The smart iron barque Laira, 492 tons, made a number of voyages to New Zealand, and during that time she was under several flags. Afterwards she was in the intercolonial trade, and altogether was particularly well known in these parts. She was built at Sunderland in 1870 by Pile and owned by R Hill. She was first of all chartered by the Shaw, Savill Co., and later passed into the ownership of Stone Bros., Auckland, and was subsequently chartered by the N.Z. Shipping Co. The vessel proved a bad Spec for Stone Bros., and they sold her to a Southern firm. In 1898 the barque met with a mishap at Dunedin, being run into by the Union Co.'s Wakatipu, which refused to answer her helm. The steamer ran into the barque, which was alongside the Victoria wharf. The barque had some of her plates stove in, and sank in six minutes. She was afterwards refloated, reconditioned, and again entered the intercolonial trade. When she met with the accident she was owned by Captain Paterson, and had 1100 bales of wool on board, and was ready to sail for London.