Down and Out on the Waitematā

This NFU film goes for a ride on the ferries of the Waitematā. Shots of mooring ropes and rusted chains precede a steamer chugging under the object that made many of its companions obsolete: the Auckland Harbour Bridge. By 1973 steam power had been superseded by petrol power. Archive footage and stills stoke nostalgia as old-timers reminisce about bygone days on the harbour; a time when ferries were the main mode of transport from downtown to the North Shore and beyond. The soundtrack is a compilation of early 20th Century dixieland standards. 

Still that is progress and there’s nothing we can do about it.

– An interviewee on the end of the ferry service, and changes brought about by the Auckland Harbour Bridge

Key Cast & Crew

John Lowe

Sound Recordist

Murray Creed

Additional Photography

John Hoyle

Camera

Stanley Harper

Editor

Dale Pomeroy

Additional Photography

Rob Ritchie

Director, Writer, Editor