The Auckland Heritage Festival has been a great success for both the Ports of Auckland and William C. Daldy Preservation Society!

A BIG THANK YOU to our passengers, the Ports of Auckland and to the volunteer crew members who went out of their way to make this a fantastic success with all sailings fully booked!

Over the weekends of September 19 to October 3, the Daldy ran Saturday trips around the Ports of Auckland wharves and to the harbour bridge as part of the Auckland Heritage Festival. The Ports of Auckland chartered Daldy Megan & Debbie from Ports of Auckland, Jessica-Lee and our own Barry Parsons gave the commentary during the sailings for these trips to give people a closer look at the Port and provided a commentary on its history.

All trips had a full complement of about 120 passengers plus crew and we threaded in and out of the wharves, the commentators explaining the development of the Auckland Harbour and each wharf’s history and use. As we went up past the harbour bridge, the passengers were told about Daldy’s part in the construction of the bridge.

From comments made by the passengers, they thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the Port and the experience of being on an operating steam tug which has been part of the Port of Auckland’s history.

Was there a down side to the three trips? We don’t think so! The crew worked really hard to make the trips enjoyable for the passengers and the William C Daldy gained a great deal of exposure that should help to raise our profile with the people of Auckland.

Below are some images taken from the Auckland Heritage Festival. All images are copyright to their respective owners.

[View with PicLens]

4:00AM Sunday Sep 20, 2009
By Jane Phare

Kiwis are following the trail of television’s gooey Love Boat and snapping up bargain cruises in the wake of a recession-driven slump in the American and European markets.

But industry figures warn that New Zealand ports need to invest in world-class facilities to keep pace with growing trade.

Executives from Carnival Australia – which runs P&O, the Princess ships and Cunard Line in New Zealand – say Kiwi ports must lift their game to handle the industry goal of one million passengers by next year.

August was a record month for P&O Australia, with 30,000 New Zealanders and Australians booking cruises.

P&O has extended Pacific Sun’s three-month New Zealand cruising season to four months next year. Bookings for the ship last month were 213 per cent up on August last year and family bookings rose 20 per cent. Carnival plans to bring a record 52,000 passengers to New Zealand in the coming season.

P&O chief executive Ann Sherry said to fully capitalise on growth, New Zealand needed the right infrastructure and planning in place.

Port owners, the Government and others in the industry all needed to play a part.

Carnival senior vice-president Jenny Lourey said the lack of sufficient infrastructure at New Zealand ports was a barrier to the future of the local cruise industry.

The country’s ports were not keeping pace with local demand for cruising and the number of ship visits.

Next February, three cruise liners will be in Auckland at the same time. The Europa will berth at Princes Wharf, where the Hilton Hotel’s conference venue will double as a passenger terminal, forcing the Dawn Princess and Clipper Odyssey to berth at ageing Queens Wharf with its makeshift facilities.

Plans are under way for an $85 million development of Queens Wharf, including a new passenger terminal, in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key said the Government had contributed $20 million to help secure Queens Wharf as a cruise ship terminal.

Flash facilities or not, Kiwis are already planning next year’s holidays, taking advantage of two-for-one deals and discounts of up to 70 per cent.

Jacqueline Unsworth, who has worked in the industry for 18 years, said cruising has “never been so cheap”.

“There are deals that I’ve never seen in the whole time I’ve been in the industry.”

A 28-night round-Australia cruise on the Sun Princess and Dawn Princess starts at $3000, down from $8500.

And many companies are offering two-for-one deals, such as a 17-night cruise from Italy to Florida for $2900, with the second person paying only $280 taxes.

Apart from offering good deals, the cruise industry has worked feverishly to change the impression that a blue rinse is the only qualification needed for the high seas.

Go Holidays’ cruise consultant Samantha Fowler has been taking her two young daughters on cruises since they were babies. The introduction of kids’ clubs and activities for older children meant more families were booking.

jane.phare@hos.co.nz

Source: NZ HERALD

For a schematic layout of the tug Map 1 or Map 2. Please note that these may take some time to download if you are on a dialup modem as they are high resolution images!

MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 2 September 2009

Vintage steam tug brings history to life

Ports of Auckland is inviting Aucklanders to experience a ‘living’ part of the city’s maritime history through a series of free heritage tours during the upcoming Auckland Heritage Festival.

This year, for the first time, the tours will be hosted on board the historic steam tugboat, the William C Daldy.

“We are very excited to offer the Auckland public a chance to experience a part of their city’s history firsthand,” said Managing Director Jens Madsen.

Built in 1935, the William C Daldy was one of the Auckland port’s first tug boats, and worked welcoming and departing ships on the Waitemata Harbour for more than 40 years.

The hour-long, family-friendly tours will cruise through the commercial wharves, providing a close-up view of port operations.

The trip will also include a special stop at the Auckland Harbour Bridge, where the William C Daldy proved its might salvaging a runaway piece of the bridge during its construction in 1958. Click Here for the full story!

Daldy saves Auckland Harbour Bridge

Mr Madsen said the detailed heritage commentary would also offer a unique insight into the history of the port and Auckland.

“The development of the city and port over the last 160 years plus is a fascinating story.”

The tours will be held at 11.00am, 1.00pm and 3.00pm on three Saturdays during the Auckland Heritage Festival, between 19 September to 4 October.

Bookings are essential. To book, phone 0800 AK PORT (0800 25 7678) or see www.poal.co.nz for more information.

The tours are free; however, a gold coin donation to the William C Daldy Preservation Society is appreciated.

For land-lubbers, Ports of Auckland is also running Red Fence Heritage Walks throughout the Festival. Walks will be guided from the meeting point outside the NZ National Maritime Museum on Sunday 20, Thursday 24, Sunday 27 September, and Sunday 4 October, at 3pm. Bookings are not required.

Ports of Auckland is New Zealand’s largest container port by volume, handling around 840,000 TEU (20ft-equivalent units), more than 1,700 ship calls and 3.6 million tonnes of break-bulk (non-containerised) cargo per annum. It is New Zealand’s major import port and a key partner to export industries. Ports of Auckland is 100%-owned by Auckland Regional Holdings.

The William C Daldy is a 38 metre, coal-fired steam tug, built in Scotland for the Auckland Harbour Board in 1935. After an 84 day delivery voyage to New Zealand, the tug began handling ships on the Waitemata Harbour in 1936. Following a 41 year career, the vessel was retired in 1977 as one of the last working coal-fired tugs in the world. Thanks to the efforts of The William C Daldy Preservation Society, the tug is still active on the Auckland Harbour.

The Auckland Heritage Festival, delivered by Auckland City Council, will run from 19 September to 4 October 2009. The two-week festival, comprising more than 100 events encompassing art, architecture, fashion, music, ecology and sociology, is a chance for Aucklanders to embrace and discover everything that is unique about their city. This year’s theme is living heritage – the customs, stories and traditions we keep alive today. For more information and a full event programme visit the events page of the Auckland City website at http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz

A combined 500-600 seat theatre and cruise ship terminal is being proposed for Auckland’s Queens Wharf when it is reclaimed for public use next April.

The promoter of the idea, the Auckland Theatre Company, says an “architecturally stunning” multipurpose building would exploit the prime central location and meet two vital needs.

Auckland needed another dedicated performing arts venue and also a new terminal for its growing cruise ship trade, said theatre company chairman Kit Toogood, QC.

He said a harbourside theatre for drama and dance and a world-class cruise gateway would complement each other well. Public spaces adjacent to the theatre would double as an assembly point and waiting area for cruise ship passengers.

The World, Silver Whisper and Europa

Mr Toogood said year-round use of an attractive public building offered greater return on investment, tourism spending and a contribution to the city’s “after 5pm” economy.

It was offered as a serious alternative to those mentioned so far for Queens Wharf, which the Government and the Auckland Regional Council each paid $20 million to buy from Ports of Auckland.

Prime Minister John Key has said the wharf will become “party central” for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the challenge is for city leaders to move swiftly to begin the job of transforming the wharf into a world-class waterfront attraction.

Auckland City Mayor John Banks said the council had started looking at restoring the two cargo sheds on the wharf, which were built around 1912.

He said strengthening the wharf and building first-class cruise ship facilities and other possibilities for the 2ha site, like the theatre proposal, could cost more than $100 million.

ARC chairman Mike Lee said all the redevelopment that was needed was a well-designed cruise ship terminal and a new coat of asphalt.

However, Mr Toogood said a terminal should create a good impression by providing a high level of comfort and encourage visitors to spend more time and money in the CBD.

“This will not be achieved by providing a ‘tin shed’ style processing depot of a kind that one might experience in ports that are not high-value international tourist destinations.”

Star Princess Auckland 3 Jan 2004 by Trevor Coppock

Mr Toogood said he would meet Mr Banks and Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully to discuss what they had in mind.

A cruise ship terminal and an assembly point was needed though a theatre would not necessarily be needed before the Rugby World Cup.

Cruise New Zealand chairman Craig Harris said the theatre company’s proposal seemed compatible with the industry.

“It’s an example of a dual-purpose terminal but it’s a decision for the city to decide who uses the space on non-ship days.”

Mr Toogood said there was a serious gap in provision of venues for drama and dance in Auckland and the theatre company needed a space for populist, large-scale drama and for more intimate drama.

Source: NZ Herald