Maureen Anne

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MAUREEN ANNE
Paul Drake sent in the two brilliant Taupo photos above, the photo above of Maureen Anne were recently given to Paul’s brother Michael, by one Maureen West nee Somerville who would love to know where this boat Maureen Anne is now.

She was built in Taihape by F.W. Somerville, Joiners. Maureen’s father was Ben Somerville, part of the firm. She was launched at Taupo in about 1948 & appears to be about 23′.

The second photo also came into view only recently. It is of the Boat Harbour at Taupo, in the late 1940’s/early 1950’s. The photo shows Maureen Anne in the distance on her mooring, just ahead of Romance.

On her mooring mid river is Col Wild’s 1936 Lamorna. Tied up to the river bank is El Alamein (now Ranui) – McGeady, ( third from left) in one of her earlier configurations. Also Arcadia (Slattery – second from right) and various other unknown woodys. Oh, and first on left is Wyona, a large clinker who biodegraded many years ago.

Update from Alan Craig – below are 2 photos related to todays (above) Taupo story.
Tony Mitchell had the print of Wyona, and Alan also found the post card on trademe of the ferry, at the time named ‘Rotoiti’, that use to go through the channel to Rotorua. Not quite the same boat but some one might recognise it.

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8 thoughts on “Maureen Anne”

  1. I wonder if anyone remembers a Logan clinker dinghy (12.6 or maybe 14 ft) owned by Dick and Beth Wilson at Otaramarae? She was built for my father, Harry Upton, as a gift for my grandfather, Parker Tasker Upton,and known as Parker T. We had her at Kawau in the fifties and she probably went to the lake around 1960. Father had her powered by a 15 horse Anzani outboard, and she had a fair turn of speed.

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  3. The ROTOITI in the image was a 50ft steel vessel built in December 1959 for Rodney Davy, licensed for 90 pax.

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  4. I think you will find Wynona and Rotoiti are two completely different boats. I do know Rotoiti was steel.

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  5. The WYONA in the Taupo photo is not, of course, the WYNONA at Rotorua (different spelling). WYONA at Taupo was about 28 feet and clinker built. The boat on the very far right of the Boat Harbour photo – the little clinker – is NORTH WIND (if you zoom in you can read it). Very interesting to see and hear about Rotorua’s WYNONA. She must have negotiated the Ohau Channel as is evidenced by the Mokoia Island (Rotorua) brochure, and the second photo.of her at Okere Inlet (Rotoiti).

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  6. Don’t think Rotoiti ever went through the channel, She did excursions from Okere to Hinehopu at the eastern end of the lake. She was similar to Ngaroto on Rotorua and was sold off the Lake to Blue Boats. I last saw her some years ago in Akl looking pretty tired.

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  7. WYNONA was built in December 1948 by Sam Ford for Rotorua Lake Services Ltd. There was an allegation that poor quality timber went into her and that she started rotting after 3 years on the lake. This was not necessarily Sam’s fault. It was very hard to get quantities of sound timber in those early post-war years.

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