Historic river boat finds land
Grand old lady of river towed to site where she will be refurbished for next journey
An 18m-long old lady of the river has made her stately progress through the streets of Whanganui. The Otunui, built in 1907, and bought by Bridge to Nowhere Lodge owners Joe Adam and his partner Mandy Jackson in 2015, was yesterday moved to a St John’s Hill property where she will be restored.
The diesel boat carried passengers and freight between P¯ıp¯ıriki and Taumarunui for more than 40 years, before sinking in a flood in 1949.
She’s been resuscitated twice since then, both times by Barree Sproule.
She was first restored and used on the Waikato River and Lake Okataina, then caught fire and sank near Taupo.
After her next restoration, she was used on the Waihou and Wairoa rivers until her Tauranga owner put her up for auction in 2015.
Adam and Jackson saw the Trade Me auction and bought her on impulse, for $26,500.
They moved her to Q-West Boat Builders at Castlecliff and were half finished with her latest restoration when the business needed more space and she had to be moved.
“We’ve stripped the whole thing right out, and we are just putting it back together,” Adam said.
The latest move is to Jackson’s property near Virginia Lake.
When the restoration is completely finished, the boat will be taken back to P¯ıp¯ıriki, and could take trips between P¯ıp¯ıriki and Bridge to Nowhere Lodge.
It’s an exciting project for Adam, who wanted the Otunui back on the Whanganui River.
“It’s part of the river. It’s the history of the river — one of the original boats that was first on the river.”
He’s not quite sure how the Otunui will eventually be used.
“We will get it up to the lodge and work it out there,” he said.
It’s part of the
river. It’s the history of the river — one of the original boats that was first on the river.
Joe Adam