# GMV Aranui

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Aranui in Queen Charlotte Sound in 1968 History Name Aranui Owner New Zealand Railways Department Route Wellington to Picton Builder Vickers, High Walker Cost $NZ 4 million Yard number 183 Launched 26 June 1965 Completed 1965 Identification IMO number: 6517067[1] Fate Scrapped at Chittagong 1994 General characteristics Tonnage 3,281 GT; later 4,160 Length 112.2 m (368 ft) Beam 18.6 m (61 ft) Draft 4.78 metres (15.7 ft) Installed power 6 × English Electric 16-cylinder 4-stroke turbocharged 16 CSVM diesel 10" x 21" design 900rpm, service 700rpm Propulsion Electric drive to 2 shafts Speed 19 knots (22 mph) Capacity 800 passengers 30 railroad cars 70 cars Crew 90

**GMV *Aranui*** was a [roll-on/roll-off](/source/Roll-on%2Froll-off) [train ferry](/source/Train_ferry) operating across the [Cook Strait](/source/Cook_Strait) between 1965 and 1984.

## History

Government Motor Vessel (GMV) *Aranui* was built in 1965 for the [New Zealand Railways Department](/source/New_Zealand_Railways_Department) for the service between the [North](/source/North_Island) and [South](/source/South_Island) Islands of New Zealand.[2] She was built by [Vickers](/source/Vickers_Limited) in England.[3][4] In February 1965, she sailed via the [Panama Canal](/source/Panama_Canal), arriving in [Wellington](/source/Wellington) on 28 May[4] and entered service with her sister [GMV *Aramoana*](/source/GMV_Aramoana) on 9 June.[5] In 1977 she was rebuilt by Sims Engineering, [Dunedin](/source/Dunedin) to carry 950 passengers to meet the increased traffic, following the company's main competitor, the [Union Company](/source/Union_Company)'s withdrawal from the route.[6][7][8][9][10]

In 1983, *Aranui* and *Aramoana* were replaced by the significantly larger *[Arahura](/source/Arahura)*. *Aranui* was laid up in Wellington in June 1984 and sold four months later to the Najd Trading & Construction Company of [Jeddah](/source/Jeddah), [Saudi Arabia](/source/Saudi_Arabia).[4][11] Renamed *Aranui A* and then *Nui*, she commenced service carrying Muslim pilgrims on the [Red Sea](/source/Red_Sea).[4]

In 1986, the ship was renamed *Najd III*. Five years later, following an engine failure, she was laid up at Singapore.[8] In 1992, her owners were unable to make progress payments for a repair/refit. She arrived at a [Chittagong](/source/Chittagong) breaker's yard on 3 November 1994.[4]

## Layout

*Aranui* was slightly larger than *Aramoana*. She had a higher bridge and funnel than her older sister ship.[12]

A combined vehicle deck could carry 70 cars and 30 rail wagons.

## Service

*Aranui* was built to operate a railway service between Wellington and [Picton](/source/Picton%2C_New_Zealand), later known as the *[Interislander](/source/Interislander)*.

## Footnotes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Aranui - IMO 6517067"](http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1494838). Shipspotting. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** New Zealand's Rail Ferry *[Australian Transport](/source/Australian_Transport)* January 1965 page 35

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** New Zealand *[Network](/source/Network_(periodical))* April 1965 page 2

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nzm_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nzm_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nzm_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nzm_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-nzm_4-4) ["NZ Rail Ferry Aranui"](http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/aranui.htm). NZ National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Aranui makes last crossing *[Rails](/source/Rails_(magazine))* August 1984 page 18

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Refit for Aranui at Dundein *Network* June 1978 page 28

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Aranui back in service following $3 million all NZ refit *Rails* January 1979 pages 7-9

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-fof_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-fof_8-1) ["M/S Aranui"](http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/aranui_1965.htm). Fakta om fartyg. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["New Zealand's Cook Strait Rail Ferries"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090727192412/http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/railferries.htm). NZ National Maritime Museum. Archived from [the original](http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/railferries.htm) on 27 July 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Stott, Bob (1981). *The Cook Strait Ferry Story*. Southern Press. p. 44. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0908616015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0908616015).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Pioneer ferries sold overseas *Rails* January 1985 page 144

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Aranui Cook Strait ferry"](https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/aranui-cook-strait-ferry). New Zealand History Online. Retrieved 26 February 2012.

v t e New Zealand inter-island and Cook Strait ferries Current Cook Strait Wellington-Picton ferries Kaiārahi Kaitaki MV Connemara MV Livia Former Cook Strait (Wellington–Picton) ferries Aratere Arahanga Arahura GMV Aramoana GMV Aranui MV Aratika Condor Vitesse Incat 046 MS Santa Regina Strait Feronia MV Straitsman (2005) MV Straitsman (1972) MV Suilven Former inter-island (Wellington–Lyttelton) ferries SS Penguin TEV Rangatira (1931) Rangatira (1971) TSS Wahine (1913) TEV Wahine (1966) Companies Bluebridge KiwiRail Union Company Services Interislander

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [GMV Aranui](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMV_Aranui) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMV_Aranui?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.