From the 1881 formation of the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, Devonport had a reliable and regular ferry service and this soon followed for Northcote, Birkenhead and Chelsea residents. However, this wasn’t the case for the eastern bays of the North Shore as both a lack of potential passengers and the uncertain weather along that exposed coast meant that the Devonport Steam Ferry Company restricted its ferry services almost exclusively to Auckland Harbour, the exceptions being for holiday excursions. Also, the northern boundary of the Auckland Harbour Board boundary was at Takapuna Beach on the Rangitoto Channel and any wharves to the north of that were down to local initiatives, without Harbour Board funding.

On 20th August 1898, the McGregor Steam Ship Company launched the 59 gross ton wooden steamer SS Orewa to take over the Auckland, Orewa, Silverdale (via the Weiti River) and Matakana wharves route from the outdated SS Maori. The SS Orewa had been built by C and W Bailey in Auckland, and also relieved the SS Rose Casey on the Warkworth route. From May 1902 the company extended the SS Orewa’s route to include the wharf at Browns Bay. In January 1905 the SS Orewa narrowly avoided artillery fire when pulling into Browns Bay, as a range finder for Army manoeuvres in the Castor Bay area had failed.
Around July 1905 the Coastal Steam Ship Company and the McGregor Steam Ship Company negotiated to jointly form a new Settlers’ Steam Ship Company. That company took over the SS Orewa, and continued to service the Browns Bay wharf as part of its route. The Settlers’ Steam Ship Company was then purchased in September 1908 by the Northern Steam Ship Company which had been formed in 1881. One of the original directors of that company was Andrew McGregor. He was later part of the McGregor Steam Ship Company and died in 1901. His son William Andrew McGregor was listed as the owner of the SS Orewa from 1900 to 1905, then the Settlers took ownership. Once under Northern Steam Ship Company ownership the SS Oewa received a significant overhaul in 1910.
As examples of the service, in March 1913 the SS Orewa left the Auckland wharf for Browns Bay, Arkles Bay and Silverdale on Wednesdays at 5pm and Fridays at 7am and returned on Thursdays at 9.30am and Fridays at 11am. It carried both passengers and cargo. By August 1920, it was visiting Browns Bay, Deep Creek (Waiake), Silverdale and Orewa on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, tides permitting.
A wharf was built at Murrays Bay in 1916 and from 1922 that bay was also included in the SS Orewa’s route. On 19th May 1925 the SS Orewa was sold by the Northern Steam Ship Company to G A Wood in Hokitika. It is believed that it ended its days as a storage hulk at the Bluff.
From 1918, the Northern Steam Ship Company’s SS Hauiti (built by George Turnbull Niccol, 148 gross tons and launched in 1911) was also running weekend excursion trips to the wharves at Murrays Bay, Browns Bay and Deep Creek (Waiake). From 1925 to 1927, the SS Gael (built by C and W Bailey, 95 gross tons and launched in 1908) called at Waiake wharf on its Auckland to Warkworth and Waiwera run. That service was on-demand, with a flag raised to have the SS Gael call into Waiake; that type of unscheduled visit may well have happened at other wharves as well.
The Northern Steam Ship Company used other steamships to visit Browns Bay and other bays as well, including the SS Waipu (launched in 1916). The SS Omana (built by George Turnbull Niccol, 83 gross tons and launched in 1913) was owned by the Northern Steam Ship Company from March 1922 and served Browns Bay from at least 1925 to 1928, likely taking over from the SS Orewa. The Northern Steam Ship Company ceased all its services to the eastern bays’ wharves in 1928.

david.verran@xtra.co.nz