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The steamship Penguin - Source: ONE News -
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Thursday marks the 100 anniversary of one of the darkest days in New Zealand's history, a disaster which cost more than 70 lives.
The wreck of the steamship Penguin at Cape Terawhiti near Wellington has been largely forgotten.
"It was probably the biggest disaster in people's pioneer experience", says Deibre Wogan, historian.
The Penguin had set sail from Nelson when it struck heavy rain and high winds near the capital's south coast.
Unable to see the nearby lighthouse, the ship's captain altered course to avoid rocks. But as one survivor recalled years later, he drove the Penguin on to them instead.
The 102 on board got into life-rafts but many drowned in the mountainous seas.
The disaster cost 72 people, including 10 children, died and 21 more than the Wahine disaster.
Records show that when the funerals were held four days later, thousands of mourners watched in silence as dozens of coffins wound their way through the city and up to their final resting place at the Karori Cemetary.
The official inquiry laid much of the blame with the captain. Others say the Penguin was caught in a powerful rip.
Like the Wahine and Erebus, the disaster made headlines around the world. Yet today it has been largely forgotten.
"It deserves to be remembered, yes, because it made a huge impact on a very small colony," says Wogan.
On Thursday night a plaque will be unveiled near the shipwreck site.
