Tag Archives: Kawau Island

St. Clair

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St Clair
photos & details from owner John Newton

The 34′ sedan St Clair was built for Lionel Barney by Brin Wilson in 1956 and is kauri carvel construction. ww readers may recall that it was used as a ferry for St Clair lodge at Vivian Bay on Kawau Island . Piers Barney who runs Norma Jean charters has recollections of collecting passengers from Sandspit when he was 10 years old, Piers had to stand on a soap box to see out of the wheel house.

She was surveyed for 39 passengers to Kawau limits and amazingly carried up to 20  x 44 gallon drums of diesel for generators and bags of wheat and meal for all the chooks and muscovy ducks at the lodge, so a really solid little launch.

Piers father Lionel used to enjoy racing it in fun races against other boats off Kawau Island Yacht Club where she did very well reportedly getting up to 13 knts with a 100hp Ford engine. She hasn’t seen that sort of speed since, perhaps because of the new heavier sedan cabin.

St Clair was bought by John and Helen Hager and refitted to a comfortable sedan in 2006 by Robertsons Boats. Current owners John & Natasha Newton bought her in 2011.

A Woody Labour Weekend

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Lucille & Ngaio – 2 Logans

A Woody Labour Weekend

The weather split the CYA classic fleet in two this Labour weekend with some heading to Kawau for the opening of the ‘new’ Kawau Boating Club. From all reports it was a blast & well done to those that made the trip. The photos below of Kawau are from the camera of Margo & Jamie Hudson (Lady Crossley).
A selection of classic launches mooched around Waiheke Island & with the weather forecast –  Onetangi Bay was the most popular spot. We had to share it with a rather large number of plastic boats, I think every Rivia in Auckland was there, but for once they behaved & the hum of the gen-sets  was almost bearable 🙂
Waiheke photos ex me (I took a few more ,but they will be ‘Mystery Boat’ posts)

PS If you were away on the boat or at the bach, you may have missed the last 4 ww posts, which featured the boats of Norm Fairlie. Stroll down to enjoy 😉

WAIHEKE ISLAND

Raindance
Sea Fever
Lucille
Ngaio
Happy Dog + a Rivia owner

KAWAU ISLAND

Trinidad – Lady Crossley
Ferro

Somethings wrong here – why is the oldest rowing?

Dick Coughlan

Schoolhouse Bay Mystery Launches

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Schoolhouse Bay Mystery Launches

Photo ex Simon Smith, courtesy of the Sir George Collection.

The above photo is Schoolhouse Bay, Bon Accord Harbour, Kawau Island.

Who can ID the launches – L>R?

I don’t know the answer, so my guess for the first 2 , starting on the left is –

1. Ngaio – the 1921 Arch Logan
2. Raiona (Mollie > Alcestis) the 1919 Joe Slattery
3. ?
4. ?

Lady Adelaide photo as per HDK’s request

Kawau Island

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KAWAU ISLAND

Aside from school trips to see the wallabies, I like a lot of us, had my first Kawau Island boating experience via RNZYS race weekends. I can still picture Ken Lusty’s very large dinghy on the beach on Saturday night, filled to the gunnels with ice cold cans of beer & being invited for whiskey & milk for Sunday breakfast on the commodores boat………….. how we all survived god only knows 🙂

I was recently lent by Barbara Cooke a copy of the book ‘Memories of Mansion House – Kawau Island, NZ’ by Nora Creina Wilson. This insight into life on the island would have to be compulsory reading for anyone interested in the gulf & classic wooden boats. Needless to say, I very quickly snatched a copy of my own off trademe for the princely sum of $8.00. It now sits on Raindance alongside Johnny Wray’s ‘South Sea Vagabonds’.

Buy a copy or borrow one from the library, you have to read it, the photos alone are worth viewing – the island will not be the same post reading.

ps – speaking of Johnny Wray’s master piece – I’ll be posting details soon about the re-print (#5 ) of this very special book, which will co-incde with the re-launch of the restored Ngataki, the yacht that Johnny built & undertook his adventures in. Only yesterday I lent my (old) copy to an young 8 year old Opti sailor, who I hope will be wow’ed by the book. I took the photo below to remind me who currently has the book – its my latest trick, sick of people that do not return books. A few years ago I was offered a book to read & when I opened the dust cover, there was my stamp…………… & they still swore black & blue it was theirs 😦

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Lady Pat

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LADY PAT

photos & details ex Craig Anderson

The owner of Lady Pat describes her as a ‘pub cruiser’ i.e. the perfect boat for navigating the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour & seeking refreshment at the Riverhead Hotel. I think that we will see more ‘Lady Pats’ as the popularity of the hotel grows.

Her owner is keen to find out more about her past, what he does know is an amusing read.

Lady Pat, 17′, was rescued from the side of Whangaparoa Road nearly 20 years ago by Stephen Harris (of Auckland Engineering Supplies), who paid $100.00 to the man and hauled her away. She had been stripped bare of her equipment and left sitting in the grass. Steve was told that the boat was built on Kawau Island by a retiring shipwright at the Lidgard yard. She was built of the kauri scraps left over from ship building it seems.
Steve took her home and began the restoration, with an eye toward sightseeing tours up the Puhoi river (another hotel location). While Steve was sanding off the blue paint from her transom he found ” Lady Pat” in pencil written there. After several years he found another boat and this project sat on a trailer in his shed. Two years ago he decided he would never get back to the little boat and offered it to his friend Craig Anderson, as a gift.

Craig moved Lady Pat to Wayne Olsen (Horizon Boats) for replacement of it’s cabin top and window frames along with glassing the topsides. Wayne also built a new drystack chimney for the two cylinder Ford that now powers it. I viewed her in Wayne’s shed while Waimiga was having her make-over (refer photos) & thought at the time that a vessel of this size was very lucky to be under the care of the Horizon crew.
After a lick of paint she was returned to Steves shed and waited for further repair and assembly, which was completed by Paul Middlemiss and Craig. She went back in the water at the Stillwater Boat Club in late March 2014.

08/04/2014 – Photos below ex Steve Harris & show Lady Pat as ‘found’ & at the start of the restoration process – have to say she was a very cute runabout 🙂

10/01/2015 – An update on ‘Lady Pat’
from owner Craig Anderson

“We enjoyed LP for only a short time on the water last season, caught some fish and got some hours on the little engine.
At 7kts she is a gentle performer on a smooth sea. Things get a bit wild on board when it’s rough, as she is small and buoyant.
After we pulled her out and put her on her new trailer last April, a list of jobs was developed, and one by one, done during the better days of the past winter.
We have just had the pleasure of returning to the tide and it is clear we have made improvements that will be enjoyed for years to come. Included below are two recent photos.”

Tamahere

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Tamahere

Sandspit Aug 2014
Sandspit Aug 2014

TAMAHERE

photo & details ex ken ricketts

Tamahere is seen above tied up at the Sandspit wharf. She is currently owned by Chris Metcalf who has had her for about 12 months & bought her off a Mr Rose. She has a small Isuzu engine, which replaced a 135 hp 6 cyl Ford, which had been right in the bow, & he has put the Isuzu more amidships.

The designer / builder is un-know & while there is no concrete proof the talk is she was launched in 1904. She appears to have been low wooded in the bow & has had the bow raised & combings added to, altered, or replaced, through the years, but not for a very long time as Ken recalls her more or less looking like she does now back in the 1950s/60s.

In her past life she was used for years by a number of Kawau Island residents & trades people (builders etc) to tow barges & be a work boat & workers transport, Also for a while was used to tow the fuel barge with big tanks on it, to the KIYC, from Sandspit. She was moored for quite a period in the 1970s & 1980’s in Smelting House Bay.

Currently kept up the Matakana River at Sandspit & is in the process of being, in the owners words, ‘tidied up’. Any help in ID’ing her & her past would be appreciated.

Recollections of Kawau Island – By Bob Edwards

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Recollections of Kawau Island – By Bob Edwards 

Bob Edwards lived on Kawau for a ‘number’ of years (he was the ferrymaster at one stage) & this is a record of his recollections of those times. It was given to Keith Presland & typed by Flo Presland (I love the old typewriter font & hand corrections)

This was forward to ww by Ken Ricketts & I have posted the tale because I agree with KR in that much of the history contained herein may be lost forever, if this is not recorded in a formal way. While not all wooden boat related, Kawau is a special place to most of us & I’m sure this 15 page tale will be an enjoyable read for most of you.

Click on the link (blue text) below to view / read – enjoy 🙂

KAWAU MEMORIES -BOB EDWARDS RESIDENT FROM 1940s TO EARLY 70s

photo of Bob Edwards on-board ‘Kawau Isle’ at North Cove c1970’s

BOB EDWARDS ON KAWAU ISLE NORTH HARBOUR KAWAU ISLAND 1970s

 

Harold Kidd Update

It’s a great piece of local history with some brilliant, spare tales. A few comments. NANCIBEL was built by Bailey & Lowe in 1920 and was not a conversion of Andros’ open boat. “Emptage” is Emtage of course of Motuora who had the launch ILA/OLA. “Bunty” Palmer married a Nops. Unless I’m confusing the several KORORAs, this KORORA was built by David Reid in 1907 for Judge Seth-Smith and was later MURIWAI, then OSTEND before reverting to KORORA. She had been used by the RNZAF who had bought/hired her from Whakatane in 1943. She then had a K2 Kelvin which was undoubtedly replaced in service by the standard armed forces issue of a Chrysler.

PS Spero Andros sold NANCIBEL to Gubbs shortly after his wife Molly (Kathleen Mary) died in February 1941. Gubbs’ first day of operation was 11th June 1941.

A Neat Idea from Baden Pascoe

This is great stuff. Let’s ask any readers if they can find photos of the boats mentioned in the articles. I remember the “Mairie” (not sure if the spelling is correct) very well. One of the Harrison boys ran her out of Whitianga. Last time I saw her she was on the hard up at Te Atatu as an unfinished project. Shame, nice little boat. One day my brother Mitch and I were steaming with her in a big sea out by the Twins (in Mercury Bay), man could she roll! 

Mansion House Bay c.1950

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Mansion House Bay c.1950

photos from Helen & Richard Andrew’s family collection (grand daughter & her husband of Henry Allen -Tiromoana) ex Ken Rickitts.

The above postcard of Mansion House Bay Kawau Island, was written by Alma Allen (Tiromoana) in the early 1950’s & sent to Esme & Joe Coggan — their daughter & son in law &/or Helen their grand daughter as a little girl, now Helen Andrew.

Ken has attempted to ID some of the boats &  can identify Mananui (P.R.Colebrook’s days), Valsan (Arnold Baldwin era) & very importantly to Ken the Lady Claire (in the Stan Headland era), Headland had her cabin sides beautifully varnished, which disappeared later. Ken believes the photo was taken circa 1953-55.

Note Valsan anchored off the end of the wharf & with the stern tied to wharf — A.D.B. used to take family away for about 10 days at Christmas, then swap crews, for a “men’s” crew, & cruise. He never tied to the wharf when the family were there & never left the wharf, when they weren’t there, so this is without doubt, taken in the second half of a Christmas period. — He, & Len Peckham, (Lady Sandra) took unplanned turns, at sharing the wharf in this manner in this era.

04–09-2024 INPUT ex JEANETTE RHODES – These wonderful stories of Mansion House’s bygone era have promoted me to add my bit.  I became a baby of Mansion House in 1941. Mother was a housemaid there. We lived in the staff quarters right behind MH. The Hooks cottages were there and their only daughter was my playmate. As I got older and smarter l collected the beer bottles thrown overboard by the yachties, receiving one penny for each one from the shop. When the Americans came in on their ships, they’d take me to the tuck shop and buy me everything a kid could dream of.  I also joined the staff with their ukeleles on the wharf to welcome / farewell the large weekend ferries arriving from Auckland with 100’s of passengers. I knew all the songs.  Long streamers were held by passengers and staff on both sides as the ferries pulled out.  New Year Balls were unimaginable with everyone dressing up and drinking, eating, dancing like there was no tomorrow. Midnight, the less drunk ones would climb up the huge Kauri pillars in the lounge and kiss the ceiling. Tradition it was !
The snake pit at night was out of bounds to me but I used to spy on the adults drinking and doing silly dumb things with each other.  I also knew very well, the Vivian Bay Barneys and their boat St. Claire. Great memories of a bygone era.

Classic’s in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island

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Classic's in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island

Classic’s in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island

Lots of classics on the bay – my attempt at ID’ing them – from left Menai, Safari,?,Trinidad (or Lady Crossley), ?, Coquette, ?, Rehia (or Talua) Wirihana?,?