P.S. WAIMARIE:
The paddle steamer
of the Whanganui river
In the late 1800s the Whanganui River
was an international tourist Mecca, boasting
a fleet of 12 riverboats run by Alexander
Hatrick & Co providing access from the coast
to Taumarunui.
N
ew Zealand's only surviving paddle steamer,
the PS Waimarie, built in 1899 by Yarrow
& Co Shipbuilders at Poplar, London, was
transported in kitset form to the port of
Whanganui on the mouth of the Whanganui river. She
was originally named Aotea, and was operated by the
Whanganui Settlers River Steamship Co until 1902 when
she was sold to Alexander Hatrick and renamed Waimarie
(good fortune/peaceful waters).
For almost 50 years PS Waimarie, affectionally known as
the Queen of the River, plied a route between Whanganui
and Pipiriki, navigating the rapids and carrying cargo, mail,
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NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2013
river dwellers and tourists along this major inland highway.
After the Whanganui river road opened in 1935 river
traffic dwindled, and finally the Waimarie, in need of a new
boiler, was taken out of service in 1949. In 1952 she sank at
her berth in Whanganui where she remained buried in the
silt and mud of the river until 1993, when she was salvaged
by enthusiastic volunteers and moved into the Whanganui
Riverboat Centre for restoration.
The Riverboat Trust was established as a communitybased heritage trust and worked hard to raise the money
required for her restoration. The core of their success in
returning Waimarie to the river, was the huge community
support it received. In addition, the Trust received grants,
sponsorships and donations from all around New Zealand.
Over 67,000 volunteer hours were contributed to the
project – not a bad achievement for a city of 40,000 people!
When the Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and
Navigation Trust was established in 1990, its primary
objective was to retrieve the Waimarie from the mud of the
Whanganui River and restore her to her former glory as
