Kate Farrant has spent the last 16 months tirelessly restoring Bay Belle, a retired Fullers Bay of Islands ferry. Bay Belle was launched in 1960 and spent 51 years in service on the Cream Trip and later the Paihia to Russell service.

Having carried over 5.3 million passengers and racking up enough miles to reach the moon and back, Bay Belle is an iconic peace of New Zealand’s maritime history and a legacy that deserves protecting. Kate’s objective is to return Bay Belle to her former glory, bring her back to her original form and highlight her kauri features. Her new life will be back in service for the people operating as a floating pizzeria in the Hauraki Gulf. 

Kate’s talk will be about her experience as a young woman with no boat building experience and a limited budget in restoring the Bay Belle. Hey journey involved utilising resources around her - volunteers, friends and kind strangers who reached out through social media to collectively succeed in giving Bay Belle a new lease on life, with all the learnings and challenges that they experienced along the way.