Whoever would have thought that the day would come when Onehunga Wharf would no longer be served by ships?
The closure of the wharf to shipping at the end of November 2016, and the subsequent sale of "Tika" at year-end means that the future of this once mighty Port will be very much fishing-influenced from now on.
To that end, it'd be terrific to see the likes of Sanford and / or Moana Pacific based permanently at Onehunga, but in the interim, the annual invasion of the inshore fishing fleet for the tuna season has seen the wharf fully occupied by trawlers for the first time in ages.
The photo opposite was taken on 12 January 2017 from the walkway under Mangere Bridge, and shows thirteen of the eighteen active trawlers in port, plus "Tika".
The other five were berthed out of view 'round the back', where the two derelict trawlers have been laid up for nigh on two years, gathering rust and generally looking miserable ... why not scuttle them on the sandbanks, where they can serve a purpose as additional navigation aids?
The murky panoramic shot atop the page was taken twenty-four hours later - five more trawlers had come into port, and there was jostling for berths aplenty as a result!
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