Scott’s old ferry gets a facelift
The ferry great-great-great-greatgreat granddad made: Elliott Wilson, 3, from New Plymouth, is a descendant of Rangit¯ıkei pioneers Thomas and Ann Scott.
A ferry that was once the only way across the Rangitı¯kei River has been restored, painted and tarred.
Scott’s Ferry, which carried people, stock and produce across the river from 1850 to 1908, was celebrated at a ceremony attended by about 100 people on Saturday.
Restoration project leader Kevin Ellery, who risked becoming a permanent part of the monument as his shoes stuck to the soft tar on the deck, said he had been moved to rescue the historic relic after driving past every day, watching it deteriorate.
The ferry, named after its founder Tom Scott, had endured a rugged life, even after its service near the mouth of the Rangitı¯kei River.
In 1908, it was sold and moved to Parakino on the Whanganui River, where it was used until it was abandoned in 1975.
In 1990, Scotts Ferry farmer Frank Nitschke was instrumental in seeing the derelict ferry salvaged from the Whanganui Riverbank, returned home and restored. But the weather undid much of that work on the category 1 historic item.
Its wooden deck and some of the steelwork started to deteriorate.
The 2004 floods that devastated the region proved it could still float – the floodwaters carried it over fences and swirled it around in a nearby paddock, parking it until it could be towed back home.
Ancient timber from the original decks has been replaced and used in the fences surrounding the ferry’s ultimate resting place.
The celebration of its preservation onsite recalled the history surrounding the ferry, with many people dressed in period costume, the official guests arriving in vintage vehicles, and horses appearing on the stopbank to deliver the mail.
The event was also a tapestry of community connections.
Rangitı¯kei MP Ian Mckelvie claimed the ferry’s builder as his great-great-great-grandfather.
Descendant Colin Scott remembered his grandmother telling him Tom Scott was ‘‘a bit rough and ready’’.
And a 3-year-old from New Plymouth, Eilliott Wilson, is believed to be from the sixth generation of Scott’s extended family.
The woman who blessed the restored ferry was Archdeacon Dawn Nitschke, whose husband Frank is remembered with a plaque on a wooden seat built in the garden surrounding the barge.
Heritage New Zealand central region area co-ordinator David Watt said the ferry was a ‘‘very significant landmark’’ that had a special place in history. He was delighted the community had preserved it for the future.