A contrast in a century of changes in sea travel, plus the changing face of the waterfront at Port Chalmers, were aptly portrayed in two illustrations that recently appeared in the Otago Daily Times.
The first in the 100 Years Ago column on October 16 shows Tainui, with accompanying report, in dry dock.
Featured last Monday was Star Princess, due the next day to introduce the cruise-ship season.
The latter vessel was built to cater for the lucrative cruise ship market that has boomed over the last 30 years.
The annual cruise-ship season on the Australia-New Zealand circuit attracts cruise ships that are deployed in other northern hemisphere regions during the rest of the year.
Unlike these vessels, Tainui was designed to operate in a regular liner service from the United Kingdom to New Zealand.
It was noted as being a very comfortable vessel but its state-of-the art accommodation of the day would not have measured up to the facilities and amenities available in the modern cruise ships of today.
Compared with the 108.977gt, 2600-berth, 22-knot, twin-screw diesel-electric Star Princess, Tainui was a 9957gt, 14-knot, twin-screw steamer fitted with two triple-expansions engines.
Yet its unusual profile, with tall raked funnel, two raked masts and an island bridge, was much more appealing than many of the cruise ships we see today.
And it belonged to the era of the long-distance, passenger-cargo liner upon which this country was once so dependent.
But, sadly, increased global competition from airlines eventually brought about its demise on routes throughout the world. The second ship of the name to serve in the colours of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company, Tainui had five holds with tween decks and 8400 cubic metres of insulated space.
Accommodation was provided for 40 first-, 75 second- and 400 third-class passengers.
However, from the early 1930s the ship carried 203 tourist-class passengers only.
Completed in October 1908, and after loading 4000 tonnes of bunker coal at Cardiff, the ship started its maiden voyage from London to New Zealand on November 12, 1908.
In its early years the ship traded to New Zealand by way of South Africa, but in 1916 the shorter Panama Canal route was adopted.
Tainui was withdrawn from service in mid-1939 and sold for scrap.
But before much demolition had been carried out, the ship was bought by the Ministry of War Transport. Early in 1940, the ship started the last brief phase of its career under Shaw, Savill management, renamed the Empire Trader.
The ship remained on its old route until February 21, 1943, when in convoy in mid-Atlantic, it was torpedoed and sunk.
The ship had been much luckier in World War 1.
On April 8, 1918, the ship was abandoned, but reboarded, after being torpedoed in the English Channel.
Tainui was then towed 130 miles to Falmouth and arrived there almost at the point of sinking.
This interesting steamer was built and engineered by Workman, Clark and Company, Belfast.
Founded in 1879, the yard completed its last vessel, the 8010gt Shell motor tanker Acavus (Yard No 536) in January, 1935.
Over the years, quite a number of our visitors were built there.
Vessels in port for the first time last week were POS Jade loading logs, and MSC Santhya exchanging containers.
POS Jade, delivered by the Hakodate Dock Company on March 17, 2006, is a 19,796gt, 31,846dwt, Hong Kong-registered vessel.
Owned by White Crocus Shipping S. A, the ship is operating under the colours of the STX Pan Ocean Shipping Company of Seoul.
The 37,071gt, 3005TEU, MSC Santhya carried the names Baykal Senator, DSR Senator and Vladivostok before being bought by Mediterranean Shipping in 2004.
Among the last ships to be built by the Bremer Vulkan shipyard before it ceased shipbuilding 12 years ago, the newcomer has been in service since May 1991.
