When I first saw the above two photos from the Tudor Collins Auckland Museum collection I had a chuckle, there has to be a story behind these photos. Venue most likely is Great Barrier Island. Photos emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.
Do we know any more about her?
Photos below ex Dean Wright of Mistletoe at Whangaroa Marina 2007. Nice to see she survived 🙂
25-10-2016 Update ex Alice Morrison
I recall seeing a very similar vessel called ‘Mistletoe’ in Houhora on 11 February 2016 (picture below). I wonder if she is Mistletoe I or Mistletoe II?
Cygnet was purpose built in 1913, as the original Cream Boat of the Mokau River.
After being fully restored in 1994, the Cygnet returned to its rightful place on the Mokau River; this time as the 2nd oldest passenger vessel in New Zealand. She measures 35′ & is powered by a 2012 Yanmar 30h.p. diesel. Most recently SGS (Safe Ship Management) inspected and certified in 2014 and still current.
The M.V Cygnet is currently on it’s newly built custom trailer being stored in a shed near the Mokau River (As it’s current owners are enjoying the benefits of retirement). This is a rare opportunity to purchase a piece of New Zealand maritime history & even earn a living.
photos ex trademe via advice from Ian McDonald
Do we know any more about her – builder etc?
Harold Kidd Input
She was built in Auckland and shipped down to Waitara for Sjolund of Mokau in July 1913, She was described as “on the tunnel style” 34ft in length, 7ft 6in in beam with a draft of 12 ins unloaded and 18ins with a two ton load. No hint of builder in that report but Baden thinks she is by T.M. Lane and Sons and that seems entirely likely. She was meant for the then flourishing Mokau River trade. Sjolund had several launches.
Ma Cherie was built by the Lane Motor Boat Co in 1962 for L.G. Foster of 4 Awatere Road, Hamilton. She measured 50’/14’6″/4′ and was powered with twin Ford 6 cylinder diesels. Her name was changed to Adi Kuila but owner Markham Thomson has done the right thing & gone back to the original.
You can find more details & photos on her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/08/22/adi-kuila/
Ma Cherie has just seen a major re-fit that included fiberglassed topsides, rot removed / rebuilt, rewired, starting/charging system upgraded, new interior, engines head jobs & new water tanks. She is looking very smart, in fact she even gets away with the hothouse up top, just the right height.
Details ex Harold Kidd.
The above photo of Sounds Ranger was emailed to me by Frits Schouten & was taken by Frits in the Bay of Islands, sorry but that all I know. I suspect the name & style are a hint to her past
What do we know about her & her past?
Update 10-02-2022 – Photos below of Sound Ranger on the slip at Dargaville. ex Dave Stanaway
29-05-2024 UPDATE ex NORM JUDD
The following description by Kerry Johnson of the “Sounds Ranger.” is from the unpublished NZ NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES RANGERS’ ARCHIVE – a collection of written and taped memoirs of Lands and Survey rangers between 1952 and 1987. Kerry was Chief Ranger of the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park from the 1968 to the 80s.
“Reading my note to Norm Judd, Havelock based ranger, re starting the Sounds Ranger brought back memories about those early days when I took over, among other things, the care and operation of the vessel. I wasn’t impressed with its overall condition. There was need to bring the launch up to Marine Department standards as soon as possible. The problems included batteries not set up properly to provide backup if one set went flat, the stern tube the tail shaft went through contained a heavy oil for lubrication but would not function properly and no matter how much advice and effort I could muster this thick oil would ooze into the bilge. A few months down the track while cleaning the accumulation of grime from a circulating pump it literally fell apart. Thank goodness the boat was safely in her berth in Picton then! Many improvements were eventually made but there was one incident that occurred one night when I think I was away. Late one rough, wet evening my wife received a call from the Harbour Board patrol to say the Sounds Ranger’s engine was chugging away in her berth with no sign of anyone on board and the doors securely locked! Now there has to be a logical explanation as to how this happened but I was never able to clearly identify the cause and that’s probably why the battery leads had been removed as mentioned in my note to Norm. I’m not superstitious and while I learned later the same thing had happened once before, you can’t help thinking that there must have been some free spirit lurking about that stormy night and was about to take the “old girl” for a cruise in the gloom! “Stranger things have happened at sea.” Thank you Norm for holding on to a note many (including myself) would have discarded long ago. As a friend commented recently when talking about recording family history, “even the milking cow’s name is important”. Here’s the note “Now a few directions in case you should be asked to take out the Sounds Ranger. Batteries have been disconnected – under seat on starboard side, crescent spanner in tool box near batteries. Before starting engine remove bucket from top of funnel – open hatch to engine room, light switch is on a beam just inside the hatch opening, that is if you stand on the engine room floor looking forward, the switch is on your right hand side on the back of the beam that forms the front section of the hatch opening. Move under the exhaust pipe along to the front port side of the motor. If you look around the actual front of the engine you will see a small wheel with finger grips around the outside (about 3” or 4” diam.) This is the wheel that engages the bilge pump by simply screwing or rotating the wheel clockwise or in towards the engine. It should be in this position now, so to disengage the pump, just screw the wheel very slowly out. Do not on any account force the wheel too far out, or for that matter too hard in, otherwise it will stick hard. The pump has to be primed before it will start, this done on the starboard side of the engine. There is another light there with the switch by the light bulb, you will find an old kettle with water in it. You will see towards the front, a tap with an opening for the water to be poured in on the top. With the engine at low idling speed, turn the wing tap to vertical – pour water in slowly. I hold my thumb near the hole and when the pump looks like starting I block the hole with my thumb then turn the wing tap to horizontal. To start the engine use the starter button on a beam in front of the light on the Port side of the motor, but you should only have to use this one when the engine is cold. It also pays to use the overload button on the fuel pump (when the machine is cold only) the button is on the front of the fuel pump.” (Here there was a small diagram that showed the location of the overload button on the fuel pump.) “Button should be pushed up, at the same time pull back the rack. Push the starter button until the engine starts. Be sure to turn both lights out, on leaving the engine room. To stop the motor just pull a string that hangs on a nail beside the top of the steps that lead into the forward cabin. Normal starting can be done by using the starter button by the compass. (This for some reason has given trouble in which case I have used the engine room button.) Push throttle lever up to 1100RPM after about 20 minutes. I doubt whether it will be necessary for you to use the boat, and if you do, I don’t think the bilge will have to be pumped out. There is a hand pump in the engine room, the valve is on the side is off. If you have to use this rather that the pump on the motor please be sure to turn the wheel mentioned earlier to off position. Remember that the motor is only 60 HP and will not pull up as quickly as the PR (Pelorus Ranger – Havelock based vessel) in other words take her quietly and don’t get into shallow water or you will get into trouble. Hope this makes sense?” “P.S. Key to door lock is under bucket by gas cylinder rear of wheelhouse.”
(All of this made sense but just being up with the detail didn’t necessarily mean I was any less concerned with the implementation! – Norm. My recollection is that SR drew about 6 feet and was 45 feet at the waterline.)
The above 33′ launch is located in Kerikeri & the trademe listing states that the owner auto bid on two boats & won both auctions & now this ones surplus to needs 🙂
There is no reserve & the opening bid is $1 so it could be a good buy for someone looking for a project. The seller states that the previous owner could finish her, on behalf, if a buyer was interested – all very confusing. Thanks to Ian McDonald for pointing out the listing on trademe.
The above two photos were sent to me by Harold Kidd and according to the photo album, the photos were taken at the same place around 1925-7.
The launch with the strange steering position is named Tuhoe, all Harold knows about her is that she was in Taurangs in the early 1920’s owned by a P Best.. She’s not very big, about 20ft, 22ft at a pinch.
The launch in the second photo doesn’t carry a name.
So woodys the question of the day is where are the photos taken and what do you know about the launches?. Harold thinks the location is Waikaremoana but doesn’t know that lake well enough to be sure.
The above photos of El Alamein (now named Ranui) show her c.1956 when she was in commercial charter on Lake Taupo. (photos ex Google ex Karen Moren via Ken Ricketts)
Some history below from the Ranui website
Formerly known as El Alamein, the ‘great dame’ of Taupo charter boats started her sailing career on Lake Rotorua after World War II.
Ranui was launched as El Alamein on 29 January 1945 for use by patients of the Rotorua Convalescent Hospital after the Second World War.
Named after that part of the Middle East where New Zealand servicemen distinguished themselves in action, the 32-foot kauri cabin launch was donated to the convalescent depot by the Patriotic Fund: Joint Council of the Red Cross and St John. Specially designed for use on Lake Rotorua and for passage through the Ohau Channel to Rotoiti, she was built by McGeady and was capable of seating up to 40 passengers.
For the first 4 years of her life Ranui was an open boat, with a small cabin and bunk room up forward captained by William J. Pollock. She was a familiar sight, often carrying up to 40 convalescing soldiers, many in wheelchairs, on Lake Rotorua excursions as part of their rehabilitation. She played a big part in easing the soldiers back into civilian life.
Ranui was sold in August 1949 as the numbers of ex-service patients dropped and maintenance costs rose. She was trucked to Lake Taupo on 24 August 1949 and purchased by Ron Martin – the money from the sale was returned to the Patriotic Fund Board.
Two years later one of Taupo’s old-time residents, Noel East, put on a full cabin and was first to have Ranui surveyed.
The next owner was from Hawke’s Bay and used her privately before selling her to one of Taupo’s most familiar commercial boat operators – Jim Storey. He had Ranui surveyed and used her commercially for many years, taking visitors out on Lake Taupo tours for fishing and sightseeing.
In 1980 Ranui was purchased by Graham Twiss and he continued taking visitors out on Lake Taupo tours and fishing for a further 34 years.
Ranui has recently been refurbished by her present owners, Sarah & Jamie Looner & again is operating as a charter boat on Lake Taupo. Click link below to view photos of her today.
Her owner Philip Simpson has just finished giving her some TLC at the Mana Marina, Philip had the help of boat builder Maurice Dickie with the specialist.
Still to be added is the spray dodger.
09-12-2018 Input from – past owner Peter King (Motueka)
“These few words just to add my pennyworth to your historical records of dear old Lady Pat. I”m 84 now and miss her terribly still. Her photo along with mine will be on my funeral program.
I Peter King purchased Lady Pat from Tim Reilly in 9/95 and spent many very happy years cruising, fishing and overnight on moorings in Queen Charlott but mainly in Pelorous until the boat was sold in 7/2008 because I had lost my crew and also could not afford the overall cost any longer. I never recorded those 13 years in a log. However I do have a v ery interesting one written by a man called A.J. Bradshaw who purchased Lady Pat in Whangarei in November 1970 and sailed her down to Tuna Bay with Abbie King-Turner as crew. The boat was later sold when Bradshaw died in January 1980 .. In 2000 I had a meeting at sea with a man in a small boat who recognised Lady Pat and he turned out to be Bradshaw”s son. After some later correspondence between us the son sent me his late fathers remaining. boat records but including only 3/4 photos
Best of luck putting all the historical pieces together I would dearly like to see the end result some day…. Kind regards Peter King”
I was sent the above photos of the 35′ launch Wairangi by Annette Evans, Wairangi belonged to her late father & Annette is about to undertake a restoration project. Before commencing work Annette is keen to see if ww can shed any light on the boat. They are keen to find out more on her original design, so any help identifying her original design or past owners would be greatly appreciated.
The boat now resides in Marlborough but it originally came from Dunedin and was known to the area as a pleasure launch in the Otago Harbour area before and immediately after World War II.
It’s believed that she was originally built in Auckland in 1932. It was owned in the mid > late 1950’s by a Mr W McCulloch (potentially well known in Otago), then it was transported by rail to Blenheim in aprox 1961, it belonged to a Mr R Foster of Dunedin.
The photos show her being prepped for her 1961 rail journey from Dunedin to Blenheim.
The 2016 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition wrapped up yesterday with the legendary beers & bangers 🙂
Over the weekend I read Harold Kidd & Robin Elliott’s booklet – ‘The Mullet Boat -A NZ Yachting Icon’, produced for the exhibition, it really is special. Grab a copy from Boat Books in Westhaven.
The first photo above is one of my favorites, its from the Tudor Collins Auckland Museum collection & the location is possible Russell in the Bay of Islands. Emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.
Can we put a name to her & possibly some history ?
Remember the Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition is on today – details below.
Harold Kidd Input
It would be good to get the place established and we could work back from that by matching known boats in the vicinity. The time period is 1928-1935 when registered fishing boats were issued with four figure numbers. I haven’t been able to find out why this occurred but it lasted only until c1935 when all boats were renumbered starting from (probably) 1 in each port. All the registers have disappeared bar a couple, Mangonui (MGN) is the only one I’ve been able to get at the National Archives. Most were burnt in a Wellington archive fire. A pity because they contained an enormous amount of info on each boat and owner. So you have to painstakingly build up a new register from evidence such as this. Tudor Collins probably photographed this scene for a newspaper where it may appear with a caption such as “the opening of the duck shooting season in the Far North”. The boat is clearly a 24ft mullet boat of the working type,; it is important to find out her name to fill another blank in the fishing boat register. Any clues out there?
p.s. the boat’s number is AK2177, an Auckland registration, which rather rules out a Far North site. Maybe just off George and Pam’s yard and workshop at Whangateau? That was Collins’ home patch anyway.
p.p.s. Pam Cundy has asked around the Leigh/Matakana area and the consensus is that it’s Whangateau all right. A strong possibility is that the mullet boat is IDAHO owned by Huru Ashton, according to his nephew W. Finnigan-Douglas. IDAHO was altered by Harvey & Lang in 1914 so there’s a strong chance they built her.
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