Tag Archives: Minerva

LOOKING FOR HELP IDENTIFYING THIS WOODEN BOAT

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LOOKING FOR HELP IDENTIFYING THIS WOODEN BOAT

Todays woody story could be a long reach – but the woody universe is longer, so fingers crossedHarold Kidd was recently counted by Lindsay Woodward regarding the launch – MINERVA, that Lindsay believed was once her grandfathers (Charlie Woodward).    

Harold commented that he was pretty sure the launch in the photo supplied by Lindsay is not her grandfather’s MINERVA. Records show that the grandfather’s  launch was a 30 footer built c.1912 by Miller & Tunnage in Port Chalmers. The vessel pictured above is much bigger and a later build. Harold also is of the belief that the location of the photo may be Port Levy, Banks Peninsula, South Island.

So woodys can we put a name to the above launch and possibly learn more about her.

Input From John Gander: The photo looks like the Claud Wells boat “Noeline’ 45’ x 11’ 1932 and built for the French Pass D’Urvile island mail run


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The Minerva

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The Minerva
Talking with woody – John Wright the other day and he mentioned that he spotted an old framed photo in the dump bin at the Te Atatu Boat Club, a quick bit of bin diving reduced the photo, which John sent me a copy of and asked for more intel on the vessel – The Minerva, the photo is captioned – ?.N. Jones Family 1986.The rear of the family has a lot of detail, but sadly very hard to read – it says she was built by Chas Bailey, most of the other detail is just too hard to read.
Well jackpot – Minerva featured extensively on WW back in March 2015 and we uncovered a lot about her provenance.Snapshot – built in 1910 as a Auckland harbour ferry, she had a very shallow draft for negotiating creeks and estuaries. Her original power was steam via a coal fired boiler, that fuelled two 14hp George Fraser & Son engines. Around 1922 she moved over to the Kaipara Harbour and worked there until the late 1940’s. Around this time she was converted to diesel power and remained a work boat until c.1945. Around then she came back over to the east coast and was rallied and rolled into 1964 when she dropped out of site. There was a reported sighting of her back in 2015 under a cover in Kerikeri.
Read / see more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/03/04/the-minerva/
Does anyone know her current status / condition?

Photo below dated July 2019 ex google + link to TVNZ story on the restoration project. Both ex K Ricketts

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/countrys-oldest-ferry-set-restored-in-northland?fbclid=IwAR2PRIosZVyh7_7ye19Y-19GYO26jnT1DPaaj6ViNq8MzCjjggxEbVtDCKc