A special opportunity to get up close with New Zealand yachting history! Launched in 1901 by Logan Brothers in Auckland, Iorangi was once one of New Zealand’s fastest yachts and this month we had the privilege of hauling her out for some extra care and attention in the boatyard.
Iorangi was built for Alexander Turnbull in 1901 and for a short while she was the fastest boat in New Zealand. She remains a unique piece of New Zealand boating history.
The 52 foot keel sloop was active in New Zealand waters during the early 1900s, often photographed with Turnbull aboard in places like Queen Charlotte Sound. The name appears in records related to both New Zealand yachting history and occasionally in references to Cook Islands military history, though the 1901 vessel is primarily associated with A.H. Turnbull. Iorangi is part of the notable collection of yachts built by the Logan Brothers in Auckland during that era.
The subject of a book by Alexander Turnbull, “A cruise in the Iorangi” written by Alexander Turnbull, Iorangi is considered part of the so-called “Big Four” Flush decked logans (Rainbow, Iorangi, Ariki, Rawhiti).
Logan Brothers was a firm of boat and yacht design and builders. Although their Auckland yard lasted only from 1890 to 1910, it was the most significant yacht- and boatbuilding business in the Southern Hemisphere during its time, dominating the New Zealand market and exporting vessels to Australia, South Africa and to the Pacific Islands.
