Cook Strait Cook Strait Cook Strait () is a strait that separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast, and runs next to the capital city, Wellington. It is wide at its narrowest point, and is considered one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. The strait is named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770. In Māori it has the name "Raukawa" or "Te Moana-o-Raukawa". "Raukawa" may mean "bitter leaves". In Māori legend, Cook Strait
Diamond Harbour, New Zealand Diamond Harbour, New Zealand Diamond Harbour is a small settlement on Banks Peninsula, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is on the peninsula's northern coast, on the southern shores of Lyttelton Harbour, and is administratively part of the city of Christchurch. The area was named by Mark Stoddart, who bought of land in the area in 1856. The name is applied not only to Diamond Harbour proper but to the nearby settlements of Church Bay, Charteris Bay, and Purau. In the 2006 census, this area had a population of slightly under 1,400. A ferry connects Diamond Harbour to Lyttelton, on the