TAIAROA

The above photos of Taiaroa were taken by boat builder Colin Brown while she was hauled out on the hardstand at Wellington. Colin was in the capital for the re-launching of Little Tasman. Colin & his team undertook the magnificent restoration of Little Tasman at his Omaha yard. photos emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

What do we know about Talaroa? – certainly looks like a southern boat with a work boat past.

Input From Russell Ward

Rumored to have been a rowing boat carried on one of the RNZN ships whose name I forget. Someone said she had been steam, but never IMHO. Motor boat certainly – a Standard or Union. Most probably a local Dunedin fishing boat –not Miller and Tunnage I don’t think –they wouldn’t have been formed when she was built.

Became an OHB workboat around 1940 and later and later passed to the Sea Cadets in Dunedin and then came to Wellington in the 1970’s?.

Owned by Sam Hunt for a time and kept by his live in boat shed –he probably generated the lively colour scheme.

Fell into indifferent ownership and was slowly going downhill at Evans Bay Marina.

I met her maybe four years back when the owner had just died (on board?) and his brother wanted to sell her. A bit of a mess and bought by a good soul who put her up at the hard stand and doesn’t seem to have progressed much.

Photos below at varying times in her life. Acknowledgements to esteemed members of the Workboat Study Group.

14-07-2017 – Photo of Lonaero – as mentioned in Cameron Pollard’s note in the ww comments section .