The Lakeland Queen’s new owner says he’s “elated” to have the iconic boat back on Lake Rotorua.
“We got your Queen back guys,” Damon Hagaman yelled out to the crowd as the refurbished paddleboat slid into Lake Rotorua just after 8am today.
A crowd of about 100 people gathered at Sulphur Point before the launch this morning as the songs Sailing Away and Pōkarekare Ana played.
Kaumātua Rawiri Waru and Reverend Tom Poata blessed the Lakeland Queen before it hit the water, and Rotorua Lakes councillor Trevor Maxwell cut the ribbon.
Hagaman, alongside his wife, Arna, is originally from America but has lived in Rotorua for 12 years. They waved to the crowd from the second deck as the boat splashed into the water.
“Thank you all for coming out. Fantastic,” Damon Hagaman said from the boat.
Hagaman, the son of the late rich-lister and Scenic Hotel founder Earl Hagaman, bought the Lakeland Queen last year from the liquidated former owners.
The Hagamans have worked alongside locals over the past months to restore the boat to its former glory.
The Hagamans arrived at Sulphur Point today in their stretched white Cadillac with red, white and blue ribbons attached to the door handles.
Earlier Hagaman told the Rotorua Daily Post they had spent about $1.5 million getting it ready, including engine work and interior and exterior refurbishments.
Image 1 of 9: The Lakeland Queen is back on the water. Photo / Annabel Reid
He said another $1m would be spent on kitchen and bar work before it officially opened, hopefully on November 1 - Damon Hagaman’s birthday.
“The beautiful girl, back on the water. Rotorua proud,” he said.
Hagaman played classic songs from the Howard Morrison Quartet as well as Poi E and danced on the deck, waving to the crowd, as the boat paddled away.
It went around Lake Rotorua for about an hour before arriving at its new Lakefront jetty.
Children from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu did a haka pōhiri as the boat arrived.
Former long-time owner Terry Hammond, who was forced to go into liquidation following the operation’s demise in 2021, was at the launch this morning.
He told the Rotorua Daily Post as the Lakeland Queen approached the jetty that it was “bittersweet” for him.
“More sweet than bitter because it’s great to see her back on the water. She’s looking good.”
Rotorua resident Chris McGrath said he went to the launch because he was part of a committee alongside Hammond that tried to get the boat back on the water.
He described the occasion as “the most significant thing that’s happened in Rotorua this year”.
Resident Philly Angus said it felt positive to see “the beautiful Lakeland Queen back in her rightful home”.
“Today feels really positive for the future growth of Rotorua. Of course, we reflect on Covid when the Lady of Lake was taken off the water, but we are back and we are moving forward.”
After the boat arrived back at the jetty, Hagaman told the Rotorua Daily Post he was “elated”.
“I am just so happy. It was perfect, we had a great crew who knew what they were doing and I can’t believe we made it.”
Arna Hagaman described the trip on the water as “amazing” after the months of work getting it back up to scratch.
“Oh, finally and the best part, it didn’t sink, yay,” she joked.
The Lakeland Queen has been dry-docked at Sulphur Point since October 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the tourism operation into hibernation.
The Hagamans have given the paddleboat a major makeover, with the help of several volunteers from Lake Tarawera, where the Hagamans are from.
Singer Howie Morrison jnr, who has been employed as a painter for the past few weeks on the boat, will switch the brush for a microphone in his new role of entertainment manager when the boat opens back up to visitors.
The Hagamans had hoped to be up and running by October, but they have run into a consenting glitch that impacts not only them, but other commercial operators on waterways in the Rotorua area.
The Rotorua Daily Post reported this week the council became aware of the issue when Damon Hagaman applied for a liquor licence.
Rotorua Lakes Council community and district development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston said they must check applicants are compliant with the Resource Management Act and the Building Act before issuing a liquor licence.
He said the Lakeland Queen needed a resource consent to operate on the lake, required under legislation that came in following the District Plan review in 2012.
The council could not confirm whether operators were advised of the change during that review. The District Plan became operative in 2016.
Gaston did not confirm how many operators were impacted, and said the issue was under active investigation.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.