The Wahine Disaster Full Length Documentary
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
- Written & Produced by Sharon Barbour.
A powerful and tense re-creation of the night of April 10, 1968
when the inter-island ferry - Wahine - sailed into the eye of the most violent storm in New Zealand's history.
This was one of the world’s most dramatic and tragic disasters at sea.
With original archive footage;
interviews with survivors and rescuers, this is the story of the heroic efforts to save 734 lives.
Winner: Best Documentary - UK Independent Film Festival
Jurors Award Moondance Film Festival
Tribeca Cinema - New York
Winner: Best Documentary - West Hollywood Film Festival
“The Wahine disaster was a tragedy that affected our country deeply and is an important part of the story about what it means to be a New Zealander.” Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern
#WahineDisaster
#NewZealand
#history
#documentary
#sea
#full length documentary
#disaster
#true
#awards
Now this is how you make a documentary. Concentrate on the stories, on the people instead of technical details. Very powerful!
Well you havent watched that many documentaries before. Not all are" technical" and this too is also "technical." "technical" isnt even the right word. Instead of commenting about something that doesnt make sense, get out from under your rock. Documentaries have "facts"and nothing wrong with facts.
@@jenmb2679 Damn, who pissed in your cornflakes?? Rude much??
reading or listening to personal accounts swells humanity.......
@@jenmb2679 you are living proof that your parents were siblings
@@kefelonia1 good to know😊
..my old neighbor who was aboard saved 2 people ..i think it was a child and a mother ..he was a horrible alcoholic man that many people did not like but i was never scared of him and he would tell me stories about his life ..i was about 7 ..anyway rest in peace Mr Nicholas 😢
Maybe what he went through contributed to his alcoholism? Survivors guilt? Very kind of you to remember him with fondness. Behind every drinker/alcoholic is a tremendous amount of pain: physical, emotional, spiritual or some combination of the three. Rest In Peace Mr Nicholas 🙏
Maybe not so horrible. Maybe more troubled? He obviously left a positive impression on you. I learned so much about life by listening to elders. RIP Mr Nicholas.
I wonder why he was an alcoholic. He's a good man, medicating himself from his demons. What matters is that he helped. Doesn't sound like a man who would whip out an iPhone and start recording (but we must document it, and that's how I am helping). Most alcoholics are troubled people. They tend to be troubled by real things, that should affect all people. Others can live with the injustice, and they tend not to drink. Life is complex. Experience, over time, teaches people that. Forgiveness and empathy are in short supply today.
people must understand that addiction issues are symptoms of other underlying psychological issues & empathise rather than judge those individuals. They need medical assistance.
🙏✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
My father was a young steward on the Wahine & had to swim for his life after helping passengers into their lifeboats. R.I.P to all that passed that day
my grandfather was the chief of the fire brigade for wellington when this happened. he was one of the rescuers coordinating the efforts.
RIP😮
My Aunty was on the Wahine. She was in the Air Force at the time. My grandparents weren't sure whether she was on the boat that day. They soon found out as she was on the front page of the first paper that came out the next day. She was holding a little boy that she had saved.
She was so affected by the Wahine disaster that she left the Air Force and trained to be a psychiatric nurse. She was 19.
You forgot to mention her shoe size, stop bragging
My mother was supposed to sail on the Wahine on her way up to meet the Wellington train to Auckland to see her then-boyfriend and soon-to-be-fiancé, my father. She was looking forward to the trip as she had never been on a ship before. Something came up at the last minute and she had to postpone the trip until the Wahine's next sailing from Lyttleton the following week. These words may not have appeared on this page had fate not intervened, as I was born in August of 1969.
The Wahine Disaster has always held a fascination for me due to the totally hopeless situation the passengers and crew faced once the ship hit Barrett Reef. The harbour mouth has never been known for 'gentle seas' especially when the tide is on the turn and having the added complication of a cyclone whipping the waves into towering walls of unbridled fury, I am so thankful that the majority of the people onboard made it to shore alive. It could certainly have been a lot worse.
My next trip to Wellington I will be stopping at the memorials to pay my respects. This documentary has been an epic watch and I thank you immensely for creating it.
Thanks so much Lance, this is very moving to read.
Fate has an eerie way of saving some from travelling - maybe your mother had a sixth sense and saved herself.
I too was born in August 1969, but I knew nothing about this disaster until I started watching the video; also being from England, U.K., it wasn’t something that was talked about as such.
@ Lance Hill. You have a way with words. I love your description “whipping the waves into towering walls of unbridled fury.” Are you by any chance a writer? If not you should be.
❤
Well thank God you're here Lance.❤
Thank you. I was 11 and the wind was so strong i couldn't get out the door to go to school. The fence blew down, the power was cut and my mother cooked a stew in the open fire place. It was absolutely frightening for people in their houses in Wellington and the Hutt Valley. My love to those who lost loved ones.
Glad to hear the Captain was the last to leave unlike that terrible Italian captain a few years ago
Hey! It wasn’t his fault. He accidentally fell overboard and into a lifeboat which carried him to shore.
That captain was a schmuck. Had no business in his position
Fyi. There is a documentary on that Italian ship as well. Its really good. They have communication tapes of the insident. Unbelievable what the Captain did and said. He is still an absolute embarrassment to Italy.
Schettino, the coward. He said he tripped and fell into a lifeboat and drifted to shore. Coward.
There was another captain who abandoned ship first while telling the passengers to stay put and dont move while the ship was sinking. More than 300 died and most of them were elementary and high school kids on a school trip. Search SOWEL Korea 2014. Another heart breaking story.
USA here and first time hearing about this. Thank you so much sharing this history with us!!
Hey cutie
When Shirley Hick sang that song she did for her children, I couldn't help but tear up.
I cannot as a mother, imagine going through that experience, all the stories were so harrowing, well done documentary, just so heartbreaking.
I feel the same. 🙏
You have done a great service to those who lost their lives that terrible day, as well as for those who survived. What a terrible tragedy. I never knew about it till now.
Thank you ❤️
Yank here, what a brilliantly produced documentary. Such a touching and loving memorial to those who perished, and for those who survived. Thank you to all who gave us the opportunity to mourn this tragic loss.
I've watched this documentary at least 3 times. It is just as shocking every time.
Although 51 lives lost, especially the children, is so sad, it is also miraculous that the number was not more. Over 700 people made it off that ship. If the storm had not been so nasty, they all would have made it.
To see the locals put themselves in danger to save as many as they could, was heartwarming. To see the anguish in the survivors and rescuers eyes all these years later, truly heartbreaking. The horror they all went through that day, seemingly helpless and hopeless against the storm, is a testament to the pure tenacity of those how fought so hard for their lives and the lives of complete strangers.
My heart bleeds for Shirley, especially. Luckily she made it. I believe to be there to raise the remainder of her children, whom she believed had all perished. RIP little Alma Anne and Gordo. I shall always remember your beautiful little faces.
Excellent report of a tragic event that has gone largely unrecognized and unknown by the rest of the world.
Thanks John
I have never head about this disaster 😓😓
Thanks for uploading 🤗
The lady recounting the event seems like a permanent sadness on her face, poor lady
How dreadfull. Those poor kids & babies, all that terrible loss. Never heard of this untill today. Just saw it on TH-cam. It's so very sad. 😥
I'll never forget this tragedy, it happened on my 16th birthday. The 10th of April 1968. It made me realise how precious and fragile life is.
10 April 1968 I was nearly 16 and living in Christchurch the storm caused flooding everywhere, i sat glued to the radio and tv as my Relatives were on the Wahine. They both made it safely to shore, thankfully, it was a terrible tragedy.
I was 15 living in Otago, and like you glued to the tv and listening to the radio, it was tragic. This and Erebus will stay forever in my mind. 😢
Nasty storm that one in Ch-ch.
A day of heroes who risked their lives to save as many people as they could.
New Zealander’s are such lovely people ❤️
R.I.P ALL who lost their lives and god bless the survivors may they find peace Amen
amen
This is why I don't believe in God. If God was real he wouldn't allow new born babies to drown to death completely helplessly. As a father if I lost my kids the way that poor woman did, I wouldn't want my life at all.
I was in the US Coast Guard and we participated in many large rescues. First I was on the Atlantic going from about Cape Cod up to the Canadian border and the water temperature there was normally 56 degrees or so. When I was on the Pacific the temperature was about 67. You're not going to last long at 56 degrees but if you were in fairly good health, had a life vest and kept your wits about you 67 degrees would keep you alive. The problem is the seas become "confused," meaning waves are coming at you from all directions, which tends to push you under where you accidentally swallow a lot of water. We picked up a guy once whose fishing boat went down and he had grabbed a large crab pot marker for buoyancy, had a survival suit on and was bobbing happily along for about 48 hours. He made it long enough for us to rescue him. I wouldn't go out on any ocean without a survival suit. It can mean the difference between life and death.
what's a survival suit? Is it like a life jacket?
Thank you for your service.❤️
@@myselftik Anti hypothermia suits and yes they really do work. I was a sea and anchor helmsman (collateral duties) in the Navy. SK3 Fowler, I ordered those for our ship (Korean era Minesweeper Uss Esteem Mso 438) when we went to Alaska to map the ocean floor. The green water sailor is telling the truth.
This was a passenger ship moving from one Island to the other, caught in an unexpected situation. No one thought they would end up in the water that day. No one would have had access to survival suits in 1968.
This was really sad to watch, as a new Zealander this is the first time I've seen this, brought tears to my eyes those little babys those elderly people the children women and men it must have been an absolute horrific night. My deepest condolences to you all.
This an excellent documentary on a tragic event. This happened two years after I had been to new Zealand as a deck hand in the merchant navy. I had heard about the " Wahine " but did not realize just how bad it was. I have seen the sea at its most violent, and cannot imagine the terror of all the people on board that day. That picture of the beautiful child and the sisters and others, who were taken by the sea, had me in tears. I had an accident on board my ship, and was taken to new Plymouth Hospital. I ,as many of my shipmates, loved new Zealand, and the people were so kind to us. My heart goes out to all those who lost loved ones that day.
Hi Michael, thanks for your kind comments - lots of tears have been shed, I’m sure Shirley and her family appreciate how much it has moved you.
@@MyStormuk Thank you.
Poor sweet Shirley!!, bless all these survivors
I have never heard of this here in the USA. Incredible stories.
Same. Well done documentary.
its a Kiwi tragedy
i only heard about the sinking on the radio but i remember the storm it still stands out as one of the worst I've ever experienced
It was reported at the time around the world but all total ,silly rubbish about passengers screaming and pushing each other off the side etc.
Me neither. I had a new baby then though, so I might not have been paying much attention.
Best doco I’ve seen in a long time. No wonder it won the award. Thank you 🙏
That's really kind, thank you!
@@MyStormuk please make more docs like this!
this is how we want to see them. honest and clear.
This terrible tragedy had two different type of victims. Those who drowned and those with survivals guilt... My sincerest condolences for those that lost loved ones, but also my heart goes out to those survivors...bless you all.
I've never heard of this story till now, as it happened across my feed.
It is truly a documentary made in good taste and respect.thank you very much...
Thanks Patty, I’m sure they’ll see your message of support.
Oh my goodness how heart breaking. I never heard of this disaster before. The doc was so well done. Rest in peace to those that lost their lives.
Thanks Jenny
Poor babies💔
Heartbreaking. I’ve never heard about this terrible accident. Thank you 😢❤️🇺🇸
The best documentary I have ever seen. Respectful, compassionate, and deeply moving. Thank you.
Thank you - so pleased you liked it,
Sharon
Tragic. Just tragic. Excellent documentary.
Wow found this really hard to watch, those poor kids...Such a powerful documentary, thanks 🙏🏼
I'm really glad I happened upon this doco. I had never heard the story and think it was really well presented. Good filmmaking.
Thanks Della - we are glad more people know about the Wahine - it is such an important story for New Zealand
@@MyStormuk I agree. I was shocked that being so close, (In Oz) I didn't know about it. An important job you're doing here. 🕊️
21:02 God bless him 50 years later. I wanted to reach in the screen and hold his hand. Poor man.
At least this captain stayed with his ship till the bitter end, unlike some others I have seen in recent years who abandoned their ship and all the passengers and crew and saved themselves first.
@Juanita Richards Very true though met with some criticism. But as you rightly mention, some Captains abandoned their ship and left the passengers to fend for themselves and none worse than Capt. Schettino of the Costa Concordia which ran aground.....but the radio call from a furious Italian Coastguard Capt. Gregorio De Falco to Schettino was absolutely brilliant! th-cam.com/video/WX_08zcCmx8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Hyperion2099
@@Bulletguy07 Yes I heard that call.
@Jens Nobel Yes he was raging at Schettino who, having already made the situation bad for himself by jumping ship before his passengers, made it a whole lot worse by arguing with De Falco! I think that clip of De Falco's call went viral on social media....rightly so too, it's a gem!
I don't see that he had much choice. He should have let those on land know he was in a critical situation though. Yes, its easy to be critical after the fact, but that is the reality of being responsible for the well-being of so many other people.
@@KebabMusicLtd The rule for any captain is the captain goes down with the ship....or is at the very least the last one off the ship after making sure all the passengers were off. In this case because of the list of the ship they were unable to lower the lifeboats. I don't think the captain knew how critical the situation was until it was too late.
...she lost a child and carries a guilt she doesn't deserve...it was a nightmare come true...
My grandfather was one of the military divers in the rescue operation.
One of the most memorable moments of his life.
I have tears running down my face watching this. My Gran had been shouted this trip my my Father for her birthday but didnt go as, according to him, she felt uneasy. A lucky miss that haunted her for years to come with 'what if's'. As a family we have never forgotton this event. How horrific for all involved, including those watching from the shoreline and how incredibally courageous the locals were getting out there in their boats to try and help in aweful conditions. Still very affected by it. Thank you for sharing the documentary - truely, as the documentary makers have opted to do, the reality was harrowing enough to not need to dramatize it further - they did a great job with this I feel. We always think so close to shore yet so far - and shoreline so full of rocks would have been aweful for people trying to come ashore through the rocks.
I have just become aware this is YOUR documentary. THANK YOU! Great balance of narrating and footage and real life people telling their real life stories.
Thanks Nicky, It is lovely and moving to hear your experience. The stories of locals taking their own boats out, risking their own lives to save those they knew were in the water, breaking through police cordons, running door to door to ask others for help - which inspired the documentary. ❤️
The rocks were on the east side of the harbor entrance, the lifeboats managed to come ashore on the beach on the west side at Seatoun - the problem was the wind and tides swept everything including rafts across the harbor to the Eastbourne shoreline, that area is a rocky coast with only small areas of clear steep beaches.
This was hard to watch... But..It was well done..concentrating on the people, and their stories.
I went to a Sunday church service that he attended as well about 6 years later and he was pointed out to me, he looked a broken man.
Gid bless!! All who have lived through these disasters, and have been taken by the sea! 🙏 🙏
Never heard of this in the USA. Excellent documentary! RIP to all who perished.
These stories and the photos, they hit hard. The woman losing her children, the man see the woman smashed upon the rocks, it's awful.
This documentary is so well done. I have been reduced to tears
I was a junior crew member (17) on The "SS Southern Cross" a British ship docked in Wellington then this disaster happened. We launched our stbd life ports and volunteer crew went out to assist where they could. As I was so young I was told not to go in a life boat so a colleague and I went straight over to the marina and asked if anyone needed crew. We were asked by a gentleman in a sailing boat if we could hlpe crew his boat, which we did. We spent many hours looking for survivours and helped get some on board and then into safety in Wellington. A tragic day which I was proud to have helped some people.
I like hearing the technical details of events like this--it helps me understand what happened. The idea of rolling like that in the sea being normal for anyone in it in a ship is terrifying!
Absolutely wonderful storytelling, the survivors, and their harrowing accounts, along with photographs and maps, had me glued, i was so moved, i wanted to hug each and everyone of them. Great work, so professional, thorougher and wonderfully delivered.
Excellent account. Very pleased, this remarkable tragedy that played out loud in Wellington. As with Erebus, the Capital came to a halt, to assess. Atrocious weather, we lived in Seatoun. Dad drove down, as did many, and came home. Tragedies that still raise questions, investigations. Ship should NEVER have left Course. Ever.
How come I never heard of this disaster and I’m 40 years old? I want to say this was a great documentary but it was horrible what happened to those people. It’s crazy that things people do in the middle of a disaster you don’t think adrenaline kicks in and everything else breaks out. I was three blocks away and running for my life in 2001 when tower two of the watery center decided to come down first 🥺😓😓 I will never forget 911, ever. God bless all those people in this disaster I would never want to drown to death
That was a painful documentary to watch. Such tragedy and trauma. 💔😢 My deepest condolences to all the generations of families and friends of the lost. May they rest in peace 🙏🕊️💐👐 And may the traumatized living somehow find peace in their life 🙏💕 Thank you to all of the heroes that helped the troubled passengers. 👏👏🦸🇳🇿😍 God bless everyone ✝️
My parents grew up in wellington. It was dad's 21st on this horrible day. He told me he was in a van with 8 others and the wind was so bad even with so many inside it was blown to the other side of the road. We had a book about this and a family friend who helped with the rescue was in it.
My dad was trying to stand on newlands hill, I say trying, he had to lay down and watched her go down with binoculars, too far to help. Saddest day of his life he says.
4444⁴t5⁵rŕć⁶
What a terrible tragedy. I'm surprised not more people lost their lives in the freezing water and rough seas. RIP.
The ultimate tragedy was how close to shore the tragedy happened but that stretch of water is so dreadful there was little rescuers could do.
A horrific story. Well told. Tragic. Amazed at how many photos exist, and film footage.
When you see something like this it should remind you profoundly about the fragility of life and our common humanity. It should urge one to maintain perspective; and impart the lesson that what we think about as being serious problems in our lives, probably aren’t most of the time.
Have just passed Barrett reef and Wahine memorial site + look out whilst traveling blueridge. All my love to all whanau 💞💕💞
To whomever made this documentary. You need to be working professionally as THIS is how a story should be told
Thank you ❤️
@@MyStormuk
Wait, you're not the 1 who made the doc, you only put it on YT. You shouldn't be taking credit for the film or production team's work!!
@@fabledfantasty7343 we did make the doc
@@MyStormuk
My apologies, I was reading the credits in your description & was going by the individual names. Kudos to MyStormuk than for such a brilliant doc, very well done!
@@fabledfantasty7343 Thank you !
Thank you for this presentation - it has taught me about something I never had a clue about.
Fantastically done film ! Thank you for the pleasure of watching this well done and sensitive documentary. Colorado, USA
Thanks Kristine - we are incredibly grateful to those who told us their story - it was so traumatic many had never spoken of their experiences before.
I am very interested in Maritime disasters and this is one I had not heard of. Thank you.
Yup ...never heard about this disaster
You might be interested in reading about the wreck on the SS Valencia in 1906, en route from San Francisco to Seattle. There’s a Wiki page and quite a bit of information on other sites and pages. Where she got wrecked is called the Graveyard Of The Pacific.
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the documentary "In the Absence" about the Korean ferry Sewol disaster. It's a very well done and powerful piece of work. Be warned, it's truly painful to watch. But its bare honesty sans gratuitous sensationalism cuts through and exposes layers of bs while respecting the victims, families and rescuers. Sadly, PBS just dropped it for some other fluff, but you can find it elsewhere.
Amazingly powerful, great work. Thank you to Sharon Barbour 🙂🐿
In 1968 I was 10 years old. I've never heard of this devastating disaster. It is so sooo sad😭😭 Hearing the man describe trying to rescue the older woman was heartbreaking and made me cry. The retelling of this was done excellently. Cheers to the producers who made this. Thanks for the upload.
Respect to the person making the tea, they're the hero of the story! Deserves an MBE!
Oh my goodness, so much pain from Shirley to the chap that tried to save the lady . May the living and the passed from the Wahine disaster all have peace.
At 49.12 " The court went on to make a number of recommendations. They changed passenger shipping around the world." Then, instead of being told what these recommendations were- no further mention is made. It might have been one of the most interesting pieces of information about the saga. What a curious omission.
Good point, Paul!
This really is a beautifully made documentary. Nice balance of the human and the technical. The gentleman who spoke of his tea cup flying at him was particularly relatable to me...how many of us get our day started with that morning cup of tea? I know I do...tea is a basic necessity. For many the day of this disaster, that morning cup was the last they would ever have. Their last cup. Their last day of life. And speaking of the lost as this documentary does, giving details about them, is always important. Our loyalty to the dead and our desire to honor their memory says a lot about how we treat the living and how much we learn from our cruelest losses. Well done.
I am sitting here in Wellington, at the top of Maungararaki overlooking the entrance to Wellington Harbour. I have just watched this documentary with my mother, who has told me the story of the storm of April 10 1968 all my life. She had a ticket for the return journey of the Wahine that day. It is a blessing on our family that the storm wasn't a little later! Sadly she returned her ticket for a refund as I would have liked us to have donated it to the Maritime Museum.
Thanks Caroline, the Wellington museum would have loved that - they have a fantastic display dedicated to the Wahine. They helped hugely with our research, and show our film on the big screen there.
May all those who perished rest peacefully. For the survivors I wish peace. ❤
Rest peacefully you have no choice you are gone.
Wow! So sad. That was tough for me to watch. But seeing the beauty of everyone lending a hand to save lives was worth the shed tears.💜
That beautiful little girl. So tragic !
Brilliant documentary just before everything went wrong someone said a few more feet and the Wahine would have been clear. I'm amazed ive never heard of this before. Awful tragedy for everyone involved.
Oh my god these people’s trauma is so huge and so acute.
Frank Scott, a survivor, recounts how he was concerned with his tea as the whole world is about to turn into a watery grave, so what does he do?? He gets another cup of tea. Definitely British. WWII. Oh, cuddles there is another buzz bomb; well let's have another cup of tea.
@@nickdsylva932 Thats very callous. His attitude is more of someone who has been on rough waters before and might not jave thought much about it initially. Sometimes when things are happening that are traumatic you remember insignificant details like a cup of shattered tea.
Poor Shirley. One child lost completely. One left brain damaged and helpless to be cared for the rest of his life. What a lovely human soul but what a fearful burden of grief she carried. The people of New Zealand seem to be such strong, brave people but courage always has a cost and it's a steep one.
The photo of Alma Hick is one of the more iconic images from the disaster. She and her brother Gordon were among four children who lost their lives in the disaster. 37 other children survived.
What a tragic story. I had never heard of this tragedy until today and I have to say how well it was presented. Thank you for sharing it with us. 😢
@@joanfraser6500 I use her story as a reminder to always part ways with loved ones on a good note no matter the situation
@@joanfraser6500 Thank you for reading.
This was exceptional. Very moving.
Thanks Brenda ❤️
Whoa, I never knew about this Kiwi disaster. Being an aussie how can I not know, wasn’t taught at school where it should be. Very powerful seeing Tragedy just over the pond from down under. There are our brothers, sisters in arms, mates for life. How devastating for the families Thanks for sharing this with me, it means a lot learning about the Kiwi history that is not widely nown which has nothing to do with war. Very emotional, powerful to watch.
God bless..🙏🏼
Cheers from my Great Southern land Stralya (Aussie slang for 🇦🇺)😎
Thanks for your comments! It is a story that means so much to so many, but you are right - so few people around the world know about the Wahine Disaster. We were so grateful that the survivors agreed to tell their story - some for the first time, so that we know what happened that day.
God bless those who were able to step up share their stories for this documentary . It’s difficult to feel blessed when you’re a survivor. I applaud you!
All The tears while watching this Heartfelt Tragic Documentary !!😢 May God Bless Everyone who was affected & Thank You for sharing this Documentary! 💙
The best doco i have seen on the Wahine. We sailed past a few weeks later on the Aranui during the may school holidays. The Wahine was still lying on her side. Amazing how big the ship was even half submerged. We were living at RNZAF Ohakea near Palmerston North at the time and i remember the storm being very powerful, losing a few of our windows and some of the concrete hanger roofs torn completely off.
21 minutes: Can someone please get this bloke a tea?
He wasn't going to do anything until he got his cup of tea!
@@catherinemorand500 "I'll put the kettle on!"
I was 6 when this happened, and the only reason it is imprinted on my brain was because my mother was devastated.
Which was echoed in many kiwis homes. 🙏😢
I will never forget the name Wahine
a Kiwi tragedy indeed
Could NZ'ers readily explain this seeming absence of therapy, because 49 years is an abominable length of time for those traumas to remain so damn raw? I seldom if ever weep to AV productions, plus I'm now t o o bummed out to even fall asleep this weeknight....
Absolutely riveting. A must watch. Narration, music, everything... really well done.
Thanks Diane - for your lovely comments
An excellent documentary as presented on the loss of the Wahine. Absolutely a miracle so many survived, yet a tragedy for those who lost their lives and their families. Too many 'if only's' could have avoided this even in 1968.
God bless those souls. Thank you fir a really fine documentary. I’d heard of this, barely, but never saw it covered well. This is a fine piece on such a terrible event. Thank you for bringing this to us. From the US ~~~~~
I used to sing morning town to my son every night when he was little....
This is an excellent documentary, well worth watching!
An amazing documentary!The stories from the survivors bought tears to my eyes. What a horrific experience they must of endured.. my father was one of many rescuers that day! Dad was a fisherman on a Trawler, New Fish 1 a Trawler fishing boat .he and his crew had been away all week fishing and were heading home that day, putting aside the danger they were In they without hesitation stayed and helped pull body's aboard. He never really got over what he saw and experienced! He never talked about what happened except to say , he was glad they could stay and help the survivors but it was those that he couldn't that still haunted him . I never really understood his grief, I do now, thanks to this documentary.The survivors made it so real!😢God bless! Rest in Peace to all the soles that perished that day! 🙏
Thanks so much for getting in touch John,
Your dad was a hero ! He saved Shirley’s life, and those who were trying to rescue her.
It’s brilliant to hear about him and I’m not surprised he suffered so much after such a terrible and devastating experience.
But he really was a hero
Sharon (Director)
God bless all thoes who perished that day . And what a great documentary , concentrating on the struggles of real people god bless you .
The lady that lost her boy and girl is a picture of sad stoicism.
She's probably cried so much she has no tears left.
Scripture promises the Sea will give up it's dead and God will make sorrow cease.
I know that's true.
Truly heartbreaking! I can’t imagine what her heart must have felt after that tremendous loss.
@PETER
I hope them words will take some of the heavy weight she's been carrying in her heart around with her all these years. I lost my little baby girl years ago but my love for her will never leave me.
If HE was real he wouldn't murder innocent people in horrific ways!!! God is a concept with which we measure our pain ( John Lennon ).
@@robertstronghill2107
God doesn't always intervene in Time.
But He does promise to heal sorrow in His Eternal Kingdom.
The Existence of Suffering doesn't disprove God's Existence.
Anyway, It's not very compassionate to start arguing Theology in the face of such heartbreak.
And instead of John Lennon I'll quote Shakespeare. :
There are more things in Heaven and Earth, than are dreamt of in your Philosophy, Horatio.
@@robertstronghill2107 bravo
God bless all of you who had to witness or be in the center of this tragedy. Ive never heard of it. Stories of survival, loss, and heroism. The world needs to hear this story
So so very sad.... Absolutely tragic that many little ones lives were cut short!🙏
Wow what a great documentary. I had heard about the Wahine but didn't know much about it. Such heartbreaking stories. I now live in Wellington and will certainly think about this tragedy next time I see the harbour.
Thanks Spaceseeker, it’s so important to remember these stories - Wahine is such a sad day in Wellington’s history. You can see more at the museum.
This is undoubtedly one of the best documentaries on any mass casualty event I have ever seen, let alone a shipwreck.
There is no better treatment of the human tragedy generated by such a disaster. The surviver's accounts are very moving. Their determination to share their experiences is extraordinary.
Watching this, it is hard not to think of countless other shipwreck stories. This documentary has preserved an invaluable record of just how challenging it is to escape from a wreck near to shore, during a storm.
I wasn't aware of this diseaster. Glad that most made it ashore. May those who did not, rest in peace 🕊️🙏🌹 Excellent documentary.
Thank you!
@@MyStormuk You're most welcome. I subscribed.👌
This was amazingly sad. Good watching
Wow...SO CLOSE....but out of reach. This is the first I have heard of this tragedy way back in ‘68, but for those here that survived and were interviewed, to relive that and be right back in that frigid water and thunderous waves smashing against the rocks, really impacts one to the horror they endured.
Thanks for uploading this documentary.
Another tragic sinking was the ‘Princess Sophia’ in the early 1900s.
Again, SO CLOSE...😞
Wahine disaster I have never heard of this until now god how awful it could almost be compared to the Titanic my heart goes out to the people who lost their lives and those who have to live with it it must of been bloody awful
Me either it's just such a bad tragic event that should never had happened
Have never heard about this disaster... Painful to watch... Thank you for this great documentary...
Crewed on her for several months and paid off a couple of months before she foundered. Sadly an ex cabin mate did not survive, John Ross from Porirua. I believe John had five children. If they see my comment, John was a lovely humorous man. RIP John..
For those who willingly step forward towards danger in pursuit of rescuing another, has to be the most beautiful behaviour a person can offer and knowing they too could risk their own lives, for me it is the purest form of love .
My friends father was an active member of Worser Bay SLSC. When the call went out to man the boat he jumped in his van to drive to the rescue. As he drove to the boat he passed an oil storage building. The storm was so fierce it was lifting full 44 gallon drums & rolling them down the hill. When he finally got to the boat they failed to launch because the seas where so huge. God bless them all.🧡🙏
My dad was a fireman at Wellington airport, he had done a night shift, when he knew what was happening with the storm he called my mum and said whatever you do do not send the Kids to school, there is a severe storm coming through, I cannot imagine how awful it was for passengers and crew. Ironically my dad ended up being a Steward, then a captain's tiger on the ferries, also my youngest brother became a steward,they had many sea stories of crossings in rough sailings, thankfully the sailings don't sail in really rough storms anymore, god bless all those affected by the wahine disaster 🙏🙏
One of my relatives who now is in his 70s he was a camera man who filmed the boat sinking I was told that he was forced to film if he where to put the camera down he'd lose his job he really hated talking about it one because it was a horrific event and two he wanted to do more to help if he could he probably would of driven his boat into the storming waters but since he was forced to film he never got that chance. Tho I am glad as anyone who went in those waters would have easily been killed and I'm so happy he made it out if the tragity ok it was such an awful event, I give condolences to victims out there
That must have been stressful. But the footage remains such an important historic document, we are all grateful to him for it. So many people took their own boats out - but the seas were so huge, they were really risking their own lives. But they saved many from the sea.
@@swampeye8683 Shame on you. He was a very young man. There are certain roles that people play in life's tragedies and perhaps it was his role to record the unfolding so that documentaries like this could be made and so that people would not forget the faces of that tragic day. Do not be so quick to judge. Life is difficult enough in retrospect.
@@swampeye8683 You really are a judgemental fool. This was a time of working or starving and frankly he had no choice. Also that day the storm was horrendous and any boat going out was putting more lives at risk. I cannot expect you to understand that I guess, sitting in comfort 53 years later trying to judge someone who was actually there a the time.
@@swampeye8683 this footage is incredibly moving. Just think people today are filming every sort of tragedy and accident. Is this any different from what society expects today? And they don't even do it for work
Although the tragedy took place in the afternoon, film was not available till the 7.00 news on TV that day, so many NZers were unaware of what was happening. (Not like now, where everything is live-streamed and filmed on cell-phones). It seemed unbelievable that a large, sophisticated ship could be wrecked, right inside the harbour.
Very good documentary, thank you for posting.