Recently some members of the Trust visited the New Zealand Vintage Machinery Club in Christchurch.

The trust members were genuinely impressed by what had been done with the MV Tuhoe relics and we are very appreciative of the time and effort that the machinery clubs' members have made.

There is still a lot of work in progress which is ongoing and this involves a lot of time, effort and finance to achieve a desirable outcome.

 

December 2020

This year the Kaiapoi Maritime Heritage Trust agreed to loan the New Zealand Vintage Machinery Club the Wheelhouse and the engines from the MV Tuhoe five years after the ship ran aground at the Waimakariri River mouth in 2015.

These engines were built in the USA in the late 1930s by the Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Co and designed to develop 120 HP at 650 RPM which made them ideal to power generating plants with hundreds being placed around the Pacific during WW2.

After the war many small ships ended up with them in and Tuhoe was no exemption having these two fitted in Townsville Australia on her way back to NZ after War service in the Pacific in 1945.

However now in storage with the New Zealand Vintage Machinery Club who intend to strip them down following them being in salt water and in time they intend to have at least one of them running in a proposed new engine shed soon to be constructed at their McLeans Island site.

13 December 2019

The Trust would like to welcome the presence of the boat, “Kaiapoi River Queen” on the Kaiapoi River and will enjoy  seeing the public having the opportunity of a trip down the river once again.

Trips can be booked via their website at https://www.kaiapoiriverqueen.co.nz/

13 August 2019

A team of volunteers  have commenced a maintenance programme to restore the little boat. The volunteer team is led by Paul Tozer under the guidance of Darren Ball. This project will be a mammoth task as there is a lot of work to be done to bring it back to  an acceptable state. Watch this space as some photos will be posted to show you the progress that has been made.

28 May 2018

The Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company had its origin partly in John Sim’s flax mill of 1869.

When the flax industry proved uneconomic in 1875 and helped by a £2000  Provincial government bonus, the company changed to producing woollen blankets and other goods using the high quality clip from North Canterbury farms.

After a shaky start the Company went into full production in 1878 developing the site where Cookson & Bowler had built their first wool store on the bank of the Cam.

The bridges created a problem for all the tall masts of the wool ketches, but this was overcome by sending consignments by wagon or punting them downstream to the wharves.

The Trust is interested in hearing from you if you have a passion for maintaining Kaiapoi’s maritime heritage and would like to volunteer your time in participating in some activities that the Trust is presently involved in. A nominal donation would be gratefully appreciated to cover our costs and to ensure that we can proceed with other projects that we plan to undertake. You will then be part of a great team of volunteers who can assist the Trust in achieving their goals.

Please phone Paul Croucher on 3278556

10 November 2017

A 180-page book is shortly to be launched; it is titled “Taking the Bar” by Colin Amodeo along with Paul Croucher. It provides an interesting and historical read based on the Kaiapoi Port and involves some very descriptive and realistic experiences of well-known Kaiapoi identities, seamen and groups that were part of the port activities. This is a must read and should you wish to pre-order and purchase at the pre-launch price of $35.00 (P&P extra $5.50), be in quick and contact Paul Croucher on: 0274362581.

1 March 2017
The Isa Lei, the former pilot boat for the MV Tuhoe, has been hoisted into storage so that the body of  the boat can be worked on for repairs. Cradles are being built for the boat so that volunteers can prepare for undertaking the maintenance.

30 September 2015
The Waimakariri District Council Mayor, David Ayers, expressed sadness over the loss of the MV Tuhoe. He said the  MV Tuhoe is part of what made Kaiapoi unique and will be sadly missed following the irreparable damage to the vessel from her running aground on Sunday 27 September 2015.

“It has been very upsetting to everyone, particularly the MV Tuhoe Kaiapoi Rivertown Trust, and those closely associated with the Tuhoe over many decades. There are few river towns in New Zealand that would have a vessel of this size docked near their town centre. No one on board wanted it to end this way. It is a sad and difficult time for everyone, and the Council extends its heartfelt and full support to the Trust and to all who have crewed her and maintained her over the years”, he said.

The Trust had to face the difficult task of watching the vessel being deconstructed, and thoughts then turned to the possibilities of creating a feature on land to acknowledge the Tuhoe. Mayor Ayers says that the Council and Kaiapoi Community Board would actively consider this, in consultation with the Trust and the Kaiapoi District Historical Society, as well as the wider community. The Kaiapoi Riverbanks Working Party is already in place, and in recent times the group has focused on development of the Kaiapoi Wharf area. This could be the ideal group to progress ideas to ensure the legacy of the MV Tuhoe is not forgotten.

The final remains of the Tuhoe were burnt on the site of its grounding on Monday 12 October 2015 with a Maori ceremony being held. Two masts and the wheel house, along with an engine, were retained as memorabilia that can hopefully be utilised to set up a memorium site in Kaiapoi at some stage in the future.