Parade of Classic & Wooden Boats

Lake Rotoiti

North Island, New Zealand.

Pre 1920

"Firefly" Owned by Allan Clark.  Built:1882. A 25' counter sterned launch restored during 2008, she is considered likely to be the oldest launch to still be in operation in the country.
It is understood that she was built north of Auckland in 1882 although details of her history remain a mystery. It is likely that she was used to ferry supplies to farms and islands.
Midway through last century she was used in a practical role on Lake Manapouri when the power station was under construction.
Allan suggests that she has never been used with a sail and believes that she has been powered by at least six different engines at different times. She is now powered with a Stuart Turner two cylinder, two stroke petrol engine enabling her to reach speeds of around five knots.

"Te Whara"  Owners: Coupe and Stewart Families,   Built:1916
Designer: Bailey & Lowe,  Length: 32”
 Te Whara was built by Bailey & Lowe at their yard at Sulphur Beach, Northcote in January 1916 for the Drummond brothers of Whangarei. Her first engine was a 10hp and probably a Sterling for which Bailey & Lowe were the agents. In February 1916 she was sailed up to Whangarei where she was based (always kept under cover). Originally flush-decked, Te Whara was taken back to Bailey & Lowe in the 1920’s where the wheelhouse area and companionway to the top deck was altered. She has the first rack-and-pinion steering ever fitted in Auckland. In 1972 she was refitted with the current 75HP Volvo Penta diesel which pushes her to around 10 knots. We purchased this launch (sporting a very rough paint job) in March 2005 and, after sailing her down from Whangarei harbour, spent a month sanding and repainting at Orams in Auckland. After a short few months interlude in Auckland, Te Whara was launched at Lake Rotoiti in June 2005 and is now moored at Gisborne Pt. where she is expected to be enjoyed for many years to come.

"Little Lady" Built 1901/2 for the Tauranga Harbour Masters. Eventually washed up on Mt. Maunganui sand dunes. After many years she was rediscovered, repaired and taken to Omokoroa where she was used for private fishing. Originally named "Safari", she has been owned by the present owners for 7 years who renamed her "Little Lady".
"Little Lady" has had a make over and extended to 7m. Relaunched November 2007
Length: Originally 6.1m, now 7m
Owners: Bill & Cherry Fowler
 

"Miss Kathleen". Kauri planked wooden displacement launch built in Auckland by Logan's for a wealthy family in Whangarei. Used for pleasure boating she spent most of her time in the Bay of Islands. Subsequently used for long line fishing. The motor is a 30 hp David Brown and is 50 years old. The vessel was rebuilt in 1989 at a cost of $22,000. Purchased by the present owner in late 1997 from Captain Richens, an old sea captain.
Length: 8.5m,   Owner: Barry Green,   Designer: Logan,   Builder: Logan 1902

"Rambler"  Owners: Ron Martin & Theo Vos, Rambler was built in Matakana in 1913 of kauri carvel hull construction. Said to be used for mail delivery from Auckland to Kawau Island until 1915, she was powered by a petrol Chev 4 engine. At this time she would have had a low cabin just above the portholes and a mast with steadying sails. Owned by a bootmaker in the 1960's and used for sea fishing from Matakana and Leigh. Top cabin added around this period. Engine changed to a two cylinder 20 hp Chinese diesel about 1990. Discovered at Half Moon Bay, Howick in June 2000 after searching northland for a suitable vessel. Many changes have been made since - revamped interior, hand made cedar mast, bronze & brass fittings, hand carved mahogany signs, navigation lamps & doors, special hand woven authentic fenders - the list goes on. Length: 7.9m

"Allies"  Owners: Noel & Colene Nicholson.
Extract from "Mullet Boats 'n' Quotes" - Author the late Noel Mitchell.    N8 (Allies) built Bailey & Spencer about 1915. An echo from a 1916 NZ Yachtsman reads "Yachts decked or half decked 20 feet and under, mullet type, handicap first prize four pound, second one pound, third trophy. Allies made no race of it simply tearing away from her opponents and ran home an easy winner by almost nine minutes. She was registered in Auckland in the late 60's before departing to her Tauranga owners. Others: Dale Spencer; G Millar (may be Gordon, a well known yachtsman and mullet boat measurer of the time); F Bertrand; S Armstrong; R O'Callaghan (Bob); M Robinson; Whitefield Brothers; H Coates; J Colmar; Mr Yearsby. Michele Copland's father's old ledger book shows boat originally named "Wyoming" and then changed to "Allies".
Converted to a lake cruiser by Lex and Keith Wyatt, purchased by present owners 2004.

 

"Elva"   Owner: Henry & Jocelyn Van der Heyden, Built: 1908, Length:9.8m.
Kauri planked displacement launch, formerly known as "Ngati Maru", the boat has spent its life in and around the Coromandel. Built to commemorate the joining of 2 Maori tribes named the "Ngati Maru" meaning "People of Peace". Renamed "Elva" by the previous owner after his mother who was born in 1908. "Elva" was restored by Tony Mitchell at Otaramarae and was relaunched in December 06. The before and after photos are shown above

"Elva" Built by Collings and Bell in 1911, Elva was displayed at the 1912 Auckland Boat Show. The name originates from one of Mr. Collings three daughters. Owned by Hugh Preston, she was used around Auckland, Kawau and Great Barriers Islands. Elva was purchased from north of Auckland by Malcolm Pearce in 2002 in need of a coat of paint and a bit of normal boat type maintenance.
2004, Elva is now proudly owned jointly by our chairman, Grant Cossey and our secretary, Nigel Brock. Length: 22 feet, 6.6m.

"Rere Moana" Owners: Vicki & Paul Prior, Built: 1910, Length: 8.1m.
Built in Tauranga and powered by a Model A motor, she won "fastest launch" in a very early Tauranga Harbour race in 1912. Purchased by Billy Wickham in the 1930's, she was taken to Rotoiti and at some stage fitted with a Ford Consul motor. She was restored in 1970 by John Leary and fitted with a Stuart Turner 8 hp motor. Cyclone Bola subsequently put her on shore where she was left to rot in blackberries. Trucked to Bill Cranston in Tauranga in 1992, she was resheaved, a higher cabin fitted and she was re fitted with a 9 hp outboard into the stern. Owned by B Prior and E Leary, she was relaunched early in 1993.
 She is now owned by Vicki and Paul Prior.

"Pandora" Owned and restored twice by Peter Murton. Built around 1890 to 1920. 18' long (5.4m) by 5'4" beam 2'3" draft at stern with 12" freeboard midships. Kauri planked carvel construction with grown stem and stern knees and breast hook of pohutukawa. Iron keel bolts with ribs copper fastened. Planked decks were canvassed with comings 3" above deck level and curved at bow. During restoration the name "claytons" was found on the bow. Discovered by Peter Murton covered in blackberry in Picton in 1984 she was restored with ply decking, 5 hp marine engine & 12X13 prop which pushed her at 6 knots. After selling her in 1987, Peter Murton found her again at Koromiko near Picton in poor condition full of water with snapped ribs and no motor or comings. Repaired again with transom, stem, floors, dead wood on keel and some ribs replaced, this time in white oak, she was renamed Pandora (previously Kupe). Powered with Simplex motor with fresh water cooling system of 10m x 25mm copper tube and copper header tank under centre thwart.
Peter may be able to help others with their restoration. Check his website
Awarded "Best hull built pre 1920" 2003.

"No Catchem" recently called Pandora has had a change of name. We were at the Nelson Lakes Antique and Classic boat show 2004 and found two photos of our boat in a book on the history of St Arnaud and Lake Rotoiti then at the show one of the family who owned her in the 1920s and still lives in St Arnaud confirmed that she was called "No Catchem" at the time and was owned by Jock Ingram. She won the Rotoiti Power Boat Clubs round the lake race in 1927. We have found no trace of her after 1931 until 1984 when I found her in Picton. We have changed her name back to "No Catchem".

"M V Snark"  Owners: William & Caroline Main, Length: 7.8m mullety. Originally built in 1912, the hull was found in the mud at Tauranga by Geoff Main and rebuilt by G.Main & N.Macky in 1990. Relaunched in 1992. Since then has entertained many people on Lake Rotoiti.

"Tauraka" Owned by Maureen Clarkson and Tracey Mackay
Built and launched 1912 by Fred Man for F.W. Chalmers.
She was a gaff rigged sail boat with a 10 HP Frisco engine named Helen G.
The Carter family from Tauranga purchased the boat about 1925 and owned her
until 1947.  She was renamed Helen C.  She was modified to a single mast motor
boat and the cabin structure was altered by the Smiths of Matakana
Island (Sawmillers). Later she was owned by Jim Dunning from Mount Maunganui
until 1993. Gary Powell purchased her next and owned her until approx 2005.
There are many photos of her in the Tauranga library and there have been articles written by Harold Kidd, boat historian.
Today she is in Okawa Bay at Lake Rotoiti and is powered by a Fordson Diesel.
She has sailed to the Kermidecks at some stage as the story goes.

 

"Genevere" 30' vintage launch thought to be built around 1908. Owned by Mike and Jenny Lowe.

"Water Nymph" Owned by Peter Burley & Family, 31' vintage launch built in Auckland by Bailey & Lowe in 1910 for Mr J Vigor-Brown, the mayor of Napier. Powered by a 19 litre American petrol truck engine, she was raced with RNZYS for several years before Mr Vigor-Brown took her back to Napier. He eventually sold her to the Napier Harbour Board where she served as the Napier Harbour pilot boat for several years before ending up as a scallop boat.
Bought by the Toogood family in Wellington she had a major refit, the deck raised and the cabin top fitted.
She has been in Auckland since 2002 where the galley and helm seat were fitted. Water Nymph is now powered by a 75hp Sole diesel (marine conversion of a Mercedes engine)
She cruises at 8 knots and will do 11 knots.

"Richmond Rose" Owned by Wayne Brown, the 26' kauri planked, Logan vintage launch is thought to have been built around 1908. The shoal-draft launch is powered with a 9.9hp four stroke outboard motor through a well near the transom which pushes her up to nine knots.

The following details are recorded but photos are required to complete the page 

"Taranui"  Built: 1890, Length: 10 metres. This "Waka Te Te" meaning, a vessel for the conveyance of women, is owned by the Taranui family and was originally used to transport school children from Rotoiti to Whangamarino in the Okere arm. In the 1930/40's it was split in half and laid on Ted Boucher's front lawn. In 1976, a decision was made to do something about the Waka and it was put back together using steel rods by Lyonel Grant, a master carver. It is now kept at Whangamarino Primary School in a special Whare. The Waka has been involved in publicity picture shoots for Air New Zealand.

"Lapwing"  Owner: Maurice Burney, Built: 1913, Length: 7.9m, Designed & Built: Bailey & Lowe.
Built in the traditional New Zealand way with full length kauri planks, brass riveted to steam bent tanekaha ribs, pohutukawa stem & knees, and tongue & grooved decks, for Captain James (Cappy) Davies, the present owners grandfather, she was launched at Sulphur Beach, Auckland and named "Lapwing". Powered with a 17/25 hp "Sterling" American built petrol motor, she attained a speed of 10 knots. Sold in 1916 to M J McCutcheon of Tauranga, she appeared again on Lake Taupo as "Pandora". Subsequently used as a fishing boat out of Raglan as "Bonnie", the motor was replaced in 1952 with an English Voyager petrol motor. In 1973 she narrowly escaped being wrecked when the motor failed off the Alderman islands BOP. Purchased by present owner in 1997, she was substantially rebuilt by Harry Richards with fibreglass over 2 3/8 inch treated kaihikatea skins and relaunched near Sulphur Beach in Auckland.

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