some of the known SHIPWRECKS in New Zealand from 1881 - 1931
- this was compiled to go with the journal Sophia Louisa RICH, therefore any wrecks that were in Northland etc have not been included
- ** denotes South Island

SOURCES
* NZ HISTORY ONLINE
* DIVE NEW ZEALAND

** 1881 - TARARUA
... On 29 April the steamer TARARUA was wrecked off Waipapa Point, Southland. Of the 151 passengers and crew on board, 131 were lost in the worst civilian shipwreck in New Zealand waters. The second greatest maritime tragedy in New Zealand waters occurred on 29?30 April 1881, when the steamer Tararua struck a reef at Waipapa Point, Southland, about a kilometre from shore. The ship was sailing from Port Chalmers to Melbourne. In all, 131 passengers and crew died, including 12 women and 14 children. Most were washed overboard and drowned while the rescuers were held back by high seas

** 1882 - TIMARU HARBOUR TRAGEDY
... On 14 May a sudden storm wrecked two large sailing ships,
the CITY OF PERTH and BEN VENUE, in Timaru?s exposed roadstead. Nine lives were lost. Among the dead were the port?s harbourmaster and five local watermen, who had tried to rescue the ships? crews

** 1886 - TAIAROA
... On 11 April the steamer TAIROA struck rocks near the mouth of the Clarence River, north of Kaik?ura, and sank with the loss of 34 lives

** 1886 - MAID OF OTAGO
... MAID OF OTAGO, schooner: Totally wrecked on Howells Rocks, off Stirling Point, Bluff Harbour, on September 23, 1886. The schooner was bound from Dunedin to Riverton, and shortly before midnight a strong easterly wind sprang up, which rapidly increased to a strong gale, and the night was intensely dark

** 1892 - ELGINSHIRE
... ELGINSHIRE, steamer: On the morning of March 9, 1892, the steamer struck on a reef about 200 yards from the shore off Normanby Point. The vessel was bound from Oamaru to Timaru to continue loading for London. There was a dense fog along the coast, and the vessel veered from her course landward. She was observed off Normanby, steaming very close to the beach, by a railway employee

1894 - WAIRARAPA
... On 29 October, in a heavy fog, the liner WAIRARAPA steamed into cliffs on Great Barrier Island, with the loss of 121 of its 235 passengers and crew

1902 - LOCH LONG
... In late May the three-masted sailing ship the LOCH LONG was wrecked off the Chatham Islands, with the loss of 24 lives. The ship had sailed from New Caledonia on 29 April 1903 bound for Clyde with a cargo of nickel ore. The ship was commanded by Captain J. Strachan and had a crew of 24.

1902 - ELINGAMITE
... On 9 November the steamer ELINGAMITE was wrecked on the Three Kings Islands, north of Cape R?inga, with the loss of 45 lives. The early 20th century saw two major maritime disasters. On 9 November 1902, steaming at half-speed in thick fog, the Elingamite struck West Island in the Three Kings group. Although the ship sank in 20 minutes, six lifeboats and two rafts were launched. In all, 28 of the 136 passengers and 17 of the 58 crew lost their lives, some through starvation and exposure on drifting rafts. An enquiry discovered that the Three Kings Islands were incorrectly charted, and the captain was exonerated.

** 1903 - MANUKA
... MANUKA, steamer: When on one of her usual trips from Melbourne to Bluff, Dunedin, Lyttelton and Wellington, the passenger steamer Manuka was totally wrecked at Long Point, south of the Nuggets, shortly before midnight on December 16, 1929. The ship lay a total wreck less than 50 yards from the point, broken in the stern, and slipping towards the complete submersion which became her inevitable fate.

** 1909 - PENGUIN (ferry between South & North Islands)
... On 12 February the Picton-Wellington ferry SS PENGUIN struck rocks in Cook Strait and sank in heavy seas off a rugged, isolated coast. Only 30 of the 102 people on board survived.

** 1913 - OKTA
... OKTA, barque : When bound to Falmouth, England, by the customary trade route round Cape Horn, the barque was totally wrecked on September 18, 1913, when she put into Bluff Harbour in distress. The vessel sailed from Port Huon, Tasmania, on September 6, and on the following day encountered a heavy south-west gale, during which the barque sprang a serious leak in her forepeak

** 1913 - TYRONE
... TYRONE, steamer: The largest vessel to be wrecked on the coast of the South Island to date, the Tyrone struck on the rocks just south of Otago Heads at 4 a.m. on September 27, 1913, and became a total loss. The casualty was caused by a heavy fog which lay like a cap over the land, obscuring the light on Taiaroa Head, and rendering it impossible to determine the direction of the fog signals which were heard from the lighthouse. A curious feature was that the fog did not extend seaward, where conditions were quite clear.

** 1924 - KONINI
... KONINI, steamer: At 1.33 a.m. on December 22, 1924, in heavy rain and pitch darkness, the steamer, on her maiden voyage from England to New Zealand, went ashore at Whale Head, or South-west Point, on the coast at the back of Bluff Hill, and about half a mile from Ocean Beach, Foveaux Strait.

** 1931 - KOTARE
... KOTARE, steamer: The vessel, which was not in commission, was anchored about 100 yards off shore in Patersons Inlet, Stewart Island, when she caught fire on July 19, 1931. The steamer burned to the water line and sank, becoming a total loss

PHOTO
the PENGUIN (wrecked 1909)