Retro Boats

Article
Article
Article
The 580 Regal, twenty years on
The 580 Regal first appeared on the New Zealand boating scene under the Sea Nymph name. By the early...

Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive
Brendon Cornes on retro boats and modern camaraderie
How a Facebook group has sparked a new community of classic boat enthusiasts across New Zealand.

Article
Article
Article
Retro boats and caravans gather in Rotorua for swap meet
Retro boats and caravans come together in Rotorua on 19 October for a community sale and swap meet a...

Article
Article
Article
Chillin’ in Taupō: retro boats make waves
Early starts for a big day
For many, Saturday's Chillin’ in Taupō began in the dark. Some had towed...

Article
Article
Article
Chillin’ in Taupō: NZ Retro Boats mid-winter meet-up
Scheduled for Saturday 23 August, the latest NZ Retro Boats event—titled Chillin’ in Taupō—will see ...

Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive
James Bond would have been very pleased with the NZ Retro Boats gathering 2024 at Lake Tarawera
This past weekend, the shimmering waters of Lake Tarawera just outside of Rotorua were alive with no...
Gybe-O; The storms and sun rays of my days
D. Ault Salt closed his eyes, tugged his grey beard, and thought: Life is good.

Bill Couldrey Part 6: World War II
Under the shadow of likely war with Germany on the other side of the globe, 1939 was a very full yea...

One man and his boats: Harold George; Victory and the Norfolk Island adventure
By December 1928 the brothers Harold and Geoff George had the reputation of being game sailors, with...

HAROLD GEORGE: Celox and Victory
With connections to the Couldrey family and growing up in Northcote on Auckland’s North Shore, Harol...
ONE FAMILY’S BOATING JOURNEY – How much power?
On land it is easy to forget about power and often we (particularly our teenagers) aren’t concerned ...
Mystic Miss: Forgotten Warrior
In 1969, offshore powerboat racing was about to break away from competing in production recreational...
VINTAGE VIEW – ONE MAN AND HIS BOATS; HARRY JENKINS, PART3 – Wartime Pacific cruises
Harry Jenkins could trace his ancestry through his mother’s side back to Sir Francis Drake. His new ...
ONE MAN AND HIS BOATS; HARRY JENKINS, PART 2 – The golden years
After Shenandoah was launched in December 1929, Harry Jenkins had little time to enjoy his wonderful...
ONE MAN AND HIS BOATS; HARRY JENKINS, PART 1. Strictly business
Harry Reginald Jenkins was a prominent Auckland businessman, launch owner and yachtsman for 30 years...
GEORGE DIBBERN; THE 1934 TRANS-TASMAN RACE PT 111 / Te Rapunga versus Ngataki
At North Head, Te Rapunga led Ngataki by half a mile and drew steadily away in the broad lead up the...
GEORGE DIBBERN; THE 1934 TRANSTASMAN RACE / Symbol of freedom
The moment they arrived in March 1934 George Dibbern and Te Rapunga were good news in Auckland. Geor...
Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade
The Classic Wooden Boat Association’s 25th annual boat parade and fun weekend is scheduled for Febru...
The yacht a town built – Pleiades pride
Noel Priar was a boatman until the end. Even in his 80s, his rheumy old eyes would get a gleam on wh...
THE HARRY POPE STORY – Lived his dream
Many of Auckland’s boating community were saddened to hear that boatbuilder, surveyor and sailor Har...
Images reflect ocean’s anguish
Britain’s Mandy Barker is an international award-winning photographer raising awareness about plasti...
CALLIOPE SEA SCOUTS’ CENTENARY Scouting for the generations
Founded in June 1921 at HMS Philomel, the Devonport Naval Base, Calliope Sea Scouts Troop is the old...
The largest square-rigger
At some future point when Covid allows cruise enthusiasts back on board, you might want to check out...
THE JIM LOTT STORY Lifelong voyage
Jim Lott’s had a diverse career – teaching navigation and seamanship, helping establish boating regu...
TRIPLE HAPPY
Words Alex Stone, Photos Lesley Stone.
Here’s a story of a boat and a bloke that couldn’t ...

Article
Article
Article
The beauty of junk
There are books and then there are dangerous books. Dangerous books cannot be forgotten and can chan...
Bill Couldrey – Nancye to Little Jim
Bill Couldrey came ashore in 1931 from his job as ship’s carpenter on the Government Island steamer ...
The Duck that wouldn’t die
The little clinker’s been fitted with numerous propulsion systems over the years but, tantalisingly,...
Frostbites & Christmas cruises
I recently bought a photograph album on TradeMe with some cracking 1940s–1950s images of Frostbites....
Expect the unusual
Kiwis short of ‘staycation’ ideas should check out the NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show. Held annu...
Ethel–John Street again!
John Street has been personally responsible for the saving and superb restorations of many of our cl...
THE SPANISH FLU OF 1918 Lest we forget
It’s a grim fact that the current Covid-19 epidemic is just the latest in the waves of pandemics tha...
Austin Powered
Low, sleek and powerful, an Austin-Healey sports car is a rare classic – prized by collectors all ov...
The Jagger brothers & John Burns
When Capt. John Carrick Hewson was drowned off his steamer Waitoa at Clevedon in 1896, his wife Elle...
Ida sails again
Around 125 years after she was first launched in Auckland, the 1895 58-foot gaff-rigged racer Ida is...
The Hewsons part 2: The Jagger brothers & John Burns
When Capt. John Carrick Hewson was drowned off his steamer Waitoa at Clevedon in 1896, his wife Elle...
The oldest outboard
A reader came across an article in our September 2019 issue about members of the Antique Outboard Mo...












