It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of boating legend John Street, MNZM, who passed away on December 21.

John was a giant in boating circles, both when he worked in the marine industry and later in his retirement, when he devoted so much energy to preserving New Zealand’s maritime heritage.

To acknowledge John Street’s contribution to boating in this country, John Macfarlane traces his long career and remembers some of his many achievements on page 32 of this issue. It’s certain John will be sorely missed – our thoughts are with his family.

Speaking of New Zealand’s maritime heritage, next month the inaugural Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is taking place at Viaduct Harbour – an extravaganza of anything and everything to do with wooden boats, to paraphrase the event’s promotional material. The Auckland Wooden Boats Festival kicks off on March 1. See page 70 for details.

The Festival is part of the larger Moana Auckland Festival, which got underway on February 24 and runs for a month. Celebrating our connection with the ocean, Moana Auckland encompasses a range of events and promotions on and off the water. These include the Auckland Boat Show, Z Manu World Champs, New Zealand Millennium Cup superyacht regatta, Sculpture on the Gulf, Harbour Classic, a satellite hub at the Hyundai Marine Sports Centre in Ōrākei for small boats and waka ama events, and of course, the inaugural Wooden Boat Festival.

Staying with the theme of historic (mostly) wooden boats, Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes district is again hosting the NZ Antique and Classic Boat Show, March 2-3, of which Boating NZ magazine is a major sponsor. This event has been running for several years and each year seems to attract more boats and more visitors to this glorious mountain lake venue at the top of the South Island.

Vintage and classic boat enthusiasts are spoiled for choice in March!