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A much-loved feature of the Waiuku waterfront has left Franklin and returned home.
The Ratahi arrived from Tauranga in 2019, offering harbour cruises and fishing trips. When Linda and Graeme Newall came on board, the Ratahi started hosting vintage experiences.
“We joined forces with the previous owner, Trevor, to create vintage excursions out in the estuary. We served Devonshire teas with 1940s music blaring, red carpet, people would come down and be served on lovely old crockery and have scones with jam and cream. It really was a huge success.”
After running the business on the Ratahi for a few years, Linda and Graeme bought the boat and continued operations.
“We were so stuck by the tide. You could only go out at a particular height of tide … so we had a lot of issues to deal with, including the weather.”
After losing their skipper, the Ratahi sat on the mud as no replacement skipper could be found.
The Newalls then reluctantly put her up for sale, but were firm in their resolve to sell to someone who would appreciate and care for the vintage vessel.
“We needed to find the right owner.”
New owner Sarah Ensor said the Ratahi arrived in Tauranga on June 13.
“It took us 12 days, including one week stuck in Hokianga Harbour. We initially thought it would take between five and seven days, but we were only getting about 6 knots. We waited outside the bar at Hokianga for five hours, then Coastguard came to the start of the bar and supported us over.”
The Coastguard happened to be doing a training afternoon nearby, so it was perfect timing for Sarah and her crew.
“I didn’t realise our trip home was being followed so closely by Franklin residents until we got home and I searched Ratahi online and saw the comments on social media.”
The Ratahi was built in 1938 by shipwrights JJ O’Rorke and his brother at Westmere for Tauranga’s EG (Jerry) Williams.
Fitted with a 36hp diesel, Ratahi was purpose-built for this task and licensed to carry 125 passengers. When not fishing, he used her as a freighter, collecting and delivering agricultural goods around the islands off the coast of Tauranga, as well as running harbour cruises.
In 1988, Sarah’s parents, Hugh and Raewyn, bought their first charter boat, the Ratahi. After Hugh’s death in 2019, the boat was sold and sailed to Waiuku.
After a bad day at work, Sarah decided to look up the Ratahi online and discovered it was for sale.
“I think because of how much Dad has taught us over the years, no matter what work it does need, we know how to do it. She does need some TLC under the waterline, but we know how to do it. So, it’s perfect.
“We’re so lucky in the Bay of Plenty. We can go fishing any time we like, or go for a harbour cruise, nothing is restricting us. Not having a bar here is amazing.”
Sarah plans to continue the high teas, also offering girls’ fishing trips.
“I really want to make it affordable for parents to take their kids fishing and teach their kids how to fish.”
The Ensors used to own the Te Kuia until 2023, when they sold her as a replacement for the Waitere after it was sunk in an accident in the Bay of Islands. Te Kuia now ferries passengers between Russell and Paihia.
“Since Ratahi and Te Kuia left the Bay of Plenty, we don’t really have a numbers boat. So it’s pretty cool that Ratahi is coming back because she’s licensed for 49 people.”
The Ensors aren’t a family to sit idle, so Sarah has already pulled Ratahi out of the water to allow maintenance work on the waterline.
“One brother is an engineer and the other’s a builder – both have their skipper’s tickets so I’m really lucky with the family help,” she laughed.
