The Aramoana begins the roll-on roll-off ferry service
- When
- 11 August 1962
- Where
- Cook Strait · Te Moana-o-Raukawa
- Reach
- Several regions
The country’s first roll-on roll-off ferry let cars and rail wagons drive straight on and off, joining the two islands into one freight network.
Until 1962 anything crossing Cook Strait had to be craned on and off a ship, which made the two islands separate economies for most practical purposes. The Aramoana, built in Scotland for the New Zealand government, carried 207,000 passengers, 46,000 cars and 181,000 tonnes of cargo in its first year alone. Picton, a small town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound, became a national transport hub more or less overnight. The service was quickly nicknamed the floating bridge.
Regions affected
Sources
Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.
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