TSS Earnslaw undergoes her biennial slipway survey
The TSS Earnslaw – The Grand Old Lady of Lake Wakatipu, made her way into Kelvin Grove with a hiss and a roar on Tuesday where she was loaded up onto the slipway for her biennial survey.
The historic steamship will be up on the slipway for six weeks of standard maintenance work, then back sailing on the lake again in time for the NZ school holidays from June 27, according to a RealNZ spokesperson.
Every second year the steamship’s survey is carried out dockside at Steamer Wharf with a full survey every other year on the slipway. The historic engine from the original lake paddle steamer, The Antrim, which launched in 1869, is still used to pull the TSS Earnslaw up onto the Kelvin Grove slipway. It’s believed to be the oldest engine of its type still in use.
The iconic Lake Wakatipu steamship celebrated 110th years on the lake in October last year.
