Opua Historical

Opua Community Hall - founded 1935

Opua Regatta on the waterfront 1935
with Bay View Flats in the background.

Opua Regatta on the waterfront 1935

The old flats at Opua have been there a long time and in fact were moved to the present site by barge by Delwyn Barnett's great-grandparents, Antonio and Jane Morris, in 1885. Antonio was born in Lisbon, Portugal and was a seaman from the age of age 12, coming to New Zealand in 1869.
Read more HERE

Antonio and Jane Morris 1880

SS Clansman

This is a postcard from "The "Far North Series" and was published by O.I E. J. Darby, Russell. S.S. Clansman built in 1884 for the Northern Steam Ship Company. She traded from 1885-1932 and there is a plaque at Whangaroa which recognises her “47 years of faithful service was an outstanding contribution to the development of the North”. Ships such as Clansman were the only supply route for goods into Opua from the likes of Auckland. The demise of coastal shipping was hastened in 1925, by the completion of the North Auckland Rail Line and the Whangarei – Opua section was linked to the national network.

Postcard showing Opua Wharf, pre 1967.

Opua aerial view circa 1969

Aerial view of Opua and Deemings Boatshed at Okiato in the foreground.
Photo is by Gladys Goodall and the postcard is from the Colourview Series produced by Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd.

Opua - circa 1970.

Opua Ferry

Ferry "Opua" was launched in 1969 and is still in use today as back up.
Postcard is by Colourview and was posted in 1999.
In the background is the Boathouse, without the now existing decking.

Opua Wharf - circa 1980

Being the deepest harbour in New Zealand, Opua has large ships calling for dairy exports of Northland. At the end of the wharf can be see the car ferry which transports cars across the Bay, to reach Russell.
Photography: Gladys M Goodall

A Typical Scene in the Bay of Islands

(Govt. Publicity photo.)
“Where every prospect pleases.” A typical scene at the Bay of Islands.

Special train 1934

1 May 1934 - Arrival at Opua of a special train conveying the Parliamentary Party to celebrations at Waitangi, Bay of Islands.

Auckland - Opua Express

1 July 1937

The Auckland-Opua express near Morningside,
North Island, New Zealand.
(Photo: Hugh Bennett)

Opua Dock Store - circa 1970.

Thought to be a Four Square Store.

Ref: Transpress NZ

SS Akaroa at Opua Wharf - circa 1970

SS Akaroa was a 20,438 ton, Shaw Savill & Albion line, half passenger (under 1,000), half cargo ship.

Originally she was named the Amazon, built for Royal Mail Lines in 1959, and supposedly taken off the South American run because of an Argentinian corned beef blight. The ship had a shallow draught due to a flat bottom so she could enter the River Plate, but that did not help in Cape Town; there were outboard planes to compensate for roll but these were minimal. She carried frozen lamb as cargo and also did South Pacific cruises for 3 weeks or so out of Auckland.

She was sold to Shaw Savill in 1968 for the NZ and Australia to UK run, but that did not work out and was sold to a Norwegian Company in 1971 as a car carrier, the Akarita.
Its present whereabouts are unknown (see Shaw Savill List).

Ref: Transpress NZ

Normville:

Photo: Gladys Goodall..............Colourchrome Series, Whitcombe & Tombs. Circa 1965

Normville, introduced into service in 1965, was the first purpose built, self motorised ferry for the Opua-Okiato run.

A postcard sent in 1965, showing the above photograph of the ferry, has written on the back -
"Opua - Russell car ferry. Normville, has already proved its worth by eliminating queues which used to build up."

On completion of her service at Opua she was moved to the Hokianga and renamed Rawhiti.
It was there that her second life began, again working as a car ferry crossing the Hokianga Harbour.
Later, in about 1999, Peter and Stacee Honey spotted her and saw potential for a whole different life for the boat.
A caravan was attached to the deck and the boat motored back to the Bay of Islands, to be transformed into a comfortable floating lodge. It took nearly three years to convert the old car ferry into the unique-looking boat that eventuated.

Known today as 'The Rock' and usually anchored off Paihia, she is reputed to be New Zealand's largest houseboat.

Ref:
Classic Boats NZ
The Rock - the story of the boat
Opua Noticeboard

"The Rock" (ex Normville, ex Rawhiti) in 2015

Opua Railway Station

The Opua Branch or Otiria-Opua Industrial Line, partially still operational as the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, is a former section of the North Auckland Line in the Northland Region of New Zealand, between Otiria and the Bay of Islands township of Opua. The first section was constructed as a bush tramway in 1868 and converted to a railway in the next decade. Today the railway is partially used by the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, which runs tourist services between Kawakawa and Taumarere. The line's centrepiece is the section where it runs down along the main street of Kawakawa.

Miss Doris - circa 1958

Car Ferry Miss Ida and SS Otaio

An early Opua-Okiato car ferry was the Miss Doris.
She was skippered by Selwyn Deeming and repowered with a caterpillar engine which took up nearly half the room inside the cabin. The photo above shows the Railway houses that were on Mutton Bird Hill at the time (gone now).

Scene at the Opua wharf, showing a car ferry being towed by the boat ‘Miss Ida’, and the ship ‘Otaio’.
Photograph taken January 1960 by Whites Aviation.

Photographs. Ref: WA-52517-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.