LOSS OF THE FORREST HALL

The place where the Forrest Hall stranded has always been regarded as a “murder’ scene. Today, the blurred remains of the once proud sailing ship can be glimpsed in favourable conditions.

Salvage Attempt at Forrest Hall Wreck (teara.govt.nz)

The New Zealand coastline is peppered with hundreds of shipwrecks. Skeletons of small fishing boats, along with sizeable passenger liners such as the Mikhail Lermontov, lie rotting in the elements. Some are well known. The Rainbow Warrior, Wairarapa and Elingamite continue to fascinate those interested in things nautical. The General Grant, although not a New Zealand coastal wreck, but classed as a New Zealand wreck because she met her end in the Auckland Islands, still holds the promise of vast riches.  Some of these once splendid vessels are now destinations for divers. Most however, are surrounded by dangerous seas and perilous tidal rips and are only visited by the marine life which team around them in the murky depths. It is not known how many wrecks are buried deep in the sand and have subsequently been lost to us. Occasionally, a freak combination of tide and shifting sand will reveal, for a tantalizingly short time, the twisted remains of a forgotten ship. read more