In late November last year my husband Bruce and I took a few weeks to visit New Zealand. We spent part of the time in Auckland, the city where I grew up and launched my art career.
While there I held an artist workshop, was part of a panel discussion about art and creativity with community leaders, and I also presented my Leisa Collins Historic Preservation Award to leaders of the Toroa Preservation Society (TPS) for their ongoing efforts to restore and make sea-worthy Auckland’s only surviving steam-powered ferry boat.
While I have been involved in the promotion of historic preservation for many years in the United States, this is my first maritime subject.
My award was this original pen and watercolor painting featuring the 100-year-old Toroa sailing into the sunset with the famous Auckland Harbor Bridge serving as the back-drop.
The event was helt on 11 January where I presented this painting to TPS President Peter McCurdy and Treasurer Robert Brown while on the Toroa, which sits in dry dock in Henderson Auckland.
I really believe that volunteer preservation organizations such as the Toroa Preservation Society should be celebrated, especially since their goal is to make the Toroa seaworthy so she can be of service to the community once more.
Touring the Toroa
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour that Toroa Preservation Society President Peter McCurdy and Treasurer Robert Brown gave me of the Toroa. It was encouraging to see all the progress that has been made but also observe, close-up, how far they still need to go to fully restore her so she can sail the Auckland Harbor once more.
Just like iconic landmark treasures which are turned into living museums that teach people about the past, the plan is for the Toroa to offer excursions to Aucklanders and visitors alike, showing off one of the most beautiful harbors in the world.
I felt compelled to promote the story of the Toroa when I learned that unlike the USA and many other countries, New Zealand has no protections for its endangered seafaring vessels. This is despite the fact that NZ’s identity and development are intrinsically linked to the ocean. Not only does the ocean drive economic activity for the country but it holds deep spiritual significance, particularly in Maori traditions. This is also reflected in Toroa’s name as the toroa bird is regarded as a treasure to the Maori.
The Toroa award is my 17th Historic Preservation Award since launching the recognition in 2013 as a way to give back to individuals and organizations who “exemplify historic and cultural preservation, therefore enriching the lives of those they touch.”
My first art studio in Auckland
My love of architectural subjects started in Auckland where, in 1981, I had my first studio in this Victorian cottage that looks out over the Auckland Harbor. I moved to the USA soon after but maintain close ties.
A little history about the Toroa Steamship Ferry
I also have a sentimental attachment to this project being that I sailed on the Toroa as a child with my mother and grandmother. This was before the Auckland Harbor Bridge was constructed in the 1960s. This is an earlier view of the Toroa.
The steam-powered Toroa was part of the fleet of Waitemata Harbour double-ended steam ferries that used to run between Auckland City and the North Shore. She is a tangible piece of the history and development of Auckland and as such is absolutely irreplaceable.
Toroa was the last of the eight Albatross–type double-ended steam passenger ferries to be built for the Waitemata. She was built at George Niccol’s yard at St. Mary’s Bay, Auckland for the Devonport Steam Ferry Company Ltd. and was launched on Tuesday 28th April, 1925. Until her retirement in August 1980 she served the North Shore, mainly on the Auckland to Devonport run with Makora, carrying 20,000 or more passengers a day between them at the peak of the passenger service before the opening of the Auckland Harbor Bridge in 1959. Toroa ended her working life as an excursion ferry and was laid up in 1980 when her certificate of survey expired, having carried upwards of 70 million passengers.
My Mission
My mission is to conserve communities and culture through my art. Any structure with history – whether on land or sea — has a cultural story and once it is destroyed it is lost forever. My goal is to leave a legacy that will help tell these stories in every painting and with each brushstroke. So that future generations may also value architectural and cultural treasures surrounding us and more importantly, the people who made them so. To date my efforts have been focused in the USA, but it feels good to also put my attention on my New Zealand homeland.
Until next time,
Leisa
