Fast forward to earlier this week and WW was contacted by Garry Quayle who advised he had taken over custodianship on Sunbeam (3/10/2025). Garry sent in todays photos of the progress thus far. And even the tender is getting some TLC.
Garry commented that she is now moored in Portage and is much welcomed with interest by locals, Garry has also upgraded the solar system along with some overdue maintenance.
We understand she is a magnificent sea boat, Garry and crew got caught out in big swells on Big Bay when moving to Kenapuru Sound . There was white water across the bay but she handled it easy much better than her crew did 🙂
OMG – see below, sent in by one of the WW Hauraki Gulf spotters – how can his happen, who designs something like this and more importantly who buys it ………….
Todays woody story is a cracker read and comes to us from Matthew Underwood. Matthew and group of 7 ventured out to Wakatahuri in Pelorus Sound, Marlborough to catch up with the legendary mariner Davey Jones. To those unfamiliar with Davey, he has been lapping NZ in his classic wooden 100 year old vessel – KELVIN for more years than I can remember. When not afloat Davey lives in Wakatahuri, located in Marlborough at the top of the South Island.
The #1 motivation for the trip was to obtain an autographed copy of Davey’s book titled – DAVEY JONES OF WAKATAHURI. Anyway thats enough from me, I hand over to Matthew to tell the tale.
“The other weekend I joined some great adventurers for a marvellous trip down to get a book about Davy Jones and Wakatahuri. You can pick up a copy of this fascinating book by simple e-mail – but we made it into a bit of an adventure for the weekend.
We are a Wellington crew and our destination was the outer reaches of the Pelorus Sound at the top of the South Island. We all made our way to Picton, a number of them cycled to Havelock, and a couple of us drove the car.
From Havelock Adrian from KenePeru Water Taxis took us out to Beverly Bay. On the other side of the 100m high hill was Wakatahuri. It was a pretty challenging climb especially as my first big climb with a couple of new hips. We got a marvellous look down from the top of the hill. Natalie came and looked for us because we were slower than expected. She had tales of people coming to grief from that climb down into Wakatahuri.It was pretty amazing to walk out the last 100 metres on a track and see the wharf, the wrecks, the still functional boats, and the various sheds that fill up the Bay.
Once there we met Gavin and Davey and got a brief outline of the place. Most of us started with a cup of tea in Daveys house. We then picked through a bunch of interesting combinations of machinery and applications. There is a working slipway there with a Lister engine. It is turned over by a truck starter motor and driven off a battery. The starter wheel runs around the flywheel, and once it’s up to speed it chugs into life.
Down the other end of the property is the workshop. There was another Lister engine there that powers through a series of belts a thick-nesser and other machinery. Penguin seemed to live underneath that shed, and the possums had been in the night before as well.
There’s an old boat slung up in the rafters that belonged to one of the dads. Gavin is lovingly restoring a wooden marvel. It’s a very fast boat on not very much horse power. Something to do with being very thin and light displacement. He did admit it was supposed to be ready when his son turned 15. His current target is to have the boat ready before his new grandson turns 15.
We had a great chat to Davy Jones in his kitchen / lounge. There are just so many interesting photos, and so many interesting books. Over a cup of tea we went around the room and discussed all the photos that we were looking at. We all bought a copy of Davey’s book and it was pretty nice to have it autographed at Wakatahuri itself. One of our group, Ross Giblin, took the cover photo of the book. Davey remembered clearly the year in the 1980’s that the photo had been taken.
As we went to leave a group of kayakers turned up to spend the night. They had had a pretty full day paddling and were keen to set up tent and relax.
You had to be impressed with how quickly Davey disappeared into the engine room of the 100 year old Kelvin and soon had her all fired up ready to take us home. We had a lovely put-put back to North West Bay. After opening up the house we had a meal and a couple of beers with Davey before he trampled off back home.
It was fascinating to see 100 year old boat, with the Lister engine in it, but also a modern race car seat for the skipper, lots of charts in the roof lining of the wheelhouse, but also a radar, a couple of VHF radios, and a chart plotter and auto steering. The switchboard seemed to reflect most of the 100 years the boat had been around.
Since we’ve got home I’ve started reading through the book, and I’m fascinated by the history of it all, and all the boats that are described in the book.
You can get a copy of the book for $60 posted to you by emailing Lynette on
Another treat in North West Bay was to see one of the little boats that were part of the Wahine rescue fleet. Pugwash is sitting in a garage there still resplendent in what I understand to be Giant Paints special mix of “AA yellow”. Tony Coard, our host in Northwest Bay, had been skippering his Dad’s boat Pugwash as part of the rescue on the day.
What a great weekend that was. A big thanks to Davey for hosting us and to Tony Coard for setting the weekend up.”
Loving the photos of Davey Jones sporting a WW cap, donated by Matthew 🙂
If I had run the headline ‘ Classic Launch VALHALLA Catches Fire’ Peter Busfield would have had a heart attach, so I toned it down 🙂
Todays photo was sent in by John Dawson and is ex the NZ Herald heritage collection.The image was tagged ‘March 1941 Otehei Bay, Bay of Islands. The 35’ fishing launch belonging to Mr L Blomfield VALHALLA destroyed by fire (burnt to the waterline)
The owner suffered burns and shock. Do we know any more about this VALHALLA – builder, year built and was she rebuilt or scraped.
CANVAS CAPS – BLACK (white embroidered logo) – one size fits all – $42
COTTON T – SHIRTS – DARK CHOCOLATE (white screen printed logo) – short sleeve only – – SIZES > SML / MED / LRG / XL / 2XL – $39
Numbers are very limited so order now – just tell me what you want and I’ll confirm we can supply and send payment (+ postage) details. waitematawoodys@waitematawoodys
Todays woody workboat comes to us from ’Timespanner’ via Ian McDonald. All WW knows is the boat is / was based at Stewart Island and her skipper was Fluff Leask.
Can me learn more about this very salty looking classic.
WW MERCHANDISE – IF YOU ARE THINKING OF ORDERING – DO IT NOW B4 STOCK RUNS OUT
The MV MILLARM a well known boat around Wellington in the 1970’s, popped up on social media several months ago in the ‘Cook Strait Gossip & Drama’ fb feed. The story goes that in 1982 after a medial event onboard the vessel was run aground in Breaker Bay, Wellington. The motor was salvaged and put into another vessel, the top cabin and deck were removed and taken to Lyall Bay where they sat on the seaward side of a property at the westside of the bay.In previous life worked as a pilot boat.
Can we learn anymore about MV MILLARM.
INPUT ex JOHN WICKS – Owner was Russ McKay. Memory (that unreliable source) says she was a Roger Carey design and possibly build. She was named for Mill Arm in Greville Harbour, D’Urville Island, a very pretty and sheltered anchorage. She was quite new when tragedy struck her. Interestingly she was built as a private vessel, despite her handsome fishing boat look.
INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – Built by Miller and Tunnage. Used as a pilot launch for a few weeks when both Wellington’s pilot launches were out of service for reasons I cannot recall. On the day she was wrecked, she had crossed Cook Strait and visited the PACIFIC CHARGER, aground at Baring Head. I remember that there was a big swell running that day. Owner Russell McKay was on his own. Set sail from Baring Head towards Breaker Bay and failed to alter to starboard once the harbour entrance was reached. The unforgiving nature of the shore and the big swell did for MILL ARM. A great shame. Beautifully built in kauri of course. Only a year or so old.
If todays woody was a car the all most blue blood link would double its value. Read below the story sent in by Philip Wilson.
Philip is keen to talk to anyone with additional info about this boats history.
“Back in the 1962 this boat was commissioned as a new build by the Govt Internal Affairs Dept as one of 4-5 Seacraft boats to be used for a visit by the Queen Mother and her party to Lake Taupo. She was to have arrived by Sunderland flying boat and taken ashore in one of these boats and later taken out trout fishing. This visit was unfortunately cancelled I understand due to a health problem
The boat however was a new build, delivered to Taupo and was under the charge of the Head Ranger, Don Maine.
The boat was unique as it was the first hull built to a new modified design with a double skin bottom, a diagonal inner and a fore and aft outer skin rather than the original clinker bottom of the previous boats. This was to give the bottom additional strength to take the power of twin Ford Consul inboard engines. This info has been confirmed in an email communication to me from Lionel Sands CEO of Seacraft.
How long the boat was in the care of the Ranger, I don’t know or its history until I acquired it.
I acquired this boat via Trade Me after a couple of year’s research to find it in 2005.
The actual structural restoration took 7 years of part time work with a lot of periods of nothing.
The original cabin and deck were too far gone to be reused but the parts made excellent pattens for the new cabin in Sappele Mahogany.
Seacraft interiors were very spartan in the day so I adopted a configuration from my days at Fleetcraft Marine in Palmerston North.
The Ford Consul’s no longer existed so I decided to go out on a limb and after extensive research I opted for Toyota Starlet 1300 cc Fuel injected/computer controlled engines of 1996 vintage. These engines are coupled to Hurth 150 V drive boxes.
Many hours were taken to marinize the engines and custom make all the necessary components to get this installation together.
However the end result is a craft that looks good, retains its original classic lines and is functional and has reliable engineering. The engines have been professionally tuned and adapted for marine use.
Late Nov 2025 I completed to final sea trial with the engines running very quietly and achieving 27 kns at 4500 rpm which is the planned max cruising speed.”
UPDATE ex ALAN CRAIG (Craig Marine) Alan has the other two boats referred to above.
Recently woody John Dawson sent me the above b/w photo of a game boat in an unusual pose – I have never seen the days catch displayed as above. Skipper can’t have had much respect for the paint job.
A few minutes on the WW Search box gave me a match – the craft is the 1958 Lane Motor Boat Co. built 42’ launch – MOANA, as seen in the 2nd photo.
CLASSIC EX WOODEN WORKBOAT – ZORA AK71 – A Peek Down Below
Earlier in the year Ian McDonald advised the 1936, 50’ Lidgard built ex workboat ZORA was looking for a new owner, at the time the asking price (350k) was a little steep given the market but it appears she sold. They all do, it’s only a matter of price.
ZORA last appeared on WW back in Aug 2018 , lots of photos and details from her past at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/08/08/zora-a71-workboat-wednesday/
ZORA is a fine woody and appeared to be very well maintained and presented. What we learnt:
• Built in 1936 by Lidgard Bros as a Seine fishing boat
• 15.2m LOH x 4.45m beam x 1.8m draft
• Powered by a Gardner 6L3B 150hp, cruises at 8 knots
• Carvel planked, with some of that ’thick plastic’ coating applied 😦
• All the bells and whistles for extended cruising + 5000L fuel tank
Crazy day celebrating xmas in November – overseas family visiting, so just had to do it………….
So woodys when I saw late yesterday that Ian McDonald had sent in the photo that appears above, I was so happy. Was probably the closest I’ve been to missing posting a story.
So the photo is tagged “An unidentified motor launch on Lake Taupo”. William Barbour Beattie for NZ Herald, 1950. (Luck Lib Heritage Collections)
I’m expecting one of the Drake Brothers to ID her and possibly say they own or owned her 🙂
INPUT EX GREG PHILPOTT – OKATAINA – Built in 1938 by Sam Ford in 1938 for the Beamish-Whites at Lake Okataina. Sold in 1939 to the Government’s Internal Affairs Department who were looking for a boat to “serve their ranger work on Lake Taupo as well as on occasions carry distinguished guests”. They required a boat that “could handle rough weather and give fair speed”. Hence the official flag. Later owners on Lake Taupo included John Henry Kay and Peter Redwood. The boat ended up in Auckland in late 1989 / early 1990 in poor condition and then found her way to Thames where she remains today.
24-11-2025 INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE – We, the Drake Brothers, were quite besotted with OKATAINA when Peter Redwood owned her, and before we owned ROMANCE. In 1975, OKATAINA ‘s Chrysler Ace petrol engine ended up in ROMANCE. Legend has it that in 1939, at the start of WW2, OKATAINA was put in her float-in shed at the Taupo Boat Harbour and the door locked, not to be opened until 1945. She didn’t fare too well and required fairly expensive rot repairs, so it is said.
26-11-2025 INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE – Photo below of OKATAINA at Taupo (late 1960s) when the young Drake brothers were besotted with her. These days she has rather more structure (flying bridge) and is painted – white. But back then, she had class! To our young eyes, anyway.
Proof of the feast and the reason I was so unmotivated to punch the keyboard 🙂 And guess what, we will be doing it all again on Dec 25th 🙃
Several months ago todays woody photo popped up on Lew Redwoods fb feed and I filed it away and for got about it 😦
Fast forward to yesterday and I was dong a file search on the word PICTON and up popped the image.
Aside from being a rather good b/w photo – the interesting thing tome is the number of smallish classic wooden launches moored.
Its a long shot but anyone able to dare the photo and possibly ID any craft.
And while on the subject to old images, I was reading a copy of the NZ Classic Yacht Association – Oct 1996 newsletter. Even though it was called ’The New Zealand Classic Yacht Quarterly’ the handle bar moustached sailors back then hadn’t swallowed the Kool-aid and were happy using generic terms like OLD BOAT 🙂
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