Cook Strait
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Cook Strait is the strait between the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand. It is named after James Cook who was the first European to sail it. On the north side of the strait is the harbour of Wellington. On the south side are the Marlborough Sounds and Cloudy Bay.
The two large bays of Golden Bay and Tasman Bay lie on the South Island coast immediately to the west of the strait, and the North Island coast to the west recedes towards the giant curve of the Kapiti Coast and South Taranaki Bight. To the east of the strait, it is the South Island which recedes, the coast running south-west after reaching the headland of Cape Campbell. The North Island's short south coast stretches along Palliser Bay, terminating at Cape Palliser.
Each island can be seen clearly from the other in good weather. At its narrowest point the Strait is 24 km wide, this being between Cape Terawhiti in the North Island and Perano Head on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Ironically, at this point the South Island's coast is the more northerly.
There are regular ferry services between Picton in the Sounds and Wellington. The sea is often rough due to strong winds, especially from the south.de:Cookstraße et:Cooki väin nl:Cookstraat pt:Estreito de Cook zh:庫克海峽