It’s easy to take our maritime history for granted.
As Aucklanders, especially those living or working downtown, it’s all around us, every day. Our past is there to see – if you are looking. It’s not only in the rows of restored wooden boats nestled together in Wynyard Quarter, but also in the detail of basalt seawalls, the wharves, and our architecture, embedded deep in Auckland’s story dating back to long before the city was settled by Europeans in the 1840s.
A new festival aims to bring our maritime heritage to the forefront of our minds, for three days in March. In doing so, it will also showcase how strong, vibrant and surprisingly big the classic boating community is, and the depth of knowledge and passion that is inherent within it.
It will offer timeless activities like sail making, boat building, try-sailing sessions, seminars and films, and an astounding display of more than 100 boats, many of which are 100 years old or more.
“Each of these boats has an inter-generational story to tell. They were handcrafted in a time when we still made things with our hands. Some carried us across oceans, some were traders serving communities up and down our coasts. They were our transport and our recreation,” says Festival Co-Director Tony Stevenson.
“This festival is a celebration of the boats, their custodians, skilled craftsman, sailors and enthusiasts who laid the foundation of New Zealand’s maritime tradition, and the generations that followed them.”
Ngataki
One of the first boats committed to taking part is Ngataki.
Ngataki is probably the most famous of the classic sailing fleet because she is the vessel Johnny Wray famously built at home to take him on adventures around the South Pacific, escaping the worst of the Great Depression years. Johnny was steered by a sextant, and lived the good life – then wrote about it in the book South Seas Vagabonds.
Introducing Tony Stevenson and Michelle Khan
Just like our classic boats pass from custodian to custodian, the co-founders of the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, Tony Stevenson and Michelle Khan of the Tino Rawa Trust, pictured, hope that the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival will be the first in a long line, with multi-generational caretakers from the classic boat community. They are working closely with the others involved in the preservation of maritime heritage, including the Classic Yacht Association, the New Zealand Maritime Museum, and others, to bring this first event to life.
The inaugural Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, which is part of the Moana Auckland Festival, is organised by members of the Tino Rawa Trust and the Classic Yacht Association, with the support of Tātaki Unlimited, the New Zealand Maritime Museum and Eke Panuku.
Save the date:
1-3 March 2024 at Wynyard Quarter
www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz
