Category Archives: Non Waitemata

Arizona – Gets A Happy Ending

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ARIZONA – GETS A HAPPY ENDING

Mooching around online I came across this great tale from Russel Subritzky, when you hear stuff like this it makes the rubbish we get feed in the mainstream media fade away – I’ll let Russel tell the story

“Arizona  my 42ft brdgedecker ..boat has a lot of history with my family..a photo of this boat towing a Subritzky  boat across the Kaipara bar was big new in 1933 as the boat had been presumed lost with all hands for over 9 mths..while doing its regular run to Fiji and surrounding islands it hit a reef..my grandfather was the skipper..the 10 year old cabin boy was to become my father..i asked my dad many times over the years how they survived..they chopped down trees and beached the boat using pulleys and ropes and hand cranked winch to pull boat ashore .repair holes and damage and get it back in water ..i would say something and he would bellow ” we were men” and i would say no dad you were 10 years old..but yes they were gone but returned  ..the boats name  ” the Greyhound” ..

So this boat was gifted to me because when it was for sale i called and related the story and about this boat being on front page news paper ..and the person on phone says to me did someone put you up to this and how do you know what is hanging on our wall..they had the original newspaper article..when i met the woman who had boat and we spoke and i walked around boat..she came out and said that the boat was mine..that she couldn’t believe how much the boat meant to me..So theres my little boat of family history for you.”

Russell also commented that the boat was currently out of the water (up north) and today her interior has been done and just needs to be re caulked and a paint job. I’m a little confused re the reference to the name ’the Greyhound’ – hopefully someone can explain. In the earlier photos there is KPA 98 visible on her bow, possibly a Kaipara number – commercial fishing? Zach Matich will know the answer. Back in December 2022 we ran a story on her with several photos – I’m assuming this was prior to Russell ‘acquiring’ the boat – link below to that WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/12/08/arizona-where-is-she-cya-heritage-basin/

What more can we add to her story – we know that she is 36′ and possibly built in 1914.

Classic Wooden Boating – Kawau Island 1929 Movie

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CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – KAWAU ISLAND  – 1929 MOVIE

Sometimes I come across classic woody content that is just too good to not share, sometimes the format might be an old home movie footage or faded photos straight out of a shoe box – todays one such day. Mooching around the www I came across a Lew Redwood fb post that had a link to some film footage from c.1929 that is stored / saved at Nga Taonga – the NZ archive of film, television and sound.

The footage is tagged – PLEASURE ISLE, KAWAU ISLAND. Viewing it, it quickly becomes obvious that back in the day it was made to promote tourism / visitation to Kawau Island.

Mansion House Bay is wall to wall wooden launches and a few wind thiefs. Just too many to try and identify but some look familiar.

The images above are screen grabs from the movie footage. Below is the link to the movie – its great viewing – enjoy 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1952966974947278/permalink/3556773991233227/

Restoration of Alma G II Begins

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Alma G II

RESTORATION OF ALMA G II BEGINS

WW was contacted by the Opua based boatbuilders – CMC Design with a heads up that the 1927 ex game boat Alma G II had arrived at their yard where Craig McInnes and his team will undertake the work. Projects of this magnitude are the norm for the team –  the woodys Lady Crossley and Otehei being two examples.

Sian Steward at CMC Design supplied some wonderful insights into Alma G II’s provenance and the people that rubbed up against her – I’ll let Sian tell the story:

“The Alma G II was commissioned by E C Arlidge in 1927 to be built by Collings & Bell of St Marys Bay.  Timed for Zane Grey’s second trip to New Zealand, Grey asked if the boat could be named after him.  A familiar sight in the game fishing era alongside other classics such as the Alma G (another E C Arlidge boat, built in 1922), Manaaki (also owned by EC Arlidge for a period, later sold by the Arlidge Bros to Eric Sanderson of Whangaroa/ Totara North in 1932 for 172 pounds), Otehei and Lorna Doone.  The sons of Ernest, Francis and Mervyn, known as ‘Arlidge Bros’ took to the family boating business around age 19 and were the original skippers of the Alma G and Alma G II respectively.  Advertising them as the most ‘up-to-date boats in the Bay’ ‘being speedy and comfortable’ with all the latest fishing tackle and swivel chairs for deep sea fishing and available for ‘picnic parties’.

The boat was originally launched as the Zane Grey. Subsequently, rumour has it that Zane Grey and the Arlidges had a falling out, and the boat was renamed Alma G II around 1931.

The boat stayed in the Arlidge family for many decades until it was reluctantly let go around 1975. Dave Smith fully restored her, and she was relaunched in 1977as the Zane Grey.  Most recently she was left to settle down the line in a paddock awaiting the moment where the new owner could tackle a large restoration project. 

Tugging at the family history heartstrings, the Arlidge family had kept an eye on the happenings of the boat over the years and approached the recent owner to purchase her back into the family fold.  They are now embarking on a restoration project with CMC Design to relive many childhood memories and get this family legacy ready to be enjoyed again by many more generations of the family.

The Arlidge family have kindly shared some of the classic photos of the Alma G II in the Bay of Islands.  The Short Sunderland flying boat is dropping off some prestigious game fishing guests (many of whom were Arlidge Bros patrons over the years including Lady Ashley Dodd, the French flying ace Pierre Closterman, Zane Grey of course, his brother RC, and Carrie-Fin and Ham Guild as a few examples of the era).The story as far as we know for this photo is that it was the Admiral Earl and Lady Mountbatten on their visit in April 1956. In the photo with the black marlin is a young Mervyn Arlidge.”

We will follow this project and keep you updated.

Photos below are from previous WW stories where Alma G II has featured.

ex Hylton Edmonds
ex Harold Kidd (Alma G II on the right)
ex Gordon / Gary Stanborough
ex Dave Stanaway

Classic Wooden Boats On The Lake

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Classic Wooden Boats On The Lake

Today woodys we get an amzaing birds’-eye view of the recent x.The above 5min video both showcases the stunning scenery of the Queenstown,South Island area and the fleet of woodys that assembled for the inaugural Southern Lakes Classic & Historic Boating event.

Grab a coffee/tea and sit back and take it all in. Sadly the reproduction of the video is limited by file size (2GB+) – I just wish you could see it in HD. Click on this icon (shown below) in the bottom right hand corner of the screen to view in full screen 😉

(special thanks to Peter Williams for sharing the footage with us)

Moose

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1954

MOOSE

Back in July 2019 we ran a story about Moose Lodge and the lake boats operated by the lodge, one in particular was named Miami and the story mentioned that she was replaced in 1939 by a 28’ launch built by Collings & Bell, named Moose.

Now thanks to Greg Philpott we have a 1954 photo of the boat and a press clipping from the NZ Herald dated 7th February 1939 – see below.

Todays woody question is – what became of Moose.

INPUT ex ALAN CRAIG – She has a Perkins now, still on the V drive. And still sound but in need of some loving. photos below

Katipo

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KATIPO

Todays woody – Katipo, is a real mystery, the ‘photo’ above of her popped up on the Old Signs & Advertising fb. Featured was a full page advertisement (refer below) dated Nov 1951 for a company named – Clyde Engineering, head office Wellinton, NZ. They were the agents for the Petter Marine engines.

The ad featured the launch – Katipo, owned by Henry Cotton. Included was the following details – 26’ x 8’6” x 2’ 6” , powered by a 10 B.H.P. Petter marine diesel that gave her a speed of 7 1/2 knots.

What more do we know about Katipo

Pup LN 27 > Topaz

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PUP LN 27 > TOPAZ

WW was recently contacted by Carol Jukes who is researching her late fathers fishing trawler – Pup, I’ll let Carol tell the story, below.

“My Father George Hemsley purchased the fishing trawler ‘PUP’ about 1933 from Akaroa, he fished out of  Lyttelton with his friend Peg Gillard. Her registration number was LN 27. Pup was 25’ x 7′ x 3’ 6”.  I have been able to follow the Pup’s life off and on to the present day, she is now on Stewart Island and has been so for the last few years.  Along the way she had a name change and is now known as ‘TOPAZ’.  At some time she was badly crushed by a boat in Dunedin, the damage was so severe that it must have been recorded at the time, unfortunately not having a date for this accident I have not been able to find a record of the event.  A few years later the sad state of this boat was seen by a sympathetic boatie who bought her, and over the years did a fantastic repair job on her.  Pup / Topaz was given a new lease on life. This boat must be around 100 years old. 

I have managed to get some information from Papers Past, but there are holes in that.  She was called into do a few heroic things so of course they are recorded.

I also have the name of the present owner and have spoken to the person who rebuilt her and have some photos of the rebuild, looking at the photos I think most people would have taken one look and run, I gather it had been sitting in it’s sad state for a few years before he bought it. I take my hat off for the rebuild. It’s actually a funny story, after my Dad died eleven years ago my brother took his ashes to Stewart Island, he decided to go for a ride on one of the boats there, he mentioned to the skipper about Dad’s boat, on the way back in this skipper pointed to a boat and said to David is this your Dads boat? As you can imagine David nearly fell overboard in shock because it was Dad’s boat, renamed Topaz.  

It is since this incident that I have followed up and tried to find more about her history because at the time we knew nothing other than Dad had owned her.  I am working away on a book on his life and this will be part of it.

Any information on this boat  Pup / Topaz would be very much appreciated.”

In the first photo we see Pup on the dry dock c.1934 with owner George Hemsley. Photo two is her then named Topaz, after repairs.

UPDATE 15-06-2023 Photo below supplied by Carol Dukes

Annabella DN 87

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ANNABELLA DN 87

Todays woody is the trawler Annabella and the photo comes to us from the Carey’s Bay Boat Builders via Lew Redwoods fb.

The photo was captioned  – ‘Beautiful trawler Annabella afloat at the builders sheds prior to being rigged with masts and sails in 1931. Otago’. In my eyes beautiful is an understatement 🙂

Can anyone enlighten us on what became of Annabella, hopefully still afloat.

UPDATE and photos below ex Cameron Pollard – Sadly Annabella broached on the Kawhia Bar during the 1970s and sunk. Russell Ward has also advised the year was 1977 and one crew member was lost.

WANDERER II – A Peek Down Below

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WANDERER II – A Peek Down Below

The 39’ launch Wanderer II was built in 1965 by Owen Woolley in his boatyard on the Tamaki River.

Powered by a 100hp Ford diesel, she cruises at 8 knots. Current home is the Bay of Islands and thanks to Ian McDonald spotting her tme story we get to have a gander below.

More details and photos at the link below to a Oct 2020 WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/21/wanderer-ii-2/

At the risk of ruffling Cam Pollard’s feathers – I include the two photos below to show / support my personal view on varnished coamings and the addition of a fly bridge 🙂

Classic Launches at Kawau Island 1939

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Classic Launches at Kawau Island 1939

Todays photo comes to us from the AKL Library Heritage Collection and is tagged ‘Colourised image – Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island, 1939′

Think I can confidently ID the three launches in the middle of the photo, being – Amakura II > Rehia > Atalanta. (correction – more likely to be Marguerite/Lady Una. Thanks Patrick O’Mera for the heads up)

Wonderful to see that Rehia has remained almost unaltered for the last 80+ years – we like that 🙂 Recent WW story on her here https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/03/31/rehia-a-peek-down-below/

The smaller launch to the left has me stumped. Anyone able to ID her .