Barrett Reef

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The cluster of rocks that is Barrett Reef (often known as Barrett's Reef) is one of the most hazardous reefs in New Zealand.

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It lies on the western side of the entrance of Wellington Harbour, on the approaches to the city of Wellington, at coordinates 41°21′9″S174°50′6″E / 41.35250°S 174.83500°E / -41.35250; 174.83500 Coordinates: 41°21′9″S174°50′6″E / 41.35250°S 174.83500°E / -41.35250; 174.83500 . The reef is named after Richard (Dicky) Barrett (1807–1847), a whaler and trader. [1] Its Māori name is Tangihanga-a-Kupe, (Mourning of Kupe), which may refer to the reef's similarity to a line of mourners at a tangi, [2] the sad sound of the water around the reef, [3] or Kupe crying for people he left behind in his travels. [4] The reef is popular with recreational divers.

Dangerous entrance

Wellington Harbour entrance showing Barrett Reef Barrett Reef.jpg
Wellington Harbour entrance showing Barrett Reef

The reef, much of which is exposed even at high tide, is located to the west of the two-kilometre-wide channel that links Cook Strait with Wellington Harbour, close to the shore of the Miramar Peninsula. The shipping channel lies between the reef and Pencarrow to the east. The area to the west between the reef and Point Dorset on the Miramar Peninsula is known as Chaffers Passage, after the captain of the Tory , a ship sent to New Zealand by the New Zealand Company in 1839. [5] Due to the channelling effect of Cook Strait, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, the currents are strong and fickle and gales are common. Add to this the volume of traffic which uses the shipping channel (including several crossings daily of the inter-island ferries to Picton), and it is not surprising that the reef has a lengthy roll-call of shipwrecks.

History of vessels damaged, stranded, or wrecked on Barrett Reef

Sources Evening Post| volume=XCIII| issue=48, 24 February 1917, Page 6 Wanganui Chronicle| issue=19883, 27 August 1913, Page 5 Evening Post| volume=CXV| issue=126, 31 May 1933, Page 10

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Barrett's Reef Toll". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.
  2. "The Brothers". Wellington City Council. Archived from the original on 4 February 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  3. Royal, Te Ahukaramū Charles (8 February 2005). "Kupe's places around Cook Strait". Te Ara. Archived from the original on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  4. "Explore Wellington [pamphlet]" (PDF). Wellington City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  5. "Streets of my city". www.wcl.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  6. "Exciting scene at Wellington Heads". Auckland Star. 14 August 1885. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.
  7. "Shipping News". New Zealand Times. 11 October 1897. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.
  8. "The Haupiri injured". Taranaki Herald. 18 May 1912. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.
  9. "Launch wrecked". Gisborne Times. 18 August 1927. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.
  10. "Coming up for air!". Sun (Auckland). 1 September 1927. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.
  11. "Ran on reef". Gisborne Times. 31 May 1933. Retrieved 20 January 2022 via Paperspast.