Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club Centennial Celebrations

The Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary. Over the past century the club, established in a Devonport Road barber shop, has made a significant contribution to the boating scene in New Zealand. One aspect of this contribution can be seen suspended from the ceiling of their Sulphur Point clubroom - a seven-footer made with planks of golden kauri. As one of the first p-class constructed, it symbolises the long and celebrated connection of Te Awanui Tauranga Moana to this important little boat.

The boat’s designer Harry Highet, at the time a draughtsman for the Public Works Department, moved to Tauranga in 1923 bringing the plans and the boat ‘Roselle’ with him. The Tauranga boating community was quick to appreciate its potential. In 1924 ten boats were constructed and the design was adopted as the club’s fourth class for racing. With names such as ‘Speedwell’, ‘Mistral’ and ‘Dottrell’, these boats were sailed by the sons of the founding members of the club. By 1926 the boat was referred to as the ‘Tauranga Class’ - the name p-class was adopted later as its popularity spread.

P-class racing on Tauranga Harbour photographed by Robert Rendell in the 1920s. The Strand is visible in the background
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0100/09

"Those who have been interested in the seven footers of this town, which have become known as the Tauranga Seven Footers, will be pleased to learn that, an enquiry has been received from Southern India for plans. The enquirer intends to use the little boat on a storage reservoir there. “The Field” published in England recently contained photographs and particulars of these little boats. Mr A. Tilney Long, C.B.E. British Consul in Lorenzo Marques, Portuguese East Africa, has written to Mr Highet, asking him to design a fourteen footer on the lines of the now famous seven footer. When the midgets were designed it was not expected that they would become a good advertising medium for Tauranga. One of the gentlemen who made inquiries has an idea of settling in New Zealand. Races for what are termed the 7ft. Tauranga class are now held in Wellington. All inquiries for plans should be addressed to Mr H.A. Highet, of Tauranga, who designed the seven footers.” Bay of Plenty Times, 9 January 1926

Brochure promoting the p-class published by the Tauranga Yacht Club in the 1960s
Tauranga Heritage Collection

National competitions were established in the 1940s, the Tauranga Cup (1940) and the Tanner Cup (1945). Both these races became steppingstones for New Zealand’s greatest sailors and local sailing legends like Jimmy Gilpin. In 1947 Highet generously gifted his copyright of the design to the Tauranga Yacht Club cementing the club’s ownership of the little boat.

Postscript: At the time of posting the 2021 P Class National Championship (Sun 3 Jan to Fri 8 Jan), hosted by the Charteris Bay Yacht Club, Canterbury, has finished and new champions found.

The Commercial Hotel, Whakatane

Whakatane, New Zealand, c. 1940s
Postcard published by N.S. Seaward's Studio, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Collection of Justine Neal

The original hotel was built at Waiorongomai near Te Aroha during the gold rush days, but as the gold petered out it was bought by Mr. E. L. Smith and was transported in sections to Whakatane in March 1893. The sections were shipped round the Coromandel peninsula and in spite of the scow which brought them getting stuck on the Whakatane Bar and nearly wrecked, they were eventually safely landed.

Mr. Smith’s license stated that he must have the hotel up and running by June of that year or he would lose his license. When it became obvious that he was running behind time he just erected the doorframe and door, complete with nameplate and sign and declared himself open for business. Thus Whakatane’s first bar was an open air one (an early forerunner of the beer garden!) while the walls gradually rose around it. The Licensing report in the Beacon 1 Jun 1894 described the hotel as, "E.L.Smith : owner. Renewal Particulars: Wooden house, iron roof, c and wf, prf. Four sitting and twelve bedrooms. 400 yards." The license was granted at a cost of 25 pounds. In the 1906 report two wire ladder escapes were required by the licensing committee.

Dominion Post, 20 February 1920

In the ensuing years the hotel passed through several owners. During the 1918 influenza epidemic, Billy Regan, the owner at the time, and seven of his guests and staff died. The hotel was advertised as far afield as the Dominion newspaper in Wellington, which must have paid off as a regular feature in the Bay of Plenty Beacon was the names of departing guests. Over the years four Governor Generals and their wives visited or stayed, along with tourists, travelling salesmen, businessmen etc.

Commercial Hotel, Whakatane, New Zealand, c. 1950s
Postcard published by N.S. Seaward's Studio, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Collection of Justine Neal

In early 1939 under the management of H.E.Cucksey the old hotel was demolished to make way for the New Commercial Hotel which incorporated features of the Spanish Mission style in its Art Deco façade, including curved balconies and pan tiled roof edges, its U shaped floor plan maximised light and air flow to the second floor rooms.

As reported by the Bay of Plenty Beacon the demolition was not without incident. On May 19 a car which was being cranked while in gear jumped the footpath and hit the concrete corner of the hotel. It was not a very heavy blow but general consensus was if the car had hit the old structure it might have sailed clean through it. The same month the paper reported on some wealthy rats living under the old floor of the bar portion of the hotel as workmen had discovered a rat’s nest with half a sovereign and a two shilling piece in it.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, 28 August 1939

By May 29 the demolition was practically complete with the site being cleared of timber and the concrete picked up. The recently built office and lounge was to be moved to the end of the annexe and joined to it as staff quarters. On 23 June an auction was held to sell, amongst other things 40,000 feet of timber, 30 doors and 30 sashes and frames from the dismantled hotel.

An article in the Bay of Plenty Beacon 21 July 1939 states, "With the removal of the timber from the old Commercial Hotel Mr. H. E. Cucksey is now free to carry his scheme of improvement to the grounds. It is intended to level the site of the old hotel and lay it down in lawns, on which will be constructed putting greens for the amusement of guests. The backyard will be improved and a drainage system laid down to The Strand." Mr. Cucksey was also given permission to erect a large neon lit sign advertising the hotel on the hillside near the entrance to The Strand for a five year term at 5 pound a year.

Whakatane, New Zealand, c. 1960s
Hand-coloured postcardpublished by N.S. Seaward's Studio, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Collection of Justine Neal

By the early 1960’s the Commercial Hotel was part of the Consolidated Hotels chain and my father Bill Fenton was the licensee for eighteen months. During this time the beautiful old BNZ building next door became part of the hotel. The two buildings were joined by a covered in passage way. The ground floor of the bank became the new public bar. The bar itself was 70’ by 30’ with a formica top. A flagon bar completely separate from the public bar was in one corner. Upstairs were twelve extra bedrooms each with a formica shower box and toilet. No more trekking down the corridor to the shared facilities! If you were lucky enough to be staying in the new wing.

I can’t help thinking that if the ghost of Mr. Smith was around he would have had a wry grin on his face at the crème de la crème: from the rear of the bank building to the back of the property was a 50’ beer garden, roofed with coloured Perspex and with a concrete footpath through it.

Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, c. early 2000s
Postcard published by The New Zealand Souvenir Co. Ltd, Hastings (Tikicard Series)
Collection of Justine Neal

One of my lasting memories of living at the hotel is the time George Wilder (New Zealand’s wild colonial boy) was rumoured to be hiding out in the hills behind Whakatane. The police search party and their dogs were staying at the hotel. The dogs were housed in one of the sheds in the backyard. Woe betide anyone who thought they might take a shortcut through the yard past that particular shed!

References

Papers Past
Time Gentlemen Please, Whakatane Museum Blog, 17 May 2017
Whakatane Historic Trail, by Anton van der Wouden, 1993.

Tauranga Domain

Rotunda in the Domain, Tauranga, Postcard, published by F.G. Radcliffe (3565)
Collection of Justine Neal

Early days ... Ngai Tamarawaho and Ngati Tapu hapu occupied the land before the Ngati Maru taua attack in 1828. The taua was heavily armed and the loss of life was great.

The origins of the present day park go back to 1873 when Tauranga residents applied to the Native Minister for a domain to be set aside. Five years later the park was extended to the south. In 1881 the northern part was set aside for a secondary school. The southern part of the Domain was called the Wharepai Ground or Domain after David Asher’s boarding house, Wharepai, which was built in Hamilton Street in 1901 and demolished in 1971.

In 1890 a temporary tent hospital was erected in the grounds to cope with typhoid patients, the disease having been caused by the poor sanitary conditions in the town.

The band rotunda was well used over the years, on August 1 1906 the Bay of Plenty Times reported: The newly formed brass band will make its first appearance in public, when the members will give an open air concert in the band rotunda, in the Domain. A collection is to be taken up in aid of the fund in connection with the recent shipwrecks in Gisborne.

Unveiling of the statue of Canon Jordan, 28 Jan 1916, Postcard
Collection of Justine Neal

On 1 July 1914 the Bay of Plenty Times reported: A committee in connection with the Canon Jordan Memorial met on Friday last, and after considering various proposals, including fountains, memorial gates etc., they decided that the memorial take the form of a statue. The statue to be of Sicilian marble, with polished red Scotch granite pedestal, the material of which the base is to be composed to be decided at a further meeting in July.

On November 3 1915 the paper reported that the statue has arrived in the yard of Messrs. W. Parkinson & Co. who report it as an exquisite piece of work.

The unveiling ceremony took place on January 28 1916, well attended by local citizens and town dignitaries. Over a hundred years later Canon Jordan is still standing there, although somewhat weatherbeaten these days.

Tauranga's War Memorial Gates, Undated postcard
Collection of Justine Neal

After the end of WWI Tauranga, like many other New Zealand towns decided a War Memorial was needed to recognise the brave sacrifice of the many local boys who had gone to fight and not returned. On March 29 1919 a public meeting was held to decide what form the memorial at the Domain should take. It was agreed to a War Memorial in the form of an ornamental gateway and gates to the Domain. The gates were to be funded partly by public subscription, although according to the paper the people of Tauranga had not been exactly forthcoming with their money. On December 11 1921 the opening ceremony for the Memorial Gates was held. The official parade was in charge of Lt. Col. Wilson. Immediate next of kin of fallen soldiers were invited to wear their war medals on their right breast and were seated with veterans and returned soldiers.

On December 9 1924 tenders were called for the erection of a Ladies Pavilion.

Aerial view of the Tauranga Domain. Photo by P. Browning
Postcard published by A.H. & A.W. Reed (SR 615) Collection of Justine Neal

Today the Domain remains as a huge asset to a busy city with its sport fields, tennis courts etc. and its collection of amazing old trees. Now wouldn’t they have some stories to tell!

References
A Centennial History of Tauranga, 1882-1982, Don Gifford
Bay of Plenty Times
Papers Past
Musket Wars, Ron Crosby

Reo Moana

Mount Maunganui main beach. R.J.Rendell photographer
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection

It was not only in Napier that Art Deco and the various styles of Spanish Mission architecture appeared in New Zealand in the 1930s.  Most towns still have some flat roofed, stucco dwellings sometimes with decorative motifs and some quite plain. Originating in the south west states of North America the Spanish Mission style was popular in new world countries especially where the climate is similar to California. It first arrived in New Zealand with the construction of the Auckland Grammar School building in 1913 and the style became popular in the following years in domestic architecture. The characteristic pastel coloured walls, clay tiled parapets, arched windows, balconies, tiles and wrought iron appear in various levels of detail.

Reo Moana. Limmer family collection

There are few of the original bachs and holiday homes left in Mount Maunganui that were built prior to the Second World War. They suddenly disappear and a new building appears on the section. A way of life has gone; the casual holiday life style of recycled furniture and furnishings from home, walked in sand on the floor, beach cricket, board games and no computers.

Reo Moana in 2020. Photos: Lee Switzer

Barbeque on back lawn. Limmer family collection

One such relict is “Reo Moana” which translates as “language of the sea” situated in Marine Parade, once part of a street scape that included the Oceanside Hotel. The dwelling appears to be the last of the old Mount in the block. Taller buildings dominate the east end of Marine Parade and Reo Moana lost its rear view to Pilot Bay.

Family holiday. Limmer family collection

In April 1937 a Tauranga architect, Thomas S Gray, called for tenders for the erection of flats at Mount Maunganui for G H Streiff a dairy farmer of Te Aroha. [1] Streiff had bought 22 perches of land at Mount Maunganui from Tauranga County Council in 1935. [2] Gray designed a Spanish Mission style building of two flats, side by side, standing on the sand dune with the lower floor dug back into the dune and a second storey above. A parapet hides the flat roof and the stucco walls are painted white. There is a narrow balcony in front of each flat with steps at each end of a curved wall. The front door and windows of both flats are symmetrical and three bands of plain plaster on the stucco below the roof line are the only reference to the “speed lines” inspired by aerodynamic design and typical of the period.

Max Sing & Vic Limmer with Vic's kingfish. Limmer family collection

Originally the flats were mirror images of each other but changes to internal walls have left the east flat with four bedrooms while the west has only two but a larger living area. Terracotta coping tiles provide a contrast in material and colour in the centre section of the parapet.  Coping tiles originally protected the top of walls from rain water but in this case the effect is purely decorative. In more recent years a concrete front fence topped with terracotta pipes repeats this effect.

Streiff used the west flat for himself and his family and let the other to holiday makers. He was born in Milan, Italy the son of Abraham Streiff a Swiss who immigrated to New Zealand. [3] The son was appointed Swiss consul in Auckland. [4] His wife Florence was the sister of Lord Ernest Rutherford and she died in 1944. [5] Streiff continued to use his beach house and swam every day. At midday he took the ferry to have his dinner at one of the Tauranga hotels. The Limmer family from Hamilton rented the east flat for their holidays and eventually they purchased it. They changed the front window to ranch sliders then later to French doors. The flats were on a cross-lease title. The Sing and Barnes families were later owners of the west flat after Streiff’s death. The whole building is now owned by the Limmers and has provided many holidays for five generations of the family.

Reo Moana in 2020. Photos: Lee Switzer

References

Informant – Mrs. Beverley Limmer
[1]  Bay of Plenty Times, 3 April 1937
[2]  Bay of Plenty Times, 25 April 1935
[3]  My Heritage family tree.
[4]  Thames Standard, 7 July 1913
[5]  Birth, death & marriage indexes Dept of Internal Affairs.

William James "Bill" Kennedy (1910 —1979)

Bill Kennedy (left) discusses the bush area he developed with Bill Turner
Bay of Plenty Times, 29 Jul 1989. Courtesy of Tauranga City Library

This dynamic man was a friend of my grandfather Duff Maxwell of The Elms. I well remember they spent quite a lot of evenings together in the 1960s as both were interested in the development of McLarens Falls Park as an Arboretum. In 1965 the Bay of Plenty Tree Society was given approval to begin planting and the Tauranga City Council undertook to cover the maintenance. It is now a world class facility with many thousands of trees covering 500+ species and a well known and popular recreational area covering some 190 Ha.

Another of this man’s enduring achievements was the establishment of Ngatuhoa Youth Lodge in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park in 1967. It was his vision to establish an Outward Bound facility.  Many thousands of school children and other groups over the past 53 years have stayed there and enjoyed the confidence boosting outdoor activities, beautiful bush and the Te Rere I Oturu Falls.

So what was the background of this man and what drove him to do these things. It is quite hard to find information on him but he was a family man, Crete veteran, local farmer, poet and city councillor for at least one term retiring from Council in 1968.

Chapel Street

Photograph by Whites Aviation. Courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection

This aerial view of Sulphur Point, and the Otumoetai peninsula, was taken by Whites Aviation. The exact date of the photograph is unknown. However, as it shows the reclamation of land for the construction of the Chapel Street sewage treatment plant, it is likely to date from the late 1960s. Development of the sewage treatment plant began in 1969 and cost $1.6 million. There are many other points of interest in this photograph including the Otumoetai Golf Course, which was leased to the Otumoetai Golf Club in 1969.