Over the weekend Dave Stanaway was passing through Awanui, the historical river port in the far north of New Zealand. Ray parked up and checked on the launch – Oleo that is berthed in the river. Dave commented that she was an ex towboat in Whangarei.
Back in December 2019 we had the photo below of her hauled out at Awanui and Harold Kidd at the time commented that Oleo was built for R H Harnett of Whangarei by Tyler & Harvey in December 1910. Her original engine was a 20hp Union. R H Harnett lived at Parua Bay and was a trader on the harbour. He sold Oleo to R B S Hogwood in 1915 and owned Moerangi for passenger and mail work from 1912 until he died in 1936.
Dave also mentioned Ray Morey knows all about her so hopefully Ray will join in and tells us more about her more recent activity. Dave’s older brother Jim knew her then as well.
INPUT ex Hylton Edmonds – Oleo was owned and operated by Larry Walker as a workboat and contracted a lot with her to the former Whangarei and latterly Northland Harbour Board(s), as inner harbour barge and general assist. Larry and son Tommy (great Kiwi blokes) have both now sadly passed (and a lot of Far North history with them too), but I believe Oleo is still in the Walker Family who live nearby at Unahi. Oleo runs a 6 Cyl Ford, and like of small workboats of the day- punched well above her weight.
I had cause to spend sometime last week/end in Queenstown and made the effort to take a ‘cruise’ across Lake Whakatipu on the 1912 built coal fired steamer – TSS Earnslaw. I have visited Queenstown a lot in the past but mainly for business related events and was always running to a tight agenda – not so this trip.
A wedding invitation was the excuse for a visit, so while the rest of the family went for a long walk I boarded the ship, at nearly 160’ in length she is a ship.
Trip included a brief stop at the Walter Peak farm – a very impressive looking complex.
The conditions were perfect and woodys I would encourage you to do it if you are down that way. Enjoy the photo gallery.
And the wedding was a stunner – the best of everything – people, venue, food, wine and music. I think I danced more in one night than in the last 20 years, hopefully no one was filming 🙂
Todays woody slips onto WW primarily because home of the 34’ launch – Konini is Queenstown and thats where I am today. Thanks to a tme listing back in Nov 2023 (via Ian McDonald) we learnt that Konini started life as a fishing boat from the east coast of the South Island. Her owner back in 2023 bought it from a fisherman in Bluff. Her hull is double skin kauri plank and the cabin and wheelhouse were rebuilt about c.2017.
A 51hp Perkins 4.108 pushes her along at 6>7 knots. I’m sure she gets some sideways looks from tourists onboard the TSS Earnslaw, but as they say – ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ 🙂
The launch Miss Lidgard appeared on WW back in May 2013, at the time we learnt a lot about her history and generated good chat in the comments section – see the story link below. Lots of photos and details. https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/05/miss-lidgard/
Miss Lidgard started out as a work boat, built to transport light cargo to the whaling station on Great Barrier Island. Then c.2013 she was converted for game fishing work out of Whitianga. The photo above is from that time frame and comes to us from the Tauranga City Library collection via Dean Wright.
ID’ing todays woody will either be very easy eg someone will know all about the launch or it will need the input of many.
The launch is located in a paddock in the Kaeo / Kerikeri area – on the Takou Bay Road.
The ‘photographer’ was Murray Deeble, who apologised for the photos – he couldn’t get better pic as Murray had no desire to be shot and fed to the owners dogs 🙂 So woodys what do we know about this craft – given the location, maybe Nathan Hebert will have seen the boat and been braver than Murray.
In the comments section on Friday Mr Steam – Russell Ward gave me an elbow re the absence of Vindex launches on WW. Well its simple – they are just too modern looking for a site that focusses on classic craft, most are made of plywood, & f/glass and most end up like the one above……….
Possibly the inspiration comes from terra firma………. (photo ex John Burland)
CAN YOU IMAGINE THE COMPLAINTS IF THIS 1964 WD40 ADVERTISEMENT APPEARED IN 2024 (oops it actually is)
Todays woody has a few question marks alongside her provenance – on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) her owner has said she was built by Lanes to a Logan design and a commentator has mentioned maybe / possibly built by Charlie Gouk in Herne Bay. Build year is listed as 1928, measures 32’ in length with a 9’ beam. Built in traditional kauri carvel planking. Forward propulsion is from a Nissan LD20 engine, reconditioned but not operational.
The name draws a blank with me so it would be nice to clarify the boats DNA and what she has been up to for the last 96 years. Home is Picton, South Island.
INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – G Tanner of Auckland was the first owner. Later she was sometimes called GEORGENE T. She was registered with APYMBA as late as 1935 as GEORGENE T with the number 20..
16-04-2024 UPDATE – Never believe what you read on tme 🙂 the listing named the boat as – Georgine, so that was the name we used for the WW story. Harold Kidd commented above about the name – Georgina T.
Then yesterday well doing a deep dive in the WW archives for another vessel I came across the March 2016 story based on a trip south by Nathan Herbert.
When I received the photos above the first thoughts were ………… where and why.
Chatting with the sender, Ant Smit, I learned that the location was the MacKenzie Basin, which is situated approx. 1/2 way between Christchurch and Queenstown in the South Island. The area is almost the dead centre of the island.
Ant advised that a friend was on a motorcycle tour and spotted the boat and couldn’t not stop and snap a few photos.
I quick chat to my WW steam guru – Russell Ward and we learn she was purchased ex Picton and should currently be viewed as ‘art’. Lets hope there is a long term plan to restore her.
Her back story is a good read and she appeared on WW in May 2020 – link below. We learned then she was made of steel in 1987 and was originally named – James Torrey, and was used for trout fishing tours on Lake Tarawera – lots of details in the story. In the photo below we see her at Picton when she was running as a commercial passenger vessel. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/05/17/ss-duke-of-marlborough/
Anyone able to enlighten us more on her future
INPUT ex DAN CONAGH (owner) – I can confirm that I’ve purchased and moved the Duke to a section of land I own in Twizel. Our intention is to restore, repaint and return to service on one of the lakes in the MacKenzie District.
Unfortunately the boat is showing the signs of having been stored next to the ocean in Picton. The hull has some rust that requires attention. The wooden topside has some sun damage. New varnish required, and the PVC roll up sides are beyond repair. The photos in this article are very recent as I was up there on Saturday cleaning up all the coal spread across the floor inside.
Hi Alan – nice to see Skipjack, nee Sea De’il featured in a recent post. Perhaps I can clarify re your question about whether James Hoey’s boat is in fact Skipjack? You are quite correct that the length has changed. Many things have changed with this boat since she was launched! The owner/guardian before me, which is pre-2016, was Brent Gribble of AkzoNobel Paints. Brent and his father had a major stern modification carried out by Glenn Burnnand of Burnnand Marine in Auckland. This increased her length to 10 metres, with a square, step-through transom and with a fish cleaning s/s basin built-in. Prior to Brent’s ownership, Sea Devil, as she was called then, was a restoration project for Captain Vern Tonks in Whangarei. I received the boat’s original history from Winston Hoey, via Brent. Winston recorded that Sea De’il was built and designed by Chas Bailey circa 1918, for James Hoey and his son Cecil (Born 1901). The boat was used for transport from Whangarei to Reotahi Meat Works, near where the family bach was located. She was powered originally by a flat head Dodge or Desoto gear, and the first doghouse was added in 1928.
Cecil Hoey in stern of “Sea De’il” in Whangarei Harbour
Subsequently, Dec 1951 – ship wrights Angus Henderson and Bill Naggs – built a new cabin to create more head room. They also created the step-up foredeck, and added the lead board on the bow. This was built of Kowhai timber and each rib in the boat was replicated – doubling the ribs in the hull to strengthen for the extension, and a bronze rudder was cast in Whangarei. At this time too, a 4-cylinder Ruston Engine was fitted.
After the refit and new topsides in 1952
In 2005, after hearing she was destined for the tip, Captain Vern Tonks took her on as his “passionate hobby”. Captain Tonks was quoted saying, “She’s a piece of Whangarei’s history that requires restoring. It’s quite amazing really how many of them are lying around the country, sticking out from under covers, in various states of disrepair. We are a very strong nation of boating people and unfortunately a lot of these crafts have become non-existent and some of them are nice classic vessels”
Vern expected that he had a two-year project. He completely gutted her and started rebuilding the structure, keeping the original portholes, installing a new wheel house with the engine under the floor and a couple of bilge keels to dampen rolling. “Three or four trailer loads have gone to the dump out of her. She’s been derelict for so long and from what I’ve found there was a lot of things that weren’t up to spec in the construction. Someone somewhere along the way has put a lot of veneered Rimu custom wood into her, which is allergic to water and of course it all went rotten. So, I got to the stage where all the timber I’ve had sitting around is coming to good use”
Vern also changed the name back to the English meaning of Sea Devil. Sadly though, one month before finishing her, with plans to compete in the Classic Boat fishing completion in Whangaroa Harbour, Vern passed away in 2008.
This is when Brent and Sarina Gribble took over the project, and with the help of widow June Tonks and close friend of Vern’s and Brent’s – Steve Ekman, they completed the refit, and in June 2008, she was launched on the beach at Oakura at low tide – going back in the water for the first time in 23 years. After a time, Brent took her to the Outboard Boating Club, onto a swing mooring in the Okahu Lagoon, and as mentioned, I purchased her and kept her there before moving her in 2019 to her current berth in the Waikawa Marina in the Sounds.
June 2008, Oakura Beach Whangaruru, Peter Gribble in foreground
Like all classic boats, and especially those of considerable age, Skipjack has had lots of work done to suit the inclinations of the various owners and simply to keep her seaworthy. Since I’ve been taking care of her, I’ve concentrated primarily on improving the mechanical side of things – which has included all keel-bolt replacement (which you reported at the time), new prop and shaft, new gearbox shaft and universal, new steering, all engine seals and engine mounts replaced (Ford Dover 80hp), new water-pump and tanks (replacing an old copper hot water cylinder!), new stove, Eberspacher diesel heater (which in the Sounds makes winter cruising a doddle…), replacement of all topside decks, new mast, large holding tank and shore pump-out fitting, new electric toilet, new oil cooler and all hosing upgraded, all s/s exhaust system and dry riser…you get the picture! Something always needs to be done. But these days, Skipjack is very seaworthy and much loved! The pic below shows her recently, in Greville Harbour on the western side of D’Urville Island – a trip of around 250kms. Skipjack cruises at 7.5 knots at the engine’s optimum rpm of 1,800.
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