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Ngataki: The little boat out and about promoting Auckland’s Wooden Boat Festival
Ngataki might be one of New Zealand’s most famous wooden boats. She’s small, capable, and—some say—o...
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Glorious hydrodynamic relaxation
Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park, framed by glacial slopes and native beech forest, co...
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Belle of the Bay
By the time Aucklander Kate Farrant turned 30 in September, her 1960s kauri ex-Fullers ferry, the Ba...
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Jumping in the deep end: crewing on classic boats
Stepping aboard a classic yacht can feel like stepping back in time. Long overhangs, varnished timbe...
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Beneteau First 30 at 50: how the yacht that launched the First range evolved
Next year, in 2027, the Beneteau First 30 turns 50. Few production yachts can claim that kind of lon...
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Nautor Swan marked 60 years by setting course for the future at boot Düsseldorf
Nautor Swan marked its 60th anniversary by looking decisively forward, using the recently concluded ...
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The Power of Sail: Part 3
The Golden Age of Sail
The Golden Age of Sail (17th to the mid-19th centuries) was an era that saw ...
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The 1908 Rudder Cup entrants (part 2)
In the last issue of Boating NZ, I detailed the anticipation and excitement on the Auckland waterfro...
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Simrad at 80: eight decades of marine electronics innovation
In 2026, Simrad Marine Electronics marks 80 years since its origins in post war Norway, a milestone ...
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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...
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Auckland Anniversary Weekend regattas: one long summer sail
Late January delivers one of the best sailing runs of the New Zealand summer. From Northland to the ...
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Mahurangi Weekend returns to the classic calendar in January 2026
The New Zealand Classic Yachts Association’s Mahurangi Weekend returns from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 J...
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The Rudder Cup; a survey of Auckland’s top launches of 1908
Last month I promised that this issue would be devoted to a rattling good yarn about the match race ...
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Brendon Cornes on retro boats and modern camaraderie
How a Facebook group has sparked a new community of classic boat enthusiasts across New Zealand.
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From Viking seas to southern lakes: clinker boats and the spread of northern craft
From Viking seas to Kiwi lakes, clinker boats endure as seaworthy, beautiful vessels built to last.
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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...
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125 years of Ponsonby Cruising Club: Auckland’s mullet boats and maritime heart
Ponsonby Cruising Club celebrates 125 years of mullet boats, Lipton Cup tradition, and Auckland sail...
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Auckland Heritage Festival 2025: A peek at the maritime journeys on show
From tugboats to steam ferries, the Auckland Heritage Festival 2025 celebrates the city’s maritime p...
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The painstaking, decades-long restoration of Auckland’s Toroa steam ferry
Like West Auckland's answer to Noah's ark, the Toroa ferry has been perched by the Lincoln Rd off-ra...
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The second yacht named Tawera
In my last article I wrote about the strong relationship between the menfolk of the Wilson and the H...
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The Power of Sail – Part 1
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of ...’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, inno...
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The two yachts named Tawera
A very high proportion of commercial vessels, yachts and launches built in
New Zealand from coloni...
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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...
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The fight to save Auckland’s last steam ferry
Auckland’s last steam ferry is turning 100. The Toroa’s team needs help to get her back on the Waite...
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Ponsonby Cruising Club hosts a rare look into plywood performance and racing history: Spencer’s radi...
From tomorrow (24 July) to 14 August, Ponsonby Cruising Club invites members and visitors to step ba...
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The last WW1 boat found, the HMS Nottingham rediscovered
The last missing Royal Navy cruiser of the First World War has been found, her story told in steel, ...
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Chatham Islands waka find detailed in new report
A new report has shed light on the potential origins of a partially excavated waka in the Chatham Is...
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256-year-old relic of European contact with NZ rediscovered in RNZ podcast
A 256-year-old anchor described by Heritage New Zealand as "one of the oldest relics of early Europe...
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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 ...
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150 years of Lürssen: a shipbuilding legacy gorged in innovation, family and firsts
On 27 June 1875, a 24-year-old boatbuilder named Friedrich Lürssen opened a modest workshop in the ...
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Moana rising: Matariki, waka and the ancient sea roads of the Pacific
As Matariki rises in the winter sky above Aotearoa, it signals more than the start of the Māori New ...
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Santa Maria: A legacy carved in timber
Some boats are more than the sum of their timber and fastenings.
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Jack Guard and his Gipsy: Craft, character and coastal history
Step onboard Gipsy and you’re not just stepping into a boat – you’re stepping into a story.
The Yates family of the Far North and their Bailey & Lowe launches Part II: Tui Silver Bell
Joseph William (Joe) Conrad, who bought the bigger Tui (now Silver Bell) from Gus Yates in 1914, oft...
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Dame Naomi James: A mother who found her strength again when life capsized her
In a world where grit often gets overlooked and quiet resolve forgotten, the story of Dame Naomi Jam...
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Tribute evening for Kiwi yacht designer Paul Whiting
A public tribute evening honouring one of New Zealand’s most influential yacht designers, Paul Whiti...
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RV Kaharoa: The end of an era for NIWA’s “Little Ship That Can”
14 April 2025 marks a memorable turning point for New Zealand’s marine science community. After more...
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Timeless elegance, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
From its salty, rum-soaked beginnings in the 1960s to its current status as a world-renowned event c...
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The Yates family of the far north and their Bailey & Lowe launches
The Yates family had extensive holdings in the Far North around the turn of the 20th century. Samuel...
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Personal Water Craft (‘jetskis’)
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovat...
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