End of an era....

.....for the twin-masted, steam powered schooner, MV Tuhoe - named after the Maori tribe, Tuhoe meaning 'the children of the mist'.
 
A 97 foot, double-masted auxiliary schooner, constructed of triple skinned kauri, built in Auckland, NZ in 1919 by George Nicol for the Northern Steamship Company and launched on April 7. The ship was originally fitted with two 60-horsepower engines from Glasgow that had been salvaged from the ship, Eunice. The Tuhoe's maiden voyage took place on May 1 1919, from Auckland to Whakatane and carried on to Tauranga.
 
During the Second World War, the ship was taken over by the New Zealand Navy before being sold to the small ships section of the United States Army. It sailed off the northeast coast of Australia and New Guinea, carrying supplies to assist the allies against Japan. The war also meant it was fitted with two quick firing 50-calibre Browning heavy machine guns. In August 1944, she turned up at Townsville, marked ‘surplus, for return to New Zealand’ but someone changed their mind and she was returned to the operational area in October that year. During the war, her original engines needed replacing but marine engines were scarce and so for a number of months, she ploughed through the seas with two Chrysler truck motors attached before near-new diesel engines were found in 1944.
 
Following the war, she returned to New Zealand and continued trading from Auckland. Between 1956 and 1960, the Tuhoe was laid up three times then in August 1961, she was sold to T Eckford and Co, of Blenheim. She was towed from Auckland and then laid up in the Opawa River where it was found to be unsuitable for the Wairau river trade. She was then sold to the Kaiapoi Shipping Company in early 1962 and made her first visit to Kaiapoi in April of that year. In June 1963 she became stranded on the Waimakariri Bar but was refloated on 1 July. She sailed between Kaiapoi and Wellington trading until November 1963 when the roll-on, roll off ferries killed the trade from Kaiapoi.
 
For a time she was used as floating art gallery but largely the Tuhoe remained stationary until October 1980, when the Cure Boating Club, Inc bought her for use as a clubrooms and restoration began by a group of eight dedicated people. From 1982 intensive restoration took place preparing the ship for weekend river cruises recapturing its past when it travelled fully laden with 100 tonnes of cargo, up the river and across the Waimakariri bar and out to sea and destinations far afield. The former cargo-hold became a place for purchasing refreshments and also housed a small museum of Tuhoe memorabilia.
 
In late 2003, the Tuhoe was put up for tender and there were fears that it would be taken away from Kaiapoi. However, the Cure Boating Club accepted a joint amount submitted by Mainpower New Zealand and Kaiapoi Electricity, the lowest it was offered because it meant that the ship would stay in local hands. Regular sailings of it resumed in June 2005.
 
Some recollections from my mum, walkingS:
'Not the first time it has got stuck on a sandbar. I can remember as a little girl the MV Tuhoe and the MV Clansman getting stuck on sandbars as they  came through the Whakatane Heads to deliver goods, they brought all the supplies for our small town. In those days these two boats plied the Bay of Plenty from Auckland to Tauranga, Whakatane and sometimes Opotiki. Our Dad, who was a milk vendor, used to deliver cans of milk to these boats and we would often go with him and watch the boat unloading and loading with boxes of butter for their return trip to Auckland. I was thrilled to see the Tuhoe at Kaiapoi when we came to live down here but so sad to see it's now come to an end'.
 
A long blip today, lots of rich history and a distant connection to our family through stories told by older generations. Both mum and I felt sad as we saw the MV Tuhoe aground and hearing the chainsaws as deconstruction began. Seagulls were circling, whitebaiters and fishermen were watching while casting their nets and lines, children were in awe seeing a huge 'pirate' ship on their beach while photographers and camera crews from the major TV stations gathered - the talk was all about the MV Tuhoe, the last working ship of its type in New Zealand which ran aground Sunday 27 September 2015 at 4pm entering the mouth of the Waimakariri River after being in Lyttleton for a $200,000 repair work, a sad time indeed and an end of an era.