Seatoun was developed by James Coutts Crawford in 1879, and the name originates from a place in Forfarshire (UK) which was owned by the Crawford family. The Seatoun Tunnel (1906 -07) provided a land link to Seatoun, which was formerly reached by boat only.
The Wahine Park Memorial is located in Seatoun. The Wahine disaster occurred on 10 April 1968. On that day the TEV Wahine, a New Zealand inter-island ferry of the
Union Company, foundered on Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour and capsized near Steeple Rock. Of the 610 passengers and 123 crew on board, 53 people died. The Wahine Memorial Park marks an area near where the survivors reached the shore at Seatoun, and includes a memorial plaque, the ship's anchor and chain, and replica ventilation pipes. A children's playground is also part of the commemorative park.
East by West run a daily ferry service from the Seatoun wharf to Wellington city and Eastbourne. More information about this in the directory.