During the early 30's travel around the Mount, Tauranga and Katikati by land vehicle was slow and laborious. There was a flotilla of small boats plying the harbour delivering goods and passengers to the various destinations in the area.
A character named Jerry Williams owned and operated a small vessel, the Omokoroa. Local people started pressuring him to take them out on fishing trips, and it soon became apparent that a purpose-built charter boat would be ideal for fishing trips and to also take over the barging work which was very necessary on the harbour in those days.
The RATAHI was commissioned and built by the O'Rourke brothers in Auckland. She was launched in 1938 and has been working on the harbour and taking people out fishing and to Mayor Island ever since. Raewyn and Hugh Ensor purchased her in 1988, when she was in a very run down state and worked on bringing her up to an excellent standard again.
She then worked very successfully out of Whakatane for five years
during which time they purchased TE KUIA and carried on running her from Tauranga and the Mount.
In 1995 they moved their whole operation to Tauranga...she was home again!
Recently she has undergone major improvements with extensions to the wheelhouse to add comfort and user friendliness, and bring her into the 21st century.!
TE KUIA was built in Auckland in1978 by K A Lilley Boatbuilders. Instructions were that she was to be along the same lines as the Ratahi, but bigger overall.
She has been the stalwart of the charter boat industry in Tauranga taking many a happy fisherman and woman out on the briny for the day.
She is now set up with accomodation for 11 plus two crew to do overnight trips fishing out around Motiti and Mayor Islands.
