A vessel declared abandoned
Yesterday (10 September 2025) The Post reported that Wellington’s former pilot launch Arahina, famed for her role in the Wahine disaster, is now officially being treated as abandoned [1]. Harbourmaster Grant Nalder issued a public notice stating the 20-metre timber vessel “is sadly looking abandoned and needs to go somewhere, somehow.” If the owner does not respond by 13 October 2025, she may be disposed of.
This marks the latest chapter in a long-running saga. The vessel has been moored at Queens Wharf for years, with signs of deterioration. In May 2024, The Post reported that the High Court ordered Arahina to be sold to cover unpaid berth fees that had accrued since mid-2022 [2]. Arahina‘s owner had apparently moved to Sydney and did not defend the case, leaving Wellington Waterfront Ltd to pursue costs.
A few months later, heritage blog Waitemata Woodys published that Wellington Waterfront was seeking a new owner for Arahina, ideally to keep her in Wellington, and that the sale was via court order to pay mounting berth costs [3]. Despite those efforts, no sale eventuated, and today the boat’s fate hangs in the balance.
A kauri-built classic
Arahina was built in 1925 by Chas Bailey Jnr of Bailey & Lowe, Auckland, for the Wellington Harbour Board [6]. She was constructed of native kauri, measured 66 feet (≈20 m), and displaced 38 gross tons.
Her original propulsion was a Fairbanks-Morse diesel, trialled at around 100 HP and giving a speed of 10 knots [8]. However, some later accounts rumour she carried a 150 HP Fairbanks-Morse before being re-engined.
Maintained by the Harbour Board with yacht-like standards, Arahina was remembered as a good sea boat by those who worked with her. Former staff in discussion lists also recalled that her bulwarks were at some point replaced with railings, a practical measure in rough Cook Strait conditions.
The Wahine disaster, 1968
Arahina’s proudest and most dramatic day came on 10 April 1968, when Cyclone Giselle drove the inter-island ferry TEV Wahine onto Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
When the order to abandon ship was given, Arahina joined the desperate rescue effort. With Captain Doug Newey at the helm and police officers including Launch Master John Bowman onboard, the pilot launch braved heavy seas to reach survivors.
According to the NZ Police “Beyond Praise” commemoration series [5], Arahina and her crew rescued 55 people, ferrying them to Seatoun. Bowman later described the ordeal: “It took two people to pull someone out. They were heavy – waterlogged and wearing big lifejackets.”
Captain Newey manoeuvred Arahina into shallow water, scraping her hull on the seabed to keep steady for rescues. He received no official recognition at the Court of Inquiry, and Arahina herself was not mentioned, a fact still lamented by those involved [5].
Refit and later service
After decades as a working pilot launch, Arahina underwent a major rebuild in 1954–55, which included a new wheelhouse [7].
In 1979, she was hauled out at Jorgensen’s yard in Picton for a full refit. On her return to Wellington she was fitted with a 193 HP Kelvin diesel engine [7]. In late 1987, Arahina was sold into private ownership and relocated to Picton [7]. Records become scetchy at this point.
Incidents and decline
By the 2010s, Arahina was back in Wellington. On 10 August 2016, Stuff reported that fire crews were called to Queens Wharf when batteries in her engine room began smoking. Crews removed the batteries and the vessel was undamaged [4].
Since then, she has remained moored at Queens Wharf. Heritage enthusiasts occasionally described her as undergoing restoration, but by mid-2022 her berth fees lapsed, leading to the current crisis.
A vessel at risk
Arahina is more than an old workboat. She is a timber-built Bailey launch that played a direct part in one of New Zealand’s greatest maritime tragedies, saving 55 lives. Yet, as of September 2025, she is listed as abandoned, at risk of disposal unless a new custodian emerges.
Her story mirrors the plight of many heritage vessels — expensive to maintain, at risk of neglect, yet carrying deep historical significance. Whether Arahina finds a saviour in time, or fades into scrap, remains to be seen.
References:
- The Post, Tom Hunt, “Wahine rescue launch now assumed abandoned,” 10 Sept 2025.
- The Post, Wellington Court Reporter, “Well-known ship being sold to pay berth fees,” 9 May 2024.
- Waitemata Woodys, “Historic ex pilot boat – Arahina – needs saving,” 28 Aug 2024.
- Stuff, Michael Daly, “Historic launch at Queens Wharf left undamaged after smoke on board,” 10 Aug 2016.
- NZ Police, Ten One, “Beyond Praise” series, 3–4 April 2018.
- NZ Historic Ships database (MAANZ), entry on Arahina.
- Waitemata Woodys, “Classic Wooden Work Boat – Arahina,” 28 August 2024.
I’ll take her for free I’ll rebuild her