 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2007) |
 The wreck of SS Wairarapa some days after the accident.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 New Zealand | |
| Name | Wairarapa |
| Namesake | Wairarapa |
| Owner | Union Steam Ship Company |
| Operator | Union Steam Ship Company |
| Route | Sydney-Auckland |
| Builder | William Denny and Brothers |
| Yard number | 259 |
| Launched | 19 May 1882 |
| Completed | 3 July 1882 |
| Out of service | 29 October 1894 |
| Homeport | Auckland |
| Fate | Wrecked off Miners Head |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Luxury steamer |
| Type | Steel screw steamship |
| Tonnage | 1786 gross register tons, 1023 net register tons |
| Length | 285.2 ft |
| Beam | 36.3 ft |
| Draught | 23.7 ft |
| Speed | ~14 knots |
SS Wairarapa was a New Zealand ship of the late 19th century plying the route between Auckland, New Zealand and Australia. It came to tragic fame when it hit a reef at the northern edge of Great Barrier Island, about 100 km out from Auckland, and sank. The death toll of around 130 people remains one of the largest such losses in the country's history.[1][2] The ship was named for the Wairarapa region.
- ^ Dodd, Andy (2007). S.S. Wairarapa Graves, 1894: Heritage Assessment (PDF). Great Barrier Island, New Zealand: Department of Conservation (New Zealand). pp. 5, 23. ISBN 978-0-478-14305-8.
- ^ Historic SS Wairarapa Graves (from the DOC. Accessed 2008-06-04.)