Arahura (ferry)
Arahura at Pencarrow Head in 2004 livery, prior to the 2008 refit.
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Arahura |
| Namesake: | Māori: Pathway to Dawn |
| Owner: | New Zealand Government |
| Operator: | Interislander |
| Port of registry: |
Wellington,  New Zealand
|
| Route: | Wellington to Picton |
| Builder: | Aalborg Vaerft A/S shipyard, Denmark |
| Laid down: | 1982 |
| Launched: | 1982 |
| Completed: | 1983 |
| In service: | 1983 - 2015, Interislander |
| Out of service: | July 2015 |
| Fate: | Scrapped. |
| Status: | Beached at Alang, 3rd November 2015, scrapped. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 13621 tonnes |
| Length: | 148.3 m (487 ft) |
| Beam: | 20.5 m (67 ft) |
| Draft: | 5.47 m |
| Decks: | 9 |
| Installed power: | Four Wärtsilä Vasa 12V32 diesel engines, each producing 4065 kW at 750 RPM coupled to 2 3800 kW GEC generators via flexible shafts. |
| Propulsion: | Two 6700 kW propulsion motors driving two KaMeWa Controllable pitch propellers, each four blades inward turning at 214 RPM and 4.6 m (15 ft) in diameter. |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Capacity: |
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| Crew: | 65 |
DEV Arahura was a roll-on roll-off diesel-electric rail ferry completed in 1983 for the New Zealand Railways Corporation. She entered service across Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton in late 1983 and was retired from the Interislander fleet in July 2015.
Arahura was built for the New Zealand Railways Corporation to cross Cook Strait replacing the aging Aramoana and Aranui. She was designed to operate at a higher service speed than the previous ferries on the route, while reducing waves that would affect nearby beaches. This decreased the crossing times by 20 minutes.
The Arahura was the second inter-island ferry to bear the name, which means "Pathway to Dawn" in the Māori language. The earlier vessel was a twin screw steam ship built for the Union Steamship Company in 1905. That ship served until the early 1950s and was sunk by the RNZAF as target practice.
In 1986, Arahura helped rescue passengers from the sinking Russian cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov. She was invaluable providing lifeboats and extra assistance.
On 11 April 1989, Arahura rolled to 40 degrees during a routine sailing from Picton to Wellington, due to stormy conditions in Cook Strait.
In 2008, Arahura underwent a $NZ 9 million refit to better accommodate larger trucks and campervans. This included reducing some of the upper decks and a new cinema and cafeteria.
In 2014, she made her 50,000th Cook Strait crossing.
In December 2014, Interislander announced that Arahura would be retired in 2015 after 32 years in service. MS Kaiarahi (formerly MS Stena Alegra) has been chartered to replace her on the route.Arahura's last scheduled passenger voyages were on 29 July 2015, operating the 14:45 sailing to Picton and the 18:45 sailing to Wellington. The last freight journey took place over the following night. She had completed more than 52,000 crossings and 13 million km with 4 million passengers carried.
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Wikipedia