New Zealand - Shipwreck - View at Low Tide - The Wreck of the Northern Steamship Co.'s Steamer "Gairlock." - 17/1/1903 - Unknown Photographer - Originally published in "The New Zealand Graphic" #335364 The vessel was launched at Glasgow in 1884. She was designed for a stock, goods & passenger service for the west coast ports between Onehunga, and Nelson. On 3 January 1903 under master, Captain Arthur Austin, she left Onehunga with a general cargo but with no passengers. Having called at Raglan & Kawhia, Gairloch made course for Opunake & Whanganui but at 11.40pm on 5 January she ran aground on Timaru Reef, a few kilometres west of Oakura. The 31 crew stayed on board until morning, when they took two lifeboats and rowed to Port Taranaki.. Although the ship was a total loss, she was well up the shore which made recovery of the salvagable cargo possible. A shipment of timber, two gigs and drapery were among the salvaged items, along with the ship's silverware and the crew's personal possessions. After the vessel broke up, locals were able to recover additional items which washed ashore. The following weekend, West's Stables in New Plymouth advertised that they would run horse busses to the wreck site so that, by Sunday afternoon, over 500 visitors were present on the beach and boarding the Gairloch. A court of enquiry later in January found that Captain Austin had committed an error of judgement in coming so close to shore on a dark night. It suspended his master's certificate for three months and ordered him to pay £10 in costs. The Gairloch was a steamer of 373 Tons Gross - 23 ft beam - 164ft 9in long - Depth 8ft 7in - Built 1884, Glasgow, Blackwood and Gordon