AN ARISTOCRAT OF THE TASMAN SEA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 9 (Supplement)

AN ARISTOCRAT OF THE TASMAN SEA

Stately " New Ze born' Schooner Once Se For Gold

By JOHN HUTTON

f"rIHE arrival at Auckland of the I Finnish barque Pamir, one of the few sailing-ships to visit the Dominion for some time, has recalled to the minds of many of the older people, and also to some of the younger sailing enthusiasts, one of the best-known and most trim craft that is ever seen in the port of Auckland. Always the pride of her ownci'B, and kept more like a millionaire's yacht than a trading vessel, the famous topsail schooner Huia will live long in the memories of those associated with the shipping of New Zealand. Now the property of Nobel (Australasia) Pty., Limited, the Huia was built at Aratapu, North Auckland, bj; .Mr. J. Barbour for the firm of Mitchclton Brothers in 1894. Her construction was supervised by the late Captain George McKenzie, of Auckland, a member of a famous seafaring family, whoso pride in the craft, which he later owned for many years, was a byword. Only the Best

Captain McKenzie used to toll the story of how. when the timber for the Huia was being cut in the bush, ho informed the contractor that at any time he chose he would go into the bush himself with a maul and wedges, and drive the wedges into any length of timber selected for the craft. As ho used to say: "If the piece of timber splits fair in two, I pay for it; if not, then you pay." A strict test, but then Captain McKenzie was determined to have nothing but the best in the ship he was to command. He also saw to it when the Huia was being built that her main timbers were one piece from stem to stern. This determination to have the very best materials that could be put into a ship was typical of everything that went into the Huia, and—together with the care that has been bestowed upon her by her successive owners —accounts for her still being in perfect order. 111-fated Elingamite After sailing the Huia for some years as master, Captain McKenzie acquired a half-interest in her, and later becomo sole owner. He kept her for many years, later selling the craft to her present owners. One of the most interesting missions of the Huia was a search for the gold carried by the ill-fated steamer Elingamite, wrecked on the Three Kings oil

the morning of November 9, 1902, with the loss of 45 lives. The Elingamite, bound from Sydney to Auckland, sunk in 20 minutes, and carried with lier bullion to tlie value of .£17,320. Many attempts were made to locate the wreck and secure the cold, and a diver from another ship lost bis life alter making descents to try to find the fortune that lay beneath the sea. The Huia made many trips across the Tasman and round Australia. With

petrol engines only as auxiliary power, it was not possible for her, or any other sailing-ship, to maintain a strict timetable, but when she was in the home trade, between the Kaipara and the South Island, it was quite the usual tiling for Captain McKenzie to name the day and hour, perhaps a month ahead, when he would return to the Kaipara, and to keep to his schedule to within a few minutes. He Loved His Ship The captain's affection for his ship went past the hull and the engines, which were run only on the finest fuel available, to every other part of her equipment. The Huia's running-gear was of the very best yacht manila, with a plentiful sprinkling of cotton line. Her sheathing was maintaiued in unblemished condition, and for her top-

6ides nothing but first-class enamel would satisfy the captain. When the Huia was taken over by her present owners, her gaff and boom were shortened by a couple of laps, and more powerful engines were installed. Her later masters have carried on the tradition for care of the ship which Captain McKenzie so zealously inaugurated, and so carefully guarded. In these modern days of express liners, ships to which an average speed well in excess of 20 knots is a mere nothing, the times made by the Huia are perhaps not significant, though when they were recorded they were outstandingly good. The Huia has some fine performances to her credit, including a record of three days and some hours from Newcastle to the Kaipara. Target for Cameras One of the most photographed vessels that has ever visited the port of Auckland, the Huia has been the target for hundreds of cameras belonging to both professionals and amateurs. From time to time her picture has appeared in .the illustrated section of most of the newspapers and other publications of Ne<v Zealand, as well as in many Australian and some English journals. There are also in existence quite a large number of paintings of the Huia, of varying merit, but each a tribute to her graceful lines and immaculate appearance. Many hundreds of people in Auckland and elsewhere, who have never been aboard the Huia and who are quite unconnected with the ship, are proud possessors of photographs of her. To very many people she is a symbol of the almost-vanished days of sail. For years nfter Captain McKenzie sold her, the Huia was a frequent visitor to the port. She made regular trips from Auckland to southern ports, and across the Tasman to Australia, carry-

ing explosives for her owners, and came through many a severe gale as safely and surely as the proudest of liners. More recently, however, she has been

transferred to a wider Australian service, and is seen in Auckland at comparatively long intervals. In Blue Water

Greatly as the Huia was admired by those who saw her moving slowly up the inner harbour, or lying at her anchorage, a gleaming white hull surmounted by lofty spars, only a priviledged few ever saw her at her best. Out in the blue water, hundreds of miles from land, and lying over as easily as any yacht to a stiff breeze, she was indeed a picture of grace. Almost did the white ship seem to live as she ploughed through the crested waves, her sharp bows cutting a sure furrow through the sea. Heeling over under a press of canvas, the Huia was a sight to delight any sailor, and to make a lasting impression on seaman and landsman alike of the quality that went into the New Zealand-made craft of the last century. Fiercely-proud Skipper Long after lie had sold her, Captain McKenzie continued to take a lively interest in the welfare of the Huia. He had commanded and owned her too long for his affection to die with the sale that transferred her to new owners, and, with an old sea-captain's critical eye, he watched her comings and goings and studied closely the pictures of his former command that appeared from time to time in the press. In his later years. Captain McKenzie still regarded the Huia as "his" ship, as indeed she was. She has outlived her fiercely-proud skipper, and -remains to be a fitting monument to the loving care which he and her present owners invariably lavished on a fine ship.