Crossing The Cook Strait: The Airlines Crossing Some Of New Zealand’s Roughest Waters

Separating the North Island and South Island of New Zealand, the Cook Strait is named after the European commander, Captain James Cook, who first explored the area in 1770. To the indigenous Māori people, the Strait is named Te Moana-o-Raukawa, translated to The Sea of Raukawa. (Ruakaua is a native woody shrub). At the Cooks Strait's narrowest point, it is just 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide, and due to its ever-changing conditions, it is still considered one of the most unpredictable and dangerous waters in the world.