Jet boat brings trip down memory lane

Doreen Grundy got to relive childhood memories on Lake Rotoma - thanks to the rebuild of one of New Zealand's first jet boats.
Her brother, Bert Grundy, built the boat, Aurora, shortly after Bill Hamilton designed and built the world's first jet unit in the 1950s.
Launched in 1955, Aurora was the first jet boat in the North Island. It was used for recreation and water skiing on Lake Rotoma. Ms Grundy said she would spend every summer as a youngster on the boat.
Aurora was put in a storage shed on Lake Rotoma in the 1960s and stayed there, unused and untended for more than 40 years.
Ownership of the boat was given to Ms Grundy after her brother died, and in 2008 she contacted Tony Kean at Hamilton Jet. He took the vessel to Christchurch where it underwent a two-year restoration.
Yesterday the boat was brought back to Lake Rotoma and reunited with Ms Grundy before it was taken to Auckland to feature in the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show.
Ms Grundy was taken for a ride and told The Daily Post she thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
"To be honest I felt a bit sea sick but it was lovely," she said.
The 76-year-old now lives in the Western Bay of Plenty and said she hadn't been out on Lake Rotoma for several years since moving away to work on the family farm.
"We used to do lots of fishing and go water skiing off the back of the boat."
She said she was pleased with the boat's restoration and that her brother would be proud Aurora had been looked after.
"It looks great, they have done a fantastic job.
"It looks just how it did 50 years ago."