A forgotten cog whispers tales of industry. Greta Point shelters a small bay. This bay holds the remnants of New Zealand’s first patent slip. Opened in 1873 this slipway was a marvel of Victorian engineering. It was built as a cheaper alternative to a dry dock. The slip components were pre-fabricated in the UK. They arrived in 1866. Delays plagued construction until 1871.
The Union Steam Ship Company owned and operated the slip from 1908 to 1961. Hundreds of vessels were serviced at Greta Point. The complex operated until 1972. Then the first slipway closed. Its equipment was scrapped. The second slipway closed in 1980. Buildings were demolished.
Little remains today. One set of rails survives. A large cog was returned in 2010. Interpretation panels explain the area’s history. Greta Point’s patent slip is now a modest green space. It’s overshadowed by modern development. The road obscures the slipways’ visual line to the sea. Yet the surviving slipways and rails hint at the past.
The patent slip’s history is filled with fascinating details. The original site was deemed unsuitable. It was too windswept sandy and flat. A new site was chosen the present one. Construction took fifteen months. Divers worked in a diving bell. They labored under difficult conditions to build this unique structure.
The slipway’s operation was complex. A 200-tonne cradle ran on wheels along tracks. Two chains hauled vessels. The chains worked on a seven-cogwheel winch. Two 25 horsepower steam engines powered it. Numerous buildings supported the operation. There were dwellings a store an inspector’s office a carpenter’s shop. A messroom and blacksmith’s shop completed the complex at Greta Point.
The slipway wasn’t the financial success initially anticipated. The Panama Canal’s late opening affected its fortunes. Shareholders wanted to sell. The Union Steam Ship Company took over. They operated the slip until 1961. Their ships grew too large. The slip became a white elephant. It finally closed in 1980.
Demolition followed. The No 1 slip’s iron was sold as scrap. The main cog was saved after public outcry. It’s now the park’s namesake. The No 2 slipway winch was sold to a Dunedin company. Parts ended up in Civic Square. The site was drastically altered. Earthworks and landscaping covered many remains. Today the site is a historical area a testament to Greta Point’s maritime past.