1908 CLASSIC WORKBOAT WOODYS PICNIC

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1908 CLASSIC WORKBOAT WOODYS PICNIC

Todays woody photograph was taken by A. J. Watson and originally published in the Auckland Weekly News in February 1908.

The photo captures the Thames fishing fleet departing for a community picnic ‘up the river’, which usually refers to a trip toward Kopu or further up the Waihou River, a common tradition for the local heritage groups and fishing families to celebrate a successful season.

While the full names of every vessel in the 1908 fleet are not all documented in a single public list, we can identify several based on the registration numbers visible in the high-resolution original:

Identified Vessels

T 547 (Left): This is the DREADNOUGHT. It was a well-known launch in the Thames fleet during this era.

TS 35 (Right, background): This vessel is the VIKING The “TS” prefix was common for Thames-based sailing or auxiliary vessels.

T 514 (Right, foreground): This is the MIZPAH. 

 Historical Context- The fleet shown here represents the early motorisation of the Thames fishing industry. At this time, many of these launches were owned by local families (such as the Judd, Maxwell, or Mears families) or by the growing Dalmatian fishing community that revolutionised the Hauraki Gulf fishing trade.

(photo ex Toby Hyman)

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2 thoughts on “1908 CLASSIC WORKBOAT WOODYS PICNIC”

  1. Wilkie’s Mizpah/Hinemoa was a different boat altogether.

    Mizpah was a 24-foot racing yacht built by Charles Bailey in 1890 for A.L. Wilson specifically to beat the champion Manola. In 1895 Wilson sold her to Wilkie who renamed her Hinemoa (A.L. Wilson had already had new boat built by Logan brothers, which he also named Mizpah).

    Wilkie, with Hinemoa, in 1895 was a founding member of the newly created North Shore Sailing Club and was the winner of their first championship prize, a silk flag embossed with NSSC. That today hangs (or at least it was 20 years ago) above the bar of the Royal Akarana Yacht Club.

    Wilkie sold Hinemoa in 1896 and she passed through several owners until March 1908 when, having been leased to some fishermen, she came ashore near the Waitemata Rowing Club during an Easterly gale and was a total wreck.

    The date of 1894 in the caption below is incorrect. Wilkie did not own Mizpah/Hinemoa until 1895 when the North Shore Sailing Club was formed

    https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19450224.2.130.46.1?end_date=31-12-1945&items_per_page=100&phrase=1&query=hinemoa&snippet=true&sort_by=byDA&start_date=01-01-1945&title=AS%2CNZH%2CTO%2CNZTR%2CSUNAK&type=ARTICLE%2CILLUSTRATION

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  2. MIZPAH was owned by my great uncle, W.A Wilkinson. When he sold her, she was renamed Hinemoa.

    John L Vague

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