Tag Archives: Omokaroa

OM0KOROA (PHENELLA > WANGANELLA > KOTUKU > OMOKOROA)

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c.1950
2024

OM0KOROA (PHENELLA > WANGANELLA > KOTUKU > OMOKOROA)

The 36′ launch OMOKOROA has made several appearances on WW. Each story (links below) has told us more about her and her colourful past. The most recent story was in April where we saw she was nearing the end of another restoration. The name Lyndon Chambers is a common element in most of the stories and today Lyndon has shared with us a gem of a photo from the Western Bay of Plenty District Libraries collection dated c.1950’s. This b/w photo was supplied by Claudia Hume.

In the corresponding text we learnt so much more about her provenance and the many names that have graced her transom. Reproduced below”

“The Kotuku was originally the Phenella, built by Sam Middlebrook as a houseboat in around 1920 on the banks of the Uretara, helped by William Mulgrew and Noble Johnston. Sam lived in her until 1938, when he moved to Waihī. It was sold to Norm Blomquist who renamed her the Wanganella. Claude Hume bought a share in her, and took her over when Norm died in 1949. He engaged a boat bulder to rebuild her superstructure, then renmed her Kotuku. He kept her for 20 years until 1971 when H. G. Lomas of Waihī Beach bought her. She is said to have been taken to Tauranga in the late 1980s for repairs, and there has been no further record of her. The story of the Phenella/Kotuku is on pp 220 & 221 of Max Avery’s book “Maritime Tauranga”.

JULY 2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/07/10/omokaroa-omokoroa-saved/
APRIL 2024 https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/04/24/omokoroa-in-former-times/
April 2024 https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/04/25/omokoroa-april-2024-update/

Omokaroa / Omokoroa Saved

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Omokaroa / Omokoroa Saved
Back in August 2018 we reported on the fate of the launch Omokoroa that appeared abandoned, washed ashore in the Whitford River, near the Whitford Boating and Cruising Club. At the time we uncovered a lot about her past , supported by some great photos – read this WW story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/08/07/amokoroa/


Early this week I was contacted by Lyndon Chambers with the news that the launch had been saved, I’ll let Lyndon tell the story:


“I contacted the harbourmaster late Feb about the salvage of Omokaroa from Wade’s island, found the owner through a small book of notes from on board then after a lot of spadework and the help of 8 airbeds under the scow-like flat-ish hull, 2 plow anchors and a winch combined with a 3.6m king tide she floated out over the mangroves, just requiring some work around the rudder and some time to ‘take up’. It’s now happily on a mooring and part of the Shelly Park Cruising Club where it’s being restored to a comfortable family cruiser.Shes an ailing old hull that’s been sured up with galv nails at some point but I will get it tidied up, Its running a 60hp Ford 2401e on a 2:1 Paragon box, just had to do repair the sump, sort some wiring and a general service of the cooling system”.


NOTE: It some stage the name has been changed / altered from Omokoroa to Omokaroa ?? Or have we two different boats?? There was some chat about this in the Aug 2018 story.