Strait of Cook

The strait was discovered by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman during the discovery of New Zealand in 1642. However, Tasman mistook the strait for the bay. In 1769, James Cook, during his first round-the-world voyage, passed through the strait proving that New Zealand is not a single island, but consists of two separate islands and forms a shipping route ^[2] .

The Cook Strait attracted European settlers in the early 19th century. The strait was used by whales during seasonal migrations; therefore, numerous whalers and bases were created near the strait ^{[3] [4]} . From the late 1820s to the mid-1960s, Arapaoa Island was the base for whaling in Sounds. Cape Perano on the east coast of the island was the main whaling station in the area. The houses built by the Perano family are now used as tourist housing ^[5] .

Since 1840, more permanent settlements have emerged, first in Wellington, then in Nelson and Wanganui. All these early cities grouped around the Cook Strait as a central feature and central waterway of the new colony.

At different times, various coastal fortifications were built to protect the Cook Strait. During World War II, two 9.2-inch gun systems with a firing range of 29 km were installed on Wrights Hill behind Wellington. In addition, thirteen 6-inch gun mounts were installed around Wellington and at the entrances to the Marlborough Straits. The remains of most of these fortifications can still be seen.

Cape Penkarrow Lighthouse was the first permanent lighthouse built in New Zealand. Her first keeper, Mary Jane Bennett, was the only lighthouse keeper in New Zealand history. The lighthouse worked until 1935, after which it was replaced by a lighthouse at Cape Baring.

A number of ships in the strait wrecked with human casualties, such as “Maria” in 1851 (26 dead) ^[6] , “Dunedin City” in 1865 (39 dead) ^[7] , “St. Vincent” in 1869 ( 20 dead) ^[6] , “Lastingham” in 1884 (18 dead) ^[8] , “SS Penguin” in 1909 (75 dead) and “TEV Wahine” in 1968 (53 dead) ^[9]

In the years 1888-1912, a gray dolphin named " Pelorus Jack " became famous for meeting and escorting ships around the Cook Strait. The Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in the Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Cape Collinet, not far from the canal through which the vessels between Wellington and Nelson go. In 1904, it was protected by New Zealand law ^[10] .

The strait is located in the direction from northwest to southeast, with the South island on the west side and the North island in the east. At the narrowest point of 22 kilometers, Cape Theraviti on the North Island is separated from Cape Perano on the island of Arapaoa in the Marlborough Strait ^[1] . Although Cape Perano is located on the South Island, geographically it is located north of Cape Theraviti. In good weather, the strait is clearly visible over its entire width.
The west coast (South Island) extends 30 kilometers along Clodeley Bay and passes by the islands and entrances to the Marlborough Strait. The east coast (North Island) extends 40 kilometers along the Pallizer Bay, crosses the entrance to Wellington Harbor, passes through some suburbs of Wellington, and continues for another 15 kilometers to Makara Beach. At the northwest exit from the strait is the island of Kapiti , on which the reserve is located.

The banks of the Cook Strait on both sides are mainly composed of steep cliffs. The beaches of Clowley and Palisser smoothly descend to the mark of 140 meters, where there are more or less extensive underwater plateaus. The rest of the bottom topography is complex. In the east is the canyon of the Cook Strait with steep walls descending east into the bathyal of the Hikurangi Depression. In the northwest is the Narrow Basin, where the depth is 300-400 meters. The “fishing” cliff in the northern part of the Narrow Basin rises a few meters from the low tide line and is marked by waves breaking in inclement weather. A relatively shallow underwater valley lies at the northern entrance of the Marlborough Strait. The bottom topography is particularly irregular around the coast of the South Island, where the presence of islands, underwater cliffs and entrances to the straits create strong whirlpools ^[1] . The average depth of the strait is 128 meters. The South and North islands made up one island during the last ice age .

Strong tidal currents prevail in the waters of the Cook Strait. The tides in the Cook Strait are unusual in that the tidal elevations at the ends of the strait almost do not coincide with each other, so high water on one side meets low water on the other ^[11] . As a result, strong currents arise with an almost zero change in the tide height in the center of the strait. Although a tidal wave should flow in one direction for six hours, and then in the opposite direction for six hours, a particular wave can last eight or ten hours with a weakening back surge. In stormy weather conditions, the back surge can be nullified, and the flow can remain in the same direction for three or more periods. This anomaly is noted on navigational charts for the region ^[12] . In addition, underwater ridges descending from the shore complicate the ocean flow and turbulence ^[13]
There are numerous computer models of tidal flow through the Cook Strait. While tidal components are easy to implement ^[14] , residual flows are more difficult to model ^[15] .

The Cook Strait is an important habitat for many cetacean species. Several species of dolphins - bottlenose dolphins, white-barrel dolphins , dark dolphins are often found in the area together with killer whales and Hector's dolphins ( endemic to New Zealand). An ordinary grind walks en masse in Golden Bay. The famous Pelorus Jack was a gray dolphin, although this species is not an ordinary visitor to the waters of New Zealand. A large number of migrating whales attracted many whalers to the area in winter. The New Zealand Environmental Protection Department is currently conducting an annual survey and counting of humpback whales , and former whaling bases are helping to detect whales using several observation points along the strait, such as on Stevens Island . Other occasional visitors to the Cook Strait include blue whales , saivals, and sperm whales . The remains of giant squids were washed ashore around the Cook Strait or found in the stomachs of sperm whales. A colony of New Zealand fur seals has long been discovered near the Red Rocks on the south coast of Wellington ^[16] . Cook Strait has good fishing conditions. From January to May you can catch long-tailed tuna . There are also swordfish , hyperoglyphs , Mako shark, and occasional marlin and white shark ^[17] .

Regular ferry services take place several times a day between Picton in the Marlborough Strait and Wellington. About half of the crossing is in the Cook Strait, and the rest in the Marlborough Strait. The distance is 70 kilometers and takes about three hours. In the Cook Strait, there are often large waves from strong winds, especially from the south. Due to the location of New Zealand directly in the " roaring forties ", strong westerly winds periodically blow through the strait. As a result, ferries often suspend their flights and the waters of the Cook Strait are considered one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world.

In 1968, the TEV Wahine ferry, which made regular flights between Wellington and Littleton , rolled over and sank at the entrance to Wellington Harbor. Of the 610 passengers and 123 crew members, 53 were killed ^[9] . In 2006, 14-meter waves caused the Interislander ferry to swiftly roll and roll 50 degrees. Three passengers and one crew member were injured, five railway wagons were turned over, and many trucks and cars were badly damaged. Witness New Zealand marine expert Gordon Wood said that if the ferry rolled over, most passengers and crew would be trapped inside and would not have the opportunity or time to put on life jackets ^{[18] [19]} .

In April 2008, Neptune Power received a $ 10 million grant for a pilot subsea installation of a tidal turbine capable of producing one megawatt of energy. The turbine was designed in the UK and was to be built in New Zealand and placed at a depth of 80 meters 4.5 kilometers south of Cape Sinclair, in the place known as the "Carory Reef". The company said that in the Cook Strait there is enough tidal movement to generate 12 GW of electricity, which is one and a half times the current requirements of New Zealand ^{[20] [21] [22] [23]} In practice, only part of this energy can be used ^[24] . As of October 2016, this turbine was not built, and there are no additional announcements on the Neptune Power website.

On the other side of the strait, Energy Pacifica has applied for subsidies for the installation of up to 10 offshore turbines, each of which can generate up to 1.2 MW, near the entrance of the Cook Strait to the Tori Canal. The company claims that the Tori canal is an optimal location with a tidal flow speed of 3.6 m / s and the best combination of bathymetry and accessibility to the power grid ^[23] . The power generated by tidal offshore turbines is directly proportional to the cubic degree of tidal speed. Since tidal speed doubles in spring, eight times more tidal power is generated during spring tides than during breaks ^[23] .

According to Māori oral mythology, the first person to cross the Cook Strait was the woman Hein Pupu. She sailed from the island of Capiti to the island of D'Urville with the help of a dolphin ^[25] . Other Maori stories tell of at least one swimmer who conquered the strait in 1831. Nowadays, the strait was the first to cross Barry Davenport in 1962. Lynn Cox was the first woman to cross it in 1975. The most prolific strait swimmer is Philip Rush, who crossed the strait 8 times, including two double intersections. Aditya Raut became the youngest swimmer at age 11. Caitlin O'Reilly was the youngest woman to swim and the youngest New Zealand to be 12 years old. Pam Dixon was the oldest swimmer at 55 years old. ^[26] John Coates was the first person to cross the strait in both directions ^[27] . By 2010, 65 people made 74 single intersections, and two people made three double intersections (Philip Rush and Meda Mackenzie). In March 2016, Marilyn Korzekva became the first Canadian and oldest woman to cross the strait at the age of 58 ^[28] . The crossing time is largely determined by strong and sometimes unpredictable currents that act in the strait ^[26] .

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  International Space Station over the Cook Strait

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  Wellington South Coast

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  Kapiti Island South View

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  Entrance to the Tori Canal

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  Cook Strait in the rays of the sun. View from space

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  Cape Vostochny on the island of Arapaoa

• D. Cook. Swimming at Endeavor in 1768-1771. - Geografgiz, 1960.
• Cook D. First circumnavigation. - Litres, 2017.
• Efremov Yu. V., Matyash O. V. SOME OROGRAPHIC FEATURES OF NEW ZEALAND // LBC 26.8 G 351 Editorial board: AV Pogorelov (editor-in-chief), Dr. geogr. sciences, prof .; MJ Belikov, Dr. - S. 62.

• Strait of Cook (Cook Strait)
• New Zealand. Strait of Cook. Crossing