Antiques & Classics
Glorious hydrodynamic relaxation
Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park, framed by glacial slopes and native beech forest, comes to life every March t...
Belle of the Bay
By the time Aucklander Kate Farrant turned 30 in September, her 1960s kauri ex-Fullers ferry, the Bay Belle, was ready to hos...
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 2000s, Sea Nymph was alr...
Brendon Cornes on retro boats and modern camaraderie
How a Facebook group has sparked a new community of classic boat enthusiasts across New Zealand.
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 at Marist St Michaels.
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 down the night before, w...
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 a convoy of classic fibre...
The New Zealand Raters – Export
In December 1898 a major yachting event was held in Auckland, the first with any true international content. The North Shore ...
A spectacular showcase of classic boating at Lake Rotoiti
The 2025 NZ Antique and Classic Boat Show at Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes, was nothing short of spectacular. With more than 150...
Farr reaching success: The Farr 1020 story
One of the most successful one-design keelers in New Zealand has been the Farr 1020. Designed by Bruce Farr and his team in 1...
Classic yachts (and launches) as ‘Protected New Zealand Objects’
Formed in the mid-1990s, The Classic Yacht Association was at the forefront of protecting classic yachts from unlawful export...
Brest Maritime Festival 2024: World classics extravaganza
Every four years since the 1990s, Brittany’s largest port, Brest, has played host to a gathering of traditional craft from ar...
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 nostalgia, as the NZ Retro ...
Arakana and Tamariki Jnr Standing Out from the Crowd
Passionate, enthusiastic boat owners and their devotees were everywhere you looked at the inaugural Wooden Boat Festival, hel...
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 year for Bill Couldrey’s yar...
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 a good sea-boat in Victo...
HAROLD GEORGE: Celox and Victory
With connections to the Couldrey family and growing up in Northcote on Auckland’s North Shore, Harold George could hardly esc...
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 about leaving lights on i...
Mystic Miss: Forgotten Warrior
In 1969, offshore powerboat racing was about to break away from competing in production recreational runabouts.
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 yacht, Golden Hind, the b...
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 new launch peacefully. T...
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 from 1916.
Harry was ...
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 coast into a rising east...
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. George seemed to be a new fac...
Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade
The Classic Wooden Boat Association’s 25th annual boat parade and fun weekend is scheduled for February 4, 2022, Waitangi Wee...
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 when someone dropped by to ...
THE HARRY POPE STORY – Lived his dream
Many of Auckland’s boating community were saddened to hear that boatbuilder, surveyor and sailor Harry Pope had recently pass...
Images reflect ocean’s anguish
Britain’s Mandy Barker is an international award-winning photographer raising awareness about plastic pollution in the world’...
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 oldest surviving Sea Scout t...
The largest square-rigger
At some future point when Covid allows cruise enthusiasts back on board, you might want to check out the just-launched Golden...
THE JIM LOTT STORY Lifelong voyage
Jim Lott’s had a diverse career – teaching navigation and seamanship, helping establish boating regulations, advising nationa...
TRIPLE HAPPY
Words Alex Stone, Photos Lesley Stone.
Here’s a story of a boat and a bloke that couldn’t be kept apart. Even after...
The beauty of junk
There are books and then there are dangerous books. Dangerous books cannot be forgotten and can change your life. Sailor/auth...
Bill Couldrey – Nancye to Little Jim
Bill Couldrey came ashore in 1931 from his job as ship’s carpenter on the Government Island steamer Maui Pomare – and despite...
The Duck that wouldn’t die
The little clinker’s been fitted with numerous propulsion systems over the years but, tantalisingly, the research suggests sh...
Frostbites & Christmas cruises
I recently bought a photograph album on TradeMe with some cracking 1940s–1950s images of Frostbites. But who were the people ...
Expect the unusual
Kiwis short of ‘staycation’ ideas should check out the NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show. Held annually since 1999 at Lake R...