Northland researcher's dream of creating marine education centre goes up in smoke

RNZ News

2 days ago

Thibaud Guerin, owner of marine research company TriOceans, and Cat Peters, chairwoman of the TriOceans Education Trust, say they haven't given up their dream of a marine education centre in the Bay of Islands.
Photo:
RNZ / Peter de Graaf
A Northland marine researcher's dream of creating a free community education centre has literally gone up in smoke in a devastating ship fire.
Cat Peters, chairwoman of the TriOceans Education Trust, said her plans had been 10 years in the making.
Last year the trust had been able to buy the Tui - a derelict ship next to Waitangi Bridge in Paihia - and at the end of April it received a substantial grant from Foundation North to restore the vessel and
turn it into a community classroom
.
Work was just about to start when the
Tui was destroyed in a fire
that started just after 4am on Wednesday.
Surveying the charred remains of the vessel later that morning, Peters was unsure what her next steps would be.
She was, however, determined to keep her vision alive.
"The dream's not going to die, we're all very committed to it. It might just take a bit of a different form now," she said.
Historic ship The Tui on fire in Paihia.
Photo:
Supplied
Peters was also upset for the Tarlton family, with the late Kelly Tarlton creating the replica three-masted barque from a vintage sugar boat in the 1970s, and turning it into a museum for treasures he had salvaged from shipwrecks.
"It's gutting. Gutting for us. Gutting for the Tarltons. Gutting for the community, and everybody who came out to support this new lease of life for the boat. It's just gutting."
Work had been due to start any day and some building materials had already been brought on board.
"We were going to turn it into a community education centre. It's been a long lived dream of all of ours, to offer free marine education to the community so people can learn about what's going on in the Bay, and learn about how they can help and be involved."
Peters said the Tui was ideal because it was right on the water and incorporated the story of Kelly Tarlton.
"So it was perfect. And you can't get more inspired learning about the water than on the water."
Northland fire investigator Craig Bain inspects debris pulled off the ship in the hope of identifying the cause of the fire.
Photo:
RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Lead contractor Darrin Hawke, of Kerikeri, said he had already carried out some interior work and was looking forward to starting the restoration in earnest.
He had lost building material but no tools in the fire.
"I really feel for the owners. They've put a lot of heart and soul into this project so I feel for them more than anything else. But it's sad for everyone concerned. And I'll just have to look for more work."
Peters said very little could be salvaged from the wreckage.
"The majority of it's gone. We had fortunately taken some old artifacts off already, just in preparation for the work. But the things that were the soul of the boat, they're all gone unfortunately."
She did, however, manage to rescue the ship's wheel, which she would offer to the Tarlton family given their long connection to the Tui.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
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