Radio Officer Roger Wincer aboard Arahanga – ZMBN in January 1973. Photo: Le Cren. Archives New Zealand/Te Whare Tohu Tuhituhinga O Aotearoa [Archives Reference AAVK W3493, B21606]
Radio room aboard the inter-island freight ferry Arahanga, 11 March 1979. In the middle of the console, behind the operator’s arm, is a solid-state Marconi Apollo receiver. Courtesy Chris Underwood
Operating between Wellington and Picton, Arahanga was a New Zealand Railways freight ferry and the first to be crewed by NZ Railways staff. Previously, the Cook Strait ferries were operated by the Union Steam Ship Co.
Arahanga in New Zealand Railways colours
Photo: Chris Howell on shipspotting.com
Gross tonnage: 3914
Builder: Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, Glasgow, Scotland
Entered service: 1972
Finished service: 2001
Scrapped: 2001
More information
Arahanga reversing into the dock at Picton, 27 July 1999
Photo: GothPhil on Flickr
Read more about New Zealand’s rail ferries at nzmaritime.co.nz and kiwirail.co.nz.
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