By: William Gray30th Jan 2021 2:30PMHUIA, The Huia was a regular caller here to Greymouth, unloading explosives from Australia usually Melbourne, she made her first call here in March 1913 and her last call was in December 1948. Built by James Barbour and launched at Dargaville on June the 30th 1894, her hold capacity was 7,200 cases of explosives, length 35.5m/115ft, tonnage when launched was 165 ton, The HUIA was later wrecked on a reef in New Caledonia in January 1951. This first photograph with the cargo ships lining the wharf, must have been recorded sometime between 1948, to 1950 because the MATTHEW FLINDERS, is first in line her last call here was in March 1950, it looks like an Anchor Co vessel astern of her, but hard to see with the fishing net hanging off the mast of the COASTER, the others could be the POOLTA and the GABRIELLA, with another vessel steaming up the river, in the haze. The COASTER was built in Port Chalmers around 1948 for local fisherman Ray Wilson, and is still fishing today, in fact she was only in port a few days back on the tuna, and has worked out of here and Westport over the last few tuna seasons, but has changed owners over the years.