roiaata

Roia-a-ta — a path across the sky, a journey through time and generations.

A Classic yacht Launched on 29 September 1935 in Auckland, Aotearoa, Roiaata is a 32-foot wooden cutter built by the Tercel brothers, from a time when boats were shaped by hand and built to endure.

Across generations, she has carried a life of racing, ocean passages, and quiet change through different ownership. Like many wooden boats, the history lives within the structure, carried forward through time.

In 2022, I came across Roiaata during a period of uncertainty and took on the project. I couldn’t let a boat like this go to scrap.

As I began uncovering her story, I realised we share the same birth date, 29 September. That moment felt cosmic, like this was something meant to be.

Since then, I have been restoring her while learning the traditional craft of wooden boat building, working to bring her back to the standard a 1930s classic deserves.

The goal is to get Roiaata back in the water and document the journey as it unfolds.