DEV Arahura
 Arahura at Pencarrow Head in 2004 livery, prior to the 2008 refit. | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Arahura |
| Namesake: | Māori: Pathway to Dawn |
| Owner: | New Zealand Government |
| Operator: | Interislander |
| Port of registry: |
Wellington,  New Zealand |
| Route: | Wellington to Picton |
| Builder: | Aalborg Vaerft A/S shipyard, Denmark |
| Launched: | 1981 |
| Christened: | 1982 |
| Completed: | 1982 |
| Maiden voyage: | 1982 |
| In service: | 1983 |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 13621 tonnes |
| Length: | 148 m (486 ft) |
| Beam: | 20.5 m (67 ft) |
| Decks: | 9 |
| Installed power: | Four Wärtsilä 12V32 diesel engines, each producing 3800 kW at 750 rpm |
| Propulsion: | Two KaMeWa Controllable pitch propellers, each four blades inward turning and 4.6 m (15 ft) in diameter. |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 550 passengers 142 cars 60 rail vehicles |
| Crew: | 65 |
DEV Arahura is a roll-on roll-off diesel-electric rail ferry built in 1982 for the New Zealand Railways Corporation. She has been in service on the Interislander route across the Cook Strait in New Zealand since 1983.
History
Arahura was built in 1982 for the New Zealand Railways Corporation to operate on the Cook Strait route between Wellington and Picton. She was delivered in 1983, replacing the aging Aramoana and Aranui. She was designed to operate at a higher service speed than the existing ferries on the route, while reducing waves that would affect nearby beaches. This decreased the crossing times by 20 minutes.[1] She was expected to remain in service until 2016.,[2] though is now scheduled to retire in 2015 and be replaced by the Stena Alegra, which will be renamed and retrofitted to better serve the Cook Strait route.[3]
The current Arahura is the second inter-island ferry to bear the name, which means "Pathway to Dawn" in the Māori language. The earlier vessel was a twin screw steam ship built for the Union Steamship Company in 1905. That ship served until the early 1950s and was sunk by the RNZAF as target practice.
In 1986, Arahura helped rescue passengers from the sinking Russian cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov.[4] She was invaluable providing lifeboats and extra assistance.
On 30 September 1987, Arahura snapped her moorings and floated free, straddling Kings and Glasgow wharves in Wellington.[5]
On 11 April 1989, Arahura rolled to 40 degrees during a routine sailing from Picton to Wellington, due to stormy conditions in Cook Strait.[6]
In 2008, Arahura underwent a $NZ 9m refit to better accommodate larger trucks and campervans. This included reducing some of the upper decks and a new cinema and cafeteria.[7][8]
In 2014, she made her 50,000th Cook Strait crossing.[9]
Livery
Arahura has changed liveries twice in her lifetime. Originally, she had a green hull and buff, red, and black on the funnel (a modified 1970s NZR logo).[10][11]
In 1989, the inter-island service was re-branded as a "ferry cruise", and the livery of all the ferries was replaced with a white hull with blue and green stripes. The funnels now carried a stylized 'Pelorus Jack', a dolphin famous for assisting vessels navigating across the Cook Strait.
The liveries were changed again in 2004. Pelorus Jack was relocated to the hull and the funnels were now blue with a fern replacing Pelorus Jack.
Propulsion
Arahura is a diesel electric vessel. She has a fuel capacity of 450,000 litres and was built with the capability to provide power ashore for civil defence or similar emergencies providing 14 MW power - enough power to light all the houses in Wellington.[12]
Deck Layout
Rail and road vehicles are loaded and unloaded through the stern of the ship via a double linkspan. Passengers without vehicles board through a walkway on the starboard side.
- Decks 1 and 2 are below the waterline and contain the ship's engines,control room and other machinery.
- Deck 3 is the rail deck, which can also hold motor vehicles.
- Deck 5 is the dedicated vehicle deck.
- Deck 7 contains passenger accommodations, including a play area, video arcade, food court, a cinema, and a store.
- Deck 8 contains the passenger observation decks and the Queen Charlotte Cafe and Bar
- Deck 9 houses the bridge and officers' quarters. She carries approximately 70 crew, half of whom live on-board on a 7 days on, 7 days off roster cycle.
References
- ↑ "Arahura - New Zealand Maritime Record". New Zealand Maritime Record. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ "Strait ferries weigh on government books". Television New Zealand. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ Donoghue, Tim (9 December 2014). "Stena Alegra ferry to replace Arahura". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ "The Last Cruise of the Mikhail Lermontov". NZ Maritime Record. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ↑ The Evening Post (New Zealand)
- ↑ "Wave rolls Arahura 40 degrees in wild strait.". The Evening Post. 12 April 1989.
- ↑ "Arahura 2008". New Zealand Ship and Marine Society. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ↑ "Interislander ferry Arahura to get $9m refit". The New Zealand Herald. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ↑ "Happy berth-day, Arahura". Scoop Independent News. Retrieved 2014-12-08.
- ↑ "Arahura 1987". New Zealand Ship and Marine Society. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ↑ "Simplon Postcards - Arahura". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ "Interislander Ferry - Ships and Facilities". Ferry Tickets online. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arahura (ship, 1983). |
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