The RMS Makarora would leave Wanaka every Monday at 8 am for the head of the lake returning Tuesday at 11 am calling in at Minaret and West Wanaka. Also providing a trip to pigeon Island (now known as Mou Waho Island). Trips were a highlight with a band playing and there was often dancing on the decks. In May 1909 the RMS Makarora was wrecked on the rocks opposite pigeon Island. The next was an oil-burning ship called the Tilikum offering a charter service on the lake. A number of smaller ships appeared on the lake: the launch Elswick in 1912, the launches Bellbird (1922), Tinaroa(1935), sister ships the Mureai 1 and 2, and the Malibu in 1955.
https://wanakawatertaxi.co.nz/boating-history/