 PS Waimarie at Whanganui Riverboat Centre | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust |
| Operator | Waimarie Operating Trust |
| Route | Whanganui River, New Zealand |
| Builder | Yarrow & Co, Poplar, London |
| Launched | 1899 |
| In service | 20 July 1900 |
| Out of service | 1949 - 2000 |
| Refit | 1993 - 1999 |
| Status | Tourist vessel |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Paddle steamer |
| Tonnage | 80 GT |
| Length | 100.2 feet (30.5 m) |
| Beam | 16 feet (4.9 m), 22 feet (6.7 m) over paddle housings |
| Draft | 14 inches (360 mm) |
| Installed power | Coal-fired water tube boiler with two single-cylinder steam engines |
| Propulsion | Side paddle wheels |
| Speed | 10.5 knots |
| Capacity | 110 passengers |
| Crew | 6 |
ThePaddle SteamerWaimarie is a historicriverboat based on theWhanganui River in New Zealand. She is the only coal–fired paddle steamer still operating in New Zealand.Waimarie was built in 1899 by Yarrow & Co. in London and transported to New Zealand in kitset form to be assembled at Whanganui. She operated on the Whanganui River for 49 years before being laid up. In 1952 she sank at her moorings and lay in the mud for the next 40 years.
However, in 1993Waimarie was raised from the riverbed, and a six year restoration effort led to her return to service in 2000. PSWaimarie is now a popular tourist attraction in Whanganui, with 2 hour cruises on the river available most days during the summer season.
This paddle steamer was ordered by the Wanganui Settlers' River Steamship Co, and built as a kitset byYarrow shipbuilders inLondon in 1899. She was shipped toWanganui in 64 crates plus the boiler, and was assembled by David Murray & Co in March 1900. On 29 June, she took a party of about 100 people 61 kilometres (38 mi) upstream to a meeting at Koriniti on a trial run, and commenced regular services toPipiriki three weeks later. For the first two years, she was named PSAotea.[1][2]
The company operating the new vessel was in competition with existing passenger, mail and cargo services on the river operated byAlexander Hatrick, who at that time wasMayor of Wanganui. Hatrick had a well-established business on the river, and had been carrying large numbers of passengers to Pipiriki, on a tourist route promoted as "TheRhine ofMaoriland" into the interior of New Zealand. The Wanganui Settlers' River Steamship Co could not sustain the competition and Hatrick's company purchased theAotea in 1902. She was then renamedWaimarie, aMāori-language word meaning "peaceful waters".[3][1]
TheWaimarie operated a regular service on the 88 kilometres (55 mi) route betweenWanganui andPipiriki for 49 years, carrying cargo, mail and passengers.[4] The opening of the Whanganui River Road in 1935 reduced the demand for river transport, and theWaimarie, needing her boiler replaced, ceased running in 1949. In 1952, she sank at her moorings in Wanganui.[2]
On 14 February 1990, a public meeting was held with 90 people attending, to promote the salvage and restoration of PSWaimarie.[5] The Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust was incorporated in July 1991 to plan and undertake the project.[6] An important initial step was securing the use of the near-derelict Wanganui Rowing Club building as a workshop where the vessel could be restored. The Rowing Club building was renovated to serve initially as a workshop, and then as a museum facility. It was renamed as the Whanganui Riverboat Centre, and re-opened on 24 February 1995.[5][1]
After being buried in the river mud for nearly 40 years, theWaimarie was salvaged by volunteers in 1993. The restoration of the vessel was adopted as a sesquicentennial project in Whanganui. After a six-year restoration project, the PSWaimarie was re-commissioned, and commenced tourist cruises on 1 January 2000.[2] She is the only coal–fired paddle steamer still operating in New Zealand.[7][5]
In the first year following re-commissioning she carried over 25,000 passengers.[4]
PSWaimarie is owned by the Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust. In 2003, a separate organisation, the Waimarie Operating Trust was formed to manage vessel operations.[5][8]
PSWaimarie has been described as Whanganui's main tourist attraction.[5] She typically carries more than 8,000 passengers each year, with a maximum of 90 per trip. During the summer season she operates on the lower stretches of the river, and is also available for charter. The typical daily cruise is a 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) trip upriver toUpokongaro and return.[9]
The operation of the vessel is undertaken by 8 staff and 12 volunteers. In 2020, it was reported that the operation of the vessel had been supported for several years with annual funding of $65,000 from a Community Contract.[5]
PS Waimarie is hauled out of the river every 5 years for survey, on a site near to the Dublin Street bridge. The haulage operation is undertaken using vintage traction steam engines. In June 2021, the trust reported that in the previous season, the vessel had carried 10,000 passengers.[10]
In August 2021, the Waimarie Operating Trust announced that they were contributing to an environmental restoration project in association with the Pungarehu Marae to plant trees and harakeke (flax) near the marae and the banks of the Whanganui River as a means of offsetting the carbon emissions of PSWaimarie.[11]
Media related toWaimarie (ship, 1899) at Wikimedia Commons