Waianiwa

 

Waianiwa's 51 ft alloy hull is quite light even though it is over half an inch thick.  It is braced every metre.  She is powered by two 300hp Caterpillar diesel engines and between these two engines is a 20hp Bukh diesel which is used for trolling.  Although it is a very quiet engine, much like a sewing machine, it is a big heavy engine for its power rating.  Bukhs are run through to 10,000 hours and then replaced.  At the back is another diesel engine which runs the generator.  Waianiwa's six tanks each carry 150 gallons of diesel and she does 23 knots with a top speed of 27 knots.

All the work for the interior was done locally by Bernie Dale.  There is an unusual bar aboard with a 250 foot length of rope wound backwards and forward around the bar.  The beautiful clocks and timepieces come from Germany.  The interior isn't highly polished, instead it has a practical look about it.  A different feature about the main and forward cabins is that all the fittings are modular.  Everything is bolted down with four bolts and can be taken out through the door.  The whole interior could be removed in a day, only the bulkheads are solid.  It would be easy to refit her or to change the layout.

Five to six thousand people every year enjoy a trip on the lake aboard the Waianiwa.  For many overseas visitors the only opportunity to taste fresh trout is out of a tank in a restaurant, and a typical day on the lake would include going ashore for a barbecue after catching a fish, and a look at the native bush which carries no fears of snakes, bears or other dangerous animals.  Few countries in the world can offer this.

Waihora

On the town side of the Taupo harbour there used to be a number of boat sheds.  These sheds were like carparks with the boats being shut up inside.  These boats could be loaded up before being taken out and access to the sheds was through a door at the back.

 One of the two boats kept in these sheds was Waihora.  She was owned by Mr Tabernacle or "Tabby" as everybody knew him.  Tabby moored Waihora in the second shed from the far end of the harbour entrance.  Tabby lived in Taupo for forty years.  He ran a number of businesses in Taupo including a milk bar and a haberdashery business.  He also ran Waihora commercially in the 1950s and was a Grade A mechanic.

However, few people knew that Tabby had a unique qualification.  At one time he was the only person in New Zealand qualified to repair Rolls Royce car engines.   Tabby alone of his family came to New Zealand, and never went back.

He worked in Dunedin and Wellington before settling in Taupo.

Waihora was an all-kauri, clinker-built boat.  She was run on a Chrysler 6 motor.  Earlier on she had had another petrol motor in her.  Tabby looked after this motor as if it was a Rolls Royce engine, even to the extent of shining up the bearings with Brasso.  He took great pride in looking after the motor and was very fussy.  As one person said "It always looked like a new penny".

Another feature of a trip out with Tabby was the experience of eating one of his prepared meals.  He had the ability to cook three course meals on the small Primus stove on board and afterwards many would swear that they had been given a meal cooked in a leading hotel.

Tabby enjoyed life.  He was a great story-teller and was never short of playing a practical joke.  Often he would fly the Jolly Roger on the Waihora and this humorous act was only one of many that Tabby was remembered for.

 

    

Waikarie II

 

Waikare II is a new boat to Taupo. With her immaculate white hull and beautifully finished Teak interior, she looks in tune with her sister boat Waianiwa, yet she is used for a different purpose. She was purchased by Simon Dickie Sporting Adventures to cater for large parties of tourists, staff functions and conference groups that want to enjoy a short stay on the lake such as a day's fishing or an evening's social event. In fact she has been so popular with fishing parties that she has been turned into another fishing boat.

Waikare II was built in Whangarei in 1972 and was designed as an inshore patrol boat for the navy. AE Fuller & Sons who ran the Bay of Islands Charter Company acquired her for cruising to Cape Brett and through the "Hole in the Rock" trips.

Carrying up to 65 passengers, Waikare II was very suited for this workand 2 further boats of a similar design were built. However the Mt Cook Company introduced the catamarans with a capacity odf 150 passengers so Waikare II was n o longer needed and lay little used until Simon Dickie Sporting Adventures acquired her. They were looking for a boat suitable as a luxury cruise conference boat that could take 30 to 50 people out for a day's fishing.

Waikare II was sailed down from the Bay of Islands to Tauranga where she was refurbished extensively. Her hull was stripped down, sand blasted and repainted including the decks, combings & keel. A bowsprit and bowrails were put on and the engines reconditioned. Eight months later in 1985 she was transported to Taupo.

In Taupo her interior had a major refit with the layout altered to give a comfortable saloon seating for up to 30 passengers. A bar was installed and taek used throughout the interior to give an immaculate finish. A feature similar to that in the Waianawa is the one length of rope used to line the front of the bar. Another feature is the use of modular fittings enabling them to be unbolted and taken out the cabin door.

The wheelhose on the Waikare II originally was set in from the edge of the boat from both sides. In the refurbishing this was widened to the full width and the roof extended back over the deck. The deck covers about a third of the length of the boat and can seat 30 on the seating which extends round the sides and the back of the boat. This spacious deck area is often used as a dance floor.

Waikare II is 57'6" long with abeam of 18ft and draws 4'6:" of water. She is powered by two 333HP V8 71 Detroit 2 Stroke Diesels which give her a cruising speed of 18 knots. She is skippered by Les Pardon who was for 20 years a pilot & director of an aircharter company.

One of her most popular trips is the day long cruise to the western bays. Here the tourists can admire the beautiful scenery, not always seen on the eastern side of the lake. Much of this area is not accessible but road. With Waikare II nosed up onto the beach they can enjoy a picnic barbque and ;possibly have a fish that they might have caught trolling on the same trip.

Unlike many cruise boats she has been designed for comfort so that tourists can enjoy the first class facilities on board in addition to the beautiful scenery that they see on their cruise around the shores of Lake Taupo.

Waimarie

The Waimarie is the largest fibreglas boat on Lake Taupo. She was built by Noblecraft Boats in Auckland for her owners, Ken & Ron Spencer. Finished 12 months ago, she was brought down to Taupo for commercial hire on the lake.

Waimarie is 35 ft long, has a beam of 12ft & draws 3 ft in the water. She is a Vindex 350 and was designed by Jim Young. She is powered by two  110 HP Volvo engines. She has a top speed of 25 knots and cruises at 15-16 knots and as well  uses one of these engines for trolling.

While Waimarie's hull is fibreglass, her interior is done out in teak. One feature of her nicely set out cabin area is the simple design of this cabin area which is neatly set out and enables passengers to converse with the skipper while he is running the boat. The galley is forward in the main cabin and up front there are sleeping areas in two forward cabins. She also has a flying bridge which her guests can go up to and enjoy an uninterrupted panoramic view all around. On a fine clear day they can take in the sun while enjoying their cruise. Waimarie can also be driven from the flying bridge.

Licensed to carry 10 passengers, Waimarie is used mainly for day cruising and fishing trips although she can sleep up to 5 people for overnight trips. She has a toilet & shower.

Both of her owners, Ken & Ron Spencer have been coming to Taupo for year. Both have boats in Taupo and used them privately. Their clients are mostly New Zealanders and others large proportion of Australians and others from all over the world. A couple of French visitors left an entry in the visitors left an entry in the visitors' book, "Another couple French spies after a Rainbow trout.". Two Californian visitors from a the Highway Patrol and they also entered in the book a comment, "6 takeaways, 2 got aways, fish & trips - Californian Highway patrol".

 

Wainui

The Wainui was built by Dave Collison and a neighour, Les Olsen, a former boat builder turned orchardist. They built her on Dave's farm in the Hawkes Bay in the 1970's during their spare time.

Wainui was a Frank Perlin design. This design was a cross between the traditional and the modern. Frank Perlin designed his boats to a middle of the road plan, one that would not date. A noticeable feature was her very flared hull up front. She has an all Kauri double planked hull. The interior ia all mahogany finished and she is powered by a 170 HP Detroit diesel which gives her a cruising speed of 12-14 mph. She has one large cabin in which she is driven from. Also in this cabin is a gas stove and a dining area which has seats which convert into two beds at night. There is a flush toilet and shower forward of this cabin and up front a smaller cabin which sleeps 4 in two sets of bunks. She is driven from the starboard side and there is a small hatch above the driver . On top of the main cabin there is a small boxlike part of the boat. This in fact a life raft necessary for survey purposes.