Firefighters dampen down the remains of the Tui. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
The cause of a fire that destroyed a historic ship at the Paihia waterfront may never be known, a fire investigator says.
The Tui - originally built to transport sugar from the Chelsea refinery on Auckland's North Shore more than a century ago - was severely damaged in a blaze that started just after 4am on Wednesday.
What remained of the vessel was then demolished with a digger to prevent the debris being swept into the Bay of Islands.
Northland fire investigator Craig Bain said police were treating the blaze as suspicious and were following up on a number of vehicles seen in the area on CCTV footage around the time the fire started.
However, Bain said power was connected to the ship's main switchboard, so he could not immediately rule out an electrical fault as the cause.
His job was hampered by the need to demolish the ship quickly.
A digger demolishes what's left of the Tui before high tide can sweep the debris into the Bay of Islands. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Bain said the Tui was effectively a "boat within a boat", because the late Kelly Tarlton had built a replica three-masted barque around the original sugar lighter - a type of flat-bottomed vessel.
He said the flames had spread between the two hulls towards the bow.
"So the only way we can really put this out is unfortunately to demolish the boat."
It was also a race against time because the remains of the ship had to be removed from the beach before high tide at 2.30pm on Wednesday, to prevent the debris being washed into the Bay of Islands.
Bain said it was too risky to get on the ship because the fire-damaged masts were "precarious".
"We can't get in there to get a good look, it's just too dangerous."
A digger demolishes what's left of the Tui as firefighters continue dampening down the wreckage. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
The last of the three masts collapsed about 10am.
Instead, he was examining the debris being pulled off the ship in the hope that would give him some idea of how the fire started.
If he was unable to establish the cause of the fire it would be classed as undetermined.
Bain was, however, confident it had started at the rear of the ship.
"It's quite devastating for Paihia and the Northland community in that we've lost a significant bit of history," he said.
Bain said he felt for the people who had been striving to turn the ship into a marine education centre.
Restoration work had been due to start in earnest om the day of the fire, he said.
Northland fire investigator Craig Bain inspects debris pulled off the ship in the hope of identifying the cause of the fire. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Paihia deputy fire chief Sandro Schuetze said the first fire call came in at 4.07am.
In total 13 fire trucks responded with more than 50 firefighters from as far away as Whangārei.
"Everyone gave their best to try to save the boat, but the condition of the boat and the high wind meant we couldn't save it at all."
Schuetze said it was a sad day for the local community.
Many people had fond memories of the ship as Kelly Tarlton's Museum of Shipwrecks, and later as a series of restaurants.
The last of those, Shippey's, closed in 2014.
"It was undergoing work to bring it back to its glory… but it will not see that glory anymore, unfortunately."
A warning was issued for people in the area to keep their doors and windows closed due to the high winds and thick smoke.
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