small islands Matiu / Somes Island, Mākaro / Ward Island and Mokopuna Island are located in the harbour. The entrance to the harbour can be quite dangerous, especially since Cook Strait to the south is notoriously rough. Close to the harbour's entrance lies Barrett Reef, where rocks break the water's surface at low tide. History Pre-European history According to oral history, Wellington Harbour was first discovered by the Polynesian explorer Kupe. A traditional Māori name for the area, Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui, is derived from Māori legend and translates literally as "the head of Maui's fish". Te Whanganui a Tara, another Māori name from the area, translates literally as "the great harbour of Tara". It is believed to refer to Whatonga's son Tara, who was sent down from the Māhia Peninsula by his father to explore southern lands for their people to settle. Modern history William Wakefield named the harbour Lambton Harbour in 1839 in honour of the Earl of Durham, who had the family name of "Lambton". Port Nicholson is said to have received its name from Captain James Herd, who sailed into the Harbour of Tara in 1826 and left it with its first European name, calling it after Sydney's Harbourmaster Captain John Nicholson however, while Herd is attributed to the first charts describing Te Whanganui a Tara as "Port Nicholson" it is likely that Captain John Rodolphus Kent of the cutter Mermaid had previously named it after the harbormaster, his superior officer. The New Zealand Company established settlements in Petone and Wellington from 1840. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake uplifted the north-western side of the Wellington bay. This led to the reclamation of Wellington Harbour, which increased the availability of flat land for Wellington City. In 1968, the inter-island passenger ferry Wahine grounded at Barrett Reef, near the harbour entrance, during a storm. Fifty-one people died. Transport Wellington Harbour is a significant port serving the lower North Island, with the Regional Council-owned company Centreport recording around 14,000 commercial shipping movements each year. Wellington Harbour, the region's third largest container port, is located in Wellington City. There is a tanker terminal at Seaview in Lower Hutt. Wellington harbour ferries first began operating at the end of the 19th century and regular crossings from central Wellington to Days Bay continue today. The harbour is also used by inter-island ferries, linking Wellington to Picton. A project to develop