South Canterbury NZGenWeb Project
Gravesend to Lyttelton after a
passage of 101 days
December 1880
Shipping: Lyttelton. Arrived.
Dec. 7 - Rangitiki, ship, 1225 tons, Milman, from London. New Zealand Shipping Company, agents.
Timaru Herald Thursday 9 December 1880
Arrival of the Rangitiki
A little overdue, the New Zealand Shipping Company's well known ship Rangitiki made Lyttelton yesterday afternoon, Dec. 7th 1880. A great many of the friends of her commander, Captain Milman, and some of the passengers, old "colonials," returning to the more congenial climate of the "Britain of the South," went off to welcome the good ship into port. The passengers, numbering about fifty [64], had a most eulogistic opinion to give both the ship, her officers, and the voyage they had made. There was an entire absence of serious sickness amongst them during the passage and the only incident necessitating medical skill was of a congratulatory character, namely, the birth of a daughter of Mrs Murray, one of the steerage passengers, on last Saturday night at midnight. Theatrical entertainment, concerts, and the periodical issue of the Rangitiki Press, pleasantly counteracted the otherwise dullness of the voyage, and with the almost continuous fine weather, helped to make the time pass cheerily. Before the ship anchored the passengers mustered aft and presented the captain and his chief officer each with a testimonial expressive of their esteem for those gentlemen. Captain Milman is an old visitor to Canterbury, as also is the chief officer, Mr Canise, last here in the Waimate. The second officer is Mr Cleveland, and Mr George Butcher returns as chief steward. One very old colonists returns to New Zealand by the ship, viz., Dr William Donald. The Rangitiki has some choice Leicester rams, and one thoroughbred mare aboard, and they arrive in excellent condition. She berthed at the Gladstone pier on the morning of Wednesday 8th.
Following are the chief items of the passage:-
Left Gravesend on August 28th at 7 a.m., and was off Beachy Head at midnight, passed the Lizard on the 31st, thence nothing but S.W. winds to Maderia, and had the trades from there to 14 N.; S.W. again from there to Equator, crossed the Equator on October 4th, 31 days from the Lizard, and southerly winds through the S.E. trade belt to 22 S. On October 23rd, passed within sight of the settlement on Tristan D'Acunha; passed the meridian of the Cape, November 1st, the Lenwin November 28th, and the Snares last Saturday. The entry at the Customs was made last night, and the ship will be at once discharged, and loaded for Home, sailing this month.
A list of the passengers appeared in the Christchurch newspapers The Star, The Press, The Lyttelton Times and the list in the Timaru Herald was from The Press. Spelling of the passengers surnames varied slightly in all the newspapers.
The following is a list of her passengers from the Timaru Herald:- Saloon: 17 Davie Mrs Davie Miss Emily C Davie Miss Edith M Davie Miss Marion E Davie Miss Bessie M Donald Dr William Donald Mrs Rose Fletcher Mrs Catherine Fletcher Mr Charles Fletcher Mr Harry Fletcher Miss Annie Fletcher Miss Emily Hardwick Mr Charles E. Palethorpe Thomas Mr Palethorpe Mrs and infant Sadler Mr GeorgeSteerage: 47 Atchley Wildergrave (Waldegrave) Briggs James Briggs Priscilla J Brownlie Thomas Brownlie Elizabeth Brownlie Elizabeth A Burgess Adam Burr Joseph Burr Anne Burr Mary Burr Harold Burr Henry Chandler Simon Chaplin Agnes E Chaplin Charles Chaplin Emily Chaplin Charles H. Chaplin George A Chaplin Charlotte Chaplin Wilfred T Chaplin Walter J. (infant) Crealand Sarah Ann Dark Hannah Gabites Mary Gates Edward Haggeston George Hillier Edward Leslie Alexandriane Leslie Violet Leslie Ethel Martin Margaret Morgan Thomas Morgan Eliza Morgan Emma Morgan William James Morgan Eliza Anne Morgan Frederick Mossler Rosina Murray Thomas Murray Sarah and infant Neave George Ower Jeannette Ross William Ross Mrs Ross Alexander Ross Ellen (infant)