Image Credit: The S.S. Tasmania hit a rock off Table Cape, Mahia Peninsula in 1897. Auckland Libraries
There are concerns divers are plundering one of New Zealand’s famous shipwrecks. Are they treasure-hunting pirates, or just amateur souvenir-seekers?
By Alexia Russell
Concerns have been raised over the summer that the historic contents of a shipwreck off the Mahia Peninsula are being plundered by divers.
The site where the alleged theft is happening is that of the S.S. Tasmania, a grand passenger steamer that went down in a fierce storm in 1897 after hitting rocks off Table Cape.
On board was a suitcase full of jewels, carried by a distant relative of the famous Rothschild family. It was that treasure that prompted diving pioneer Kelly Tarlton to buy the wreck, and in the 1970s, he managed to recover about 250 rings and other items encrusted with rubies, opals, sapphires, and diamonds.
But it was only a fraction of the loot, and the rest – more than half of what went down – is still there.
Read the full article on RNZ:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/585407/the-treasure-s-in-the-tales-of-new-zealand-s-2500-sunken-ships
