Page 2 - A Walk from Wellington to New Plymouth

In addition, I have inserted images of some of the landscape William Wilson would have
encountered during his journey.
These are images are selected from engravings made by S. C. Brees in 1849, taken from
“Pictorial Illustrations of New Zealand” the full collection and text of which can be found at
http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document/?wid=1454

(“TOWN OF WELLINGTON, PORT NICHOLSON, FROM KAI WARRA WARRA HILL”
S. C. Brees 1849)
Looking back. This would have been William Wilson’s last view of Wellington, from Kaiwharahara, as he set out on
his walk to New Plymouth.

This a copy of the letter which George Curtis’s wrote and posted home to England.

“Saturday, 29th of December 1849. Mr Smith and I started for New Plymouth to get things ready
for our families as we should go in less time than the ship, which had to call at Nelson and
discharge cargo there. Various were the opinions in Wellington as to the distance, some said 200,
some 250 and some 300 miles, some recommended us to walk and some to get horses and
finding none to suit, we agreed to walk and started about 4 in the afternoon, taking with us things
necessary for the journey strapped to our backs. My parcel consisted of blanket, my macintosh
and a boulli tin ( that is a tin in which 6 lbs of preserved meat is packed for a voyage) to put my
small things in consisting of some tea, a veil to keep the mosquitos off at night, soap, a drinking
cup, a small bottle of brandy, a few fish hooks and line etc. and accompanied by my two dogs
and Mr Smith's dog. We landed from the ship and called on Captain Rhodes for letters of
introduction to two people on the road and then started - Mr Smith leading his dog and I leading
Rose and Dido running loose. The dogs in the town soon began to attack our dogs and we had
some trouble to keep them off and when we got clear of the town Rose began yelping and
barking in such an extra-ordinary manner as attracted great attention and when about a mile on
the road, fell down in a fit which lasted a quarter of an hour. Not-withstanding I tried every
means I could think of to bring her round, such as putting water on her and lastly sticking my
knife into the roof of her mouth. When she got better, Mr Smith and I led her on two strings
between us until he got tired when I had to lead her by myself and at length she got so exhausted