Local leading lights

WENDY SIMONSEN, Marlborough Museum

A “leading light” is usually a person who is prominent or influential in a particular field. In this story, however, the leading lights are not people, but they hold an important place in Marlborough – the guiding lights of Tory Channel (Whekenui).

Installed by the Marine Department in 1881, these lights have helped vessels navigate safely through one of the region’s most treacheous waterways. Their necessity became clear after a series of shipwrecks and groundings in the channel. Two incidents in particular prompted action.

On 19 August 1868, the iron screw steamer SS Taranaki, skippered by Captain Francis, left Wellington for Picton. The weather was calm, but a strong tide in Tory Channel pushed the vessel onto a submerged rock. Dragged along the rocks, she lost her propeller. Passengers, who were dining at the time, were quickly evacuated to boats and landed on the nearest shore.

The purser was sent to Picton with help from the Jackson brothers and Mr Keenan. The Taranaki eventually sank in 12 fathoms of water. Thirteen months later, she was successfully raised and towed to Wellington Harbour – the first large vessel in New Zealand to be salvaged from such a depth.

Then in October 1879, the small steamer Huia struck rocks in Tory Channel, breaking two keel plates. On board were the principal shareholders of the Golden Point Mine and a runaway couple. Fortunately, damage was minor and the Huia continued her voyage. These accidents highlighted the urgent need for leading lights to guide ships into Tory Channel. The Marine Department installed them soon after, and they have been quietly doing their job ever since.

Next time you pass through Tory Channel, spare a thought for these unsung heroes – the lights that keep vessels safe as they enter the narrow gateway to Queen Charlotte Sound (Tōtaranui).