More Info →"When Hyderabad went Ashore"

This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 13 January, 1959. "Nobody who visits Waitarere beach comes away without walking the mile south to have a look at what remains of the good ship Hyderabad which was driven ashore on the night of June 24, 1878. Not much beyond the disintegrating iron hull is left but historians are indebted to the late Mr J. T. Stewart who was responsible for the surveying of Palmerston North and district, for the above sketch of the vessel as he saw it shortly after it was wrecked. The Hyderabad was bound from Lyttelton to Adelaide but encountered squalls in Cook Strait, the wind later turning into a gale. The captain tried to reach the shelter of Kapiti but the ship gradually drifted ashore after attempts to anchor her failed. Two attempts to refloat the Hyderabad were made and each was very nearly successful, a change of wind or a broken hawser at the last moment frustrating the efforts. The final blow was when a fire completely gutted the ship. Five men were living aboard where they had a steam engine for cutting up driftwood. This occurred on February 21, 1881. The Hyderabad was a full rigged ship of 1350 tons gross weight and was built in 1866. There were 33 persons on board when she went ashore and all got off safely. Copies of serveral of J.T. Stewarts's sketches are in the possession of the Palmerston North City Library."