The arrival of the new inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Hawea perpetuates the name of a Lake class frigate that made several local visits up to December 1956.
But the name has much stronger ties with this harbour through the now defunct Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Ltd, that go back 133 years.
The company was established at Dunedin in 1875 after taking over the operations of the Harbour Steam Company and its three steamers, Beautiful Star, Bruce and Maori.
They were joined by the brand new Hawea, which arrived at Port Chalmers on June 10, 1875.
Hawea was the first in a long line of vessels to be built for the company at Dumbarton by Wm. Denny and Bros.
At 721gt, the ship carried 92 passengers in two classes and had a service speed of 9.5 knotsThe ship was built to operate a fortnightly service from Port Chalmers to Onehunga and intermediate ports, with its slightly younger 720gt sister ship Taupo.
On June 12, 1888, when on a voyage from Auckland to New Plymouth, Hawea was wrecked on the breakwater at the latter port.
In 1897, the name was handed down to a 1768gt collier also built at Dumbarton, but by A. McMillan and Son Ltd.
Unfortunately, this vessel was to suffer the same fate as its former namesake.
On October 3,1908, Hawea was wrecked on the North Tip Head at Greymouth after leaving that port on a voyage to Launceston and Adelaide.
Fifty-nine years passed before the name appeared once more in the company's fleet list.
And with this vessel a new concept in coastal cargo operations was introduced.
Hawea was the first Ro/Ro vessel to be built to operate a weekly service between Auckland, Lyttelton and Dunedin.
The contract for building the vessel was awarded to the Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Company of Hong Kong.
Hawea was launched on July 12,1967, and delivered the following October.
To accommodate the new ship and herald in a new era of cargo handling, using the company's collapsible "Seafreighters", a new Ro/Ro ferry terminal and linkspan was completed in time for the vessel's maiden visit on November 14, 1967.
Designed for a service speed of 18.5 knots, the 2268gt Hawea soon became a familiar sight with each of its weekly visits.
However, these ended on April 28, 1970, when the ship was replaced by the new Taikoo-built Wanaka.
Hawea returned to Dunedin on July 23, 1972, but on a fortnightly Dunedin-Lyttelton-Melbourne-Sydney service.
The ship continued calling here on that run until August 8, 1976, by which time the vessel has made a total of 205 visits on both services.
Later that month, with the pending withdrawal of Rangatira from the Wellington-Lyttelton overnight steamer express service on September 15, 1976, Hawea was bought by the New Zealand Ministry of Transport, to operate a Wellington-Lyttelton cargo service.
The vessel then joined the Shipping Corporation's fleet as the renamed Coastal Ranger.
Then, when filling in for the weekly visits of Coastal Trader, the ship was back here on November 23, 1976, and again for a further six calls from March 7, 1978, and April 3, 1979.
Sold later that year to Greek interests, the ship spent the rest of its career as Iniochos Express II.
On June 16, 1985, it left Piraeus, bound under tow, for Split, Yugoslasvia, where it was broken up.
Another Hawea was a 257gt stern trawler built at Pusan in 1978 for Skeggs Food Ltd of Dunedin.
But there would definitely be no New Zealand connection with a tramp ship built as Argobeam in 1957.
After serving Greek interests under other names it arrived at Gadani Beach for demolition on September 11, 1982, bearing the name Hawea.
