In a few months' time, it will be 35 years since Moanui displayed the colours of the Northern Steam Ship Company Ltd here for the last time.
And to add another dimension of sadness to that visit, the ship never carried another cargo for the company.
Second ship of the name in the fleet, the 1289gt vessel, built at Ardrossan in 1958, was bought by the company in March 1970. Before that, the ship, under its former name Bay Fisher, had been on long-term charter to the company from James Fisher and Sons Ltd, of Barrow, since 1967.
It made eight local calls under that name between August 1967, and November 1969.
After being renamed in 1970, Moanui made the first of seven visits in August 1971.
On the final of these, the ship arrived at Dunedin on November 5, 1974, from Onehunga.
Six days later, it moved down to Port Chalmers for dry-docking before it departed for Auckland on November 14.
By then, the last cargo to be carried by a Northern Company ship before it ceased operation as a shipowner, coal from Westport, had been discharged from the holds of Tainui II at Auckland, from November 8 to 13.
By early 1975, Moanui, Tainui II and Dido were all offered for sale.
The company was founded in 1881, originally to operate cargo and passengers services from Auckland to isolated areas down the east coast, to Northland, and on the west coast as far as Wanganui.
The company's local link commenced with Hotunui in October 1950.
In 1952 it was joined by Ratanui and Tainui.
By the time Moanui ended this association, 12 units of the fleet had made 842 calls here on coastal services from Auckland and Onehunga.
On a grimmer note, last Saturday was the 41st anniversary of the tragic loss of Maranui.
The 739gt vessel, which was not fitted with shifting boards, had sailed from Lyttelton on June 10, 1968, bound for Auckland with about 900 tonnes of grain in the holds.
The following day, when off Cook Strait, strong winds and heavy seas started to shift the cargo and the vessel developed a list.
Two days later, when off Mercury Bay, worsening weather conditions forced the ship to hove to when the list reached more than 30 degrees.
The ship's stability was also affected as water started to find its way into the holds. Shortly after 5pm Maranui started sending out Mayday calls and the order was later given to abandon ship.
The survey ship HMNZS Lachlan and the Swedish cargo liner Mirrabooka responded to the distress calls.
But, sadly, nine members of the crew of 15 lost their lives and this was the greatest loss of life in any wrecks of Northern Company vessels around the New Zealand coastline.
The Dutch-built Maranui was the first ship to be built for the company in 25 years.
Ordered from the Jos Bodewes shipyard, it was launched sideways into the water at Hoogezand on March 14, 1953.
Delivered in June 1953, it arrived in New Zealand two months later.
The ship was a familiar visitor to Bluff, Oamaru, Timaru and Lyttelton during its career.
Of all the Northern Company ships that called here, it made a total of 133 appearances, more than any other in the fleet.
Maranui made its first visit to Dunedin on September 1, 1953. Its last arrival, only a few weeks before the ill-fated voyage from Lyttelton, was on March 23, 1968.
Making its first visit last week was the 27,526gt, 47,363dwt, Liberian-flag tanker Okhotsk Sea.
Owned by the Glefli Shipping IX Company Ltd, and managed by Unicom Management Services (Cyprus) Ltd, the vessel has been in service since May 1999, and is one of a class built at Trogir (Croatia) by the shipyard of that name.
Sister ship Kara Sea visited Dunedin in March 2005.
