My New Zealand Story: the Wahine Disaster

When Debbie’s grandmother gives her a copy of her forefather’s old sea journal, she finds it fascinating. While Debbie’s own diary tells of 1960s school life and troubles with her friends, excerpts from the diary of 1841 tell of the hardships of life on an emigrant sailing ship.

At home, sick with glandular fever, Debbie feels transported back in time. Is it the fever, or is her long-dead relative trying to tell her something?

Following a trip to the South Island to visit relatives, Debbie boards the ferry to return home to Wellington. It is April 1968. The ferry’s name is Wahine…