We arrived at Wellington at 12:45 p.m., Thursday the 18th, after a very fine passage, tho’ rather behind time. This steamer has not been in dry dock for 8 months & is consequently very dirty, & looses [sic] speed, to the annoyance of both Captain & passengers. The “Rotomahana”, a very fine steamer, beat us going down from Wellington to Port Lyttelton & the “Takapuna”, the steamer which carries the mails from the south connecting with the Canadian mail steamer, left Port Chalmers after us & had been in Wellington 1 ¾ hours before us. After lunching on the “Westralia”, I crossed to the wharf where the Miowera was laying – steam up – secured my berth, which I had booked before I left Sydney, had my baggage transferred from the harbour trust shed, & what I had with me to Dunedin, got all nicely on board, when the steward took charge of it. I then devoted the short time at my disposal viewing some parts of Wellington which I was unable to do on my previous visit. I called at Cook’s & happy was I to receive letter & papers which had been sent to Brisbane, & was very delighted to read all the news contained therein, & with the photo of father. It was a very happy surprise for me & I prize it very much. Yes, wasn’t it well we were photo’d when last all together. Often I’ve congratulated my self on that event. Also I note what you say about Mr. Steel. [6:42] What a wonderful reserve of strength & vitality he must possess. Poor dear soul, I hope he may be spared till I get home. About Albion, the loving lad, I often wonder where & how he is. Of course, I imagine he is on the ocean somewhere. My Comely, too, I noted the sweet message he sent me & I return him now lots of loving sweet kisses & I know he is a good boy. In the papers there wasn’t much to comment on. Some deaths I noted & in one of the letters from Mr. McLean of Sydney, which I also got at Wellington, was the intimation of Mr. Baumares[1] wedding with Miss McDougal, his new & youthful housekeeper. Wonders will never cease. Also was a very, very kind letter from Mr. & Mrs. Furness, just giving me the parting news & a newspaper with little matters of interest therein. I enjoyed the batch of mails & journals very much after getting to sea. (This is Monday afternoon, 4 o’clock, August 29th, & the first writing in diary I’ve attempted. There really is so little to write about at sea.) Well, to go back to Wellington & the interval between arriving & sailing. It was a lovely afternoon & I got about freely, & was much pleased with all I saw. It’s a very fine city, beautifully situated, & a fairly busy place, & a very charming harbour. I got 3 very fine photos which combined give a magnificent view of both harbour & city. After viewing, I wrote a letter to Mr. Furness,[2] [6:43] one to Mr. Cobb & several cards as it would be the last opportunity before leaving N. Zealand. I then made my way to the jetty where “Miowera” was laying, & the mail bags were then being delivered on board, & crowds of people lining the jetty, the usual excitement when passenger steamers are leaving. Capt. Thorpe told me, while we were lunching on the Westralia, he would come on board the Miowera & introduce me to the Captain, whom he well knew, & accordingly he came & introduced me, commending me to his care, & stayed by till “visitors ashore” was sounded. As soon as the mails were on board, the officer came to the Captain – we were then chatting, Capt. Thorpe, he & I – touched his cap, “Mails on board, Sir” – Captain at once gave orders, bell rang, gangway put ashore, engine telegraph rang, & off we set at 4:15 for our voyage on the Pacific to Suva, Fiji, Honolulu, & Vancouver. We left under a lovely sunshine, which we hoped augered [sic] well for a 21 day voyage. It was a grand night & as we steamed out of the beautiful harbour of Wellington, I took a long farewell look at New Zealand, where I had received & enjoyed such kindness & hospitality.
[6:44]
Dinner was served at 6:30, & as is usual, many retired the first night soon after dining & were not seen for a few days again. I, with some others, did not turn in till after 9, & personally, I’ve not been affected so far on the Pacific. On Friday morning (19th) I was up betimes & had a salt water bath & breakfast at 8:30. It was a very fine morning, bright but a strong breeze off the NZ coast, which we had in view clearly at noon. Our position was given on a card which is placed in a case in the companion daily, & was as follows: Lat. South 39.01, Long. East 178.1, run since leaving Wellington Heads, 250 knots, distance to run to Suva from this noon, 1277 kn. At 6 p.m. we saw the new moon. We were then off the North Cape, see your map. Soon after dinner, we got off the lea of the land & the sea became quite rough. The night passed quietly, passengers had not yet got acquainted. I turned in soon after 9.
On Saturday morning, 20th, it was bright & strong sunshine, heavy swell on & the “Miowera” pitching into it & rolling freely, not many at breakfast. At noon our position was: Lat. S. 34.13, Long. E. 178.52, run 294 kns., distance to Suva 983 knots. At 4:15 p.m. we met & passed so close the sister steamer, “Warimoo”, on her passage from Vancouver to Sydney via Wellington. Great excitement on both steamers, waving & cheering each other, dipping the ensign & signalling. [6:45] We were very soon out of sight of each other (up till today, the 29th, we’ve not sighted a single sail).
On Sunday the 21st, the morning was a tipical [sic] Sabbath morning, very fine sea, calmer, warmer too every day as we neared the tropics. I sat reading on the upper deck, only the wide Pacific Ocean to gaze upon & beyond, a great circle of horizon. Many fresh faces made their appearance today as tho’ they had just come on board. At noon our position was Lat. S. 28.48, Long. E. 178.25, run 326 kns., distance to Suva 657. Light wind, fine weather, lovely sun set at 5:45. Oh, how beautiful to see sun rise & sun set on the ocean. Today I made the acquaintance of a Darlington man, Mr. Kent, who now lives in N. Zealand. He is a great musician & handles the violin splendidly. I spent most of the lovely day on the upper deck (no church service today), had a walk on the fo’castle head, & lay on the rail looking over at the bows plunging into the sea cutting the water & throwing off the waves on either side (it is a fine sight at night to look over the side & see the phosforesence [sic] gliding on the surface along the ship’s side). We had a musical night in the music saloon, & very cheerful & pleasant it was.
On Monday the 22nd, another very lovely morning, now in the Tropics & getting very warm, awnings put over head & light[3] [6:46] clothing donned. The Miowera steaming finely on the Pacific with scarcely a breath of wind. There was a sweep on the run today & won by Col. Gorton. Our position at noon was as follows:
Lat. S. 23.06 – Long. E. 178.32, run 342 Knots. Distance to Suva 315 kns. Light wind & fine weather, sun set beautiful again at 5:45, lovely colours. At 4 o’clock the crew was mustered & put through boat drill. Another musical evening, very warm night.
Tuesday, Aug. 23. A fine morning, passed some pretty islands, vegetation to the water’s edge, one close to, called Bega, pronounced Benga. We arrived at Suva, Fiji, at 10 a.m. & left again at 2:15 p.m. The entrance to Suva harbour is very dangerous, coral reefs surround the island & is distinctly visible. Inside the reefs the water is smooth as a lake. We anchored off the shore & had to land in boats. Lots of natives came off, many diving boys. Tell Charlie this. The Dr. was the first to come alongside, & after being assured all were well, he came on board & examined all before we were permitted to leave the ship. We got ashore at 10:30. It unfortunately was not very fine, had been raining for 14 days & was then drizzly. However, we got about & viewed the settlement, saw native life & the Fijians, who are a fine race, stalwarth[4] [sic] fellows, some of them, & some fine looking faces, both sexes, & very majestic in their gait, peculiar style they have their hair, photos of which I [6:47] bought to show you. Vegetation is very rank, beautiful & green, & abundance of flowers every where. Cocoa nuts growing plentifully, bananas every where.[5] I plucked some ferns. These would fascinate you, had you seen them, but tropical vegetation is lovely in every phase. There are a few good shops & hotels, & the place is somewhat important, it being a calling place for these Pacific steamers, & people break passage here, stay awhile till next steamer calls, & so on. I feel quite pleased to have been priviliged [sic] visiting the Fiji Islands (I saw some new spades in a shop & had a look to see if they were Black’s, & sorry to say they weren’t, but made at Birmingham by Parkes & Co., Goldfield Works.[6] This is a menu for Mr. Bolus’s information). The island in which Suva is situated is named Vite-levu, turn up Chambers.
As the steamer is pitching, I must leave off writing. You’ll note how irregular I’ve written. It’s not easy as she vibrates too.
It was very exhausting on shore, so moist & no wind, caused me to soon feel clammy, & after I got on board I felt the effects more so. This gradually wore off as we got out into the open sea. I posted 4 cards from Suva, one of which Willie will receive. 10 passengers left us at Suva & a few joined us. Sir Henry Berk[e]ley, the Chief Justice of the Islands,[7] [6:48] paid a short visit on board. It’s always an event at such places as these when passenger steamers put in. Now I come to an event, viz: a prolonged Tuesday of 48 hours, going East & when crossing the Meridian that day, whichever it may be is turned into two, so I shall have gained one day in my life time.[8] Going West then one day is skipped, & if crossing the Meridian on a Sunday, then time is skipped over from Saturday to Monday, they having no Sunday. So I now proceed to give you the 2nd portion of the 23rd.
Gloomy morning, passed the Horne Islands, “Fotima”, 2,500 feet & “Alofa”, 1,800, great excitement passing these pretty islands, see your Chambers, these being the last land we shall sight till Honolulu is reached. The Phoenix group through which we shall pass are very low lying, the principle being only 18 feet above sea level & we shall pass during night time. (Miowera is very unsteady again today & writing difficult). Our position at noon was as follows:
Lat. S. 15.03, Long. West 178.23 (Note this, we crossed the 180 line from E. to W.) 178.23 & run since leaving Suva at 2:15 previous day, 282 knots, leaving 2,498 to Honolulu. Rather breezy & frequent squalls during the day, but at night a very lovely moon. I sat on upper deck till [6:49] 11 p.m. & as it was very hot, I slept in the music saloon, as did many others, too hot below in berths.[9]
Wednesday, Augst. 24th.
Very fine morning, breezy but balmy, the wind making it just comfortable on deck. Our position at noon was: Lat. S. 10.29, Long. W. 175.48, run 319 knots, distance to Honolulu 2,179. Moderate trade winds & moderate easterly sea, afternoon a stiff breeze sprang up & a strong swell developed. I again slept in the music room.
Thursday 25th, very fine morning, strong breeze & I donned my light suit, made in Hong Kong. At noon we were in: Lat. S. 5.56, Long. W. 173.16, run 312 kn. & yet 1,867 kn. to Honolulu. Nothing eventful to record. Games are indulged in during the day: cricket, quoits, bull board, deck billiards &c. Reading & lazying occupies the “inactives” & I am one of these. Don’t take kindly to exercise in such hot climate. Doesn’t suit me at all, so I wisely refrain. I have my bath early morning about 6:30 then turn in till the first gong goes at 8, up & dress for breakfast, first having 5 to 10 minutes’ fresh air on deck, & I have, with few exceptions, a bath again about 5:30, dinner at 6:30. I find this a good tonic & a substitute for exercise, always sea water & plentiful, you may be sure.
Friday 26th, morning opened fine. Had bath at 6:30 & barbered at 7, hair dressing [6:50] saloon on board. Very heavy rain, storm at 9:45 a.m., & it does come down in the tropics (I remember how heavily it rained between Colombo & Singapore).[10] At noon we were in Lat. S. 1°.2”, Long. W. 171.11, run 319 kns., leaving 1,548 to Honolulu. We crossed the Equator during the evening after 4 o’clock.[11] Musical evening closed the day’s events.
Saturday 27th: fine clear morning, little wind, cloudy, sea gone considerably down. At noon we were in Lat. N. 3.28, Long. W. 168.54, run 302 kns., leaving 1,246 to Honolulu.
While at lunch, 1 p.m., a very heavy downpour fell, a real tropical rain storm. We saw it approaching before we went down to lunch & saw it receding after we returned to deck. Here we were in the “Doldrums”, just between the NE & SE trades. The thermometer in my berth stood at 88°. During the afternoon, the sea became calm & oily. Still the Miowera dipped & rolled, an under current swell. At 4:30, the crew were mustered for boat drill & these little incidents are all exciting to passengers, any thing for a change. The days have grown perceptibly longer & will do so all the way north. The moon at night is very bright now & makes it pleasant on deck after dinner.
Sunday 28th. Lovely morning, sea very calm, not a ripple on the face of the great Pacific Ocean – a grand sight – but on the horizon, rain squalls are visible. During the forenoon, we had heavy showers. [6:51] At 11 o’clock, the church bell rang & service was held in the social hall. The Capt. read the C. of E. morning service & the doctor the 2 lessons, 1st Kings, Cha. 22:1 to 41, 1st Corin., Chap. 8. Hymn A&M 160, 391, 370, collection 1-109 for charitable objects (seamen).[12]
At noon out position was: Lat. N. 8.02, Long. W. 165.59, run 325 kns., leaving 921 kns. to Honolulu. We still see the “Southern Cross” constellation & will soon see the “Plough” & “Pole star”. Beautiful moon tonight. Music.
Monday, Aug 29th. Fine morning, breezy, sea choppy, moderate swell, afternoon squally rain clouds & cooler. Therm. in my berth 86°. Position at noon: Lat. N. 12.2, Long. W. 163.13, run 310 knots, 611 to Honolulu.
Evening, strong swell & ship tossing. Concert in social hall & music saloon (the one leads into the other) second class passengers invited, printed programmes in gold, 1/- each. 30 were sold. It was very successful & much enjoyed: violin, 2 banjos, & piano. I’ve put my programme away for you to view.[13]
[1] Beaumaris?
[2] Inserted on facing page: “Philippine Islands Memo, Zamboanga, Mindano Island. Steam launch with Spanish officer came off to us & made enquiries about the progress of the war. See former note of this.”
[3] Inserted on facing page: “Wellington to Auckland.
Auckland to Suva 1,170.
Suva to Honolulu 2,780.
Honolulu to Vancouver 2,435.”
[4] Inserted on facing page: “Stalwarth [sic] men”.
[5] Inserted on facing page: “Fruits & tropical vegetation”.
[6] Inserted on facing page: “Spades”.
[7] Inserted on facing page: “Chief Justice visited the ship”.
[8] Inserted on facing page: “Crossing the Meridian: sailing East, time is advanced 4 minutes every degree (90 miles).”
[9] Inserted on facing page: “Sleep”.
[10] Inserted on facing page: “Storm & rain”.
[11] Inserted on facing page: “Equator”.
[12] Inserted on facing page: “Service & collection”.
[13] Inserted on facing page: “Concert”.