Historic travel was hard work
Christmas is a time that many of us travel to meet and spend time with family and friends. Today we can fly or drive anywhere in relative comfort, but in the early days of the district it was not quite so easy.
Travelling to Timaru in the 19th century was not a journey undertaken lightly. If you wanted to avoid the long overland journey, often pitted with numerous river crossings, a coastal steamer or other ship may have seemed like a good alternative.
However the following extract from the diary of Thomas Thorp gave a less than complimentary view of the trip on a steamer in September 1874, and an interesting account of landing at Timaru.
He starts by describing the immigration process.
‘‘This morning the officers came on board to take the names of persons willing to go to Timaru, about 100 miles nearer Dunedin and 100 miles from Christchurch. The fare to Timaru is about one pound 19 shillings and to Dunedin three pounds.
‘‘So 200 of us sail for this port tomorrow – a rising town in Canterbury of 1400 inhabitants and the parish of 3000.
‘‘We embarked on the Phoebe steamer at 5pm with all our luggage, bedding, blankets and steamed along the 90 mile beach with hills and mountains all the way. We soon found out the difference between a sailing ship and a steamer for most of us was sick in 10 minutes.
‘‘There were no beds for us and we were obliged to do the best we could for ourselves till morning. As there was drink to be sold on board and some of the men partook too freely and got very troublesome!
‘‘We arrived at Timaru this morning at 7am after 14 hours sail. The hills were covered with snow all the way. We anchored about 200 yards off shore and we were fetched in batches with large surfboats that held about 50 people with their luggage.
‘‘[The surfboats were] connected with a line from the shore, and drawn along, and when we came to the sands we were drawn up a long incline – boat, passengers, luggage and all _ by a powerful engine.
‘‘On arriving at the wharf – a large shed – we took our bags on our backs and walked to the depot, about a mile distant.
‘‘The women were carted to the depot – a school room in the centre of Timaru – a scattering village called a town and a place that I could make myself comfortable in if I get work here.’’