Old buoys, tin cans, rusted tools, the odd anchor, a tattered 1961 paperback copy of Jules Verne's For the Flag and the original New Zealand Railways Shipping Office sign were among the historical artefacts rescued, and placed in safekeeping by the Wakatipu Community Maritime Preservation Society on Saturday.
Ten society members and volunteers rolled up their sleeves at Frankton Marina and collected the memorabilia from the dilapidated mid-1930s boatshed.
Next to the boatshed is the derelict shipping and ticket office, which was built between 1866 and 1876.
Other items recovered from the boatshed included chairs, chains, pulleys, oars, shackles and a Walter Peak Resort Ltd sign.
These were taken by trailers to a storage facility at Remarkables Park.
The bric-a-brac will be displayed at a maritime museum, one of the intended uses for the ticket office once it is restored to its former glory.
The society of more than 80 members welcomed a $50,000 grant from the First Sovereign Trust for the work.
The grant brings cash donations to $470,000.
The society needs at least $600,000 to start restoring the boatshed and slipways to working order for community use, as well as to begin renovating the ticket office to become partly a museum and partly a leased cafe.
The cafe will serve boat users, kayakers, pedestrians and cyclists along the Frankton Arm Walkway.
The society intends to give the facility, once it is restored, to the Queenstown Lakes District Council as a community asset.
Architects, landscape architects, planners, engineers and other professionals had volunteered their time and expertise to the value of more than $100,000 since the restoration project began six years ago and increased in design activity one year ago.
A container of old timber beams left over from the mountaineer building reconstruction had been set aside for the marina project.
Pete Campbell, project manager and Triple Star owner, said on Saturday the society would maintain the fundraising momentum.
"We're going back out to the community.
"We've got an application for the balance going out very soon to the lotteries, but we won't know until late September, early October.
"We'll be looking to subcontractors and suppliers for discounted services, or gifted time, to construct ... [the facilities] this summer.
"We'd like to see an operational boatshed for Wakatipu boat users to do maintenance on their boats.
"We'd like to preserve buildings which have historical significance.
"The lake used to be as important to the community as the airport is now.
"We want to preserve that story."
Society heritage and historical co-ordinator Olivia Porter said there had been a great public response to the marina project, with stories, information and archive photographs offered.
She urged more residents to contribute.
Interested parties were asked to contact her at olivia@porter.co.nz.
