OLD DAYS IN THE SERVICE

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1930, Page 14

OLD DAYS IN THE SERVICE

A FAMOUS TAKAPUNA IN RUNNING.

REST EQUIPPED SHIP IN WORLD.

(By Wire —Special Reporter.) Auckland, Last Night. . Upon the return of the Ngapuhi to Onehunga to-night New Plymouth will bo without a passenger service for the first time for 55 years. •: As with many other coastal services in New Zealand, that to New Plymouth has suffered from the steady improve- ' mcnts of roads and ' the extension of railways. Nine coastal passenger services on which 17 steamers were engaged .have now been abandoned for this reason. Five of these were operated by the Northern Company, three : on the West Coast and two on the East Coast. ’ - ■ ■ The service to New Plymouth extended as far back as 1875, when the Union .. Company was formed with five coastal steamers, the Maori, the Bruce, the (Beautiful Star, the Hawea and the Taupo. These vessels were purchased from the Harbour Packet Company and the Otago Steam Packet Company of Dunedin. The Taupo and the Hawea were new steamers, and were taken over by the Union Company when they were on their way to New Zealand. Upon the arrival of the Hawea and tho Taupo, they were immediately placed on the West Coast service, their ports of call including New Plymouth and Onehunga. The company after- ■ wards continued this service with variations of timetables and routes and

-with different steamers for 33 years, 'but the completion of the Main Trunk lino and the diversion of passenger traffic to the train route ultimately forced the company’s withdrawal from the trade. Following the Hawea and the Taupo, 'the Rotorua, the . first steamer to bo built for the Union Company, was placed in tho Taranaki service in 1876. Besides proceeding from southern ports to New Plymouth and Onehunga she continued on from Onehunga to Sydney. This was the company’s first attempt to establish a regular inter-colonial passenger service, tho forerunner of tho present Auckland-Sydney run. Another new steamer, the Wanak«., which was built for the ,company in 1877, was put on the Taranaki service but both she and tho Hawea were wrecked at New Plymouth. Other steamers of the company engaged in the New Plymouth passenger service at different periods were tho Takapuna, the Mahinapua, the Penguin," tho Omapcre, the Wainui and the Rotoiti. LUXURIOUS TAKAPUNA. Tho Takapuna was specially built to run a fast passenger and mail service from Onehunga to New Plymouth, Wellington and Lyttelton. She was reputed to be the fastest coastal steamer then in Australia or New Zealand, and her elaborate fittings classed her as being the best appointed steamer in the world. It was afterwards recognised that a vessel of her type was too far advanced for service in New Zealand at that time, and her services and speed were considerably curtailed. Lyttelton was deleted from her ports of call, and during t'ho remainder of the period that the company maintained the New Plymouth passenger service, the Takapuna ran in conjunction with the Rotoiti, the two

vessels each running a weekly service from Onehunga to New Plymouth, Nelson and Wellington.

In 1908, when the Main Trunk railway was completed, the company withdrew from the service and left it to the Northern Company, which bought the Rotoiti and placed her on the Whangarei service after renaming her - the Manaia. The Northern Company entered the New Plymouth service over 20 years ago when it bought the Gairloch and the Glenelg from the late Captain S. MacGregor, who had had tho two vessels built in 1900. The Ngapuhi replaced the Gairloch, which was transferred to the company’s OnehungaWhangarei service. The Gairloch was afterwards lost at Oakura, south of .New Plymouth, when she was proceeding from Onehunga to Wanganui. The Rarawa replaced the Ngapuhi in 1903. and for 26 years she continued in the New Plymouth run until relieved by the Ngapuhi two years ago. After the passenger traffic continued to decrease, the company’s direct service from Onehunga to ‘Wanganui and an alternate one from Onehunga to Raglan and, Kawhia and Onehunga to Hokianga continued for some years, but they had to be abandoned owing to the loss of passenger traffic on the routes. The steamers engaged at different periods in the services were the Kia Ora, the Claymore, the Riinu arid the Ngatiawa. The Kia Ora was wrecked near Mokau, and was the fourth passenger steamer to be lost in the west coast service.

The coastal passenger trade on the East Coast has suffered more than that on the West Coast through the extension of the railway system, and improved roads diverting passenger traffic to land routes has resulted in eleven passenger steamers being taken off the East Coast trade. There were six large steamers carrying passengers between Auckland and Dunedin and calling at way ports. The Huddart Parker Company and the Union Company each had two steamers in the Sydney-Auckland-Dunedin service, and in addition the

Union Company ran an East Coast passenger service between Auckland and Dunedin with two steamers. The services continued for some years after the Main Trunk line was opened, but eventually the inter-colonial steamers made Auckland their last port, and later the Union Company’s two coastal steamers were withdrawn owing to lack of a through railway system on the East Coast.

Another passenger service affected by the railway was the Wellington-West-port-Greymouth run. Two passenger steamers were employed in-the service for many years, but they were eventually withdrawn and the service is now carried on by the collier Komata, which has accommodation for a few passengers.

The extension of the East Coast and Northern railways was responsible for the withdrawal of the Whangarei and Tauranga passenger services, which had been run by the Northern Company for 30 years. The Whangarei service ceased in September, 1928, and the Tauranga service in March, 1929. So much has land travelling affected tho coastal passenger trade during the past 22 years that with the exception of the passenger steamers in the Wellington-Cook Strait services, tho Northern Company’s steamer Clansman, which runs from Auckland to Russell and northern ports, is now the largest coastal passenger steamer running. There is a possibility that if tho passenger traffic continues to decline in- that trade she may also be withdrawn,.