Tall tales from the high seas

It's been creaking and swaying and scaring local kids for almost 30 years. Joanna Davies goes ghost-busting and discovers the truth behind Upper Harbour's spookiest ship
I first noticed it when I stayed with a friend on Herald Island.
I was 9, and everyone at school said this boat was haunted.
As the boat creaked and swung around its mooring and tides ebbed and flowed near the Upper Harbour bridge, I could believe them.
No one was ever seen going to the boat, and no one sailed it - ever.
In rough weather, old blue tarpaulins covering the cabins would flap, revealing weather-stained panels of cracked white paint.
One local legend claims a man was killed on board. Others say it has been left in the spot as a memorial to a now- dead owner.
My friends used to dare each other to swim out to it, but no one did. They were afraid of seeing the ghost.
That was 1995. The boat has been moored in the same place since 1982, and it remains there.
Is it haunted? Did that prevent people restoring it? Or were its owners dead and gone? Does the boat even have a name?
As with so many mysteries, there is a simple explanation.
The owner - who's very much alive but wishes to remain anonymous - says a restoration project on the Kahu (yes, the boat does have a name) is on the backburner.
``I have a half-share, and my business partner and I have tried to get funding to do restoration work, but we've since had families and I'm building a house.
``The plans to restore it haven't changed, they've just been delayed.'
The pair bought the boat in 1997, hoping to convert it into a commercial cruise vessel.
``The chap who owned it before us had grand plans, and did quite a bit of work on her, but he is elderly and the project was big,' says the owner.
As to the rumours of hauntings on board, the owner says they're untrue.
``I was on the boat a couple of weeks ago, pumping out some water, and I didn't see any ghosts or anything like that. The other stories of it once being a floating brothel and a gambling den are also untrue.'
But Kahu does have an interesting history. Built in 1942 and launched in September 1943, it was one of 12 Fairmile MLs built in New Zealand to serve in the Soloman Islands in World War II. After the war, the Navy used it as a liberty boat until 1965, when it was sold to a ferry company but kept in storage.
The previous owner bought it in 1982, and it has been moored in the same spot ever since.
Over the years, there have been concerns that the Kahu would sink or pull away from her moorings, but Auckland harbourmaster John Lee Richards says the mooring is safe.
``The boat is in a safe condition, and the mooring is up-to-date with its reg istration and checks, so we have no reason to have any concerns.'
Kahu will remain near the Greenhithe bridge until the owners are in a position to restore it - leaving local children to weave more stories ... joanna@davies@theaucklander. co.nz
14 05 2009