The 112-year-old Lyttelton tugboat is back offering public cruises after three years of being out of service due to repairs.
- Historic Lyttelton tug gets thrown a funding lifeline
- Time running out for 112-year-old tug Lyttelton
Having the tug of the water has led to financial losses for the Tug Lyttelton Preservation Society, whose members have been voluntarily keeping the tug in full working order.
However, grants from the Christchurch City Council and other fundraising has allowed the society to repair the vessel so it could pass an $83,240 dry dock survey.
Society board member Roger Ellery said it felt fantastic to have the cruises back up and running.
Two 45-minute sessions were held on Sunday for the vessel's first day of public cruises of the season. It carried about 100 passengers.
"It went very, very well and we are happy with that," Mr Ellery said.
"Now that we've come back from the brink, it's a tremendous morale booster to get them up and going again."
Cruises will now run every Sunday until the end of the summer sailing season.
Money from the tickets will go towards keeping the tug operational.
