A journalist who covered stories about the Ingham twins in 1997 says they become like "folklore".
It comes after Wellington police confirmed Joanne Ingham was found dead at a Wellington motel on Tuesday.
Police were called to a Te Aro property at 2:40am and are working to determine the cause of the 43-year-old's death.
Joanne and her twin sister Sarah made international headlines in 1997 when they stowed away on a Malaysian ship from Tauranga after Sarah fell in love with a sailor.
They then jumped overboard off the coast of Australia, swimming 19 kilometres to shore in Queensland. The twins were 18 years old at the time.
Richard Langston was a current affairs reporter who covered stories about the twins at the time.
He told AM on Wednesday the story of the twins gripped the nation for a long time.
"They become almost like folklore figures who couldn't help make headlines and we became fascinated with them. They were such colourful characters."
Watch the full interview above.
