Steve McClune rebuilt his boat's steam engine over winter. Photo / Laurel Stowell
Steve McClune rebuilt his boat's steam engine over winter. Photo / Laurel Stowell
She's possibly the cutest steam-powered boat you've ever seen and she's out and about on the Whanganui River this summer.
After a rebuild over winter and a trial trip earlier in the week, Steve McClune's steam launch Mary Rose took the Devonshire/Richardson family for a Boxing Day cruise.
The ownerand five guests left the Whanganui city marina about 10am yesterday, with planned stops at the Wanganui Motor Boat Club and Whanganui River Top Ten Holiday Park. There was enough coal on board to motor them 10km.
McClune has had the boat for five years, and often takes neighbours Anne Devonshire and Oliver Lane for trips on the river. He keeps the boat in a shed on Taupo Quay and it's moved to the water on a trailer.
Devonshire and Lane have been on Lake Waikaremoana in it with McClune. It creates interest wherever it goes, Devonshire said.
At Easter McClune used the boat to get across shallow water and mud to Corliss Island on the Whanganui River and hide Easter eggs for his grandchildren.
The Mary Rose leaves the Whanganui marina, carrying Steve McClune and guests. Photo / Laurel Stowell
The Mary Rose is a 5.2m (17ft) clinker-built kauri launch. She was built in 1946 to take visitors at a Ngongotaha motor camp across Lake Rotorua to get to hot pools.
At that time she was powered by a Ford 10 car engine and she worked the lake until the 1970s, McClune said.
He added a boiler and a single cylinder steam engine, giving 2.5 horsepower. He uses the boat quite a bit in summer.
Steam has been a long-term interest for McClune. He is the former owner of Steam and Machinery Ltd, and still works for the business maintaining and repairing steam boilers all over New Zealand.
The Christmas break is often a busy time for him, Devonshire said, because he repairs boilers not in use while staff are on holiday.
He also owns several steam traction engines, stored in Feilding, and gives rides with them during Whanganui's Vintage Weekend.
Two of the traction engines were used to pull the paddlesteamer Waimarie ashore near the Dublin St Bridge in September 2016, when she needed her five-yearly marine survey.
McClune does not offer public trips on the Mary Rose.
It was a Boxing Day cruise upriver for Steve McClune and crew. Photo / Laurel Stowell
