# Sugar Barges



## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

If can extend this thread to include lighters and harbour craft I ask if anyone recalls the Colonial Sugar Company lighters that used to ferry the sacks of sugar from the Chelsea Works to the ship's side in Auckland prior to the building of the Harbour bridge which allowed truck transport.
These lighters were of timber construction, probably double or triple skinned Kauri planking with Tanekaha ribs, and the many years of carrying the 56 pound weight sugar sacks made from fine weave hessian had caused the hold timber to obtain a highly burnished and polished finish and a sugar sickly smell, enough to make one realise that they had been a long time in service. 
There were two of them as I recall, painted dark green and always looking ship shape but I guess that as they were purpose built for the sugar sack job they would have become redundant .

Bob


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## Corrimeala (Jan 2, 2009)

Worked on many sugar barges in London for Silvertown Services who were owned by Tate and Lyles. They were nowhere near as nice as that thought. Big welded steel jobs that carried 280 ton of raw sugar. The refined craft were nicer.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

Bob

You have the knack of bringing back the memories!
I worked briefly as a rigger at what we knew then as the Chelsea Sugar Refinery.
A mate and myself had the job of painting the gantry in the middle of winter, not quite sure when, but I think around '56 or '57. Rotten job, but good money.
We had to heat the steel with acetylene torches to remove the moisture before red leading.
There were a few barges and I recall one was the 'Tui' which was at some stage was sold to Kelly Tarlton of diving fame.
Coincidentally, my son who is often in Paihia, recently told me he used to frequent the Sugar Barge Restaurant on the Waitangi River and it was the old Chelsea Sugar boat, Tui. It's good to hear that she is still afloat as she must at least 100 years old by now.

Regards

Taff


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks for that info Taff, it has refreshed my own memory now as we stayed in Paihia about 2002 and went aboard the Tui.
She is actually sitting on the hard and mocked up to look like a sailing ship.
I find that the Colonial Sugar Co built 6 of these lighters in Birkenhead around 1890, each 96 feet long and with a cargo capacity of 200 tons. they did their job of ferrying sugar to the Auckland wharves until the harbour bridge opened and were them sold to private buyers.
I wont be suprised if one or two more turn up somewhere.

Bob


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

I am sure that there must be a few survivors of the old tubs that plied the Waitemata, Bob. Many would be over 100 now, but they were sturdy craft built with good timbers.
Incidentally, I heard a while back that Bert Subritzky's old scow, 'Jane Gifford" is being restored for the umpteenth time, I think by an historical society.
Now that was a great boat - did a trip to the Barrier on her many years ago.

Taff


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## Butters (Nov 10, 2005)

Bob ,
From the book I have called CSR Shipping 1880-2003 by H.J.Hansen which lists all ships callingat Chelsea there is a chapter on the lighters .
KOTUKU - buried in reclamation Chelsea 1914
COOLOON - condemned 1939 and lay on the beach at Chelsea awaiting disposal.
KOTARE - Sold to Gisborne Lightering Co. 1963 . Lost of Banks Peninsular 1968
whilst undertow of KOTUNUI after taking in water.
HAKU - became a depot ship for Rope shipping , later sold to become a houseboat. Now resting in Whau Creek, Kelston Auckalnd.
TUI - now known as the BROWN SUGAR RESTAURANT at Waitangi.
OMAKI - about 1959 operated by Auckland Water Transport, then sold to a Potter towed north and beached at Te Wahapu Bay between Russell & Opua. Now used as a residence .
WEKA - apparently beached at the bottom of Matipo Street Te Atatu Auckland.

Hope this may be of interest

Rgds
Butters
(Lindsay Butterfield)


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Butters, thanks for that valuable information on the fate of the Chelsea lighters and it is good to know that four of the hulls are still around in one form or another after 100 years.
I can only remember two of them delivering sugar to ships side in the 50’s and at that time they were well maintained smart looking lighters with their dark green hulls.
You mention that HAKU became a depot barge for Rope Shipping and I wonder if that is the same as or an allied company to Rope Construction that used to do a lot of harbour board work in the 1940’s and 50’s. They took over a Naval Fairmile and re built the upper works to serve as a private craft for Mr. Rope to cruise the ports of NZ and negotiate maritime construction business. 
He named the ship La Rita or at least I think he did as I do not think that the RNZ Navy would have other than a Maori name.
A cousin of mine who had then recently arrived from London with the skills of a cook and a piano player was offered a crew berth on the La Rita and had to function as both the cook and entertainer.
He had a great time on a round NZ cruise and I must try to get more from the 79 year old next time I am in Sydney. 
La Rita went on to other owners, I think.

Regards Bob


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Taff, I am beginning to think that the Jane Gifford has been up for restoration so many times that she is becoming like Maori chief Hone Heke's axe- four new handles and six new heads but still the same axe.
A bit unkind I think and we can well understand the frustration of these amateur volunteer ship restorers that labour away all around the world trying to breathe new life into some historic craft.
From the Cutty sark down to Jane herself it is a huge and costly undertaking and we can be thankful to those that make the effort.

Bob


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

I couldn't agree more Bob.
Would love to read about some of your cousin's reminiscences. They should bring back some old memories.
I believe Rope Shipping and Construction Companies were the same mob. They also did some commercial diving in the 50's and 60's.
Can't recall the La Rita, but 'Robbie' - Sir Dove-Myer Robinson - had a Fairmile which he restored. Perhaps it was the same one as there weren't many around on the harbour in those days. Doubt whether any of them are left now.

Lindsay,
Thanks for your input to Bob's interesting thread. It's great for us 'old fellas' to reminisce about the past. That's what Ships Nostalgia is all about! Helping us to relive our 'days gone by'.

Taff


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Has Chelsea Sugar refinery closed now? Did a few trips there with sugar from 
Queensland and Fiji. Happy memories of crawling up the hill to the Birkenhead Tavern and rolling back down again!

Returning from town one night, got a ride in a Paddy Wagon after trying to hitch a lift across the Harbour Bridge.

John T.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

John, the Sugar works is still there although a lot of their surrounding water catchment land needed in the early days before council water services has been sold off and subdivided into residential real estatewiuth great views over the harbour.
As for the Birkenhead Trust Tavern this was my near to home watering hole for a few years. They used to have imported draught Bass on tap.
Actually this community owned pub was built when I first went to live in the area and the local primary school head master was the trust chairman.
We used to have frequent school working bees in those days to develope grounds, lay concrete, paint buildings and the like and after a few hours toil on a Saturday the HM used to turn on the beer in great quantity.
No shortage of volunteers and we could all walk home.

Bob


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Thanks for that Bob, I wasn't aware of the background to the pub. Another great Kiwi idea - couldn't imagine it happening anywhere else.

Had some good nights in there.

John T.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

John, I am reminded of a highlight at that pub.
It was a Wednesday night and myself and a couple of mates had met there briefly to plan a fishing trip and as we were about to leave the private bar we were told that we could stay a while as guests at a private function, obviously they wanted to build up the audience a bit for an undisclosed artist's performance .
We all rang home and said "put the dinner in the oven" and sat back to eventually enjoy a night with trumpeter Eddie Calvert of "Oh my Papa" fame.
He was visiting relatives in the area and he agreed to put on a show for selected locals.
He was a great entertainer and had a good repertoire of risque jokes to tell during the breaks.A great night.

Bob


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Fantastic. What a stroke of luck, Bob. I recall being in the pub and our Chief Steward, quite a talented singer, got up to accompany the band for a song. The crowd loved him but the band didn't when he wouldn't get off!

John T.


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## Boxdog (Aug 25, 2013)

Hi guys

Sorry for bringing up such an old thread but I was randomly googling for the barge in kelston and found this page. Haku has been behind 74 Cobham Cres, Kelston for probably 30+ years now. I grew up a few doors down at 68 and my dad was friends with a guy called John who owned that house, and his brother Shane lived on the boat for a long time. We used to go on it for bbqs and John had a speedboat so we would go water skiing. The barge is still there and is viewable by visiting Cobham Reserve next to number 68 and walking around to the edge of the reserve (you should still be able to get right thru to the path leading down to the barge and the remains of a private jetty. Just thought id share that! Many happy childhood memories.


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## Boxdog (Aug 25, 2013)

Also interesting you mention Haku was used for transporting rope. I can distinctly remember going down inside it as a kid in the 80s and the unforgettable smell of rope and damp wood!! Cool


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## namyar (Nov 20, 2012)

A few wee corrections needed here, "Rope Construction" was Basil Rope and sometimes his brother Bill while "Rope Shipping" was Bryce Rope, he owned the old lighter "Haku" and the power barge "Tasman" built on the ex WW2 U.S. dumb barge salvaged by Caesar Roose after it broke loose from a tow.Bryce also owned the big north sea trawler "Loch Lein" lost on the N.S.W. coast after a hook-up. regards ray.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Thanks for that Ray, it puts the pieces together on another bit of maritime history.

Bob


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

Hi Ray, thanks for the update. However, there does appear to be some connection, as I did a cursory check on opencorporates.com and note that while Rope Shipping was in trouble and subsequently dissolved in 1996, Rope Construction apparently had similar problems around the same time, but was not dissolved until 2001. There's quite a bit of detail on the site, but I have not delved into it to affirm a direct connection.
Cheers, 
Taff


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