John McCrystal

The very first maps, oral maps made by early Polynesian and Māori settlers, were waypoints, lists of places in songs, chants, karakia, and stories that showed direction. Hundreds of years later, Abel Tasman made the first attempt at a physical map; this was followed more than a century later by James Cook, whose more detailed map was made as he...

MISHAP 1968 – Caught in a sudden violent storm, the Wahine ferry foundered after running aground on Barrett’s Reef, attempting to enter Wellington Harbour. Battered mercilessly by the elements, the Wahine was listing heavily to starboard when the order to abandon ship was given. The tragic events that followed became our nation’s worst modern maritime disaster. MISERY 1945 – Struck...