Slightly different format today that sees us featuring the Moetapu Regatta’s 1909 > 1914. Moetapu is located in Pelorus Sound, Marlborough. The story was shared with us by Roy Jones from the Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club. Roy pulls together an amazing newsletter for the club and is one of my must read items each month.
Roy contacted WW last week following up on a WW story I ran, sourced from the clubs newsletter. At the time WW was seeking intel on an old photograph of a launch pictured at the Moetapu Regatta.
Roy commented that from a very distant source, they have determined an identity of the craft, ZEALANDIA.  Roy has cropped together (his words) a story on the Regatta’s for the clubs newsletter. And today we get to share it. Many thanks Roy 🙂

Moetapu Regatta, 26^th December 1909 – 1914 – Roy Jones

Some time ago we wondered at the name of a motorised craft featured at the Moetapu Beach picnic 26th Dec 1911.

I was contacted recently by Ms Victoria Gitting, who was sent a series of photographs and albums by a relative, Mr Ian Pinkerton, who is the great great great grandson of Mr William Ross Brownlee, the Havelock timber tycoon who established Blackball.

The albums are cherished by Ian and include a selection of photographs of the early Moetapu Regatta’s from 1910 – 1914

It was delightful to see the boat flotilla’s of so many styles and of the races they ran. The photo has a date of 27^th Dec 1909

Considering the date of 1909 it is remarkable the number of motorised craft even then!

Attached is the article from The Pelorus Guardian and Miners Advocate newspaper with race results for the 1911 event.

I wish we knew the race course length to enable their speed to be calculated from the time elapsed in the race.

With the wonderful Glass Plate photos, we can zoom right in close without the modern day pixilation occurring and noting the flag on the stern of the craft below, and the race results, the only craft detailed shows it as Zelandia, the only named craft with ALA in the name.

A considerable crowd attended these regatta’s a scan be seen for the crowded steam boat Pelorus, the hulk of which is still seen on the side of the road at Blackball Harbour a short distance from Havelock on the road to Nelson.

The craft that indicates ALA on the flag at her stern, suggests her name is Zealandia.

This is the Kaituna River which flows into Havelock and is now just a trickle by comparison.

I notice that Mr J.W. Brownlee owns The Weka and is both mentioned as starting badly and only finished one round yet is mentioned as Weka winning easily, maybe there is a Weka and a Waka as both are mentioned. I presume that this is Mr John Brownlee who also commissioned Ernie Lane in Picton to build our Ruru in 1920. Ruru was also was fitted with an oil engine as it motored from Picton to Havelock shortly after being completed. There are some delightful old style photographs of early Marlborough and of how the locals enjoyed their recreation, watching yacht and speedboat races.

Dressed in their finery for the day out no matter how uncomfortable it would have been in frock jackets and formal hats to long dresses & wide hats. Kids too!Very little sign of food hampers.

The steam tug Pelorus, used by the Brownlee Timber mill to tow sailing ships up the Pelorus River to Blackball.

Gosh….   that punt is crowded and not a life jacket to be seen.

The beach Promenade

A fine Club house and starters box, is it the first of the Pelorus Boating Club rooms?

This is the current condition of the steam tug Pelorus, shown earlier in the article, lying alongside the road between Havelock and Nelson. The bank of the stream behind the hull is full of the offcuts from the sawmill that existed on this site at Blackball. One can walk the steam and see the ends of countless flitches discarded from the milling process.

In a more highly populated area than Marlborough, this hulk would be restored by a larger engineering company and be a usable steam tourist attraction.

Pelorus lies about where the bowsprit of Lindstol sits in this photo.