NZ’s Arahura ferry sets sail for last time

NZ’s Arahura ferry sets sail for last time

The ageing Arahura ferry, a familiar sight on Wellington Harbour for 32 years, is set to make its last ever voyage across the Cook Strait.

Fireworks will be fired off the Arahura’s top deck on Friday night as the boat gives Wellingtonians a last hurrah.

It will be sold and replaced by the 16-year-old Stena Alegra, renamed the Kaiarahi, which is in Singapore undergoing sea trails after an extensive refit.

Interislander says the ferry made more than 52,000 Cook Strait crossings and clocked up almost 13 million kilometres in all its years of service.

The boat’s greatest moment came on February 16, 1986, just three years into its service, when it responded to a mayday call from the sinking Russian cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov.

Under the command of Captain Brew, Arahura arrived at the scene at about 9.30pm, with its crew working to help save many of the 743 people on board the Russian boat.

“It was a dark and raining heavily but nevertheless, Arahura’s crew, with the help of some passengers, worked through the night to get people safely onboard,” Interislander general manager Mark Thompson said.

He said the boat’s design, featuring a modern bridge, was cutting edge in its day and had stood the test of time.

“Her manoeuvrability and capacity to handle even the toughest weather was soon recognised and not surprisingly, she quickly became an integral part of the Interislander fleet,” Mr Thompson said.

Arahura will sail for the last time on Wednesday and will be officially farewelled on Friday night with a Wellington harbour cruise carrying early crew, first passengers and some VIPs.

Wellingtonians are invited watch the fireworks display from the shoreline.

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