Wahine Memorial
Wahine Memorial
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
15 reviews
Excellent
5
Very good
9
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Ed T
Wellington, New Zealand13 contributions
Jul 2013
Families, kids and adult time. This is all in one park - Churchill Wahine rememberance. The history lesson kicks off and the kids ask, "what's that chain, funnel, plaque?" You take them on a discovery and learn the parts of one of NZ's tragic maritime event. Inquiry into the event unravels from the plaque and you ponder on the people involved and the loving brave community that went to help the treacherous passengers. Memories of the 54 lives lost become apparent and you touch the cold metal funnels and anchor as if personified you think of that April 10 moment in time.
Your kids will write a story in school about it as you spend the time teasing out the facts of the tragic event. But you offer hope to a new generation by passing on the significance of Wahine and how lives were lost but many saved that aweful southerly day.
So ponder, reflect, have fun on the swings and keep the faith alive of Wahine for all to know as you look out yonder the calm bay of Steeple rock and round to Bearing Head.
Your kids will write a story in school about it as you spend the time teasing out the facts of the tragic event. But you offer hope to a new generation by passing on the significance of Wahine and how lives were lost but many saved that aweful southerly day.
So ponder, reflect, have fun on the swings and keep the faith alive of Wahine for all to know as you look out yonder the calm bay of Steeple rock and round to Bearing Head.
Written 23 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grant N
Hastings, New Zealand1,516 contributions
Sept 2020
Really nice plain memorial and set in a very good garden that is typical of the local plant life right on the beach. Definitely worth a visit and the outlook is really great as well looking across to Wellington and the heads. Recommend
Written 30 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter C
Wellington, New Zealand610 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
The Wahine struck Barrett Reef near the entrance to Wellington Harbour on 10 April 1968 and capsized. 53 passengers and crew lost their lives. The memorial sits on the coast and overlooks the scene of the disaster. The area is bleak and simple with a nautical theme which includes an anchor, a propeller and some ventilation cowls retrieved from the Wahine. It is a lovely site, thought provoking and on a sunny day, provides excellent views across the harbour to Eastbourne where another memorial has been installed.
Written 10 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wellykpr
Wellington, New Zealand38 contributions
Apr 2013
Hard to believe that the Wahine foundered so close to the beach nearby. Easy to walk around memorial artefacts and pay respects to those who lost their lives.
Written 24 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Theresa D
Perth, Australia1,139 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
The day we visited the memorial the bay was breezy and chopped up with white caps that hinted at what it must have been like the day the Wahine met with disaster. Worth stopping if you are in the area
Written 23 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarolDM1900
Montpelier, VT3,343 contributions
Feb 2018 • Solo
This memorial opened in Seatoun's Churchill Park in 1993 on the 25th anniversary of the Wahine disaster. Let's hope the upcoming 50th anniversary leads to better interpretation to reflect the great tragedy and also the great story of courage that unfolded here, when the ferry Wahine foundered just offshore near Steeple Rock. Having been pushed by fierce winds and gigantic waves over a cluster of jagged rocks known as Barrett Reef in the passageway between Wellington Harbor and Cook Strait, the powerless ferry (taking on water after having scraped over the reef) ended up here when 2 chained anchors aimed at stopping its drift finally caught hold.
The chain and anchors are reflected in the monument, which runs inland from the beach almost directly across from Steeple Rock. But there is not enough explanation for a visitor unfamiliar with the Wahine story to understand why an anchor and a long chain were selected as the focal point for this memorial. A bronze plaque at the end of the chain gives only the briefest explanation. It properly credits the courage of local people who came to help, yet omits much of the story and is rather misleading. While 2 lifeboats and some swimmers clinging to bits of wreckage or capsized inflatable rafts made it here to the near shore, many others were pushed eastward by wind-whipped currents to the far shore at Eastbourne and Pencarrow. 683 of 734 aboard were saved, thanks to the help offered courageously on both shores in very treacherous conditions.
There is an exhibition on the Wahine disaster at the Wellington Museum. It includes a film with original newsreel coverage, historical photos, and personal stories of the victims and their rescuers. Seeing it first would make coming here a better experience.
I was a little taken aback to find a sign right next to the anchor, with Steeple Rock in full view, marking the area as a dog run. This seemed disrespectful. The playground is nearby, too, making a quiet moment for contemplation a bit problematical. Perhaps something creative can be done to design a better space for people to reflect on what happened here half a century ago. I hope the 50th anniversary on April 10, 2018, will be the occasion to do so.
HOW TO GET HERE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. From the CBD - Central Business District - take the Meltink bus #11 direction of Setoun and get off at the Seatoun shops on Dundas St. (just after the bus exits a long tunnel). Walk down Dundas to the end, where it meets Hector St. and turn left. You'll see the playground with a sign for the Wahine Memorial, which is a short walk past the play area on a gravel track. There are also public restrooms nearby. For food and drink, there's a local dairy store right by the Seatoun shops, where you can catch the bus back, direction Wellington Station.
The chain and anchors are reflected in the monument, which runs inland from the beach almost directly across from Steeple Rock. But there is not enough explanation for a visitor unfamiliar with the Wahine story to understand why an anchor and a long chain were selected as the focal point for this memorial. A bronze plaque at the end of the chain gives only the briefest explanation. It properly credits the courage of local people who came to help, yet omits much of the story and is rather misleading. While 2 lifeboats and some swimmers clinging to bits of wreckage or capsized inflatable rafts made it here to the near shore, many others were pushed eastward by wind-whipped currents to the far shore at Eastbourne and Pencarrow. 683 of 734 aboard were saved, thanks to the help offered courageously on both shores in very treacherous conditions.
There is an exhibition on the Wahine disaster at the Wellington Museum. It includes a film with original newsreel coverage, historical photos, and personal stories of the victims and their rescuers. Seeing it first would make coming here a better experience.
I was a little taken aback to find a sign right next to the anchor, with Steeple Rock in full view, marking the area as a dog run. This seemed disrespectful. The playground is nearby, too, making a quiet moment for contemplation a bit problematical. Perhaps something creative can be done to design a better space for people to reflect on what happened here half a century ago. I hope the 50th anniversary on April 10, 2018, will be the occasion to do so.
HOW TO GET HERE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. From the CBD - Central Business District - take the Meltink bus #11 direction of Setoun and get off at the Seatoun shops on Dundas St. (just after the bus exits a long tunnel). Walk down Dundas to the end, where it meets Hector St. and turn left. You'll see the playground with a sign for the Wahine Memorial, which is a short walk past the play area on a gravel track. There are also public restrooms nearby. For food and drink, there's a local dairy store right by the Seatoun shops, where you can catch the bus back, direction Wellington Station.
Written 12 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shobbyy
Auckland Central, New Zealand76 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
The Wahine memorial is located around Wellington at 3 main sites in memory to the tragedy that occurred. We visited Eastbourne which is situated on the outskirts of Eastbourne opposite the Bus Barn terminus. The site overlooks the Seatoun where the other main site is located. There are wooden structures that give the feel of a wooden sailing boats, and the whole area has been planted with native plants.
Written 29 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PaulineTAntrum
Paraparaumu, New Zealand475 contributions
Sept 2015 • Friends
Makes you realise how close the Wahine was to Seatoun Beach but the tides were taking everyone to Eastbourne. A pleasant place to visit and reflect.
Written 25 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandra D
Wellington, New Zealand2,206 contributions
Jan 2015 • Family
You can go on a fine day to the whine memorial and there is a park so kids can run around its nice looking out over the entrance to the harbour . There are seats there you can sit and look out and have a picnic on a nice summers day
Written 29 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mckeeWTN
Wellington, New Zealand139 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
the local mums bring their kids here for picnics!
The nearby playground is a toddler magnet.
but only if the wind is down.
just a 100m walk and you're at the Italian cafe Franco in Seatoun Village.
Postcards at Gillys shop and designer dresses across the road.
Get fish and chips and take them back to the park to watch the ferries and have some fun. Mike
The nearby playground is a toddler magnet.
but only if the wind is down.
just a 100m walk and you're at the Italian cafe Franco in Seatoun Village.
Postcards at Gillys shop and designer dresses across the road.
Get fish and chips and take them back to the park to watch the ferries and have some fun. Mike
Written 15 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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