| 3 “We’re asking our community to acknowledge the significance and importance of the vessel and to help us keep her in a condition where she can keep operating on the river as a passenger service vehicle.” T T Virginia Wright Heritage steamer needs more love The Waimarie Paddle Steamer was relaunched on the Whanganui River in 2000 after a massive restoration effort. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Waimarie Co Over 100 years ago the Whanganui River, also known as Te Awa Tupua, was a water highway for steamers carrying mail and goods up and down the river. Rail and road have long since replaced the river as a travel and trade route, but the local riverboat industry was brought back to life in 2000. The Waimarie Paddle Steamer had lain in the mud for 40 years having sunk at the moorings where she’d been retired after 49 years on the river. She was salvaged from the river bottom, restored to her former glory, and relaunched at the centenary of her original launching exactly 100 years to the day, New Zealand’s only authentic coal-fired paddle steamer in operation. That was 25 years ago. Every five years since, the Waimarie has been brought out of the river for ongoing repairs and refurbishment. This time when she comes out the amount of work required has led to a multi-pronged fundraising initiative, under the guidance of the original Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust which owns her, to raise the money needed. “It was a huge community effort back in the 90s to get her back on the river and relaunched in 2000 and it was only made possible by the community wrapping around the project to get her restored. Twenty-five years down the track we’re hoping for the same support again because she’s such a fantastic asset to our community and to the country,” says Trust Chair Marion Johnson. “She’s a unique part of our colonial history and as a Trust we only hold ownership on behalf of the community. We’re asking our community to acknowledge the significance and importance of the vessel and to help us keep her in a condition where she can keep operating on the river as a passenger service vehicle.” As plans for the restoration advanced, the structure supporting the Waimarie was refined. The Whanganui Riverboat Restoration & Navigation Trust remains the standalone owner of the vessel and its assets, and it is the Trust that is leading and funding the upcoming deck replacement. To take over daily operations, a new charitable company, Waimarie Co. was created to operate all commercial and visitor-facing activities on behalf of the Trust. The Trust is the sole shareholder of Waimarie Co. which is responsible for running the paddle steamer day-to-day, caring for the Riverboat Centre and Museum and managing the ongoing maintenance and operational needs that keep the Waimarie in service. Leaky decks have allowed water to get in over the years resulting in damage to the boat’s steel hull and the rapid deterioration of the decks themselves was noted in the previous mandatory survey with notice given that they must be replaced this time round, explains Jenna Britton, General Manager of Waimarie Co and interim Manager of the fundraising effort and the works it will pay for. “They’re made of kahikatea salvaged out of the Whanganui Opera House in the 90s but they’re at the end of their life and we’ve got until the boat comes out in mid-June 2026 to raise just shy of $600,000 to take care of that and all the other works that need to be done including any that we don’t yet know because we can’t see under the deck until then.” The Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust are hoping it’ll be all hands on deck when it comes to once again bringing the Waimarie Paddle Steamer up to modern standards while adhering to the original designs. They’re setting up a wide range of sponsorship opportunities to give any and everyone in the community, and in particular a new generation of river goers, a chance to be part of restoring this beautiful remnant of Whanganui’s history. For all your Structural Needs WATERJET CUTTING • MACHINE SHOP • STAINLESS STEEL • SHEET-METAL WORK • CERTIFIED WELDING (STRUCTURAL & PIPE) PH: 06 344 4108 | 437 Heads Rd E: mike@eliteengineering.co.nz
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