Category Archives: Mystery Boat

Mystery Launch On Slip at St Mary’s Bay

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Mystery Launch On Slip at St Mary’s Bay
Today’s photo comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb (probably taken by Radcliff) & shows an unidentified launch on a slip in the St Mary’s Bay area. The photo is captioned ‘Auckland Harbour From Ponsonby’.
Lew commented that the orientation of the photo is looking from St Mary’s Bay near Point Erin showing a boat slip, with the premises of JT Julian & Son Boat Builders on Wynyard Wharf in the mid ground (1910>1919)
Can anyone ID the launch?
Harold Kidd Input – Reverting to the postcard, I think Chas Collings’ house is the one to the right whose verandah is visible. As for the launch, her configuration was a common one at the time. Built c1910 + or – 2 or 3 years, flush decked, “schooner rigged” with auxiliary sails, tuck stern, nice lines, a typical Auckland-built launch of the time. I think the pic and the postcard are too early for TEINA (sp) which was launched in June 1922. I can’t see why TEINA would be pulled out in St. Mary’s Bay. She was a Bayswater boat.
If the image was clearer you could count the ports etc. I do have a copy of the postcard at home but have never attempted to identify the launch.
My guess is that she’s a Ponsonby-owned launch. My mind says the first Drayton a 27 footer built in 1912 by H.N. Burgess and owned by the Walker Brothers, members of the Ponsonby Cruising Club just to the right of frame. But it could be 30 others.
Also CYA Woody’s – Remember this weekend is the Annual CYA Patio Bay Yacht Race + Launch Cruise + Christmas Party
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No Varnish Today :-)

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No Varnish Today 🙂

I received an email from Jake Bradshaw yesterday, Jake is from Southland, for the non Kiwi woodys that’s the bottom of the South Island. Jake was asking if any WW followers may know the  hull design of the woody runabout above that he has just acquired. The boat is 12’ & appears to have a marinised Vauxhall motor, from what Jake can work out.
And when a woody dies – the photo below is where we hope we will end up – looks like boating heaven.
Boat Heaven

Mystery Work Boat

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Mystery Work Boat

Today’s photo comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb, & show a very nice work boat towing a barge – the boat & location are unknown.
The barge has quite a crowd aboard, both females & males, so it must have been an outing / picnic.
Anyone able to ID the vessel for us, I wonder if she is still afloat?
Angus Rogers sent in the video below of a barrel cooper/hopper at work. Almost as such skill required as building a clinker dinghy.

Auckland Woody Fishing Fleet

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Auckland Woody Fishing Fleet

Woody Simon Smith sent in the above b/w photos, showcasing some of Auckland’s fishing fleet – registration numbers that I can ID are – 1696 , AK1789 ,  AK29 , & Emerald ?
What do we think the date is? Interesting that there is so many in port at one time.
An Other Block of Flats Contender
My post a few weeks ago on this topic created a lot of chat, the boat below isn’t a woody but it really is closer to an apartment than a boat. You would have to assume that it wasn’t designed by a boatie.
I would be a little bit worried about the boats ratio of above & below the water 😦
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Mystery Launches at Whangamumu 

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1928 Whangamumu

Mystery Launches at Whangamumu 

Today’s photo ex Lew Redwood’s fb shows the whaling station at Whangamumu & is dated March 1928. From the number of barrels of oil in front of the factory, a visit from a freighter must be due.
Anyone able to ID the launches at anchor? The bridge-decker on the right shouldn’t be too difficult given the design, oval ports on the cabin & twin masts?
Kairangi Out at Gulf Harbour
Photos below ex Ken Ricketts hauled out at Gulf Harbour for a spring spruce up

Mystery Boat – Wairoa District

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MYSTERY BOAT – WAIROA DISTRICT

Today’s photo comes to us from one of Bruno Redwood’s old fb posts, sadly Bruno (brother of Lew) passed away recently.
The photo shows a group of day trippers, possibly on Lake Waikaremoana c.1880’s
Anyone able to ID the boat & confirm the location?
Harold Kidd Input – KAHURANGI, built for the Goverrnment Tourist Bureau for use on Lake Waikaremoana by Logan Bros August 1903, 36ft loa 10hp Union engine.
The photo below was sent to me yesterday by woody – Tim Evill, Tim was out fishing in the middle of the gulf between Rocky Bay and Maraetai & spotted a bouy in the water (11m depth) on closer inspection there was a yacht attached to it – anyone able to tell us what was at the end of the mast & how it got there?
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Aurora

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Aurora 14-10-2018
Woody Baden Pascoe snapped the above photo recently at Okahu Bay, on Auckland’s waterfront. Hopefully hauled out to get some TLC.
What do we know about her?
Input from Neil Chalmers

Its ‘Aurora’  a 22 foot Harrison Butler , Thuella design, built by Neil Brown in the 1940’s .
Aurora competed in the storm ridden 1951 Wellington to Lyttelton. For some days it was thought Aurora may have suffered the same fate as  Argo and Husky, however she eventually made it to Lyttelton after over a week at sea to take second place 
In the 1960’s Aurora was moored off Kohi beach . The distinctive raised topsides and  round portholes prompted Des Townson to ask how many guns she had !
 
The woody below came ashore at Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island a couple of weeks ago after slipping her mooring. Thankfully some locals stepped in to prop her up between tides. I don’t know what happened to her, hopefully she will be rescued – but looking at there bum, it looks like she has been a tad neglected of late. Thanks to Tim Evill for the photo.

Any one know her fate?

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The Gables Hotel, Russell, Bay of Islands + Mystery Launch

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The Gables Russell, BOI

The Gables Hotel, Russell, Bay of Islands + Mystery Launch

Today’s photo of the Russell foreshore,  comes to us from Lawry Williams via the ‘Old North Auckland / Northland fb page.
Anyone able to ID the launch on the beach? The canoe stern should help.
Recently I hosted one of the worlds foremost boating photographers onboard Raindance. We were out shadowing the CYA classic yacht race fleet. At some stage I’m sure Ben’s photos will appear somewhere very public. He was very taken with Waitangi, the most photographed yacht on the day. Ben snapped a photo of Raindance – see below, probably the only photo I won’t remove the photographers tattoo from 🙂
Alan Houghton at Helm of RAINDANCE
Also out on the day was the RNZYS photo boat, who kindly shared with me some photos they took, the one below I like a lot (enhanced a little by mate Chris Miller, the light was poor)
Raindance 1-RNZYS- CM

Te Haruni

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TE HARUNI
Back in June 2016, woody Mark Edmonds was cruising around Waiheke Island (ashore) & came across an old launch hauled out at a residence in Surfdale. We did a ‘Mystery Launch’ story on her but never uncovered any more details.
Now out of the blue I get an email saying that her name is Te Haruni & she is for sale on Facebook.
A little digging around & I found the fb listing, the asking price is $1800, she has no motor & would have to fit into the ‘work-in-process’ category.
In the listing it states that it was the sellers fathers working project & now needs a new home. I have a contact ph # is anyone is interested.
Hopefully with a name & the above photos we can ID the old girl.

Whitianga Mystery Launch + Akarana Launch Day ‘Home’ Movie

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Whitianga 1950

Whitianga Mystery Launch + Akarana Launch Day ‘Home’ Movie
Great photo above dated December 1950 of a lot of pleasure craft at Whitianga – the question is can we ID the white launch in the middle of the photo? Baden Pascoe will chip in, I’m sure 🙂
The Launching of Akarana
I was sent the above 2 minute ‘home’ movie by Ngairene Rogers of the launching of the 1960 Auckland pilot boat Akarana, designed by A.J. Collings & built by W.G. Lowe. Ngairene promised me the a copy of the movie approx. 8 months ago & I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived in the post. I’m sure Dick & Colleen Fisher, owners of Akarana, will be rapt to view it. So thank you Ngarene for sharing it with us.
(sorry about the ‘tattoo’s the middle off the screen – the price you pay for free hosting)
Ngairene’s brother Wade worked on Akarana when he was an apprentice in the early 1960s. He also did all the interior and detail work on Deodar (the harbour police launch), Ngairene commented that Wade was such a good boatbuilder that all the wealthy “yachties” used to ask that he be the one to work on their precious yachts, even though he was an apprentice.
The movie is in two parts, one section in black and white and the other in colour. There are also a few of bits of the boatbuilders clowning around (or working?), such as putting a plank of wood into a steamer.
Ngairene occasionally is in contact with one of the apprentices (Ross MacIntosh) featured in the movie, Ross lives in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill. In the movie Ross is the one wearing a pale short sleeved shirt and (short) brown shorts with a hammer sticking out of the belt on the left side – he walks away from the camera at one point then looks back over his shoulder and bends his left arm backwards as if waving.
You can view/read more on Dick Fisher’s restoration of Akarana here