Meteor

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METEOR

The above photos of the speed boat – Meteor shown here on Lake Wakatipu , & are ex Len Redwood via the Pre 1975 NZ Car,Boats etc etc FB page. 

So woodys – the question of the day – what do we know about Meteor?

Note: There is another speedboat named Meteor (built by Sam Ford in 1931) that has appeared on WW – do not be confused.

13 thoughts on “Meteor”

  1. “Kingston” was not an ex Comet or Meteor. “Kingston” was a whale chaser which became Dr. Vic Jacobsens boat for doing his rounds out of Havelock. I skippered ‘Comet” out of Picton in 1985/86 for Friendship Cruises with the owners Peter and Roger Jackman who also ran Reomoana and Viking. I don’t believe the name had ever been Meteor and is the vessel that Dick Hall refers to above ,which he bought.

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  2. I think the first photo of Meteor in on the main lake near the Kelvin Heights Golf Course looking over Jacks Point to the Remarkables. The second photo could be Bobs Cove.

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  3. Thanks to Dick Hall for the update on Meteor/Reowai, yes of course that’s the connection – I spent a lot of time on Reowai as a kid, often driving the boat up the Sounds with Bill Kenny having a break/smoke (when there were no passengers on board of course!).

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  4. I purchased the Comet that Simon refers to and had her converted into a work-boat with new wheelhouse and lengthened by McManaway Marine to service our marine farm. She still looks the same now on trade-me but very rough and the 6V/53 GM has been replaced with a Ford. The Meteor Simon refers to was a later vessel and was re-named Reowai when owned by Red Funnel Launches. I have photos of all the various stages of Comet from new at the southern lakes and will send to Alan shortly

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  5. Comet was for sale recently on trademe in average to poor nick and yes she had a similar hull too

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  6. I know the boat from the Sounds but I’m a bit hazy on the exact details. A very similar boat (very close sistership) “Comet” was in Picton for many years approx early-mid 1980’s as a water taxi. I don’t think she was part of the Kenny Red Funnel fleet, probably the other major company during that time. She had a sliding roof/cabin arrangement. I recall Meteor also being in Picton for some of that time too. Again from memory they both had earlier done service in the southern lakes, as had the larger ‘Viking’.

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  7. Frank Haworth {a descendant of Queenstown founder Gilbert Rees] purchased Meteor in 1950 and ran 20 min excursions on Lake Wakatipu.This photo looks to be around Bob’s Cove on the Glenorchy Rd.He paid for the boat from the first summers takings.In 1959 he built Meteor 2.then in the 1960’s he got Meteor 3 built in UK.It arrived with corrosion damage, a blow to Mr Haworth who was renown as maintaining his equipment to Air Force standards.This was the first hydrofoil in NZ and was operating {under a different owner) in the 1990’s Mr Haworth passed away in 2015 aged 92. Malcolm

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  8. Hi, just an observation pretty much evident in photo`s up to and including that era——you don`t see many / any fat people. If that same photo was taken today———- more than 50% of the people in the photo would be unhealthily over weight —— in my opinion. Cheers.

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  11. I photographed a light green ‘block of flats’ (very tidy though) in Havelock marina over the weekend called ‘Kingston’. I wonder was it her.

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  12. I was going to say she ended up in the Rotorua Lakes, but then I checked the posting on the ‘Goodfellow Meteor” and realised I was mistaken. Now on the page about the ‘Goodfellow Meteor’ you have a photo of the ‘Wakatipu Meteor’. Just wish those mountains were behind Lake Okataina.

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