PS ''Governor Wynyard'''','' was a small steam ship, the first to be built in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and was launched in 1851. She was a

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, built of

pohutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...

, with

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

planks. In 1853 she left her

Tamaki River Tamaki may refer to: New Zealand *Tāmaki, a suburb of Auckland to the west of the Tamaki River *Tāmaki (New Zealand electorate), in Auckland *East Tāmaki, a suburb of Auckland to the east of the Tamaki River *Tamaki River, in Auckland *Tamaki St ...

service in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and was sold in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1852 during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

, but was soon serving as a ferry in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, until she had her primitive engines removed in 1858. She sprang a leak and became a beached wreck in 1873. She was built at Stone & Lanford's

Freemans Bay Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay and now inner city suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The bay has been filled in to a considerable extent, with the reclamation area now totally concealing the ancient shoreline. Hist ...

yard for the builder's brother, C. J. Stone, and his partners, F. Gardiner, and Captain A. Cook. The ship was launched

sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...

on 24 December 1851. Her two steeple engines were fed by a double tubed

Lancashire boiler A shell or flued boiler is an early and relatively simple form of boiler used to make steam, usually for the purpose of driving a steam engine. The design marked a transitional stage in boiler development, between the early haystack boilers and t ...

, built by William Bourne's foundry. The foundry tools were rudimentary and work was delayed until an American boilermaker, Mr. Brown, arrived. He had no shears, rollers, or punching machine, but made a clay mould to bend the plates and had the holes manually punched in the boiler. The vessel was towed to Wynyard pier, where the Mayor named her. An anonymous letter to the New Zealander had said she was to be named after the Governor. A 1909 account said no name had been chosen, but that the governor was very pleased, so the name ''Governor Wynyard'' was chosen. ''Governor Wynyard'' made a trial trip on the Tamaki River on 10 January 1852, with one of her owners, Captain Cook, Mr. Brown being engineer. Due to his inexperience the boiler primed and he opened the

safety valve A safety valve is a valve that acts as a fail-safe. An example of safety valve is a pressure relief valve (PRV), which automatically releases a substance from a boiler, pressure vessel, or other system, when the pressure or temperature exceeds ...

, but drained too much water, so that the fire had to be damped down and water added with a bucket. After the initial delay she reached 8 knots. Her exhaust steam blew into her paddle-boxes, making an explosion on every piston stroke. A contemporary report said, "she makes full as much noise as speed". For her first 6 months she ran on the Tamaki River to Panmure and

Ōtāhuhu Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tamaki River estuary to the east. The isthmus is the narrowest connection between the ...

, where some roads were not fit for carts, but settlers were reported to be annoyed if she didn't wait for goods beyond departure time. She then made a trial trip to

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...

. A later source said there was insufficient trade on the Tamaki. In 1853 her paddle-boxes were removed and she sailed across the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...

to Melbourne, where she arrived on 26 August, worked on a ferry to Williamstown and was sold by her builder on 28 December 1852 for £2,300. Several later accounts said she worked on the Yarra for many years, earning up to £60 a day. However they are probably not true, as she started a

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being called a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Location and features Formed by the ...

ferry service between Launceston and George Town in February 1854, owned by Benjamin Hyrons. She collided with the steamer ''Royal Shepherd'' in the Tamar in 1855, but was still on the George Town service in 1857, having had a major overhaul. Her engines were removed in 1858, leaving her as a sailing schooner. In 1899 it was said her engines had been transferred to her replacement on the ferry service, ''Tamar Maid''. On Sunday 20 July 1873, during a voyage from Duck River to Launceston, ''Governor Wynyard'' sprang a leak and was beached as a wreck at

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

References

External links

1852 painting of ''Governor Wynyard'' off Britomart Point

Sketch of ''Governor Wynyard'' in Steam in the Southern Pacific'''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor Wynyard Ships built in New Zealand Ships of New Zealand Steamships of New Zealand 1851 ships Maritime incidents in July 1873 Shipwrecks of Tasmania 1850s in Auckland