Auckland, looking east across Mechanics Bay showing St Barnabas Point and church, houses in Parnell Rise (centre right), H. Niccol’s shipyards, the Swan Hotel (extreme bottom right) and the Māori Hostelry (right foreground), 1850s–1860s.

Photograph by James D. Richardson, reproduced courtesy of Auckland City Libraries, Special Collections (4-535) / Profile: Henry Niccol. Photographer unknown, Clifford Hawkins Collection, New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa

Secret (1875) was the first large New Zealand yacht to be exported to Australia, a trend that continued into the early 1900s. Tom Niccol built this 30-ton cutter, which raced successfully on both sides of the Tasman.

Artist unknown, reproduced courtesy of Harold Kidd

George Niccol.

Photographer unknown, reproduced courtesy of the Hanna family

NICCOL FAMILY

Henry (1819–1887)
Tom (1858–1940)
George (1860–1940)

Henry Niccol was a founder of the Auckland tradition of excellence in wooden shipbuilding – and sons Tom and George continued his legacy.

Scottish heritage

Scottish-born Henry Niccol worked as a shipbuilder for his father, a prominent shipbuilder on the Clyde. He emigrated to Auckland in 1842.

Niccol promptly started a business with brother-in-law William Sharpe. They built some of Auckland’s earliest boats, from small pleasure craft to large sailing ships.

By the 1870s, Niccol was Auckland’s ‘foremost shipbuilder’, with the country’s biggest slip. People came in droves to see a new Niccol boat being launched. His well-known Novelty (1862) was reputedly the largest sailing vessel built in Auckland.

By his death in 1887, Niccol had built more than 180 wooden boats by hand. He had also prepared his sons Tom (Thomas) and George to continue the tradition.

TOM NICCOL

Tom Niccol took over Henry’s business in 1874. He was the first Aucklander to come up with the idea of building large yachts specifically to race in New Zealand and Australian regattas.

He built New Zealand’s first racing yachts for export – Secret (1875), Waitangi (1878) and Taniwha (1880). All were sold to Australians and raced successfully, especially Waitangi.

In 1880, Tom withdrew from the business and Henry took over again. Tom kept building boats into the 1890s, including coastal and Pacific traders, as his father had done. However, he was overshadowed by the Baileys and Logans from the 1880s.

Image 4_Niccol Family WAITANGI.jpg

Tom Niccol built Waitangi (1878) specifically for export to Australia, on order to John Newton of Melbourne. The boat was a very successful racer.

Artist unknown, reproduced courtesy of Harold Kidd

GEORGE NICCOL

George Niccol took over the firm from Henry in 1885. He introduced the first ocean-going trading scows, like the 130-foot (39.62m) Pirate (1895). He also built coastal traders, ferries and motorised cargo carriers.

The firm eventually closed in 1932, ending almost a century of wooden shipbuilding in Auckland. The Niccol legacy, however, continues in Auckland’s excellence in boat design and building today.