The Gairloch was one of the vessels of the Northern Steamship Company, which ran a coastal shipping service between Onehunga, New Plymouth, Whanganui and Nelson in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the night of 5 January 1903 the Gairloch ran aground in stormy weather on Timaru Reef. No lives were lost, and many of the ship’s fittings and much of the cargo was eventually salvaged. The rusted iron skeleton of the bow is all that remains and short wade out to sea you'll find the bottom plates and remnants of the ship's engines - resembling whale bones emerging from the sea. Best seen at low tide.