My Account
Wooden boat enthusiasts from Mangawhai and Mahurangi will be among the guest speakers at the inaugural Auckland Wooden Boat Festival to be held on Auckland’s waterfront from March 1 to 3.
Some of NZ’s finest wooden boats are expected to be on display, including everything from A Class classic yachts to classic launches, working vessels, clinker boats, mullet boats and indigenous, Pacific and Asian craft.
The programme will include a series of talks, short films, hands-on sailing opportunities, entertainment and a photographic display.
“Wooden boats are in our DNA,” festival founder Tony Stevenson says. “We are an island nation, connected by waterways and boats are truly integral to our way of life. Wooden boats are that connection back to our heritage.”
Speakers will include representatives of the Mangawhai Daring Trust, the group that is involved in restoring the 1860s coastal trading vessel the Daring.
Kawau Island sailor and adventurer Lin Pardey will recount some of her voyages over the last 40 years. Pardey has a new book in the pipeline due to be published this year, the seventh in her cruising narrative series, and the 13th book of her career.
The historic Mahurangi Regatta will also be acknowledged, with a short film of the 2018 event.
Stevenson says the aim of the festival is to tell the story of Auckland’s maritime history from early Māori times through to today.
“Each of the 100 or so boats that will be on display has an inter-generational story to tell. They were handcrafted in a time when we still made things with our hands. Some carried across oceans, some were traders serving communities up and down our coasts. They were our transport and our recreation.
“Many of these boats are 100 years old or more. They have survived wars, depression, celebrations, anniversaries, disrepair and, thankfully, restoration.
“This festival will be a celebration of the boats, their custodians, skilled craftsman, sailors and enthusiasts who laid the foundation of New Zealand’s maritime tradition, and the generations that followed them.”
Organisers are still interested in hearing from any wooden boat owners who would like to be involved.
For more information, go to: www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz
