Wellington Harbour is a large deep-water harbour which has been an important port for the movement of domestic and international passengers and freight, since the arrival of European immigrants in 1840. The city of Wellington overlooks the harbour, and many residents take a keen interest in activity on the water. Following is a list of notable visits to Wellington by a variety of vessels. This includes vessels which were the first of their kind, or famous in their own right, or economically or politically important or controversial. Such visits attracted hundreds of spectators and were widely discussed in media.
"Matawhaorua".
"Matawhaorua" was the canoe of the legendary Polynesian explorer Kupe who is said to have visited Wellington hundreds of years ago. Several sites in Wellington are said to be named by or after Kupe, for example Matiu / Somes Island, Steeple Rock (Te Ure o Kupe) and Barrett Reef (Tangihanga a Kupe).
1840: "Aurora".
"Aurora" was the first New Zealand Company settler ship to arrive in Wellington, landing at Petone on 22 January 1840. The date is commemorated as Wellington Anniversary Day, and the ship is memorialised in a sculpture at the Petone Settlers Museum. Other ships in the New Zealand Company's fleet that arrived in 1840 were "Oriental, Adelaide", "Duke of Roxburgh", and "Bengal Merchant", plus a freight vessel, "Glenbervie".
1925: American Fleet.
In July and August 1925, 57 ships of the United States navy visited ports in Australia and New Zealand. Around half of the fleet visited Wellington, with the first 10 ships arriving on 11 August. Hundreds of Wellingtonians went out to the harbour entrance on ferries and small boats to watch the fleet arriving, preceded by six seaplanes. Spectators crowded the shoreline. More vessels arrived in the following days, and by 22 August there were more than 40 ships of the American fleet in Wellington Harbour. Ships of the fleet that visited Wellington included the flagship Seattle, battleships Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Nevada, several cruisers (including Omaha, Richmond and Memphis), and nearly 30 destroyers and support vessels. Civic receptions, visits and entertainments were put on for the officers and men of the fleet, and local businesses used the visit to promote their products. In all, 456 officers and over 6300 men visited Wellington during 'Fleet Week'. The fleet left Wellington on 25 August, farewelled by thousands of cheering residents along the wharves.
1937: "Centaurus" flying boat.
"Centaurus" was only the third Short Empire flying boat constructed, built by Short Brothers for Imperial Airways. On 3 December 1937 "Centaurus" began a test voyage from Croydon in England to Australia and New Zealand, with about 30 stops along the way. In New Zealand, the boat visited Auckland, Wellington, Lyttleton and Dunedin. The visit was significant because it was a forerunner of regular commercial flights between New Zealand and Australia and further afield. On 31 December 1937 "Centaurus"'s departure from Auckland was broadcast live on radio in Wellington, and by 9:00am city rooftops and the waterfront were jammed with people and cars waiting for her arrival. A train tooted its horn and then ships all over the harbour sounded their sirens as the flying boat was sighted over Khandallah. The boat flew over the harbour towards Rongotai and Island Bay then back over Roseneath to land in the harbour. The boat taxied to its moorings at Aotea Quay and the crew were led off to a reception at the Harbour Board offices. "Centaurus" flew to Evans Bay later that day and was moored there for the rest of her stay in Wellington, apart from short flights over the city. The boat was open to visits by the public. On 4 January she left for Lyttleton.
1938: "Empress of Britain".
RMS "Empress of Britain" was only slightly smaller than the "Titanic", and was one of the most impressive ships of its time. It had double-steel plating to cope with ice-laden waters in the Atlantic. During northern hemisphere winters she switched from transporting passengers across the Atlantic to becoming a luxury cruise ship. There was great excitement when the ship arrived at Wellington on 10 April 1938, berthing at Pipitea Wharf.
1941: "Pamir".
"Pamir" was a steel-hulled four-masted barque built in 1905 for a German company. In 1931 she was sold to a Finnish company. "Pamir" arrived in Wellington on 29 July 1941 with a cargo of guano from the Seychelles and a crew of 14 Finns, one Swede, seven New Zealanders and one Englishman. This was the first time in 17 years that a large sailing ship had visited Wellington. The New Zealand Government detained "Pamir" and on 3 August 1941 seized the ship as a prize of war. The ship made ten commercial voyages under the New Zealand flag and wasn't returned to its owners until 1948.
1962: "Dominion Monarch".
QSMV "Dominion Monarch" visited Wellington many times from the 1930s to the 1960s and was well known in the city. She brought troops home from World War 2, and after the war was a passenger liner. From the late 1950s crew members from the ship would organise a ball while the ship was in Wellington, and 'the DM Ball' became a social highlight in the city. The "Dominion Monarch" left Wellington for the last time on 15 March 1962, to great fanfare.
1962: "Aramoana".
"Aramoana" was the first roll-on/roll-off-road and rail ferry to operate from Wellington to Picton, replacing the steamer "Tamahine" and providing a link for rail services between the North and South Islands. "Aramoana" was built in Scotland and arrived at Wellington on 26 July 1962.
1964: "Enterprise".
"Enterprise" was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to visit New Zealand. She visited Wellington in April 1964 as part of Operation Sea Orbit. "Enterprise"'s two nuclear-powered escorts, "Bainbridge" and "Long Beach," berthed in Wellington but "Enterprise" stayed in Cook Strait because she was too big to enter the harbour. Jet aircraft from the ship did fly-bys over Wellington and Christchurch.
1971: "Columbus New Zealand".
In 1971, "Columbus New Zealand" became the first all-container ship to visit New Zealand. She berthed at Wellington's new Thorndon Container Terminal in June to massive public interest. The ship used its own deck equipment to shift containers, rather than the Wellington Harbour Board's new container crane. More than 10,000 people visited the terminal on 21 June 1971 to watch 80 containers being loaded and unloaded, and at the end of the day the public was able to board the vessel to look around.
1976: "Truxtun".
USS "Truxtun" was a nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser. She arrived at Wellington on 27 August 1976 to a protest by a flotilla of about 20 small boats, and anti-nuclear protestors picketed at the wharf where the ship was berthed. Maritime unions went on strike, causing cancellation of inter-island ferries for several days while the "Truxtun" was in port. Other nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships visited Wellington in the late 1970s and early 1980s and were also met with protests. USS "Truxtun" visited Wellington again in 1980 and 1982. In 1982 Wellington was declared a nuclear-weapon-free zone, and in 1987 the Government passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act.
1980s: Japanese squid boats.
Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, foreign squid jigging vessels visited New Zealand on their way to fishing grounds further south. Over 200, mostly Japanese, boats visited New Zealand in 1983, but by 1994 this had declined to about 15 vessels. During the fishing season between December and April – May, the squid boats would stop at Wellington to refuel and take on supplies. The squid boats were distinctive for their rows of lights strung above the deck to attract the squid, and jigging equipment protruding from the deck. The boats and their crews brought a significant economic boost to Wellington. Fishermen from the boats were known for spending large amounts of money on souvenirs while their ships were in town.
2011: "Queen Elizabeth".
MS "Queen Elizabeth" visited Wellington on its maiden voyage in 2011, and many Wellingtonians turned out to watch the ship arrive and depart. "Queen Elizabeth" visited again in 2012. She is 294 m long.
2013: "Queen Mary 2".
In 2013, "Queen Mary 2" became the largest passenger ship (345 m long) ever to visit Wellington. She berthed at Aotea Quay. The record was surpassed by "Ovation of the Seas", 348 m long, in 2016.
2016: "Ovation of the Seas".
Ovation of the Seas visited Wellington for the first time in 2016, beating Queen Mary 2's record as the largest (348 m long) cruise ship to visit Wellington.
2019: "Endeavour".
"HMB Endeavour" is an Australian-built replica of Captain Cook's ship "Endeavour". "Endeavour" has visited Wellington several times since its first trip in late 1995. In 2019, a Wellington iwi group, Mau Whenua, protested "Endeavour"'s visit to Wellington as part of Tuia 250 commemorations.