Where Is She Now ? – Lady Ava
A very pretty launch that we need in the CYA fleet, so the question today is where is she hiding these days – the above photo ex Jason Prew was taken at the Mahurangi Regatta in 2006.
I hope I have the correct name – the only reference I have is the yellow pennant on her stern – Lady Ava
+ need details on her please 🙂 thx Harold – amended as below.
Update from Harold Kidd
Its MISS AVA, built by Ernie Lane at Picton in 1931.
I looked at her to buy several years ago and found her quite attractive. She went to Wellington about 1937, owned by Ernie Lamberg. She was in NAPS at Wellington 1942-3 as Z70. Her dimensions are 36’x9’8″ and she recently was powered by a 6 cylinder Ford diesel. There is a nice pic of her in the Boat Harbour at Wellington in NAPS in “New Zealand Naval Vessels” by Bob McDougall on page 105. She hasn’t changed much since then.
Update to the above from Harold
johntwodogs is quite right. Z70 in that image is not MISS AVA. I wish I had checked my copy of NZNV before posting, especially since the entry in my database had an asterisk for a doubtful piece of info. I have only just found it after 3 hours of searching in my library, face down in the wrong place.
NZNV gives only a couple of NAPS numbers for Wellington launches, Z73 for QUEEN CHARLOTTE and Z78 for ROSEMARY M. I’ve filled in a few, eg RAHEMO with Z76. So what is this Z70? She’s a weird-looking craft, quite large. The only Wellington NAPS boat that seems to correspond is KOTUKU, a 48 footer owned by Wm. H Smith about which I know nothing.
The image below is for the Wellington buffs to chew over. Courtesies to Bob McDougall who had no responsibility for my leap in the dark.
PS Of course QUEEN CHARLOTTE is Z72, NOT Z73 as in NZNV.
Updated ‘recent’ photos of Lady Ava ex John Wright. click photos to enlarge
John tells me the ‘young lad’ in the wheel house is ‘Captain Buck Rogers’
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If you look back at the woodys tour of the Tamaki River I posted earlier, she was against the southern bank of the Tamaki , opposite the boat ramp on Waipuna Rd East
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That’s a possibility. TANIWHA was a weird craft, originally a steamer built by Harry Bender pre1905 but heavily altered forward and aft, lengthened by 8-10 feet and fitted with a 20hp Gardner and a ketch rig for G.H. Jackson who had sold her by 1920 when he bought PSYCHE. She was in pretty bad shape by then and had one abortive trip to the Chathams for fishing when she was dropped by the ship’s gear when being loaded aboard at Wellington. Jackson had her for sale in 1917 “on the rocks at Balaena Bay”, possibly just drawn up there, rather than impaled, with all fishing gear. But I’ve no mention of her from 1920 and then KOTUKU pops up in the late 30’s. However Joe Jukes built a Gleniffer-powered launch KOTUKU for Swan in 1928.
Just the same, my best guess is that this KOTUKU was TANIWHA.
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The clipper bow looks like Taniwha’s to me
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It’s possible Kotuku is Taniwha renamed? Kotuku appears in the RPNYC boat register from 1938/39 – 1942/3. Nothing else.
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Yes that elbow out the window driving style looks like Dr Rogers the marine physician of Northcote point . He looked the same in his big old yank tank flogging knock offs from Fiji to the unsuspecting in Beaumont street during the 60’s . 🙂
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New (recent) photos added
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Maybe Z70 isn’t KOTUKU which appears to have been built for Swan by Jukes in March 1928. I can’t see a boat like Z70 being built in 1928 unless Swan was really into retro. David Lackey, Gavin Pascoe or johntwodogs should be able to solve this puzzle.
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I recall her at the Hobbie Airbase about 10 to 12 years ago on the hardstand at the base, here she had been for quite a period at that time & looking a little the worse for deferred maintenance. I was told she belonged to a gentleman on the base.
The gentleman I met as above at Gulf Harbour, about a year ago, as I recall, introduced himself as a “Captain Mike somebody,” He has actually rung me several times since to discuss a car belonging to a family member or friend of his, similar to mine. If he calls me again, I will make a point of getting an update on MISS/LADY AVA’s latest movements. — KEN RICKETTS
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PS Of course QUEEN CHARLOTTE is Z72, NOT Z73 as in NZNV.
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johntwodogs is quite right. Z70 in that image is not MISS AVA. I wish I had checked my copy of NZNV before posting, especially since the entry in my database had an asterisk for a doubtful piece of info. I have only just found it after 3 hours of searching in my library, face down in the wrong place.
NZNV gives only a couple of NAPS numbers for Wellington launches, Z73 for QUEEN CHARLOTTE and Z78 for ROSEMARY M. I’ve filled in a few, eg RAHEMO with Z76. So what is this Z70? She’s a weird-looking craft, quite large. The only Wellington NAPS boat that seems to correspond is KOTUKU, a 48 footer owned by Wm. H Smith about which I know nothing.
I’ve scanned the image and sent it to Alan for the Wellington buffs to chew over. Courtesies to Bob McDougall who had no responsibility for my leap in the dark.
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Just borrowed my neighbour’s “NZ Naval Vessels” and had a look at page 105. The vessel marked Z70 has a clipper bow and definitely isn’t “Miss Ava”. The launch beside her, Z76 is a bit closer in looks, but isn’t her either; “Miss Ava’s” raised deck goes all the way aft to her cockpit. Dunno what Z76 is, but feel I ought to – “Rosemary M”? “Rahemo”?
I note that most of the Wellington Pennant Numbers appear to have been lost, and those listed aren’t accurate; “Queen Charlotte” is listed as Z73, but the photo clearly shows her (de-rigged and with a temporary wheelhouse aft) as Z72.
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Mike the current owner who use’s her as a live aboard cruiser is not very well at the moment and she is hauled out a leader boats in Pamure for a few repairs. She is currently call Lady Eva
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Oh! And IIRC she was owned for a while by Eric Ackroyd of Christchurch
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Harold is right – she was originally “Miss Ava” and was built in Picton by Ernie Lane. There is (was?) a close sister whose name I forget and two larger similar boats; “Rehutai” and “Southern Maid”.
When I knew her she was owned by Wellington lawyer Les Rose, and had a Kelvin engine. The Kelvin had one of those chain drive gear changes where you turned a wheel to change gear. Les got it wrong one day and rammed the end of our jetty.
She was here at Hobsonville-nee-Westpark for a while under John Wright’s ownership, and you could still see where the ding in the stem had been filled.
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Hey there, it’s MISS AVA, NOT “LADY AVA”.
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She was owned by a gentleman on his own, as a live aboard for a period as at about a year ago, when she cruised in to Gulf Harbour one day when I was there & was invited aboard — she has a 4 cyl Ford Diesel with a mechanical gearbox. I was also going to also sat she is LADY AVA but Harold corrected it first. He spoke of considerable long distance cruising, he said he had done in her, in both islands over his ownership period, spending often just a few days in each place. — KEN RICKETTS
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I looked at her to buy several years ago and found her quite attractive. She went to Wellington about 1937, owned by Ernie Lamberg. She was in NAPS at Wellington 1942-3 as Z70. Her dimensions are 36’x9’8″ and she recently was powered by a 6 cylinder Ford diesel. There is a nice pic of her in the Boat Harbour at Wellington in NAPS in “New Zealand Naval Vessels” by Bob McDougall on page 105. She hasn’t changed much since then.
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That’s MISS AVA, built by Ernie Lane at Picton in 1931.
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Has been hauled out at Leader Boatbuilders (Owen Woolley’s old premises) at Panmure for several months.
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Now berthed behind boat shed above old Panmure bridge
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