In the article “The Pioneer at Rangiri, Queens Redoubt, 31 October 18 is the colonial ironclad gunboat Pioneer mentioned, moving upwards the Waikato towards Rangiri acting against the Maori’s. In New Zealand were more gunboats active, such as the Rangiriri and her sister ship the Koheroa. The latter two iron-built ships were made at Sydney, Australia by P.N. Russell and Co. using drawings made by James Stewart of Auckland. Engineer Stewart was born in Pertshire, Scotland in 1832 and arrived 18 August 1859 at Auckland. He died in 1914 after for instance being working as a engineer at the Auckland/Drury railway and designing several lighthouses.
A quotation from the website www.nzetc.org “this boat, which can turn easily in the space of a little more than her own length, may follow the bendings of such a river as the Waikato in its narrows parts, and maybe either be used as steam-tug. towing flats for the conveyance of troops, or may be armed with guns at each of the singular-looking portholes (embrasures) which are closed with folding doors in the middle of the lower deck; while the bulwarks on each side are pierced with twenty or thirty loopholes for rifle shooting, and the covered platform or tower. The paddle-wheel is placed astern of the vessel so as to take up less room. The first of these gunboats, the Koheroa, was built in less than six weeks after Messrs, Russell got the contract. Both vessels were sent in sections to New Zealand and put together at Port Waikato.” She was armed with 2-24pdrs and one rocket tube. Her dimensions were 27.6 x 6.1m. Abadoned around 1890 in the above mentioned river, she was raised 1982 and her remaining parts are nowadays visible as a historic monument in the riverbank park.
Sources
www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
www.nzetc.org
wikepedria, the free encyclopedia, article Historic ships of the Royal New Zealand Navt\y
www.waikatomuseum.co.nz
www.electricscotland.com
www.goliath.exnext.com
