Category Archives: Mystery Boat

MAHURANGI – A Peek Back In Time 

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MAHURANGI – A Peek Back In Time 

Recently Hugh Gladwell contacted WW re the above photos taken in and around Mahurangi in the early days. Hugh talks us thru them below –   

‘The top photo is the launch LAVINIA shown in front of Rodmersham the old house just inside the eastern headland of the harbour
The second is another unnamed launch heading down the Mahurangi River

The third is Sarah Lushington who owned Rodmersham in the late 1880s sitting on a pile of ballast out of the family yacht MURITAI which is behind her.  She is greeting her housemaid Mrs Brown who lived further up harbour at one time under an upturned boat The old house is much grander than it looks and little changed over almost 150 years. It was built in 1886 out of unreinforced concrete with walls a foot thick with sand from the beach in front, shingle from Motuora and lime from the kilns up the river. It has a large billiard room, servants quarters at the back upstairs and is straight and square with not a hairline crack visible anywhere. It has been in the same family ownership for about 5 generations’

So woodys can we learn more about LAVINIA and put a name to the mystery launch.

CAN WE ID THESE TWO CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCHES

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CAN WE ID THESE TWO CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCHES

Woody John Dawson sent in the top photo that he came across on fb, originally posted by John Newman.

The haulout area at Westhaven will be very familiar to a lot of our readers, the tagged dates is c.1970’s.

Can we put names to the two craft indicated in the 2nd photo.

WW MAGIC – one of the cool sides to WW is connecting the dots – I was recently contacted by a gent looking to find a home for a very impressive flagpole. One conversation and its done – yesterday we visited to check on measurements and logistics etc – More details soon when its in its new home 😉

CLASSIC WOODY 1913 BEACH PICNIC

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CLASSIC WOODY 1913 BEACH PICNIC

Now if you haven’t managed to get afloat this Labour weekend, I hope you are at least close to the water. 

One of my overseas based progeny sent me the top photo recently, it popped up on her Devonport residents fb feed.

The location is Cheltenham Beach, Devonport and was taken by A H Jones in 1913. Source is the Auckland Libraries Heritage Collection. Obviously the image has been colourised, a common habit back in the old days.

I sent back the 2nd photo that I took earlier in the week – same beach and one of the reasons I live in Devonport. The other reason is Cafe Santini (63 Lake Rd), owner and barista Alessandro makes the best coffee in Auckland and if you ask nicely he will sell you the legendary TONI’s pizza dough – perfect for the home pizza oven (photo below – its been a while since I did a food photo 🙂

What do we reckon the yacht is.

MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT MILFORD MARINA – NGAHI

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MYSTERY CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH AT MILFORD MARINA – NGAHI

On a recent stroll around the Milford Marina on Auckland North Shore I spotted the classic sedan launch seen above. No name so hence todays story. 

Looking a tad too perfect so must be a recent restoration, hopefully the topsides haven’t been given a coat of that thick paint (eg f/glass).  

Also a question for the purists – what’s the kosher direction for coaming planks – N > S or W > E, struggling with the upright grain look.

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – The launch is NGAHI and its been glassed and the coamings are teak overlay.

View details on the refit here https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/04/10/ngahi-gets-a-makeover/

BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE CREW AT TEAM NEW ZEALAND – WELL DONE. Not only are they #1 in the Americas Cup world, several of them have very good taste in pleasure craft – classic woody of course 🙂 The old WW merch was seen to be making an appearance in the cup village

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CAN ME PUT A NAME TO THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WENNA

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CAN ME PUT A NAME TO THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WENNA

Trolling thru the WW archives recently I came across a folder from back in 2017, from memory one of the WW readers found an old photo album (below) that had been discarded and sent in a collection of random scans taken from the album. Sorry but I have not recorded the senders name.

A lot of the photos were damaged but several were in good shape. 
Todays woody story features a launch hauled out near Sam Ford’s yard. 

Can we ID the boat

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – boats is WENNA – see WW link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/17/8768/

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – She was built as WENNA for Eric O’Neill of Ponsonby in 1925, probably by Collings & Bell in whose yard she is shown hauled out. In 2014 she was RANGATIRA, owned by George Emtage and Pam Cundy at Whangateau. They reverted to the name WENNA.

MYSTERY TUTUKAKA CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MERLIN

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MYSTERY TUTUKAKA CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MERLIN

Todays woody story is the last from my recent trip to Tutukaka marina. The woody seen in the above photos looks a tad familiar but my brain search mode is a somewhat slow these days 🙂 Not sure if she is midway thru a varnish job or just crying out for some TLC, hopefully the first.

Can we put a name to the vessel and anymore intel on her. – Its MERLIN, but we still know very little about her.

COULD THIS BE THE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANU-ITI

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COULD THIS BE THE CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MANU-ITI

Last weekend one of the woodys that we past on the Wairoa River was the launch – MANU-ITI, a rather striking small classic launch that was crying out for some TLC.

During the week WW was contacted by Kerry Alexander who posed the question – could the launch seen in the top photo above be MANU-ITI ?

Kerry commented that he I did not remember the build name but i think it may have been for Mr Yates sen , of the seed company. The builder Keith Atkinson is seen in the doorway. 

A possible date for the photo is c.1965 and the boat maybe a Bill Couldrey design.

So woodys can anyone comment / added to this mystery boat in the shed photo.

INOUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – yes, designed 1964 for Yates and one for Birkenhead and Northcote Yacht Club. Only the Yates boat built.

02-10-2024 UPDATE ex Chloe Salthouse – photo below of Manu-iti crossing Parekura Bay up in the Bay of Islands, with Norman Yates at the helm. Date probably not long after her launch in 1965.

MYSTERY CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER – YVALDA

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MYSTERY CLASSIC MOTOR-SAILER- YVALDA

Recently Alistair McRae sent in todays photos that a friend of his uncovered – unfortunately neither the friend or Alistair know anything about the boat,  and he wondered if any of the WW readers might recognise it and or the location. There is a name on the stern but I can’t make it out – maybe something like IWATO or IWATU.

Alistair commented that looking at the vehicle in the photos the date could be from the early 1960s’.

INPUT ex GREG LEES –

She is the Yvalda. Came to NZ in the 70’s from Scotland and spent some time in Sandspit at our yard. Yes now on Lake Wakatipu.

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MYSTERY  JUDGES BAY CLASSIC LAUNCHES

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MYSTERY  JUDGES BAY CLASSIC LAUNCHES

Last week WW was sent the above b/w photo by Dan Barnett. Dan commented that he had been going thru a collection of old newspaper clippings that his recently deceased uncle had saved.

The article is headlined ‘Auckland Spring Winter Day’ and the photo tagged – ‘Launches swinging to their moorings in the still waters of Judge’s Bay’

Can any of the woodys help us ID the craft.

MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH – LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE

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MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH – LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE

John Dawson wrote in earlier in the week that while sniffing around fb he came across the above photos. In them we see a c.1960’s launch built by John Lidgard at this West Auckland yard on a Winstone Ltd transporter on route to launching.

Can we ID the boat and learn more about what became of her.. Update – was originally named LE ANNE and now named EMMZEE.

INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – The boat is the SALACIA TOO. She lied at the Sandspit for many years & was named as she is, (or was originally), by the early owners as their first boat was called SALACIA. Photos of SALACIA TOO below (last three relate to – SALACIA)

Now named EMMZEE – photo below