(204 feet) to the sky.
Rachel and Pete couldn’t believe their luck. So they turned their world upside down. They now get married on March 28 2002 and set sail on their honeymoon on April 2. Mr.Tony Smith of Francis Travel will present them with their tickets next week. The Wind Song will take them to Tauranga, White Island, Kawau Island, Waiheke Island, and the Bay of Islands.
Rachel who works for Telecom’s Faults Centre said "I can’t believe our luck and Pete and I plan to be back at the Maritime Museum for their next competition."
The Wind Song sails from Hobson Wharf at 5pm Tuesday, April 2nd.
26.03.2020 NEW ZEALAND’S OLDEST STEAM LAUNCH CELEBRATES THE FESTIVAL OF STEAM
S. S. Puke is the pride of the National Maritime Museum’s waterborne fleet. And on Friday March 22 she is to venture forth from The Museum’s Marina on her longest jouner ever - 22 nautical miles - to join the Festival of Steam at Clevedon. She will be crewed by her loyal band of Maritime Museum Volunteers – all avowed "steamheads".
Puke was built in 1872 by E.Thompson and Son boatbuilders at Aratapu on the Kaipara Harbour. Her original purpose was as a tender for small towing jobs for the Kauri milling industry on the Kaipara.
She was lovingly restored in 1977 and now happily steams her way nostalgically around the Harbour on regular weekend trips as part of The Maritime Museum’s Harbour Programme.
Puke is most unusual. She is a trailer capable vessel and has been transported, launched and slipped many times from normal boat ramps on a tandem trailer. While on it’s trailer, Puke has been comfortably lifted and stowed as deck cargo aboard the container vessel Forum New Zealand 2 for transport to and from New Zealand. Most destinations however, have been reached in the Hauraki Gulf area under her own steam.
Puke received world wide television coverage as a feature of Brisbane’s Expo 88. For six months Puke starred as a rare attraction to The NZ Expo Commission ferrying the Prime Minister, Governor Generals, Film Stars, Cabinet Ministers, Mayors and such famous people as Sir Edmond Hilary. Working long hours day and night with trouble free and punctual service was testimony to this exceptional historic steam boat.
On Saturday, March 23rd Puke will be moored at the Mark Balemi Slip happy to ferry members of the public on trips on the Clevedon River. This is an unique opportuntiy to really celebrate The Silver Jubilee of Steam on Puke – the oldest Steam Boat on the water.
14 Feb 2020 KZ 1 – the ‘Big Boat’ – A Tall Order
It’s now 14 years since KZ1 sailed and lost a yacht race in the courtrooms of San Diego. Subsequent to that sporting debacle, Sir Michael Fay in 1990 donated KZ1 to the NZ National Maritime Museum. This huge yacht