Poster of text describing the steam crane with photograph of steam crane

SS Hikitia Steam Crane Showcase and Ship Tours

Come see a nearly 100-year-old steam crane in action! The Hikitia and her crew will be operating a floating crane to showcase technology from the age of steam

You may already know the SS Hikitia as one of the world's oldest floating steam cranes, but did you know that the crane still works?

Our dedicated group of volunteers will be undertaking demonstration lifts with Hikitia’s crane and also opening the ship for tours.

Come see what it takes to operate a heavy piece of lifting equipment from the golden era of steam!

Health & Safety

During operation of the crane there will be no members of the public on board the vessel, an exclusion zone set up around the ship, and a crew member on the wharf side providing commentary about the ship and the operations.

During ship tours, there will be 2 tour guides with each group (maximum of 10 people per group) and a full H&S induction will be undertaken. The ship is equipped with first aid equipment and one of the guides will be first aid trained.

Location
SS Hikitia, 2 Taranaki Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011

Regions

Wellington CBD
Wellington

Tags

Open Day
Site Tour
Experience
Other
Family Activities

Event times

11am-3pm Sat 18 Oct

Koha

10am-3pm Sun 26 Oct

Koha

11am-3pm Sat 1 Nov

Koha

10am-3pm Sun 9 Nov

Koha

Event hosts

Maritime Heritage Trust of Wellington

The Maritime Heritage Trust of Wellington care for and are actively restoring the SS Hikitia, a one-of-a-kind self-propelled floating steam crane located along the Wellington waterfront (next to Te Papa). Hikitia was custom-built in Scotland in 1926 for working in Wellington Harbour and sailed over to New Zealand unassisted with the crane fully assembled. This is the longest known journey in history ever undertaken by such a vessel! Hikitia spent her entire working career in Wellington and was heavily involved in shaping the waterfront we know and love today. Although no longer commercially working, all of Hikitia's machinery is still operational. Hikitia is regularly maintained and restored by a team of dedicated volunteers and the ship also hosts a marine archaeology laboratory.

Email: hikitia.steamcrane@outlook.co.nz

Phone: 0272020152