Listen
After a long walk around the deck of the sinking Wahine 50 years ago, Sharon Major realised she would have to throw her 6-month old daughter, Sarah, into the arms of a stranger in a life raft below.
She did it quickly and jumped in after, only moments before the ship tipped up and sunk in the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
Today we commemorate 50 years since the Wahine disaster, which claimed the lives of 53 people.
Murray and Sharon major with baby Sarah Photo: NZ Post