Fullers Ferry Kea
Kea at Silo Park
History
New Zealand
NamesakeKea
OwnerFullers360
BuilderWECO
Commissioned1988
Out of service2020
HomeportAuckland
Fatescrapped in 2023
General characteristics
Class and typeCommercial Passenger Ferry
Displacement341 tons [1]
Length27.09 metres[2]
Beam10 metres[2]
Speed12 knots[2]
Complement411 passengers
Crew2

M.V. Kea (sometimes called the Seabus Kea) was a commercial passenger ferry that operated the busy New Zealand Devonport-Downtown Auckland express route for Fullers Ferries (Auckland's largest ferry operator). The Kea operated a regular service departing from Downtown Auckland every half-hour.[3]

The Kea entered service in 1988 as the 14th ferry of the company.[4]

The bridge area formed a third deck. Her distinctive design is similar to earlier Auckland ferries, such as the Kestrel,[5] in that she is longitudinally symmetrical, effectively meaning that she can be driven both ways, so that no U-Turns at the starts or finishes of crossings have to be made. This enabled the Kea to maintain a half-hourly express service between Downtown Auckland and Devonport.

In 2007, she was removed from the water and given a substantial overhaul in a shipyard in the Western Reclamation, including major work on both engines.[6]

In 2006, the Kea was involved in a minor collision at the Auckland Ferry Terminal with the moored Starflyte, due to steering failure.[1]

In February 2015, the Kea was again involved in a collision, this time at the Devonport Ferry Terminal. No other vessel was involved.[7]

In 2020, the Kea was withdrawn from service.[8] In 2023, she was towed to Whangārei and scrapped.[9]

References

Fullers Ferry Kea near Devonport
  1. 1 2 "Accident Summary March 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "Happy 21st Birthday Kea!" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Destination History - Devonport Archived 14 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (from the Fullers Ferries website. Retrieved 14 September 2007.)
  4. ↑ Company History - Growth in services (from the Fullers Ferries website)
  5. ↑ Orsman, Bernard (16 October 2018). "Historic ferry vessel will be sunk unless a new berth is found at Auckland's Wynyard Quarter". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Maintenance programme nears completion - The Waiheke Week, 26 July 2007 Page 9
  7. ↑ "Ferry slams into Devonport Wharf". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Hurley, Sam. "Troubled waters: Auckland ferry's 7 collisions and $155k fine". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Fuller's old Tamaki Devonport ferry Kea leaves Auckland one last time under tow to Whangarei". facebook.com.
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