Page 12 - A Walk from Wellington to New Plymouth

the above circumstance. Mr Remensneider made us as comfortable as he could for his house was
only partly built and he and his clergyman were the only inmates. It being Saturday night we
stayed all the next day.
I went with Mr R to hear him preach in the native language. The church was in the next village
about a mile distant and I walked with Mr R who wore his gown or something between a gown
and a coat, more like the dress that Father Mathew is represented as wearing. Soon after we
arrived a man began to strike two pieces of iron together as they had no bell. The people
assembled to the number of perhaps 40, some seemed attentive and two or three went to sleep. In
the hymns the native voices were anything but musical. After church Mr R talked with the
natives and then we walked home for dinner which was cooked by Mr R and assistant as were all
the meals and they proved very good cooks.
On Monday the 14th we began our last day's journey in company of Mr Remensneider who
fortunately for us, was going to New Plymouth. We started about 6 and travelled 6 miles to
breakfast at a native village and boiled water for our tea and broiled some ham over a wood fire
as usual and much to our surprise a native brought us some cups and saucers and plates to take
our breakfast from After breakfast w e resumed our journey through, by far, the finest country I
had yet seen and had a fine view of the mountain all day as we travelled round the base. Except
for the first 20 miles from Wellington, the country along the coast is generally level, but broken
occasionally by gullies or clefts in the rocks with streams and forms the swamps been spoken of.
About 2 o'clock we came to Omata, 5 miles from the town and the first house we saw was Mr
Wickstead's where we stopped and had some bread and butter and milk. Mr W is a magistrate, he
has only two children both boys about 16 and 12 years of age. Mr and Mrs Wickstead seemed
glad to see us and asked a great many questions about Hackney and our family and I delivered
their letters. After a short stay we again went forward for about a mile which brought us to Tom
Newsham's house where I remained and Mr Smith and Mr Remensneider went on to town.
Tom's house is built by himself - poles cut from the wood and thatched with straw and the sides
covered the same way. The country is very pretty and the climate very good, but the town the
dust is sometimes very troublesome, but people who have been there for a few months do not
think much of them.”

(TOWN OF NEW PLYMOUTH AT TARANAKI S. C. Brees 1849)
Viewed from the north. William Wilson’s first view of New Plymouth would have been from the south.