The Wreck of the SS Manaia, 1926

Whakahau-Slipper Island lies two miles off the Coromandel Coast, four miles south-east of Tairua and some 100 miles from Auckland.

While carrying passengers and cargo during its regular Tauranga to Auckland run, the SS Manaia (Captain W. F. Norbury), ran aground on the southeastern point of Slipper Island on the night of Thursday 10 June 1926. Reefs in the vicinity had previously claimed The Northern Steamship Company’s auxiliary schooner Te Teko and the timber scow Surprise.

The SS Manaia aground near Slipper Island
Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Ms 33/5/159

Built at Dumbarton, Scotland in 1898, the Manaia was a well-known New Zealand coastal steamer of 1,159 tons. Formerly owned by the Union Steam Ship Company and named Rotoiti, it was bought and renamed by the Northern Steamship Company for its Auckland to Tauranga service. The steamer’s dimensions were: length, 220 feet; breadth, 33 feet and depth, 13 feet.

Steaming northwards through rain and mist, the Manaia struck at 11.30 p.m. with an impact described as ‘terrific’. Members of the crew were thrown from their bunks, there was some ‘mild panic’ among the passengers, but there were no injuries nor deaths during the subsequent rescue operation.

Whakahau-Slipper Island
Courtesy of New Zealand Herald, 16 April 2015

Observing the wreck at daylight from the coastal settlement of Tairua, eyewitnesses described the steamer as ‘about one mile off Slipper Island, well up on the reef behind a small rocky island’, and ‘broadside on and down in the stern, in a very exposed position’.

Carrying 55 passengers who had boarded at Tauranga’s Town Wharf at 8 p.m. the Manaia’s cargo was indicative of regions exports during the 1920s: 63 cases of fruit, 21 sacks of maize, 34 bales of flax, 21 bales of tow, 34 bales of sheepskins, four cases of bacon, a quantity of general cargo and a ‘fair-sized’ consignment of mail.

At 11.40 p.m. the Auckland Radio Station received signals from the Manaia’s radio operator, that it was ashore near Slipper Island, and was being held in place by her propellers. Captain Norbury advised that he was all right until morning, before later, asking for assistance when the weather became squally, and the Manaia began to bump heavily.

At 3 a.m. the Auckland authorities radioed the SS Ngapuhi, another Northern Company ship which was passing Kawau Island, on its way from Whangarei to Auckland. The Ngapuhi changed course and after steaming 70 miles in six hours, was standing near the Manaia, which was then ‘making water fairly fast’, through a hole in the bow.

The SS Ngapuhi
Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections JTD-19M-04168

A two masted timber scow and the Corey-Wright brothers launch Ellida from Tairua, were also soon on the scene, and at 9 a.m. the SS Rimu was dispatched from Auckland to provide additional assistance.

Captain Dorling kept the Ngapuhi’s lead line going, as he negotiated the foul ground and a line of sunken reefs between his ship and the stricken steamer. He noted that the Manaia was hard and fast on a reef extending out from the southeast point of Slipper Island, with the bow high on the rocks, her stern riding low in the deep water surrounding the reef.

During the rescue of the passengers, the seas were moderate and the weather clearing. A message at 10.22 from the Manaia, announced that the Ngapuhi had arrived and was taking the passengers off, and that two lifeboats had got away safely. A wireless message at noon stated that all passengers had been transferred to the Ngapuhi which reached Auckland shortly before 11p.m.

At Auckland, the male passengers praised the conduct of the women and children, as well as Captain Norbury and his officers - particularly the children, who were said to have ‘just stood by without a murmur.’

During salvage operations, which began after the Manaia had been written off by the Northern Company, all portable equipment and fixtures were removed, along with machine fittings. The only cargo not put aboard the Motu, one of the salvage vessels, was a few cases of fruit in the fore hold. When the Manaia’s stokehold and engine-room flooded, the crew of 36 left the wreck on the Motu. The SS Manaia gradually slipped off the reef and into deep water.

‘My mother, Shirley Abrahams, was the girl with the bantam rooster.’ – Kim White, 2022
Courtesy of Maritime Radio

Among the Manaia’s passengers were 24 members of the Stanley M’Kay Pantomime Company, which included a girl named Shirley Abrahams and her pet rooster Becky – the gift of an admirer in one of the towns visited by the company.  According to one report:

When the Manaia struck, the first thoughts of the young actress were of her pet. Forgetting her other treasures, she flew to Becky. He had been with her for over a year … He snuggled in the crook of her arm on board while awaiting the arrival of the Ngapuhi. Becky accompanied his owner in the lifeboat and was with her all the time on the Ngapuhi. Now he is on his way to Sydney with her on the Marama.

SS Manaia listing, before slipping into deep water
Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Ms 33/5/206

On 29 June, the Auckland Marine Court of Inquiry into the wreck found that the course set by Captain Norbury was a safe one - used without mishap by other steamer captains for many years. It found that like the steamer City of Winchester, which was crossing the Bay of Plenty at the time, the Manaia ‘had been carried inshore and off her course an abnormal distance … owing to a strong set inshore’. Norbury was held blameless, and his master’s certificate was returned.

In 1961 part of the steamer’s propeller was recovered by divers, by which time the ship had broken up and been under water for over 35 years. Today, the Manaia’s boiler and other equipment left behind on the reef and seabed make Manaia Reef a playground for snorkelers and scuba divers.

References

Bay of Plenty Times, 12 June 1926: 3, 14 June 1926: 3, 29 June 1926: 3.

Evening Post (Wellington), 11 June 1926: 8. 12 June 1926: 8, 14 June 1926: 10.

1926: SS Manaia strands on slipper Island, maritimeradio.org, https://maritimeradio.org › Distress

S.S. Manaia Ohimnemuri Regional History Journal. 40, September 2000, https://www.ohinemuri.org.nz › journals › s-s-manaia

Images

Sladden, Bernard, View of Northern Steamship Company SS Manaia on rocks, Slipper Island, wrecked on 10-Jun-1926. Ms 33/5/159. Te Ao Mārama, Tauranga City Libraries.

Slipper Island, New Zealand Herald. Privately owned island sells for more than $7m. NZME. 16 April 2015, nzherald.co.nz/business

Photographer unknown, SS Ngapuhi on Manukau Harbour. Ref. 4168. Auckland Council Libraries.

Photographer unknown. Wrecked on the New Zealand Coast, 1926: SS Manaia strands on slipper Island, maritimeradio.org, https://maritimeradio.org › Distress

Sladden, Bernard. View of SS Manaia wrecked off Slipper Island, 10 June 1926, Ms 33/5/206. Te Ao Marama, Tauranga City Libraries

The Fascinating Journey of Tauranga’s Wurlitzer Theatre Organ

From Tauranga City Library’s archives

A monthly blog about interesting items in our collections.

Programme from Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre - Ams 504/1/16

The invention of the theatre organ can be traced back to Scotsman Robert Hope-Jones in the early 1890s. Hope-Jones revolutionised organ construction with his invention of the electro-pneumatic action, a technology that became the foundation for future organ-building. By 1910, he had sold his patents to the Rudolph Wurlitzer Music Corporation, enabling the production of the legendary "Mighty Wurlitzer." These intricate instruments, built to accompany silent films, became iconic, with one organ completed every day at the height of their production.

The Tauranga Wurlitzer, known as "Opus 1482," left the Wurlitzer factory in Tonawanda, New York, on October 21, 1926. A Model H, it featured nearly 1,000 pipes and 47 kilometres of wiring. It boasted a range of sound effects, including cathedral chimes, sleigh bells, and theatrical effects like surf and train whistles, which allowed organists to craft a dynamic musical experience for silent movies. Shipped to Wellington, it debuted in early 1927 at the De Luxe Theatre on Courtenay Place (later renamed the Embassy).

Wurlitzer keys - Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre - Ams 504/1/16

In 1958, Eddie Aikin, captivated by the sound of a Wurlitzer since his youth, purchased Opus 1482 when the Embassy Theatre transitioned to a widescreen format. Aikin and his team dismantled the organ over seven weekends and transported it to a honey-packing shed in Tokoroa. There, after a twelve-month overhaul, it hosted a series of “Workshop” concerts, with notable performances by Australian organist Ann Holmes. Known for her expertise, Holmes had played in various leading theatres and became a familiar figure in New Zealand's organ scene.

Tokoroa High School 1960's - Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre - Ams 504/1/16

In 1967, Opus 1482 found a new home in Tokoroa High School’s Assembly Hall, with Ann Holmes headlining the opening concert. The organ remained there until 1971, when Aikin, facing health issues, put it up for sale. Tauranga City Council, with funding from the 20,000 Club, acquired the organ, envisioning its use for the community. Initially stored at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, it was later decided that the organ would be installed in Tauranga Town Hall. The installation required removing concrete panels—a challenging task, as the concrete, made with metal sourced from Tūhua (Mayor Island), was particularly tough.

Tauranga Town Hall - Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre - Ams 504/1/16

Ten months of dedicated volunteer labour led to the organ’s reinstallation in 1972. The opening concert featured Ann Holmes, joined by local resident Len Hockly. There was an initial technical glitch when the elevator mechanism stalled, with Ann Holmes waiting to be elevated, however the organ crew quickly resolved the issue, and the concert was a success. Later, renowned organist Reginald Porter-Brown performed at Tauranga Town Hall, and the Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre hold an autographed programme from him.

Ann Holmes waiting to be elevated to stage - Photo gca-21038

In 1986, when the Tauranga Town Hall faced demolition, the City Council proposed relocating the organ to the newly built Baycourt Community and Arts Centre. The complex task of dismantling and reinstalling Opus 1482 began, and by 1988, the organ was once again in operation. Rex White was a person dedicated to many fields of public service in Tauranga and had legendary skill throughout the theatre organ world. He headed the team responsible for installing the organ in the Town Hall in 1972 and again into Baycourt in the 1980's. American organist Dennis James inaugurated its new home with a premier concert in December of that year.

Wurlitzer technical plans - Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre - Ams 405/1/16

Today, the Tauranga Wurlitzer remains a treasured musical asset. Regular maintenance ensures its near-century-old components function flawlessly, allowing audiences to enjoy its distinctive sound. Recent concerts, like “Swingin’ With The Mighty Wurli” featuring Australian virtuoso Scott Harrison and the Katikatz Jazz Band, highlight its ongoing cultural significance and the dedication to preserving this remarkable piece of history.

eventfinda nz

There is a wealth of information that can be found about Opus 1482 in the Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Baycourt archives (Ams 405) and on the Baycourt youtube website - Enjoy!

Sources:

• Baycourt, Tauranga N.Z. (1988). Wurlitzer Inaugural Season.
• Tauranga 20,000 Club. (1972). Introducing Tauranga City's Wurlitzer organ : 16th September 1972. Tauranga, N.Z. 20,000 Club.
• Tokoroa High School (1967). Opening of the WurliTzer Organ in the Assembly Hall Tokoroa High School.
• Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī ref photo-gca-21038
• Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī ref Records of Baycourt Community and Arts Centre - Ams 405/1/16.

“For the Fallen”

At the end of the war some New Zealand soldiers returned home with brides
Image: Auckland Weekly News, 27 March 1919. Tauranga Museum Collection

As Armistice Day approaches the men and women who served in the First World War are on my mind.  More than five hundred Tauranga men, Māori and Pakeha, enlisted - a staggering number considering the town’s population was just over three thousand souls. Of those local men who served, one hundred and ten would lose their lives.

Forty-two Tauranga soldiers died in 1918, more than twice the number of any other year of the war. While the influenza pandemic had a significant bearing on this figure, the German Spring Offensive and the Allies ‘Advance to Victory’ were devastating factors. New Zealand troops participated in several major offensives including the Battles of Second Marne and Bapaume and the liberation of Le Quesnoy.

New Zealand troops’ last major action of the First World War was the capture of Le Quesnoy, a week before the armistice
Image: George Edmund Butler, ‘The scaling of the walls of Le Quesnoy’. Wikimedia Commons

Every soldier’s death is tragic regardless of when and how they died. However, like many, I have a personal reason for feeling a great sadness about those who during those final few months, so close to the end, lost their lives in battle. My Great-Uncle, Charles Raymond Carter, survived four years of war, including Gallipoli, only to be killed on 18 September 1918 aged 23. Here are a few of our town’s young soldiers who died so close to Armistice.

Lest We Forget

Thomas Lochead  (1890-1918)

William Lochead (1895-1918)

Lance Corporal Thomas Lochhead was killed in action in France on 26 August 1918, aged 27. As part of the 2^nd Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, he died at the Second Battle of Bapaume, one of the first engagements of the Hundred Days Offensive. Prior to enlistment Thomas was an active member of the community belonging to several Tauranga clubs. Originally from Canterbury, Thomas farmed in Te Puna with his father and brothers. His younger brother William died of wounds in Palestine in May 1918.

John Salt (1899-1918)

Lance Corporal John Salt was killed in action in France on 12 September 1918, aged 19. As a member of the 1^st Battalion of the 3^rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade, he died at the Battle of Havrincourt, the first time the German frontline was pierced. Born in Tauranga to Joseph and Sarah, John was a labourer for the New Zealand Railways prior to enlisting on the 7 March 1916. The Army was either unaware or turned a blind eye to John being just 17.

Thomas Bullick (1882-1918)

Lance Corporal Thomas Bullick was killed in action in France on 29 September 1918, aged 36. His Battalion, which was part of the Wellington Infantry Regiment, took part in the breakthrough of the Hindenburg Line – the main German defence system. Prior to enlisting Thomas worked as an electrician for the Tauranga Borough Council, which was at the forefront of the burgeoning electrical industry. Born in Canterbury, Thomas had strong family connections to Hastings and his name appears on the Hastings Cenotaph in Civic Square.

Charles Lilley (1896-1918)

John Ellison (1881-1918)

Lance Corporal Charles Lilley was killed in action in France on 1 October 1918, aged 21. Part of the 1^st Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment, he was killed on the final day of the Battle of Canal du Nord. He died two years to the day of enlistment. Charles had lived with his parents, Walter and Jane, at Omanawa Falls and worked as a Mill Hand for Tauranga Sawmilling Company. His death was the second tragedy for the Lilley family, who in March received the news that their daughter’s husband, John Ellison, had been killed in action. John and Florence were married three weeks before he embarked.

Just a Material Girl

Attending a conference for Conservators of Cultural Materials, Tauranga Historic Village 

ERCO tote

Even the promotional material on offer at the 2024 conference of NZCCM - https://nzccm.org.nz/ - was something of a revelation to one of the newest members of the society (me).  ERCO, one of the sponsors for the conference, offered, in a high-quality and stylish tote bag, two equally stylish, impeccably designed magazine-type pamphlets intended to describe “the encounter between artwork and collector… a special moment that deserves qualitative, individual light…” 

The intensity so often present in GLAM [1] sector language was, refreshingly, not often used in the papers put forward over the following two days.  Nevertheless, the underlying commitment and concerns expressed by those describing their own encounters with items as various as a silk embroidery of Queen Alexandra, the dendroglyphs on Rēkohu (Chatham Island), whāriki (fine woven mats) recovered after the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle flood at Rangatira Marae [2], and the sailing vessel Edwin Fox, “a large – very large – composite object” stood alongside the practical realities and continual compromises needed to solve problems, do no (or as little as possible) harm, and – invariably – find ways to pay.

Putting a price on the survival of cultural objects is, of course, the most materialistic attitude of all.  However agonising it is when matters are taken away from human agency – as when the expected protection of a shipping container storing harakeke raranga and other taonga proved inadequate to meet the fury of Cyclone Gabrielle (“Swept away – now on its way to China” co-presenter Dr Rangi Te Kanawa was told) – it seems even worse when the costs of preservation are deemed to be too much for the owner to bear.  No doubt this is a factor explaining the abiding popularity of the TV programme, The Repair Shop, where small items of immense sentimental value are lovingly re-created - apparently at no cost - to a condition that satisfies (we only ever see the success stories, of course) the owner.

In a stimulating juxtaposition of engineering and conservation, Dr Kepa Morgan offered his Mauri-ometer [3], “a useful alternative to other decision support tools including cost benefit analysis” to attempt to establish the value of, well, almost anything that has ecosystem, cultural, community and economic dimensions – characteristics of most memory institutions, often vexingly considered only for their economic viability.

Compared with the coyness within the Repair Shop barn, money is often front-of-mind in the Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration studio, based in Chicago.  American respect for paying for the best (expertise as well as artwork) is a consistent and often overt aspect of Julian Baumgartner’s practice.  But not this time.  As is evident in his video [4], this overlooked artifact seems to have been an uncosted part of a job lot – the memories associated with it as faded as the object itself.

Baumgartner still shot

 “We don’t own them – we merely care for them, for the next generation,” Julian muses as he prepares to unveil what museum-trained conservators might regard as a rather over-done exhibit.  (You will have to watch the video for the full before-and-after effect.)  But the dawning delight of the inheritor of Aunt Vi’s framed wedding photograph, and the plausible possibility that the framing workshop made this as a one-off, special tribute to her, are important elements of what we here in Aotearoa would call the mauri of this object.

The NZCCM conference offered some rather more low-key, local insights into “the complex reality of private conservation practice” from two practitioners, one at the start of her career, the other heading her own business, Heritage Preservation and Field Support Solutions [5] (the name says a lot), based in Taranaki.  The talk was headlined, “Balancing Ethics and Efficiency” – two poles of a useful continuum that might assist in the still-not-quite-settled debate on the Tauranga Museum project.  The Mauri-ometer, of course, introduces a few other factors.

Friends of the Museum newsletter front page

For a very long time now, the Tauranga Heritage Collection has had only very limited exposure on the cultural and community fronts.  Kept in strictly regulated storage conditions, conservation efforts limited to gentle cleaning with de-ionised water and cotton swabs (and only on some items), reliant on conservation assessments by trained professionals in selecting and preparing objects for eventual exhibition, challenges await these artifacts.  Mostly they are best preserved by being left cold and in the dark.  Hardly conducive to a joyous, special encounter in a carefully chosen quality of light.

Silk top hat and cotton lace collar from Brain Watkins House

Like the one-time Edwin Fox Society [6], (and, since 2023, the Marlborough District Council [7]) the Tauranga Historical Society has its own large, composite object to care for.  Brain Watkins House is both beloved and unique, and complex and expensive to maintain.  (It might be fun to assess it against the Mauri-ometer.)  Even the two very small objects pictured above carry their own mauri.  The collar, showing few signs of wear, will now never be put to its purpose of adorning a blouse for a special occasion.  The silk hat undoubtedly went on the imposing head of the respected shipbuilder and stoneworker Joseph Brain, but will never be worn again.  As a result of the NZCCM conference, I am left to ponder whether, even though they are cherished as collection items, the joy has left them.

References

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[1] Acronym for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums – also sometimes called “memory institutions”.

[2] For a fuller account (and illustrated) of the catastrophic effects of, and community response to,  Cyclone Gabrielle at the Rangatira Marae, see Jamie Tahana, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/cyclone-gabrielle-rangatira-marae-whanau-salvaging-precious-taonga/UHIJC4PLMZBG5GF4DFT4BA72NA/

[3] http://mauriometer.org/

[4] Baumgartner, J. “Wither [sic or (maybe) pun intended] the Heirloom?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Fr7YGpvXw

[5] https://www.facebook.com/artefactpreservation/

[6] Dissolved on 11 November 2015: see https://app.businessregisters.govt.nz/sber-businesses/viewInstance/view.html?id=229a78e05307b6d8bf1b29667f00cb17e52c69c2a77717ac&_timestamp=576264963864127

[7] https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/your-council/latest-news-notices-and-media-releases/media-releases?item=id:2l4sqafer1cxbylqhyy8