Welcome Aboard

Members of the public are invited to come aboard and explore the William C Daldy while in steam at our base at Hobson Wharf West. Click Here for our location. The tug will will be operating in steam along side.

Hosted this Saturday and Sunday, 6-7th April from 10.00 – 3.30 pm. You will see the engines in action, try your hand at stoking the boiler, ring the telegraphs or blow the whistle. Guided tours around the ship by our friendly volunteer crew will be happening throughout the day.

Have your photo taken in the wheelhouse wearing the captains hat or feel the raw power of steam with your hand on the throttle.

Souvenirs, tea & coffee, muffins and other refreshments will be available.

This is an affordable outing for the whole family.

Entry is by donation only.

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Triple Cruise Ship Sailaway

Saturday, 23rd February 2013 – Triple Cruise Ship Farewell Cruise come and join us for a rare glimpse at three cruise liners departing almost simultaneously. Don’t forget your camera. Click Here to book now!

See the Giant Voyager Of the Seas (formerly the world’s largest cruise ship), the sleek Seabourn Odyssey and Costa Deliziosa (Sister ship of the ill fated Costa Concordia) depart Auckland Harbour from onboard William C Daldy. An evening departure, a bite to eat and the opportunity to view these huge vessels up close and from all angles.

Sailing departs our base at Hobson Wharf at 4:30pm and will arrive back at 7:30pm.

A Special $5 BBQ dinner available. $2 Tea and Coffee. Cash Bar will be operating.

Prices: $50 Adults, $30 Children, $150.00 Family (2 Adults and 2 children) Note: there are no senior or student concession tickets available for this sailing.

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Dear Members, Friends and Supporters,

The Christmas Holidays are nearly upon us, and, like you, we are looking forward to a well-deserved rest over the coming days.

Before we break for festivities we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our volunteers, members and friends for their support throughout 2012. This year has been an important one for the W C Daldy, and your role as our supporter cannot be underestimated. We have a new location which has brought with it many benefits but a few challenges as well.

For those of you who live on the city side of the harbour we are now in a much more accessible location. We have just hosted another wedding onboard and there is much interest in our public sailings which can now be booked directly through our website.

See the information and links below to obtain a ticket. New discounts are available for senior citizens, students and community cardholders.

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 28 Jan 2013
Contact Us to reserve a seat and pay on the day or Click Here to buy a ticket online and secure your booking! For more information regarding the days events Click Here.

Kawau Island Excursion Sunday 17th February
Click Here to Book for Kawau 2013 and secure your booking. For more information regarding this excursion please Click Here

Our volunteers have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep your ship in tiptop condition for the summer season. AN EXTRA BIG THANKYOU to you all!

For those of you who are interested in joining the Society don’t hesitate to get in contact with us or come down to the ship on a Saturday morning around 10 a.m. for a cup of tea and a chat. We may be able to put you to work cleaning the boilers straight away. Just Kidding!

Whether you choose to be an active member or would prefer to just watch from the sidelines and take advantage of membership benefits, your contribution to the society no matter how small, is of unparalleled importance to us.

Daldy is on Facebook. Please take the time to look at our Facebook Page and ‘Like us’ or post a link to our website and add us as a friend. We will be updating this as well as the website with new information as it comes to hand. The need for more involvement in social media was made apparent at the recent AGM and the formation of our new page is an opportunity for all our supporters to both follow and inform others about what is happening aboard the William C Daldy.

Follow @wcdaldy

If you’re not a tech savvy person don’t worry. We still send out hardcopy newsletters to all financial members who wish to receive them via post.

Compliments of the season to you all,

Courtney Edmonds
Charter Secretary
W C Daldy Preservation Society

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The weather was glorious,
the sea was slight,
and the Island like a gemstone shimmered in the light.

A big thank you to the Railway Enthusiasts Society inc for all their support in helping to make this day so successful.

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Many thanks to our stokers and engineers have worked tirelessly, putting up with bad coal and the intense heat down below.

Finally we would like to thank all of our other volunteers and passengers who spent the day with us. We hope to see you back next year.

If there is one summer outing to invite friends along to and gather your family for, then this is it!

We have arranged another great day out on the William C Daldy. This is a family fun day on Kawau Island.

Click Here to Book for Kawau 2013 NOW

Cruise Tickets: Hobson Wharf – Kawau Island Return only $99 Adult, $59 Child, $279.00 Family (2 Adults and 2 children) Click here to book now!

Boarding the Steam Tug at its base on Hobson Wharf West, Viaduct Basin, Auckland. A loud blast on the whistle will mark our sailing as the smoke billows from the funnel and we steam down the Waitemata Harbour. At North Head, it will be full steam ahead as the engines are opened up for the “romp” up the Hauraki Gulf to Mansion House Bay in Kawau Island. The Tug William C Daldy rarely ventures out of Auckland Harbour these days. So book early.

We depart Hobson Wharf West at 8:30am arriving at Kawau Island at Midday approx, where you can then enjoy several hours on the island – exploring Mansion House, The Island or take a picnic lunch.

A BBQ for an hour before arrival at Kawau and an hour after departure. The BBQ will cost only $5 per head ans consist of sausages, meat patties, onions, bread/rolls and salads. Alternatively, passengers may bring their own picnic lunch.

We depart Kawau Island at 2.30pm arriving back at Hobson Wharf West at 5.30pm approx.

A cash bar and BBQ will operate on this trip. Tea and coffee are available for only $2.00 each.

We do not have eftpos on board.

Enjoy a great cruise to and from Kawau.Island.Be quick – Limited to 110 passengers.

SCHEDULE

Please read these instructions carefully in case there are last minute itinerary changes!
Try and get to the gangway at least 15 minutes before departure.

• DEPART Hobson Wharf 8:30am
• ARRIVE Mansion House Bay Midday approx
• DEPART Mansion House Bay 2.30pm
• ARRIVE Hobson Wharf 5:30pm approx

Departure Location

Click for a larger image!

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SAILING SOLD OUT!

NOTE: Departure time for this event has changed to 7:30 a m due to the organisers altering the start time of the tug race!

Can we do it again? Come along and support our crew, especially the Stokers!

Hobson Wharf West, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland
28th January 2013

• Depart Hobson Wharf West 7:30am
• Return Hobson Wharf West 12.30pm

Please Note: Times of events may change closer to or on the day.

PRICES:

• Adults $75
• Seniors / Students $55
• Children $40 (up to and including 15yrs)
• Family (2 Adults, 2 Children) $200

All Prices include lunch of Sausage, Pattie, Bread Roll and Salad

Tea and coffee are only $2.00 each, we do NOT have eftpos on board

A fabulous day on the water is promised as Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour comes alive in one of the world’s biggest one-day Regatta’s.

 Please book early as this is one of our most popular sailings. Please make sure you are at the boat in plenty of time to pick up and pay for your tickets, as your place will be sold to someone else 10mins prior to sailing if not paid for by then.

Monday 28th January 2013 8.00am: Tugboat Parade
Tugboats young and old will gather at the entrance to the Viaduct Harbour and parade up to their start line off North Head.

10.00am: Tugboat Race off North Head
Watch this amazing display of maneuverability and speed as these wonderful craft roar up the channel, round Narrow Neck Buoy and return to finish off Devonport Wharf – best vantage points are North Head, East Coast Bays beaches, Devonport and Devonport Wharf.

• 11.30am Firefighting display off the Viaduct followed by a Parade through the Viaduct.
• 11.00am: First Start off Princes Wharf

Races start off Princes Wharf, Downtown Auckland at 5 minute intervals from 11.00am.

• 11.35 & 11.45am: Classic division starts
• 11.55am: Tall Ships and Waka start
• 12.00noon: Harbour Blast starts off Orakei Wharf
• There will also be aerial displays by the War Birds and the Red Checkers 

See some of the fastest boats on the water ‘blast’ off in a vision of colour and speed as they head off around the harbour.

 

 

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Volunteering is a way to use your skills and talents while learning more about an area of interest. The rewarding feeling achieved by supporting something you believe in just comes with the territory. Others may gain experience and an outstanding recommendation that offers them a helpful edge to impress a future employer.

The W C Daldy Preservation Society traces its roots back to 1978. In 1980 we began to operate the ship on Auckland Harbour as a charter vessel. Learn more This became the foundation for a series of annual public charters and sailings which has funded, (with the addition of donations) surveys, general repairs and MAJOR restoration projects to benefit the ongoing preservation progress.

Since that time, the WC Daldy Preservation Society Inc has operated as a membership-governed society with its own comittee. WCDPS is dedicated to preserving the tug as a living piece of history. Learn more

The W C Daldy Preservation Society always extends a warm welcome to new members and volunteers. Your choice to be involved with us is appreciated whether you wish to actively take part as a crew member, or whether you would just like to take advantage of special offers and a regular newsletter. We welcome your involvement. Volunteering and attending the various programs we offer is a great way to meet others who wish to share their interest in steam ships. Learning and sharing skills together is how we will keep these old traditions alive for future generations.

Even if you are not able to make a long term volunteer commitment, WCDPS offers a number of opportunities for you to help with smaller, short-term projects. Someone with experience will train you and help you get started.

Contact Us now to register your interest!

Click the video below for full screen!

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A late 70s colour movie telling the story of the retired Waitemata Ferrys. This NZ Film Unit film is courtesy of Archives NZ, click HERE to vist the Archives NZ website.

CLICK HERE to view movie.

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Cruise ship visitors spent about $132 million in New Zealand in the past season, and passenger numbers are expected to jump 20 per cent in the coming season, breaking the 200,000 mark for the first time.

A Tourism Industry Association report shows 208,600 passengers are expected in the cruise season which is just about to start, up from a record-breaking 2011-12 season when 174,000 visited.

As well as the $132m spent by passengers, another $100m was spent by cruise companies on a range of products, from food and drinks, to fuel and port fees.

Wellington’s CentrePort said last week that 83 cruise ships called during the past season, and this season 91 had been confirmed.

The potential of the cruise sector will be discussed at the TIA Summit in Wellington today, where cruise ship company Carnival Australia chief executive Ann Shery will be a keynote speaker.

“Cruising is a rolled gold opportunity for New Zealand,” she said.

“The 174,000 cruise passengers who arrived here last season are the equivalent of around 330 full A380 passenger aircraft landing in New Zealand – almost one for every day of the year. And every one of those people is looking for great holiday experiences that New Zealand can offer.”

However, the cruise market is a small fraction of the 2.6 million short-term visitors that come to New Zealand each year.

Last year, total international tourism spending in New Zealand was almost $10 billion. On average, each visitor spends $2783 on their New Zealand visit, or about $2300 excluding airfares.

In contrast, the average adult cruise passenger spends almost $900 onshore during a trip to New Zealand, with about $244 a person in the shops and another $129 for onshore food and drinks.

The single biggest category is spending on activities and excursions on shore, at an average $361 each.

The figures exclude fees and commissions paid to foreign-based middlemen. In total about 63 per cent of all onshore spending goes direct to local providers, while about a third goes to cruise lines and 5 per cent to travel agents.

Two-thirds of cruise ship passengers were “transit” visitors who started and ended their cruise outside New Zealand and they spent an average of $782 each.

Exchange visitors who started or ended their visit in this country spent much more – an average of more than $1100 each, the report shows.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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We have finally returned to the city! Fourteen years after leaving Hobson Wharf for a berth at the somewhat exposed and decrepit Victoria Wharf in Devonport we have finally moved back to the much calmer waters of Hobson Wharf, Viaduct Basin.

Members of the public are invited to come and join us celebrate our new berth at Hobson West Wharf. (next to the Maritime Museum on the outside of the Viaduct Basin).

Saturday, 4th August 2012

10:30am Open ship to public / gold coin admittance. Boilers will be in steam and guided tours of the entire ship will be available free of charge.

Sunday, 5th August 2012 As well as the opportunity to inspect the vessel we will be conducting two sailings this day.

10AM Harbour Tour including Ports of Auckland, Harbour Bridge and other points of interest.

Noon Harbour Tour including Ports of Auckland, Harbour Bridge and other points of interest.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit all operational areas of the ship during their cruise including the boiler room and engine room while in operation.

Prices are as follows:

Adults $20.00

Children $10.00 (under 15yrs)

Family $50 (2 Adults and 2 Children)

Under 5yrs FREE

Click Here to purchase a ticket now!

This is a rare opportunity to see the tug and steam during the winter as we very rarely start our charter season this early in the year.

Never mind about the weather, there are plenty of nice warm places all over our wonderful old steamship. Tea and coffee will be available as well as soft drinks and water.  Our friendly crew will be only too happy to attend to your needs.

This is a great affordable fun day out for the whole family and should not be missed.

Click here to book now or phone Richard on 021659800 for further enquiries or to reserve a seat and pay on the day for the two sailings being conducted on Sunday. EFTPOS is Not available onboard but ATM’s are available very nearby.

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Due to the success of last year’s Auckland Heritage Festival and the continued support of the Ports of Auckland we are delighted to announce a series of public sailings will be available in September and October this year.

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

The trips 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!

A detailed heritage commentary will also offer a unique insight into the history of the port and Auckland.

The development of the city and port over more than 160 years is a fascinating story.

Daldy has the capacity for 120 passengers which, if based on last years success will fill very fast!

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

The tours will be held at 09:00am, 11.00am, 1.00pm and 3.00pm on Saturday 29th September as well as Saturday 6th and Saturday 14th of October during the Auckland Heritage Festival. -more-

Bookings will be available to make from 18 August 2012. All sailings are free Phone: 0800 767 678 to reserve a seat!

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