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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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

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