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The Mahurangi region’s rich boatbuilding heritage will be showcased in a Warkworth and District Museum exhibition next year, and organisers are on the lookout for local knowledge and exhibits.
Manager Victoria Joule says that while commercial boatbuilding in the area was well documented, from the early wooden boats of the 1840s up to modern composite superyachts, there is something of a gap in between.
“We know a lot about the early boatbuilding, and the Americas’ Cup now, but in between there was a bit of a lull in commercial boatbuilding from around the 1940s onwards,” she says. “We’re pretty sure boatbuilding won’t have stopped in this area completely, even if it wasn’t commercial, so we’d love to hear from anyone who has a story to tell.”
Victoria says there must be families and individuals with boatbuilding skills who continued to make craft on a small scale, even if it was just family launches.
“We would love any stories, photos or artefacts that people would be happy to share with us. We’re planning a major exhibition that ties in with the region’s boatbuilding industry and love of boats.”
Anyone who has stories to share of building any kind of boat in the local area can contact Warkworth Museum on 425 7093 or email warkworthmuseum@xtra.co.nz
