Cook Strait swim heard by a nation

Barrie Devenport. Photo / Supplied.

Barrie Devenport, endurance swimmer. Died aged 75.

An oversight or simply the failure of people in high places to recognise the size and significance of the feat?

Almost until his dying day, Barrie Devenport struggled to understand why he had been shunned by the government in not acknowledging his 11-hour, 20-minute battle against the odds and the elements in becoming the first person to swim across Cook Strait, on November 20, 1962.

A New Year or Queen's Birthday honour should, surely, have followed.

Instead Devenport had to be content with his later admission to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

Almost 48 years ago, a nation sat spellbound as they listened to the radio commentary which unfolded and told of Devenport's endeavours in an attempt to put behind him a failed bid which eight months earlier had ended 2km short and in tears.

Hundreds of thousands huddled around their radios up and down New Zealand reacted with jubilation to the epic words: "He has touched the rocks ... Barrie Devenport of the Worser Bay Surf Club becomes the first man to conquer Cook Strait. He is climbing up the rocks. Barry is still moving quite freely. I bet he is exhausted."

While perhaps not at quite at the same level as Sir Edmund Hillary's conquest of Mt Everest less than 10 years earlier, Devenport's feat in beating winds and tides in the often-treacherous and bone-chilling stretch of water was, for many, as significant.

In a year which had begun spectacularly with Peter Snell breaking three world records, including the mile at Cook's Gardens (significantly), in the space of a week, Devenport captured even bigger headlines.

But, for some unexplained reason, neither Snell nor Devenport were acclaimed as New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year as in 1961 and 1962 no such awards were made - the only years missing from their inception in 1949 until the present day.

After two unsuccessful attempts in 1929, the Cook Strait challenge had remained but was not taken up again until Aucklander Margaret Sweeney in the early 1960s twice set out only to be beaten back by seasickness.

Early in 1962 Bill Penny, from the Maranui Surf Club in Wellington, and Devenport set out on the same day but from opposite sides of the strait. Neither made it, failing in dramatic circumstances.

The challenge remained and on November 20 Devenport finally laid the ghost to rest as he struggled through the last 500 yards in 39 painstaking minutes before touching the South Island.

Since his pathfinding exploit, there have been 74 successful swims across Cook Strait by 64 different swimmers.

Devenport's time pales compared with Casey Glover's amazing 4h 37m 56s (also north to south) in April 2008 and there have been many others who have left Devenport's time in their wake, but none can lay claim to being the first.

That honour remains Devenport's alone.

Devenport died on the Gold Coast and is survived by his partner of six years, Kristin David, and sons Wayne and Brent.

- NZ Herald