Radio Officer Roger Wincer ZL2RX aboard Arahanga ZMBN, January 1973. Photo: Le Cren. Archives New Zealand/Te Whare Tohu Tuhituhinga O Aotearoa [Reference AAVK W3493, B21606]
Radio room aboard Arahanga, 11 March 1975. 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.
Radiotelephone call: Arahanga announces her approach to Tory Channel en route Picton.
Arahanga in NZ Railways colours
Photo: Chris Howell, 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.
