The propeller from Cook Strait ferry Aratere is now on dry land and has been taken to a workshop to be examined by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.
Photo: RNZ
The Interislander ferry lost a propeller on 5 November, midway through a crossing from Picton to Wellington.
Looking like a giant squid propped up on the back of the landing barge Brandywine, the six-ton propeller arrived in Wellington from Picton on Tuesday night after being recovered from the sea floor 120 metres down and two nautical miles from Tory Channel.
An investigator from the commission was on the barge at at Aotea Wharf on Wednesday morning to take photos and get an initial close-up look, including at one of the propeller's blades which is severely dented.
Securely strapped to the back of a reinforced truck, the 4.5-metre brass item was then taken to a workshop near Petone for further examination.
