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Titoki
 At anchor just off Onehunga Wharf
Taken by Dave Gallie, www.shipspotting.com
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 Sourced from Ships of NZ & You Sailed In Facebook page
Built in Westerbroek, she was equipped with 15 tons of lifting gear, enabling a cargo capacity of 1000 tonnes.
She was powered by one 1200hp diesel, producing a service speed of 10 knots. She had a crew of 19, who fondly called her "Tick-tock", because of the regularity of the service she provided.
 Sourced from www.photoship.co.uk
A near sister ship to "Totara", her building was supervised by Anchor Shipping's engineering superintendent, J.L. Smith. She was launched on 30 November 1957, and delivered four months later, with "Titoki" collecting 400 tons of prefabricated steel in Genoa for Lyttelton en route to Nelson, where she arrived on 31 May, exactly one year after "Totara"'s arrival.
She served twenty-four years on the New Zealand coast, and was the last vessel operated by Anchor Shipping, who connected Onehunga and Nelson directly for 107 years. In 1978-79, she carried around 39,000 tonnes of general cargo to Nelson, and, in tandem with "Union Nelson", 54,000 tonnes in 1981-82.
 Arriving at Nelson from Onehunga with her cranes ready to commence work
Sourced from "Shaping Up, and ... Shipping Out" - a Ron Mew photo
Among the cargo carried were cars, and for Nelsonians the first glimpse of a new model came while it was in the "Titoki"'s cargo slings, as they were landing the vehicle wharfside.
One of the features of "Titoki"'s run, which took around 22 hours port to port, was that families could send small items, e.g. a suitcase, a box of goodies, in either direction, paying a few dollars in wharfage at the Port's office and picking up the consignment from one of the cargo sheds.
Her first departure from Onehunga, in September 1958, marked the first time in over twenty years that a coaster had sailed from the port laden with general cargo for the South Island's west coast. With this departure commenced a regular cargo service to Westport and Greymouth.
 Sourced from USSCo NZ Facebook page
Union Shipping took over the vessel's management in 1972. On 1 September 1975, she grounded on the northern side of the entrance to Greymouth Harbour (pictured above), but was refloated later in the day, using her engines and three bulldozers! Three holes were found, and repairing them cost over $70,000. More details here.
She was transferred from the coal run to the Nelson - Onehunga run in August 1977, and on one of her first trips south on this run, livestock was carried on deck, in this case, a deck cargo of pigs.
 "Titoki" at Greymouth. Sourced from USSCo NZ Facebook page
Turns out one little piggy didn't want to go to market, instead finding a way to jump overboard and swim ashore at Blockhouse Bay, where it was recaptured and sent to market on "Titoki"'s next trip south, this time without escaping.
There was another journey south, many years earlier, in which Blockhouse Bay again featured prominently - see Close Calls. At the bottom of this page is a superb pencilled drawing by Gary Roberts of "Titoki" grounded on the Motukaraka Bank, as published in NZ Marine News' 1997 publication, Volume 46, Quarter 3 - an artwork which deserves greater recognition.
 Taken by Chris Howell, www.shipspotting.com
Captain Lou Geen was her Master on her final run, and said of his trusty steed, "The crew are sad to see her going. She's been a good ship and there's a bit of life in her yet".
Sure enough, she served a variety of customers after leaving our shores in April 1981, with her career finally coming to an end when she was seized by Customs and Coastguard authorities off Madras Harbour on 16 December 1986 for smuggling.
She was broken up in Mangalore in October 1987.
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