Tsunamis and Stranded Vessels: Up Ship Creek without a Paddle?

Stranded vessels are large, highly visible components of debris associated with catastrophic tsunamis and storms. In many cases, they attain almost iconic status and are memorable evidence of a particular event. Little attention, however, is given to early historically documented accounts of stranded vessels that have been found inland beyond normal shoreline settings. This is unfortunate because often this type of evidence can provide yet another source of information to help researchers interpret the nature and extent of past catastrophic events. An example of stranded vessels found on the West Coast of New Zealand in the 19th century indicates some of the benefits and limitations associated with using early historical accounts. Conflicting evidence about the vessels are apparent but equally, contextual geological and ecological data provide important data to clarify the nature of the stranding event. The New Zealand example indicates that historical documents written by early settlers, particularly in and around the Pacific, provide an invaluable data source to complement more conventional archaeological, geological, and palaeoecological information to interpret past events. In this instance, it is proposed that wrecks found at Ship Creek and Whataroa River were transported inland by a tsunami in ad 1826.