TSS Earnslaw Trip
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Our TSS Earnslaw Trip
Across Lake Wakatipu
 We watched as the
TSS Earnslaw did a u-turn and gently come
alongside.
   Once tied to the jetty, her coal delivery truck backed up and began to pour.
   Shovelled
into the hopper, closely watched, by himself, of course. Job done time for a
quick wash, then we went aboard.
The TSS Earnslaw is a 1912 Edwardian vintage twin screw steamer plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Central Otago, and the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.
Straight to the bar for a cup of tea.
Her History: At the beginning of the twentieth century, New Zealand Railways awarded 20,850 pounds to John McGregor & Co Shipbuilders of Dunedin, to build a steamship for Lake Wakatipu. The Earnslaw, designed by naval architect Hugh McRae, was named after Mount Earnslaw, a 2889 metre peak at the head of Lake Wakatipu. She was to be 51.2 metres long, the biggest boat on the lake, and the largest steamship built in New Zealand. Other measurements: Her width is 7.3 metres, draught 2 metres and her weight is 330 tons. Transporting the Earnslaw was no easy task. When construction was finally completed she was dismantled. All the quarter inch steel hull plates were numbered for reconstruction much like a jig-saw puzzle. Then the parts were loaded on to a goods train and transported across the South Island from Dunedin to Kingston at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, some 280 kilometres away. Six months later, after being rebuilt, on the 24th of February 1912, the TSS Earnslaw was launched and fired up for her maiden voyage to Queenstown, with the Minister of Marine as captain. She then became a valuable vessel for the New Zealand Railways (NZR) and was known as the "Lady of the Lake". The Earnslaw worked with her sister ships, the paddle steamers Antrim and Mountaineer and the screw steamer Ben Lomond, transporting sheep, cattle and passengers to the surrounding high country stations. Her initial capacity was 1050 passengers or 1500 sheep and 30 cattle. Currently she carries a maximum of 350 people. In 1968, the Earnslaw was very nearly scrapped but she was fortunately rescued. She was leased by Fiordland Travel (now Real Journeys) in 1969, and later purchased by the same company in 1982. She was taken out of service for a huge makeover in 1984. Her 12 metre high funnel was painted bright red, with the hull a snow white, and her kauri timber decks glassed in. During her long years on the lake, the most serious accidents to occur were two groundings on the shingle shores of the lake. In March 1990, the Earnslaw carried Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Other royalty to travel on board have been the King and Queen of Belgium and the Prince of Thailand. The TSS Earnslaw made a brief cameo appearance in the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) as an Amazon River boat. A plaque commemorating the ship was erected by IPENZ and the Otago Heritage Trust in 2008, and is located near the former site of McGregor & Co.'s factory, close to Dunedin Railway Station.
Launching the TSS Earnslaw at Kingston in 1912. Captain J.B. Robertson at the helm for her maiden voyage.
The ship has had many captains over its 100 year history. Amongst them are the following: · George Herbert (Captain 1935) · Tom Luckie (NZR Captain 19?? - 1952) · Alexander Munro (NZR Captain 1952 - 1955) · Patrick Bennetts (NZR Captain 1955 - 1964 - he was on the crew for 30 years) · Patrick R. McSoriley (NZR Captain 1964 - 1968 - he first joined the crew in 1941) · Sandy McLean (Captain 1968 - 1969) · Maru Bradshaw (Captain 1969 - 1991)
How she works.
TSS Earnslaw Cutaway Plan.
Map.
Main Deck Saloon with beautiful kauri wood.
The Fo’c’sle Museum was full of wonderful old photographs – own blog.
Amazing her steam winches and crane are still operational. Her pulleys are huge compared to Beez.
Today: The TSS Earnslaw celebrated her centenary in October 2012 and continues in routine operation carrying tourist passengers across Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown to Walter Peak High Country Farm, a tourism operation with farm tours, horse treks, heritage tours, barbecue lunches and evening dining at the historic Colonel's Homestead. The ship works fourteen hour days in the summer months and cruises for eleven months of the year, despite being over 100 years old. Visitors to the region can enjoy the hour and a half cruise on board the TSS Earnslaw and view the workings of the steam engine and stokers along the way. You can either stay aboard for the return trip or for an extra cost disembark and wander around Walter’s Peak. Each year, the TSS Earnslaw undergoes an annual survey - typically from late May to early June - with every second year being taken out of the lake. Each of the Earnslaw's screws is turned by a driveshaft driven by a triple-expansion steam engine. Passengers have access to a walkway in the engine room, where they can observe the operation of the engines during the cruise. The TSS Earnslaw is the only working coal-fired steamship on the Lloyd's Register.
ALL IN ALL MAGICAL WONDERFULLY FASCINATING |
