Photograph, 'Murihiku' ; Unknown Photographer; 1905-1930; BL.P100
Photograph, 'Murihiku'
About this object
This is a photograph of the 'Murihiku', long time dredge of the Bluff Harbour, anchored in the channel.
At the beginning of the twentieth-century the New Zealand Government commissioned William Simons & Co. Ltd of Renfrew Scotland to build a Dredger Bucket vessel for Bluff Harbour. At a length of 1,620ft and a breadth of 34.2ft, the vessel cost £31,864. The ship launched for New Zealand on December 27, 9104, the journey taking 100 days to reach Bluff. The dredge featured a pipe and stern for reclamation spoils and boosted a dredge depth of 40ft and 28ft right along the piles. At the time, the Murihiku was one of the most powerful and up-to-date dredges in the Southern Hemisphere.
An opening ceremony for to begin the ships life in Bluff took place on August 9, 1905. Local M.P and once Mayor of Bluff, Sir Joseph Ward addressing the crowd stated that he was only “voicing the sentiments of the people of Southland” when he said that the ceremony was “the most important in the history of Southland” because “with this splendid dredge working, all possibility of legitimate complaint against the port will speedily be removed… (having) deep-water berths adequate for the accommodation of the largest steamers trading in Australasian seas”.
The 'Murihiku' was towed to Auckland and broken up on January 19, 1978.
Oceania, New Zealand, South Island, Southland, Bluff
Maker Maker RolePhotographer
Date Made1905-1930
Period1910s
Medium and Materials
organic, vegetal, processed materials, paper
organic, vegetal, processed materials, paper, card
Back in black marker: "SHB.NZ.12"
Back written in blue pen on a white sticker: "64300 c/cc THE DREDGE MURIHIKU AT WORK IN THE CHANNEL. BUILT IN RENFREW SCOTLAND IN 1904 SHE ARRIVED AT BLUFF ON 29 JUNE 1905 AFTER 100 DAYS VOYAGE. BERTHED AT THE OLD WHARF IS THE IONIC
6
73, 6,3"
Back on yellow sticker: "6A".
h 78 mm x w 150 mm
Subject and Association Keywords Object Type Object numberBL.P100
Copyright Licence
No rights reserved - no known copyright restrictions
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