The search is on to find the best possible site for a temporary slipway to carry out a survey of Whanganui's historic paddle steamer the Waimarie.
The PS Waimarie Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust has been busily fundraising to get the $170,000 needed for the five-yearly survey that involves hauling the vessel out of the Whanganui River.
This week Perry Geo Tech from Tauranga carried out ground testing along a 300-metre stretch of the riverbank next to Kowhai Park, just downstream from the Dublin Street Bridge, looking for a solid foundation for a temporary slip for the boat.
Richard Sheppard, chairman of the trust, said the survey was required by New Zealand maritime law and means a thorough inspection and repaint of the hull. It should have happened last year but was disrupted by the June floods.
He said when they find the right site a temporary slip will be laid down using railway irons with the boat then hauled out of the river.