Scow 'JANE GIFFORD' Rebuilt by Waiuku Historical Society

All the original vessels were fitted with masts and sails, and were able to cover surprising distances. A check of the list below reveals names of vessels ending their days as far away as the Gulf of Carpentaria, in Australia, and in Papua New Guinea. In each case these vessels had made their own way there. Later, as engines became cheaply available most vessels were fitted with early petrol engines, a risky procedure by today's standards, and the probable cause of several recorded fires and explosions. The scows were built when kauri timber was plentiful, and these small but effective shipyards were usually estabished near the shipping points for the timber that was being stripped from the bushland in the hills behind. In fact, many of the scows were designed for exactly that trade, being loaded with immense logs until they appeared to be dipping through the swells rather than riding over them. The long list of losses on various harbour bars illuminates another factor in the existence of these remarkable craft. Their shallow draft allowed them to navigate West Coast bars and East Coast bays alike, but not always with impunity. Virtually every harbour on the west coasts of both islands of New Zealand have bars and wild surf that still regularly claims lives. It is also worth noting that all the New Zealand built craft were constructed at or north of Auckland. This was because they were built of Kauri, and the Kauri tree does not grow naturally south of a line from Kawhia Harbour, on the west coast, to north of Tauranga on the east coast. The most plentiful and best timber was in Northland.