AOTEA
photos & details from Paul Newell
Paul owned Aotea for approx. 5 years (2002-2007) & believes she was built in the South Island to an Alexander design. She was powered by a 300 Bedford Diesel.
The picture of her on the transporter was apparently her arriving in Auckland from Lake Taupo. Paul was told she was built for the N.Z. Government and taken to Taupo for the Queens Coronation NZ tour 1953-54 but he has never found anything to verify this. The other photos show her on Chris McMullen’s floating dock and on the marina at McMullen and Wings yard.
The last time Paul saw her she was on a mooring at Whitianga. Can anyone verify or add to her history?
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Something from PP 1951:
“NEW PLEASURE LAUNCH The Silver Cloud, a cruising launch built at Lyttelton by Mr Douglas Varnham with the assistance of four friends. She is 36ft 4in long and has a beam of 10ft 8in. Yesterday the craft was jacked up on to a mobile cradle and towed to the waterfront ready to be lifted into the water by the crane ship Rapaki next Monday or Tuesday.”
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Aotea is now on a swing mooring at Omokoroa in Tauranga.
Brian Worthington.
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Interesting — hints of George Roberts — Gayella etc — & R Lidgard — Monterey etc — sort of a bit of a combo of both — lovely looking classic boat — KEN RICKETTS
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Not much to add but I remember AOTEA as “the Government boat” at Taupo when I was a kid in the 1950’s.
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