List of Cook Strait crossings by sea

This is a list of notable crossings of the Cook Strait by sea.

First crossings

Date	Crossing	Participant(s)	Craft	Departure point Arrival point	Notes
1843	First steamship		SS Clio [1]	North Island Picton
23 February 1890	First canoe	George Parkes and James Parkes	2 x Rob Roy -style canoes	Mana Island Picton	Both canoes were fitted with lug sails. [2]
13 January 1895	First canoe (solo)	H.V. Shearman	Rob Roy-style canoe	Paremata, Porirua Picton	Also sail-assisted. Shearman was 16 years old. [2] [3]
23 March 1962	First kayak	Irvin Openshaw	self-built kayak	Mākara Beach Perano Head, Arapaoa Island	Crossing took 5 hours, 15 minutes. [4]
17 January 1963	First waterskiers	Wayne Davidson, Gordon Hanna, and Michael Taylor	Waterskis	Mākara Beach The Brothers Rocks	The three skiers were towed behind two boats. [5]
24 January 1978	First windsurfers	Grant Beck, Susie Gibbs and Chris Wylie	3 x windsurfers	Cape Terawhiti Tory Channel	Crossing was the subject of a short documentary by Sam Neill. [6] [7]
3 February 1978	First surf ski	Alexander McKenzie	Surf ski	North Island South Island	While accompanying younger sister Meda McKenzie on her first swim across Cook Strait. [8]
17 March 1981	First rower	John Argue	Skiff	Anakiwa Petone, Lower Hutt	Total distance rowed was 90 km (56 mi). [5]
28 March 1984	First surf ski (double crossing)	Alexander McKenzie	Surf ski	North Island South Island	While accompanying sister Meda on her double swim across Cook Strait. [9]
				South Island North Island
12 January 1986	Smallest yacht	Gavin Brady	P-class sailing dinghy	Mana Island Picton	Dinghy was 2.13 m (7.0 ft) long. Gavin was 12 years old, and escorted on the crossing by his parents' 13 m (43 ft) trimaran. [10] [11]
18 April 1987	First hovercraft	Stephen Preest	Self-built hovercraft	Picton Plimmerton	First crossing and double crossing. [12]
				Plimmerton Picton
29 January 2008	Fastest amphibious vehicle	David McKee Wright and Brendon Hodge	Sealegs 6.1m Sport RIB	Arapaoa Island, Marlborough Sounds Ōwhiro Bay, Wellington	Made the 40 km (25 mi) voyage in 47 minutes. [13] [14]
6 September 2008	First van	Adam Turnbull and Dan Melling	Roofliss	Waikawa, Marlborough Mana, Porirua	The converted 1990 4WD Toyota Tarago van could reach speeds of 5 kn (9.3 km/h). [15] [16]
27 September 2012	Fastest crossing	Warren Lewis and Chris Hanley	NZ1 Skater catamaran	Wellington Picton	Passage took 1 hour, 33 minutes. The offshore powerboat was fitted with two 525 hp (391 kW) engines. [17] [18]
27 March 2021	First kite foilers	Justin Groblar and Brian Walters	Kite foils	Mākara Beach Perano Head	First crossing and double crossing. [19] [20]
				Perano Head Mākara Beach
31 March 2021	First hydrofoil bike	Hayden Reeves	Manta5 Hydrofoiler XE-1	South Island North Island	Hybrid powered hydrofoil. [21]
1 November 2021	First rower (double crossing)	Pam Dickson	Rowing scull	Mākara Beach Perano Head	Dickson had previously swum Cook Strait. [22] [23]
				Perano Head Oteranga Bay
16 April 2024	First prone paddleboarder	Brittany Spencer	Paddleboard	Waikawa, Marlborough Ohau Point, Wellington	Journey took four hours, eight minutes. [24]

References

1. "Picton in New Zealand". Port Guide. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
2. "Kayak or Canoe?" (PDF). New Zealand Canoeing & Rafting. No. 30. Drury, South Auckland: New Zealand Canoeing Association. Spring 1983. p. 5.
3. Lomas, Roger (November 2002). "Ebb and Flow" (PDF). Auckland Canoe Club Newsletter. Ponsonby, Auckland: Auckland Canoe Club. p. 10.
4. Hills, Heather (2005). "Kayak History: Kayaking Versus Legal Tomes". Kayak NZ Magazine. No. 33. Silverdale, Auckland: Canoe & Kayak Ltd. p. 18.
5. MacIntyre, David; Field, Michael; Quinn, Christine (1983). "Incidents and achievements". Cook's Wild Strait : The Interisland Story. Wellington, NZ: A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd. p. 150. ISBN   0589014447.
6. "Windsurfers cross Cook Strait". The Press via Papers Past. 25 January 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
7. "Surf Sail (1978)". Digital NZ. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
8. Chapman, Madeleine (11 February 2021). "'You either swim or you sink': 23 hours in the Cook Strait with Meda McKenzie". The Spinoff . Retrieved 1 February 2025.
9. "Meda aches 'all over'". The Press via Papers Past. 28 March 1984. p. 56. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
10. "Gavin's sure he can do it". The Press. 21 January 1986. p. 1. Retrieved 1 February 2025– via Papers Past.
11. Sail-World; Brady, John (23 June 2008). "Congressional Cup winner also crossed Cook Strait". Sail-World.com. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
12. "Island-to-island on air". The Press via Papers Past. 21 April 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
13. "Company elated to set Strait record". The New Zealand Herald. 29 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
14. "Cook Strait Crossed By An Amphibious Vehicle". Scoop.co.nz. 29 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
15. "A plan to cross Cook Strait in a van". Stuff. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
16. "Two men cross Cook Strait in a van". Radio New Zealand. 6 September 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
17. "Cook Strait record broken by Fairview". New Zealand Powerboat Federation. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
18. "Boat crew break 30-year Cook Strait record". Stuff. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
19. "Patience and persistence pay off as foiling history made at Cook Strait". 1news.co.nz. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
20. Turner, Shea (29 September 2021). "Cook Strait tamed by foiling kite surfers". Stuff. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
21. Lines-McKenzie, Jo (31 March 2021). "Successful crossing of Cook Strait on Manta5 e-bike". Stuff. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
22. Hamilton-Irvine, Gary (8 April 2021). "Rowing: Pam Dickson sets her second Cook Strait record". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
23. "Grandmother rows Cook Strait". Radio New Zealand. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
24. "Nelson Surf Lifeguard Becomes First Kiwi to Cross Cook Strait on a Prone Paddleboard". Surf Life Saving New Zealand. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2025.

See also

• List of Cook Strait crossings by air