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A serious refit New decks being laid
A temporary shipyard was established at Kingston and the hull of TSS Earnslaw, which takes its name from Mount Earnslaw at the head of Lake Wakatipu, was launched on February 24, 1912. There was little fanfare and the hull was moored at the Kingston wharf where final construction, along with the installation of the engines, boilers and internal fittings, was carried out. On August 3 TSS Earnslaw made a successful sailing as far as the entrance to Queenstown Bay, and plans
were made for her maiden passenger voyage from Kingston to Queenstown on October 18, and from Queenstown to the Head of the Lake on October 19. A large crowd gathered on the purpose-built Queenstown wharf to welcome the elegant new steamship carrying parliamentarians, local MPs, and other officials as well as people from all over Otago and Southland keen to be part of the historic voyage. The following day a public holiday was declared for her debut trip to the Head of the Lake and around 550 people paid the 2s6d fare to make the journey. TSS Earnslaw officially went into service under the New Zealand Railways banner on October 21, 1912 operating two days a week to Kingston, and three days a week to the Head of the Lake, calling at lakeside stations en route, picking up coal supplies, freight and passengers. The steamer, with her kauri panelling and velvet seating, was state-of-the-art and tourist numbers increased noticeably when she joined the Lake Wakatipu fleet. She played a prominent role for many years, but the first warning bells sounded in 1936 with the opening of the Kingston to Queenstown road and the advent of coach services on the route. TSS Earnslaw continued to provide an exceptional freight and passenger service to Glenorchy and Head of the Lake residents, particularly after 1952 when the last of the original steamers the Ben Lomond, was scuttled leaving the Earnslaw as sole passenger steamer on Lake Wakatipu. Yet another chapter closed in 1963 when the Queenstown to Glenorchy road was officially opened.
Passenger numbers reached a peak in 1963/64 when the September/October 2012 Professional Skipper 23
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