anna Taylor being dragged from Cook Strait, suffering from severe hypothermia, after an attempted crossing
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
25 Feb 2022: Nick Hobson (age 41) died shortly after swimming across the Cook Strait which he completed in 10.36 hours
Radio New Zealand
Commemorating SUCCESSFUL swimmers
"The adventure of Hinepoupou" by Sir Maui Pomare gives an account of her Cook Strait swim from northern shore
Published in "Legends of the Maori", Vol. 2 (Wellington, N.Z. : Harry H. Tombs, [1933], pp. 150-151
Victoria University of Wellington
In 1990, a team of 6 swimmers retraced Hinepoupou’s mid-1700s swim as a relay over four days
Swimmers: Philip Rush, Donna Bouzaid, Karen Bisley, Perry Cameron, Christine Harris & Kaine Thompson
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Three members of the swimming team (Harris, Rush & Thompson) come ashore at D’Urville Island
Olive Baldwin (right foreground) had researched the route taken by Hinepoupou
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
"Old Whanganui" by Thomas Downe (1915) gives an account of Whaka-rua-tapu escaping from Te Rauparaha's waka in 1831
National Library of New Zealand
"Sporting highlights 1962" includes audio clip of radio broadcast as Devenport nears Wellington Rock in South Island
Devenport was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
On 4 Feb 2021, RNZ commemorated when Lynne Cox became 1st European woman to swim across the Cook Strait in 1978
For her swimming exploits around the world, Cox was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000
Radio New Zealand
NZHistory (25 March 2021): "First woman swims Cook Strait"
Lynne Cox's achievement on 4 Feb 1975 is noted under 'Historic NZ events in February'
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Find out more:
Long Swims Database: Cook Strait swims, https://longswims.com/events/cook-strait/
Nancy Swarbrick, 'Open water swimming - Early New Zealand swimmers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/open-water-swimming/page-2
Rosaleen Macbrayne (10 Oct 2011), 'Amputee swimmer successfully swims Cook Strait', NZHerald, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/amputee-swimmer-successfully-swims-cook-strait/23AFNHTZYXRJUAK2RMM57S6H7M/
Stuff.co.nz: Sport - First man to swim Cook Strait dies, 26 July 2010, http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/3957755/First-man-to-swim-Cook-Strait-dies