A Tauranga man left homeless after the boat he was living on sunk in the Tauranga Harbour last week now faces the prospect of being billed for the cost of transporting the wrecked vessel to the local dump.
Brian Currie’s boat, named Hauraki, sank on a mooring in Pilot Bay during high winds on July 4. He was given five days to refloat the 130-year-old Kauri boat after it washed up onto the sand but was unable to do so.
Currie, a 55-year-old former bricklayer and commercial fisherman, who is unemployed, told the Bay of Plenty Times he had bought the Hauraki for $8000 about seven months ago and planned to restore it.
Currie was living on the boat at the time and said he was now “homeless”.
“I am out of pocket. I have got no boat, I have got no home, I have got nothing,” he said.
“I came out with the jeans and the shoes I was wearing.”
A letter sent to Currie’s mailing address on July 8 from Bay of Plenty Regional Council said the harbourmaster had been in daily communication with him about refloating the vessel, which was deemed a “wreck” and a “hazard to navigation” under Section 33B of the Marine Transport Act 1994.
The letter asked Currie to remove the boat from the harbour by 5pm on July 9 or the regional council would have it “removed, destroyed and disposed of appropriately”.
On July 10, a large crane was used to lift the boat from Pilot Bay on to the back of a large truck.
Deputy harbourmaster Daniel Rapson said the vessel had since been taken to a local waste facility for disposal.
“We are still waiting to receive the final costs for removing, transporting and disposing of the vessel,” he said.
“This is a good reminder for all boat owners that they must keep their vessels in a seaworthy condition, and in the unfortunate situation of a boat sinking, the boat owner is liable for all costs involved in re-floating and salvaging the boat.”
Rapson said under the Maritime Transport Act 1994, the owner of the vessel was liable for all expenses incurred in removing the wreck.
A large crane was used to lift Brian Currie’s boat, the Hauraki, off the beach at Pilot Bay on July 10. Photo / Alex Cairns
“We will continue to work with the owner directly with regard to the costs involved in removing the vessel Hauraki. If the fees are unpaid, then the council will follow its standard debt collection process.”
In response to Rapson’s comments, Currie said he had originally offered to pay the bill to return the boat to its original mooring opposite Matapihi Marae near Second Ave at between $50 and $100 a week because that was what he could afford.
“I can’t do it all in one go. I was devastated.”
Currie said he did not know how he would pay the full bill.
He said he was staying with a friend in the meantime.
Zoe Hunter is an assistant news director covering business and property news for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has worked for NZME since 2017.
The Hauraki boat has been taken to a local waste facility for disposal.
