The final act in Ports of Auckland's closure of the Port of Onehunga to shipping took place on the morning of Saturday, January 28, with the departure of the tug, "Tika". She slipped her moorings at 9.45am and headed down the Manukau Harbour one final time, exiting the Manukau Heads some two-and-a-half hours later to bring her fifteen-and-a-half-year career at Onehunga to an end. Now under private ownership, her first port of call for her new owners is Whangarei, where she will undergo dry-docking and some refitting work. "She's in really good condition, and has a fair few years left in her", said the proud new owner of his Christmas 2016 acquisition. Onehunga, the first home of the Royal New Zealand Naval Base before evolving into New Zealand's biggest secondary port, is nowadays a welcome haven for the country's inshore fishing fleet. The past couple of months have been busy ones at the wharf, with the annual tuna-fishing season seeing over forty trawlers calling in on numerous occasions to discharge their respective catches. It is hoped action will soon take place regarding the removal of the two abandoned trawlers, "Otapiri" and "Nausicaa Star", which have been berthed in the fishing basin at Onehunga since October 2014 and June 2015 respectively.

The latter vessel is developing a list to starboard, highlighting the need for urgency in resolving this issue. Dredging work in the basin is also required, with four trawlers unable to put to sea until high tide on January 24, a result of being stuck in the mud while alongside the wharf. For more information on the 180-year history of shipping at the Port of Onehunga, please visit www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/Onehunga - your contributions, particularly in the form of photos of visiting ships from the 1950s onwards, will be most welcome.