Old ferry may be sent to bottom
Kestrel loses its berth and faces end after 113 years
The future of one of Auckland’s most historic vessels is uncertain after its wealthy owners were told to shift it to make way for superyachts.
Darby Partners have been told by the Auckland Council’s development arm to move the 113-year-old Waitemata Harbour ferry Kestrel from a berth at Silo Marina at Wynyard Quarter to a private berth nearby.
“We have superyachts booked for Silo marina . . . and they are booked to start arriving later in the next week,” Panuku Development Auckland said in an email to Darby Partners last Friday.
Titan Marine invested in a special mooring space for the Kestrel, but a company spokesman said it was unable to take the vessel unless it had insurance, which could not be secured for the badly damaged ferry.
The historic vessel — the last of the big double-ended Waitemata Harbour ferries — sank at its mooring in 2016 and needs millions of dollars spent on restoring it.
Darby Partners, a private company which has invested more than $2 billion in golf courses such as Te Arai, Millbrook and Clearwater resorts and other projects, wants to restore the vessel as part of a marine heritage precinct and boutique accommodation at Wynyard Quarter.
A company spokesman said Panuku Development Auckland insisted the Kestrel be removed from its current berth, but could not be berthed at Titan Marine.
“Panuku has made it clear that no other berth was available,” the spokesman said.
Without a mooring, the company has told the council it will have no option but to tow what is left of the vessel out to sea and sink it.
The Titan spokesman said the Kestrel was “not a dead duck”, saying legal advisers for the company and Darby Partners were seeking a solution.
Panuku waterfront development director Katelyn Orton said in recognition of Kestrel’s heritage status, the council body had worked with Darby Partners to find an alternative and more appropriate berthage location where it could be salvaged and refurbished. After a year, it had partnered with Titan to create a suitable berth on Hamer St, she said.
Panuku was committed to preserving the waterfront’s maritime history, with work to start on reviving the historic Vos boatyard for vessels to be worked on and restored.
Councillor Mike Lee, who chairs the council’s heritage advisory panel, said Panuku had been charging superyacht rates of $5000 a month for berthing the wrecked hull, while blocking a permanent place for it: “Rather than being caring and responsible, Panuku has been ruthless and cynical about the Kestrel . . .”