Joe Amoore's Diary 1903

Thursday April 9th Left Melbourne Wharf at 4 p.m. Sailed down the river and had tea when we got out into the bay – had a good nights sleep.

Friday April 10th Got up at 6 o'clock and went on deck very fine day sea smooth had breakfast at 8. After breakfast felt very sick for about 2 hours but soon got over it and was able to eat good dinner. Up on deck all the afternoon playing quoits went to bed at 9 o'clock.

Sat 11th April Got up at 2.30am and went on deck and found the boat was in the Derwent River and sighted Hobart about ½ hour after went to bed again till 6 and got off and had a look around. It is a very quiet and slow place much different to Melbourne. We stayed there till 12am and started on our 4 day journey to the Bluff. Sea smooth. Went to bunk at 8 o'clock.

Sunday 12th April Got up and went on deck. Boat rolling pretty heavily. Only about half the passengers up to breakfast. Up on deck all day felt grand. Eat well and slept well. We came through Bass Strait at about 2 p.m. and then got in to the Pacific Ocean and the boat began to roll pretty heavily.

Monday 13th April Got up at 7 o'clock and went on deck. Heavy swell on and blowing very hard. Very cold. Nothing to see but water which was running very high. Had to hold on to the railing to keep from falling over. On deck all day playing quoits and euchre lost 2 quoits and peg which went overboard.

Tuesday 14th April Got up early and sighted Stewart Island [1&2] and latter on the Bluff and we pulled up at the Bluff about 2 p.m. where we were examined by the health doctor and after went ashore and had a look around it is a very busy little place and big Shipping Port the pier being fully half the size of the Town we stayed there till 5 o'clock and then started for Dunedin.

Wednesday 15th April We got into Dunedin [3] about 6am after about 13 hours sailing and got off. Liked the place very much It is a very large town and very busy place. Besides being busy went to the Theatre in the evening and saw Nellie Stewart [4] in sweet Nell of Old Drury and liked it very much.

Thursday 16th April We touched Port Chalmers [5] at about 6 a.m. which is a very small shipping Port and great place for oysters. It has only a population of about 1500 people. We stayed for about 3 hours and started for Lyttleton [6].

Friday 17th April We got into Lyttleton at 7 p.m. and I got off and went up to the station to take a Train for Christchurch which is about 10 miles Lyttleton being only the shipping port for that place. We went through a tunnel in the train which was 3 miles long and took 9 minutes to get through. We soon arrived at Christchurch which is a very pretty place being on a Flat with hills all round it. We had a good walk round and got back to the ship and started from Lyttleton at about 9 p.m.

Saturday 18th April We sighted Cooks Strait [7] at 10 o'clock and passed through it into Wellington [8] where we arrived at about 12 o'clock. I got off and took my luggage and got on a carriers cart and was taken to Wallace St where a Mrs Seamer lived and was soon comfortable again. They made me very welcome.

Sunday 19th April Slept at Mrs Seamers place and had a good ride round Wellington on Mr Wrights bicycle. Went to church in the evening.

Monday 20th April Went all round the coast on the bike and had a grand ride. Had a good look round Wellington and liked it very much.

Tuesday 21st April Still in Wellington. Had a good ride round and got my Photo taken in the town.

Wednesday 22nd April Left Wellington for Eltham [9] by train at 7 a.m. Mr S coming to see me off. Travelling through the country all day. I eventually arrived at Eltham at 6.30 after nearly 12 hours in the train raining very heavily. Cousin Frank at Eltham Station to meet me. We took Cab to his house which is close to the station. He and his wife are very comfortable there and they made me very welcome.

Thursday 23rd April Got up about 6 o'clock and had breakfast at Franks and had a splendid view of Mt Egmont [10] which looks grand and is covered with snow. In the afternoon I went for a drive with Mrs Frank and went to Stratford [11]. It was a lovely day.

Friday 24th April Went for another nice drive to Ngaere [12] and saw Uncle Ned’s house where he used to live. Am not able to see Lillian as she has left here on a holiday and gone to Teds at Urenui [13].

Saturday 25th April Had a good day of it. Had a good look around Eltham and surrounding country. Had a hot water bath. He has got hot water laid on all through the house.

Sunday 26th April Slept in till 8 o'clock and read all the morning. Went to the Army Barracks in the afternoon and to church in the evening.

Monday 27th April Took coach to Opunake [14] and had a 30 mile drive which I enjoyed very much. We arrived there at 8.30 p.m. and I had to stop all night at the Hotel there which was a very rowdy place.

Tuesday 28th April Took coach again at half past seven in the morning for Rahotu [15] and got there about 10 a.m. and had to stay at Hotel there where I found a note from Father telling me to stay here till the afternoon as he would not leave school till 3 o'clock. I went down the road and met him half way and went back together and stayed at the Hotel for the night.

Wednesday 29th April Father took a holiday and we furnished a Warry (sic) [16] as the Maoris call it. It is a very lonely place right in the midst of the bush but it is very pretty. We had a good deal of trouble getting the things as the coachbuilder had to make the stretchers and table however we got everything and I furnished it and made a very comfortable place of it.

Thursday 30th April Father started for school which is 6 miles away and he does not come back till Sat night so I am by myself all the time and am putting improvements in the hut. Slept by myself in the Bungalow as I have christened it.

Friday 1st May Got up to find myself alone in the Warry (sic) and had to light the fire and get my tucker and batch all the while I am here. Put in a good day of papering the walls and such like. Am now writing this by myself at 9 o'clock in the evening. Have seen no one at all near the place for 2 days.

Saturday 2nd May Batching by myself all day. Coming on very stormy Father came home about 5 o'clock. Rained hard all night. Received letter from Mother.

Sunday 3rd May Been reading all day. I cooked a grand dinner of sausages, baked potatoes and dumplings. Went to church in the evening.

Monday 4th May Father went to Ngariki [17] school and I did some baking in the Shanty and had pies and buns for tea went to church last night 14 people there.

Tuesday 5th May Same old place batching by myself all day. Got 2 chairs from the store. Am going to do a bit of plumbing tomorrow.

Wednesday 6th May Father went to Kahui [18] today. Will not be back till Saturday night am by myself all the time. I went down the Township and put in 2 hours work at the Tinsmiths. Got a awful scare last night. I went to bed about 8 p.m. and was awakened at about 10 by seeing a great blaze in the next room. I thought the house was on fire but all the wood I had put in the fireplace to dry had caught on fire and made a big blaze.

Thursday 7th May Went down the Township and did some more work for a couple of hours. Weather very stormy. Slept at the Pub.

Friday 8th May By myself at the Bungalow . Expecting Father home tomorrow. Not doing anything yet. I hope to get employment at tinsmithing.

Saturday 9th May Lovely day . Got letter from Mother & T. Coghts and Photos from Wellington. Wrote to Mother, Tom, Luke, Phil [19] & Harry [20]. My Birthday and Violets [21].

Sunday 10th May Father came home from Kahui. Reading all day. Went to church in the evening. 4 people there.

Monday 11th May Very stormy Father could not go to school so we papered the walls with illustrated paper. Am thinking of going to Opunake [22] tomorrow if it keeps fine.

Tuesday 12th May Very stormy and wet weather Father went up to Ngariki School but came back again in the evening.

Wednesday 13th May Still very cold and stormy. Inside nearly all day reading. Father gone up to Kahui. Won’t be back till Saturday.

Thursday 14th May Weather still wet inside all day by myself.

Friday 15th May Signs of clearing up. Creek very full. Threatening to come under house.

Saturday 16th May Fine weather again. Got letter from Mother and Willie Miller. Wrote to Mother and Willie by return post. Father came home from Kahui in the evening.

Sunday 17th May Still at the Warry (sic) at Rahotu things very slow do not know what to do with myself. Went to church in the evening 4 people there.

Monday 18th May Father went away to Ngariki to school. Things just the same as usual.

Tuesday 19th May Left Rahotu for Eltham taking New Plymouth [23] coach. Seen a good deal of new country. Arrived at New Plymouth after about six hours riding at 2 o'clock and had a good look around the town and took the 4.30 train for Eltham where I arrived at 8 o’clock.

Wednesday 20th May Staying at Franks place had a good look around Eltham am going to start working at the tinsmithing trade soon.

Thursday 21st May Doing Franks lawn up for him and making myself generally useful.

Friday 22nd MayAm going to start work at Browning & DeLauneys Tinsmiths Eltham. Am going to learn the trade again.

Saturday 23rd May Started work today.

More about Joseph Amoore

Joe was born on the 9th of May 1886 at Morchup, Victoria (near Ballarat). He was the sixth child of Albert Hasting Amoore and Harriett Margaretta (nee Rendell).

In 1894, when Joe was about eight, Albert immigrated to the New Plymouth region of New Zealand as a schoolteacher leaving Harriett in Ascot Vale with three unmarried adult children and five young children aged from fourteen to one.

In 1903, when Joe travelled to NZ, he was aged 17 and his living siblings were Harry (31), Philip (28), Nellie (26 ), Frank (22), John (20), Mary (14) and Violet (9).

Footnotes

1. It appears the good ship SS Monowai approached New Zealand from the east passing through the Fauveux strait then turning north heading up the east coast of the South Island. It stopped at ports along the way and eventually reached the Cook Strait, to the north of which the capital of NZ, Wellington, nestles in the Wellington Harbour at the southern extreme of the North Island.

2. Stewart Island is a small sparsely populated island south of NZ’s South Island. Fauveux Strait lies between NZ’s South Island and Stewart Island.

3. Dunedin is the second largest city in the South Island. It lies on the east coast 150-200km’s south of Christchurch.

4. Nellie Stewart was born in Sydney on November 20th 1858. She made her debut as an actress at the age of five. After touring abroad with her family she was lead in Coppin’s “Sinbad the Sailor” in 1880 in Melbourne. She eventually took the lead in Offenbach’s “La Fille du Tambour Major” for producer George Musgrove, with whom she became closely associated for the rest of her career. In Melbourne in 1902 she first played Nell Gwyne in “Sweet Nell of Old Drury”, which was to become her most famous role. She died on June 21st, 1931. http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~melbear/nellie.htm

5. Port Chalmers is a small harbour very close to Dunedin over a range to the north of the city.

6. Lyttleton is the main port and harbourside town on the east coast of the South Island. It lies just south of Christchurch over the port hills. It is now accessible via a tunnel.

7. Cook Strait is the stretch of water running with coastal currents between the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

8. Wellington is the capital of NZ that lies within the harbour of the same name. The entrance of Wellington Harbour opens to the south. Joe travelled north to Eltham by train that is interesting to note. A journey of around 350 kms.

9. Eltham is a town of about 5,000 people (please note that all population figures in footnotes are 2003 estimates) that lies to the south east of Mount Taranaki. The town is noted as the home of Chew Chong, a Chinaman who founded New Zealand’s Dairy Industry including export. Home of “Cousin Frank” Amoore, who would have been about 31 at the time of Joe’s arrival. Frank arrived in New Zealand at the age of 12 and it is believed he stayed with his Uncle (Ned) Edward Oscar Amoore.

10. The dormant volcano Mt Taranaki (or Mt Egmont as it is also known) rules supreme - it stands tall in Mt Egmont National Park.

11. Stratford is a town of about 10,000 people (2003) that lies to the north of Eltham by about 20 kms and directly east of the Mountain. A dairying town but it also lies at the highest point between Hawera (Quin’s home town of 18,000 people) in the south of Taranaki (approximately 25 kms south of Eltham) and New Plymouth (75,000 people and only city in Taranaki). It was traditionally a place of rest part way through the journey.

12. Ngaere is a very small settlement midway between Eltham and Stratford. It is noted for its historic gardens. Edward Oscar Amoore (Uncle Ned) moved here to Climie Road in 1891 via Wellington and Otago and bought a farm that he developed into a dairying unit. Quin and his wife Janica visited this 30-acre block several years ago, which is now part of a 200 odd acre dairy farm. They have records of the purchase. Two years later Edward Oscar was one of the founding members of the Ngaere Dairy Co-operative. Edward Oscar later moved with his family north to the Auckland area of which time Quin has no records. The Lillian that Joe mentioned on 24/4 was Edward Oscar’s daughter and the sister of Ted (Edward Fermor).

13. Urenui is a seaside town to the north of Waitara in North Taranaki. Here the flat fertile volcanic ash fall out plains and the mountains rain shadow effect, ideally suited to dairying, meet the steep tectonically uplifted sheep, beef and forestry regions to the north. Quin’s wife Janica’s family (Cilcott’s) roots are from Urenui. It is also a popular summer holiday area,

14. Opunake is a town on the south coast of Taranaki Cape of around 10,000 people. A dairying town and the main coastal town road.

15. A small coastal dairying village South/West of the mountain. Home of Albert at the time.

16. This is “Whare”, and is a Maori word for dwelling or house. At this time it would have been a basic colonial hut or cottage.

17. As per Kahui below but the road is parallel to Kahui but south of Rahotu. It is the next road back towards Opunake from Rahotu. Quin reports that it seems that Albert was working at that time in coastal Taranaki teaching the children of most likely Dairy farmers and their communities. The significant Maori stronghold of “Parihaka” was not too far to the northeast so he may have been teaching a lot of Maori children as well. Albert seemed committed to his work and not much the family man.

18. Kahui is a rural district that would have centred around the school. Kahui Road runs directly inland towards the mountain from Albert’s home village, Rahotu.

19. Joe’s elder brother, Phillip Walter, born 1875.

20. Joe’s “big brother” - Harry (Henry Hastings) was the eldest. Born 1872.

21. Joe’s baby sister. Violet Emma was born in 1893.

22. Opunake is a town on the south coast of the Taranaki Cape of around 10,000 people. A dairying town and the main coastal road town.

23. New Plymouth is the largest city in Taranaki. Its population is around 70,000