Seabed survey reveals new details about two Poverty Bay shipwrecks

The Star of Canada – still above water but in the process of sinking, on June 23, 1912, off Kaiti Beach. Picture from Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-19120710-0027-01 courtesy of Tairāwhiti Museum

Two previously uncharted shipwrecks discovered during a recent hydrographic survey of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa/Poverty Bay, have now been mapped in acute detail.

The survey of the seafloor was carried out by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), the government agency responsible for providing navigational products and services that support safe shipping.

Revealed during the process were the hull and deck structure of the Star of Canada, which ran aground off Kaiti Beach on June 23, 1912, and the wreck of a barge used to dredge Napier and Gisborne harbours in the 1930s.

“It’s always satisfying when our surveys reveal features that were either unknown or uncharted,” LINZ principal geospatial specialist Stuart Caie said.

“Advances in technology mean that each time we resurvey an area we uncover details that were previously unknown. In this case, the last survey was done in the 1950s by the Navy and the echo sounding technology used this time has given us far greater coverage of the seafloor than ever before. While the local community is aware of these wrecks, they have never been charted.”

The 7280-ton steamer Star of Canada first voyaged to New Zealand in 1910. For the next two years it travelled regularly from Australia and New Zealand to England, carrying chilled and frozen meat and other produce.

On June 23, 1912, a southerly squall blew the vessel on to Kaiti Beach where it struck rocks and began taking in water. Despite attempts by the local tug Hipi, the Star of Canada grounded just off the rocky shoreline. No lives were lost but after days of effort, the vessel itself was abandoned.

The second wreck is the remains of the dredge Korua, which are off Young Nick’s Head. The dredge was scuttled in 1940 when it was no longer of use.

Data captured in the Gisborne hydrographic survey, including details of the two wrecks, will be used to update nautical charts of the area and help to make navigation safer.

While the survey focused on data needed to update navigational charts, hydrographic surveys also gather information that can help with marine habitat management, aquaculture developments, flood planning and research.

Data from the survey will be published on the LINZ Data Service website and updated nautical charts will be available from the free NZ Electronic Navigational Chart Service

■ The two-storeyed wheelhouse and captain’s cabin of the Star of Canada is an integral part of the Tairāwhiti Museum. At the time of its grounding, Mr William Good, a local jeweller, bought the  wheelhouse and captain’s cabin and had it towed through town to an empty section next to his own home in Childers Road.

In 1983 the Star was left to the citizens of Gisborne, provided a suitable use and site could be found. Gisborne West Rotary Club raised the money to shift the Star on to the museum site in 1986 to house the stories and artefacts of the district’s maritime history.