1888 Handwritten Account of the a Man's Voyage on the RMS Rimutaka from England to New Zealand, and His Land Journey from Wellington to Waipawa

On offer is the handwritten diary of Mr. Peter Wedd’s two month journey from his home in England to his “adopted home”, New Zealand on the RMS Rimutaka. Context indicates that Wedd hails from the Duxford, Cambridgeshire area. He is  traveling for a job in Waipawa, New Zealand, and keeps this journal as a record of his experiences to share with one Mr. J. Muggelton. 

Wedd’s ship, the Rimutaka, was a 4,473-ton three-masted sail and steam ship operated by the New Zealand Shipping Company until 1899. She was used principally to transport passengers, mostly immigrants, between England and New Zealand. She was the first of three company ships to bear the name.

Wedd departs on Jan 13th, 1888. Although he doesn’t specify his departure place, context suggests he departed from London. He sails to Plymouth, past Madeira, Portugal, and on to South Africa, where they make their first stop in Cape Town, to pick up coal.

He records his daily activity at sea, from his early days coping with a queasy stomach amid bad weather, and on to more detailed descriptions of daily life on the boat. He also records the sad deaths, funerals and at-sea burials of those on board (both staff and a passenger). He records the types of meals he is served, what he sees in the first and second class decks, the people he meets, the observations he makes as he sails by landmarks, and the stops the ship makes on its way to New Zealand.

An excerpt that provides an example of a typical day on board follows: 

“Up at 6-15. bath and pipe before breakfast which was fish and mutton chops and porrage [sic]. Passed in the distance a steamer and by the aid of Hugh’s glass could make her out to be one of the Union S.S. vessels Reading on deck all the morning – too hot. After dinner lied down in the bunk for a sleep After tea salon deck beautiful moonlight night night singing accompanied by Banjo turned in about 12 very hot” [Jan 23, 1888]. 

The following excerpts provide a sense of how he journaled events that occurred at sea: 

“Bath, warm watter, hard matter to get cold. After breakfast went up on deck to read. The Steward died last night [of rhemuatic fever]  at 12 oclock poor chap only 25 years old, to be buried tonight; just had a tropical shower it came all at once and lasted about ¼ of an hour and left off as quickly as it came. Cooled the air a good bit. Just come Tron to write a letterhome which will be posted at the cape in a fortnight's time. The funeral of the Steward took place at 7-30 this evening. It was very solemn service the body was brought up and the Union Jack was placed over the body and then dropped over board” [Jan 25, 1888].

“...About 9 we saw a ship in the distance. She signaled to us and of course we  returned the compliment. Red, white and green are the colours of our ships signals. They look very nice. Not quite so hot today. 76 deg in the shade. Total eclipse of the moon. First I ever saw in the Atlantic” [Jan 28, 1888].

“...With a headache begin another day of laziness and smoke which grows very monotonous, even to an indolent chap like myself, the sea is rough to write so we are sleeping the day away. It is a grand right - to see the great mighty waves rising high up above the ship and rushes down over the deck like a river and the men tell me by way of comfort, it is smoothe compared to the seas we get after we leave the Cape. I have read a good book today and that grows stale would like to just slip into my dear old home with all my dear ones for the night” [Jan 31, 1888]

They reach Cape Town, South Africa to pick up coal and take a break from their sail on Saturday, February 4th. He writes about his experiences there at length, and this is but a short excerpt: 

“...We sighted Lion’s Pump and the Table Mountain as soon as we got on deck…We landed and to see the Zulus and Kaffir men ready to bring the coal aboard was a sight not to be forgotten. The ugly fellows about 150 of them. We went ashore walked up to the town looking at the shops and the station which is a very grand place not so large as Liverpool…an old gentleman a Dutchman…took great interest in us. He took us to the Presbyterian Church of which he was a member, and a very grand place it is. It’s about 160 years old and seats a thousand people on that roof no pillars or support of any kind. The pulpit is the great feature of the place. It is high and supported by two lions and the inside foot rests as it were on a scroll which represents the strength of Judah and at the back of the Lions was the scroll of Jerusalem…” [Feb 4, 1888]

Sailing resumes either late Feb 5 or early Feb 6 after about two days in Cape Town. Webb visits the engine room and learns about the inner workings of the ship (and draws diagrams). Mail is delivered and a fellow traveler learns his mother has died. They attend Church services daily. 

On Monday, February 27, 1888 they are at their final destination: Wellington, New Zealand:

“Up early to see the sun rise on our adopted country and it looks grand. The Bay and Mountains on one side and the city of Wellington is a very nice place and some fine buildings and beautiful scenery from the hills the Bay is the second best in the world. I leave here Wednesday for Napier and from there to Waipawa”. 

Peter then describes his boat ride from Wellington to Napier, being met by “Charlie and Mr. Cooper” who took him by train to Waipawa. He arrives on March 2nd, 1888 and plans to start work the following Monday. He concludes his diary by writing: 

“Please remember me to Mr. Muggleton and except the same from Peter Wedd”. 

The final pages are where Peter has recorded “The daily runs of the Rimutaka after leaving Plymouth” and notes coordinates from January 15 through the arrival in New Zealand. 

This diary was written in a book printed for 1882, however our author has crossed out the 2 and scribbled an “8” overtop. He has added in his own dates, which align with the calendar for 1888. The diary measures 7.75 inches by 5.0 inches. It contains 140 diary pages, 22 of which are filled with Wedd’s writing, plus an additional 60 pages of printed information and blank pages. The covers are intact as is the binding. The front cover has sustained water damage and the inner front cover has partially separated from the binding and someone has put clear tape on the inside back cover of the book to hold it together. The pages themselves are in good condition. The handwriting is very legible cursive.