When I showed my wife my last tug model she asked the two questions we all dread: "How much did it cost? and where is it going to go?
"Well, shell never get to know the cost of making a model that could be a real deal breaker, it makes my eyes water to just think how much they really cost to build. But she did have a point about filling the house with model boats.
To try and slip my next project past her I would need a pretty special boat.
And I think this one will do it its small enough to fit in her handbag and cute.In fact, when it was launched, local papers described it as a handsome little vessel and one of the finest little vessels ever built in New Zealand.
It also ticks a few boxes for me: nice lines, wooden hull, teak deck, no winch, lots of polished timber and its white! Not too many white tugs around.
Plus it has bilge keels (which Ive never done before), canvas flying bridge and a funnel that looks like its come straight off a passenger liner. All good so far.
The Hikurangi was designed in Wellington by Athol Burns for the Gisborne Harbour Board and built in 1961 by Miller & Tonnage in Dunedin, in the South Island. Athol Burns designed many classic local work boats (tugs, launches and trawlers), many of which are still in service. He was quite a character (his obituary is attached) and an 'old school' designer. He designed boats all his life but didn't spend much time on them as he was prone to terrible seasickness. Bummer!
Hikurangi and Albatross (another trawler tug) may be the finest examples of his work.
Gisborne is a small port on the far east of NZ and is the sort of town that you go to for summer holidays. Its a relaxed little town with great beaches, surf and the best weather in the country.
From these press clippings it looks like the Hikurangi had a pretty good life there too taking school kids for rides, being used as the starting point for swimming races and the odd bit of harbour work.
My version will be a 1/50 version of the boat as it was in the early 60s. At 1/50 it is only 335mm long tiny shell never notice it.