Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

The Maori

The Maori.

The old Maori, as she was familiarly called, made several successful voyages to New Zealand in the early days. She was one of Willis, Gann and Co.'s ships, and made several voyages under the company's flag to Auckland, Lyttelton, Nelson, Wellington, and Dunedin, and in the sixties was chartered by the Shaw, Savill Co., to bring out immigrants. She made her first passage to Nelson, arriving at that port on 25th December, 1851, bringing over 50 passengers. After discharging she proceeded on to Wellington. the Maori was a ship of 800 tons, but for her size was a very slow sailer, her average passages occupying about 120 days. On one occasion, however, on her second voyage to Nelson, she reached port in 93 days, land to land 88. This was described by the Nelson paper as an extraordinarily quick passage, and, compared with other ships arriving in the fifties, it was remarkable. The Persia, a ship of 800 tons, arriving the same year, occupied 205 daya on the passage. The barque Muhtoree (500 tons), leaving London about the same time as the Maori, was 135 days reaching Nelson. Old residents will remember the portly little figure and genial face of Captain D. T. Roberts, who brought the Maori to Auckland on three occasions. Captain Roberts was in 1886 given command of the Dunedin. This ship was lost with all hands when bound from Oamaru to England in 1890. the Maori did not run continuously to New Zealand, having made several voyages to the Cape of Good Hope. She completed her running to New Zealand in 1870, when she took 140 days to reach Lyttelton.

On the passage out in 1867 to Auckland Captain Roberts reported having experienced exceptionally heavy gales for several days in the English Channel, compelling him to take shelter at the Isle of Wight, where some repairs were effected. The ship finally sailed on September 26. When in the Southern Ocean on December 27, she passed a large number of icebergs, many over 300ft in height. She was in sight of large ice drifts for three days subsequently, and Captain Roberts wisely ran under easy sail.

the Maoris records to New Zealand were:—

To Auckland.
Sailed. Arrived. Captain. Days.
July 12 Nov. 2, '59 Petherbridge 114
Sep. 5, '66 Jan. 24, '67 Roberts 119
Oct. 5, '67 Feb. 5, '68 Roberts 122
Oct. 18, '68 Feb. 17, '69 Roberts 120
To Wellington (Via Nelson).
Feb. 16, '52 Petherbridge 121
To Lyttelton.
Mar. 25 July 14, '58 Petherbridge 110
Dec. 26, '69 May 15, '70 Mordeau 140
To Dunedin.
Jan. 1 Apr. 16, '57 Petherbridge 91
To Nelson.
Sep. 10 Dec. 25, '51 Petherbridge 104
June 8, '53 Petherbridge 93