ARAHI
photo ex Pam Cundy
The above photo shows Arahi moored in Tryphena Harbour at Great Barrier Island. Looking at her there are some seriously old bones there, so she must have a past that some of the woodys know about?
Almost forgot to wish you all a happy New Year & if you are out on the water – be careful, booze & boats are not always good partners 😉
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waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 14+ million views 
Hi I’ve been really interested in your website!!
I was a teenager in the 60’s and often out on my family launch Norwind. It would be really good to know where she is now ! We had her moored at Westhaven. She was painted, but my dad, Max Greig, stripped her back to the Kauri up on the hard and varnished her. Apparently she was once moored at Tutukaha and originally was fitted with outriggers. She was very narrow gutted along the lines of Norwegian fjiord boats.
I remember the Walters family who still own Almitra, and going on board her at Russell in the 60’s. I was sorry to read that Lance Walters had passed away.
I just had a look at Arahi which I remembered and see you have a photo of her!
Thanks for the details of the old boats, as they bring back great memories and nostalgia ! I love driving past the old bridge deckers along Tamaki Drive.
They were the days of Sirdar and some of the bigger launches, which we would now probably call super yachts!
Kind regards
Jan Barber
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ARAHI means “leader” in Maori so it’s relatively common for yachts and launches. H.W. Martin had one in the 1920s, E.L. Sibun had one in the 1970s plus a number of racing centreboarders etc and we have this AHB hydrographic survey boat, obviously an old work boat from a much earlier period again. I would like to see the ref in Fildes’ book but am willing to wager that it’s nothing to do with the boat pictured above.
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I agree, I know an ARAHI, & she doesn’t look anything like that & is more in the time frame of post WWII — it’s a name that would attract a number of them I would think. — KEN R
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BTW which book by Bob Fildes?
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She certainly doesn’t look like 1942, more like 1912. Could she be one of the FRISBEEs, the one built at Weymouth on the Manukau by “A. McLeod” in 1914, later on the Waikato. Bit of a long shot. Maybe one of the Helensville McLeods?
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In a book by Bob FIldes it says that Arahi was built 1942 by J.A.Mcleod. Does anyone know of J.A.Mclead and where he might have built the boat?
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My father worked on it when it was a survey boat for the AHB. I have fond memories of being on her as a kid. The skipper and crew didn’t just use it for surveying. They dived and fished around the Gulf. I was forever being made to go around the neighbourhood giving away fish as Dad would come back with so many every day. Good sea boat.
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Ex AHB Survey hydrographic Launch replaced with a Corsair mid 1970’s.
Murray
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I have an idea she once belonged to the Auckland Harbour Board.
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