Wahine Moe – the new cruise boat on Raglan Whaingaroa Harbour was blessed and named this morning (Thursday 6th Jan). Arriving overnight by transporter from Tauranga, staff worked from dawn to 7.30am moving the boat by crane from the transporter to the boat cradle next to Raglan Wharf. The boat will sit on the cradle until the incoming tide floats it off. A crowd of over 20 people came along to take part in the blessing of the boat by kaumatua Sean Ellison.
Charlie Young of Raglan Boat Charters spoke about the Wahine Moe providing a place to tell the story of the history and ecology of Raglan Harbour. After the karanga, Sean blessed the waka. Later Erin Rogers, a Director of Raglan Boat Charters named the boat in the traditional manner with a bottle of champagne across the bow.
Wahine Moe was built by Mount Maunganui boat builder Alloy Leisure Cats for Raglan Boat Charters – part of the established Raglan accommodation business Sleeping Lady Lodgings Ltd. The boat is a twin hulled catamaran that offers unparalleled stability, manoeuvrability and the shallow draught necessary for exploring the Whaingaroa harbour.
Local Raglan artist , Krishna Smith, designed the logo and developed a uniquely treated metal application for the boat’s nameplate. As well as daily, evening and sunset harbour cruises on the Wahine Moe, it will also be available for private charter for corporate and group functions and weddings. The boat can carry 70 cruise passengers and 5 crew. It is expected that daily tours will commence on the 10th January.
The boat also provides overnight accommodation with a fireplace, an outside spa bath, large BBQ, a king size bed , 40” LED TV for DVD and satellite programming with a state of the art sound system. Already one person has booked an overnight stay for the evening of the 8th January.
[ad#Bookwahinemoe]