Many of us won't have seen the Manukau Bar when it's got a cob on! To give site visitors some idea of the power of the Bar when at its worst, Duncan Montgomery, from the NZ Coastal Shipping Forum, has very kindly permitted the use of the pics below. Posted sequentially left to right, they were taken on the morning of 18 September 2010, as "Spirit Of Resolution" was losing her rudder ... see the Harbour Incidents section for more info. Duncan also took the pic opposite, inbound a month earlier on a much more pleasant day weather-wise. Yet even then, the white-capped waves around the Bar offer a hint of menace. In a flat calm, the western channel is the better option of the two, but when there's a swell up and a westerly is on the prowl, the south channel is the go. Worst conditions? Rough or following seas.
A seething cauldron of trouble!	Container washing, Manukau style!
	Note how the dark blue container near the bow has risen upwards!