The Dolphin Who Guided Ships Across The French Pass

Found at the north end of New Zealand’s South Island is a narrow and treacherous stretch of water known as the French Pass. Currents here are so strong it can drag ships easily and smash them against the rocks. Thus, sailors always avoided this stretch of water.

The very first European attempt to navigate through these narrows was a near disaster.

French Admiral Jules Dumont d'Urville was mapping the coast of the South Island in 1827 when he instructed his navigator to enter the pass. Situated between Rangitoto ki te Tonga, also known as D'Urville Island (after the Admiral himself), and the mainland coast, the French Pass saves about 15 miles of distance for those wishing to sail between the North and the South Islands. The alternative is to go around D'Urville Island and through heavy cross seas.

As d'Urville’s ship Astrolabe, a formidable warship of the French Navy, approached the narrowest part of the pass, the vessel swung sideward and the rising tide took the ship towards the rocky shore. Even as the ship’s crew struggled to regain control of the vessel, Astrolabe struck rocks twice, and was washed over the reef. After the incident, d'Urville suggested that no one should attempt to navigate French Pass except in extreme.

Over sixty years would pass before the French Pass became a natural route for sailors who travel between Wellington and Nelson. But it wasn’t because ships were more navigable after six decades, nor was it because sailors became more skillful. Rather, it was because of a dolphin called Pelorus Jack, who, for 24 years, guided almost every ship that went through the Pass.