As part of Auckland’s Heritage Festival, Harold Kidd – NZ’s leading maritime historian & waitematawoody spoke at the RNZYS tonight on the topic ” Explore the Waitematā Harbour’s commercial and recreational maritime history”

I have attempted below to summarize Harolds talk – this is just the overview, his narrative & supporting photos made the evening one of the most informative & enjoyable talks I have been to. There was not a spare seat in the room & everyone left with a smile on their face – well done Harold & Pauline.

1. The Early Period – 1840 to 1870, which saw the the european reliant on the maori for fish & produce, the development of the boat building industry & the arrival on the scene of regattas & match races.
2. Between 1870 & 1900 with the first pure yachts (versus work boats) we saw the emergence of yacht clubs & proliferation of ‘organised’ regattas.Competition was fierce in the yacht building industry & the export of yachts was happening. We also saw the increased use of kauri & the arrival of the diagonal construction method.
Open sailing boats & the rise of the mullet boat as a ‘type’ were new to the scene.
3.The 1900’s to 1920 – this period was noted for the racing of mullet boats as a class, the first centre boarders & the building & launching of over 3,000 motor boats / launches. This period was also ‘effected’ by WW1 & the influenza epidemic.
4.The 1920’s to 1945 – a post war boom & bust & then boom again marked this era. We had the rise of the one-design & restricted centre board classes. Launch & keel boat building continued to boom in the 1930’s.
5.1945 – 1965 – period marked by the postwar boom & the arrival of new materials. This saw a boom in keel boat construction for racing & offshore cruising. Yachts clubs continued to proliferate. Designers took advantage of the new materials. We started to become more involved in International contests.
6. 1965 + Increasing sophistication in design & use of materials. International racing success. The America’s Cup. All this saw NZ at the forefront of the worlds yacht design & construction.