Rahiri

The picturesque remains of the Rahiri, a once-proud member of the Hauraki Gulf scow fleet, lie semi-submerged in front of Piritahi Marae at the western end of Blackpool. It is freely accessible at all but high tide, although signs warn against climbing onboard.

The Rahiri (Maritime Id 530020057) built 1907 by David M. Darroch, Omaha (NZ) a well known scow builder. The scow was originally named DAPHNE and renamed in 1926 with original dimensions of Length 66'9' (approx 21 meters) and a beam of 18'5' (approx 5.5 meters) but has shrunken considerably over the years since being beached.

Scows are wooden vessels, at first sail powered but later motorised and almost flat-bottomed. This enabled them to work inland on the river systems or shallow areas (such as Blackpool). The Rahiri was used extensively throughout the Auckland region for over 70 years transporting all manner of cargo. It was the last vessel to trade the little known Whau River in Auckland transporting bricks from the famous New Lynn brickworks as well as tea tree ( manuka )ending in 1948 (shown in image) and then primarily used for transporting livestock between gulf islands.

The Rahiri's last documented history was in 1979 when it was moved to Waiheke for use as a houseboat.



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