Description of the attraction
The Wellington Museum is housed in a historic building from 1892. The building was designed by the architect Frederick Jersey Claire, who was one of the most sought after architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in New Zealand.
One of the main exhibitions of the museum is the theme of the tragedy of the Wahine ferry (translated from Polynesian "girl, woman"). In April 1968, the worst hurricane hit New Zealand, causing the crash of the large new passenger ferry Wahine from Littleton to Wellington. On that day, the strongest wind in New Zealand's history was recorded - 275 km / h. This hurricane, which was later given the name Giselle, knocked the ferry Wahine off course, causing the vessel to hit the bottom of Barrett Reef, be dragged into the bay and the ferry capsized. Onboard there were 75 cars, four trucks and, most importantly, 734 people, of which 611 passengers and 123 crew members. Despite the fact that the tragedy took place very close to the coast, many who swam ashore could not survive hypothermia and injuries, 52 people died. This day went down in the history of New Zealand as "the day of the Wahine disaster". All the items, newspaper clippings that reported on the incident, all that remains of that disaster are now kept in the Museum of the City of Wellington. There are also objects from the life of the Maori Indians who inhabited the lands of New Zealand before the first emigrants.
Films of early Wellington and tall sailing ships are shown on a huge screen the size of a three-story house.
The museum regularly hosts meetings, events, and tourist routes around Wellington Harbor. For schoolchildren, special programs are organized related to the school curriculum.
