History in Brief
Two thousand three hundred odd wrecks lay in the waters around New Zealand's unforgiving coastline. Many of these vessels came to rest in the 1800's when seamanship was paramount. Back in these days being able to read the seas and skies was a matter of life or death. These fine vessels have made their mark, now lying beneath the watery depths still holding onto the keys of how we use to be.
For such a young nation as New Zealand this seems to be an incredible amount of ships that have come to grief. This is due to the harsh elements of our coastal waters, strong churning currents, rocky outcrops and raging winds. The greatest reason for so many vessels becoming wrecks was due to the inability to claw their way off a lee shore.
The Drawcard of Shipwrecks
Shipwrecks have always been a huge draw card to onlookers that would be drawn to the sight of a wreck by the hundreds. But was this from a morbid interest of the lives lost? or is they're more of a subtle reason for such great intrigue? As our forefathers came from the sea it provided them with beauty, sustenance, and communication. Because of this we as a small island nation hold such a reverence for it. For many of us we are simply in awe of its ferocious power that can bring both joy and fear of what lies ahead.
First Shipwreck in NZ
New Zealand's first recorded shipwreck was in the year of 1795 that was more of a stranding than an actual shipwreck, as we would come to interpret the term. The vessel broke up over time due to the harsh and severe conditions of our, at times wild coast.
My Forefathers Shipwrecks
Some of these wrecks have great significance to me as my Great, Great; Great Grandfather William Tonks as well as my Great, Great Uncle were early pioneers in New Zealand both in shipping as well as the brickworks of Wellington. His ships included the following.
The Wellington ?Wrecked Wellington Heads 1874
Alarm Ketch ?Wrecked Rangitikei river mouth 1872
Britain's Price ?Wrecked Chatham Islands 1868
Malay ?Sold in 1878
Young Dick ?Lost in 1886
Jane ?No records available
Alous - No records available
Modern Day Shipwrecks
When a ship wrecks in shallow waters nowadays it draws divers almost instantly, most divers swim around these ships as if they were aliens in an alien territory. Some folk try to understand what factors made it come to grief whereas others are there for scouring around for the possibility of finding souvenirs. The lust for rust and treasures seem to have a magnetic effect on divers that have experienced the excitement of diving vessels from past and present.
Kelly Tarlton was a leader in this area as he located and retrieved the Rothschild jewels from the ship Tasmania. This was not achieved by going down taking a punt digging around. Kelly would painstaking investigate the wrecks resting place, time and currents both past and present. This played a large part for him to exactly locate the intended artefacts prior to diving the wreck of the Tasmania that had been down for over seventy years.
Wreck divers today still have great interest in investigating vessels that have been down for hundreds of years but the majority of them are mere fragments of what they use to be. A combination of teredo worms, electrolysis and the churning tidal currents has played a part in breaking them up. Nevertheless the sea occasionally works in favour for the modern diver releasing prized artefacts for viewing or salvage becoming a showpiece of historical relevance.
Modern wrecks don't have same appeal as the ones of our forefathers as plastic items are the more likely to be found. Maybe these items will be regarded as the treasures for future generations that hunt and explore for them in generations to come.
Article by Paul Morris of Dive Planet
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