# Tug?Tender Otapiri



## Tedbris (Sep 11, 2011)

Seeking info on the Otapiri base Auckland Harbour 1973/74 I was deckhand on her for a short time, if I remember rightly Pete Harrison was skipper. any info appreciated.


----------



## murrayis (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi Tedbris
Have a look at the following website :-
http://www.tugboats.co.nz/Otapiri.htm
Is this the Otapiri you were on?
Rob


----------



## Tedbris (Sep 11, 2011)

Hello Rob

Having problems getting access to tugboats.co.uk at this time will let you know when I see it. Thanks for the link
Ed.


----------



## murrayis (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi Ed
In your response you typed ... .co.uk it should be ....co.nz

Rob


----------



## Shadowride (Feb 5, 2013)

Hello Tedbris.
Are you still after info on the Otapiri? I was her skipper from 1997 to 2000.


----------



## Tedbris (Sep 11, 2011)

*Tug,Tender Otapiri*

Hello Shadowride,

Yes I'm still interested in any information on Otapiri, owned by an Auckland company in the 1970s. As mentioned before I was a member of her deck crew in 73/4, she was used in the loading and hauling barges of glass sand from the far north of North Island to a glass production facility close to Auckland. Captain at the time was Pete Harris/Harrison.
All the information I have is an B&W photo. Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks


----------



## Shadowride (Feb 5, 2013)

Giday Tedbris.

The ‘Otapiri’ was built in Devonport, Tasmania in 1957 for the Bluff Harbour development scheme.
In 1961 she moved to Auckland and worked for the Auckland Water Transport, (most likely who you worked for)! Then was bought by Parry Bros; Auckland, in 1976.
Around 1979/80, she was bought by ‘Waipipi Iron Sands’ as a replacement for the tender ‘Wairoa’, which had tragically sank while crossing the Wanganui river bar. I joined 'Otaprir' in 1986 as mate/diver, still with the iron sands, we tendered the bulk carrier and serviced the off shore loading facilities. 
As of interest, I believe she was originally powered by an 8 cylinder Deutz, but was re-powered with a 71 Detroit V12, I don’t know when this was though?
In 1988, Waipipi Iron Sands closed operations and the ‘Otapiri’ went up for auction the same year. I believe that she was sold in 89 and went back to Auckland, what it was up to I don’t know?
In 1997 the company I was working for bought her and I was sent up to Opua, (Bay Of Islands), to sail her back to Tauranga. I will say that I got quite a shock to see the poor old girl, she was in a hell of a mess, and some clown had painted the hull completely reddish brown. I suppose it matched the rust stains flowing down the faded white wheel house and green deck paint!? The delivery trip to Tauranga was a bit of a hard case adventure, I’ll leave that out for another time maybe!
After a month of de-lousing, de-greasing and de-rusting, I took her to Napier (still with crap-brown hull unfortunately), and there I spent about two and a half years towing dump barges for a major dredging job. She managed to get her hull painted black again during survey in Napier.
Sometime in 2004, question mark there as I’d moved on to other waters, ‘Otapiri’ was sold again. This time she was converted into a fishing boat, of all things, and went back Auckland way. I believe she is now an abandoned rust bucket hanging on a mooring somewhere in Auckland. Bloody sad because she’s been a real battler in her years!
That’s about it, I do have photos of her and once I find them in my ‘not very good filing system’, and figure out how to post them here, I will do so.
Cheers.


----------



## Tedbris (Sep 11, 2011)

*Otapiri*

Hello Shadowride,
Thanks for that info, as you say she was a good old girl, had a good time on her before heading back to the oil industry.Sorry to hear the way she ended up but that's the way of it.Look forward to seeing other photos of her.

Cheers


----------



## tugtere (Dec 6, 2007)

tedbris and others,
Otapiri was built for a french co." Etudes et Enterprizes" strictly a harbour tug, no accomodation.Bought by Harry Julian, "Auckland Water Transport" L=70ft x18ftx 6ft. M.E. 8cyl Deutz, 320 [email protected] 

pic 1 otapiri with barge moehau and Te Kopuru
pic 2 with steam tug Atlas in trouble with frigates
pic 3 as labelled
pic 4 with ICI explosives barge Rahui leaving Waitawa Bay, Clevedon bound for Doubtful Sound, Manapouri power project.
shadowride, when you picked her up from Opua, she had had a shady past and was painted those dark colours for reasons other than hiding rust. She had been lurking further up the coast when the skipper and decky opened up a manhole on a barge, they both died inside. She had many owners in the following years and yes, I think she is pretty far gone now. I have other pics of her somewhere. 
regards Ray.


----------



## Tedbris (Sep 11, 2011)

*Otapiri*

Hello tugtere,

Thanks for the photos and other info, no1 brought back a few memories, time spent in NZ great.

Cheers


----------



## tugtere (Dec 6, 2007)

Ted, the skipper in pic 1 is Brian "Tojo" Logan
skipper on Te Kopuru is Digger Stanaway

Skipper on her in the rescue in Tom Bowling Bay is Eddie Helg

Skipper on her leaving with Rahui is Harry Julian himself,

hope this helps, regards ray


----------



## tugtere (Dec 6, 2007)

Ted, the skipper "Peter" would have been Peter Harrison, son of Eric, A.K.A. "Hurricane" or "Evermore" Harrison.
ray


----------



## Shadowride (Feb 5, 2013)

Giday, 
Yes thanks for that info Tugtere. It has awoken some of my remembering cells!!!
Back in 1989, there about, one of the two men that died on that barge, the skipper, had hitched a ride on a dredge we took from Wanganui to Nelson, he was an acquaintance of our sailing master. Two or three weeks later we were told of his death. The story we got was that it was the skippers father that had gone into the bilges, overcome by the toxic fumes, the skipper went in to get him out, alas both died. Name known, but I won’t print it here. 
(First thing they drummed into us at nautical school was the proper ventilation of closed up spaces on vessels before entering)!
I also knew the barge, as I had worked off it a couple of times in the early 80’s as a diver doing a pipeline lay. I first came across this barge in the mid 70’s during a heavy weather drama, I was an air crewman then, but that’s another story. Photos I have, finding them, oh dear!
In the mean time, a couple of pics of the Otapiri, taken around 1998 at the Port of Napier. (if they will attach)? 
The photo was taken from one of the light towers.
Cheers all.


----------



## Tedbris (Sep 11, 2011)

Hi,
Again, thanks to both of you for all the interesting information and photos, Peter Harrison was a good skipper and I learned a lot from him and the rest of the crew, 1st time I'd been to sea since the Merchant Navy in the mid 1950s also a real intro to NZ where I lived and worked for 7yrs finishing up on the Maui A& B construction before returning to the North Sea and another story.


----------

