Please to give my love to dear uncle and aunt Bowden, and tell them that I am very glad that we are here. Mary Ann is still living in her place with the doctor. If her father was to see her he would not know her. I should say that the wages and gifts she gets by sewing is not less than £40 a year. She is very clean and tidy, and very fit to be seen.

Dear father, I hope by the arrival of this letter that you will be quite ready to come out, and my dear boy with you. I can assure you, dear father, when I think of you two I crty for joy, hoping I shall see your dear, dear faces again very soon, and may the blessed Lord give you as good a time and pleasant voyage as we and others have had.

I rather think that Sam will go to Sydney with Captain King to take care of the cattle, as he works for Mr Cutfield.

Dear father, there is fifty acres in country sections. Charles wishes for grandfather to come. I sent five letters by the Amelia Thompson. The cooper and Jane I hope will come with you; it will be well for them and their family if they will but come. As the ship is expected in every hour, I fear I shall not have time to write another letter. If I have time I shall send him one. Send me a letter the first opportunity. So no more at present from your affectionate child.

Jane Crocker

February 10, 1842

To Mr Samuel Crocker, Revelstoke, Devonshire, from his daughter-in-law.

Dear Father,

We have sent these letters home by Catain Liardet, the Governor of New Plymouth. Captain Liardet and his mate, and one of the Cawsand men, were clearing out one of the great guns and the gun went off, and the sand and powder flew up in their faces and eyes. Captain Liardet has lost one eye, and is very likely to lose the other; he is going home to England; everyone is sorry for him, he is such a good man.

I should be very glad to hear that Captain Kingcombe had taken his place to come here to New Zealand. The governor will give you the true account of the place.

As to saying that there is no harbour here for ships to lie in a storm, they can make a very fine harbour, but they must send home to England first about it.  There is a fine harbour down to the Waitara, fourteen miles from here.

They have grown fine wheat and barley here, the finest that you ever saw, very fine; and new potatoes and turnips on Christmas day for dinner.

Dear father, when we get together Jane is sure to say, "Now John, if poor father was but here, and Samuel, how happy we should be" and John's answer is, "I wish he was my dear, he would be quite happy here, to see our gardens and land and to walk over them."

Henry and Charles go to school. Henry is just learning to write, the schoolmaster is just newly set up; it is 6d a week for Charles, and 9d a week for Henry; he has been writing for some weeks.

Dear father, please to bring me and Jane out a barrel of pilchards each; please to buy a gardening hook too. There are plenty of mackerel here but no nets to catch them, and tehre are pilchards; please to bring one good pilchard net.

I must beg of you once more to bring dear Samuel with you. I have sent him a letter; when I wrote yours I did not think I should have time to write him one, as there was a ship in sight, but it was not coming here. It is a great throughfare here for ships, they are often in sight.

Dear father, on Christmas Day sis of us went up to the Moturoa Chapel to hear Mr.Creed, and the chapel was quite full of poor missionaries.  When we came home we had cold fig pudding, and cold leg of pork, dressed the day before; ten of us sat down to dinner.  In the afternoon, we went to see the land and in the evening we went to chapel.

The sand has been tried and it is more than half iron: and in the interior about a mile from ours there is stone with lead in it all over the place. I wish it had been in ours to have had a mine. It is a valuable country.

February 10, 1842

From S & W Curtis, to their relatives in Bodmin, Cornwall.

Dear Father, Brother, and Sisters,

I write you these few lines hoping it will find you all well. I have been expecting to hear from you before now, as tehre have been three ships come here from England since I left. I suppose it is cold enough now at home; here it is harvest.

This is the finest wheat and barley country that ever was seen, adn that you would say if you were to see it.  We have had a small harvest, as we had no time, when we came, to sow much and no cattle to plough the ground. We have got plenty of potatoes, fine crops and fine cabbages - all vegetables grow well here.

I wish you were all here - this is a fine plce for tailors and sawyers. I can get more money here that you can get at home. I have everything as good as at home - we bought a featherbed quite new for £6 the other day.

I am about to buy a town section for £40. I am certain I should never have saved that sum at home - many hundreds have gone through my hands since I have been here. I have bought great quantities of pigs, so you must expect I am doing something and saving money.

As yet we have got no bullocks or sheep to kill, but we shall have plenty soon. It is a fine country, the only thing we want is a harbour.  The trees are always green and very large, from 80 to 100ft in height without a branch. I have seen trees from six to eight feet through and through. The red pine is splendid timber for furniture, it is like mahogany.

I have three houses building, some stone, some cob. If we had only a harbour this would be the finest place in the world. Four is 5d per pound, beef 7d, port, fresh and salt, 7d and 7 1/4d per pound; potatoes from the Englis 1d per pound, from the natives 3d a pound. Tea 6s, sugar 10d, men's shoes £1.4s per pair, fustian trousers 9s, well made and lined, jackets £1.4d, spirits as in England, beer and porter 1s.6d per pint.

I have not kept an account of the number of pigs I have killed since I have been here - many hundreds I should guess. Love to all friends, from your affectionate children.

Samuel and W.Curtis

February 16, 1842

From James Thomas Shaw, formerly shipwright in the dockyard at Devonport, England, to a friend in Plymouth.

My Dear Brother,

If I may be allowed to use that relative name, we arrived safe to this place and were landed 20th September, 1841, after a very porlonged voyage. This place in which we are located is a fine level country, abundantly watered; but I am sorry to say, we have no harbour, from which cause we labour under many disadvantages.

On my landing, I was surprised to find James married. I am at present living with him, but I hope in a few days to go into a house of my own. I did not put up the wood house I bought with me, not knowing where my town land would be, and owing to my very late choice, I find it very inconvenient to live there, as it fell to be in the very skirts of the town.

I thought it best to buy a piece of ground that was near the centre of the town. I have purchased a piece, in a very eligible spot, about 82ft by 42. Our houses are one story hight at present, built either of cob or wood, having no building stones convenient.

The houses in which we now live are built by the natives, with holes struck in the tround, with rods at right angles about ten inches apart, lined with raupo, a kind of bullrush, in a vertical diretion, thatched with long grass.

With respet to the natives, they are well-grown, active people, very quiet, nothing savage about them, very sober and honest and know how to make good bargains.

The climate is very pleasant; it is now our hottest month, not much warmer than at home, but rather colder at night, with heavy dews, we can suffer rather more bed clothes than in England.

My town section I have made a garden of, as it was situated so far off. it was covered with copse wood and timber, which is mostly cleared. I have in about 13 land-yards of potatoes and a good lot of cabbages.  We have a good deal of uphill work, from six in the morning till eight to nine in the evening.

Wages by the day, 7s.6d for mechanics; laboureres 4s to 5s per day; when working for private individuals, 6s per day. Provisions: fresh pork, 6d to 7d per pound, salt ditto 6d, flour 6d, loaf sugar 10d, split peas 2s per gallon, potatoes 1d per pound. They have been dearer; we shall have them cheaper soon. 

I must draw to a close, as my paper is near done.  I am still an advocate for emigration, and do not regret the undertaking, and would advise those that cannot make a living in England to emigrate. The agriculturist earning 8s or 8s.6d per week at home, out here would save more than he could earn at home. I am persuaded that all classes of honest and industrious persons will do well. Yours,

James Thomas Shaw

February 19, 1842

From A & E Hoskin to their parents.

I have now taken the opportunity of sending to you as I did not when the other people sent theirs; you will see the reason when you read the letter.

Dear friends,

I hope you received the letters I sent you by the vessel that we me met on our voyage out.  My brother Peter was on the beach waiting for me, at New Plymouth. Dear friends, I ham happy to say, that the people behaved very kind to all the passengers that came out in our ship; for they that came out in the first ship had some houses up to receive us.

They had twenty years of ground given them to build on for two years, which Peter's was not finished. Eliza went into Richard Rowis's house, adn Josias went in Captain King's tent, he told Eliza to go there too, but there was no room for both families and his things too; so now, thank God, we are all living in Peter's house and we give him three shillings per week; Josias gives him more, as he has a shop to work in, so we are all three brothers together.

Josias is doing quite well, he keeps a man to work for him; his price for half boots is £1.4s per pair, sheos 18s per pair, and women's shoes 11s per pair. Trades-people get 8s per day, laboureres from 5s to 7s per day.

There is no want for work here, adn when the work is done you have the money for it. Dear friends, I hope you will not grieve about our coming away, for I wish you were all here. If brother John was here, he might do well, or if Richard was here he would do well. I hope to see them all.

My sisters might do well in service, for wages are very high, from £12 to £1 per year; but if anyone comes here, he must be sure and keep himself steady, for a drinking man is not looked upon by any one in this place.

We are now expecting a cargo of sheep and bullocks from Sydney, what Captain King has gone after. We have not had any mutton or beef as yet, but plenty of pork. I kill from three to four pigs a week. I have now at present eighteen under hands for the inhabitants. Pork is 7 1/2d per pound. 

We can get them from the natives for blankets, or for 'money gold' as they call it, which we call sovereigns; the last lot we bought was from a ship that brought pigs for sale; we bought as many as came to £77.10s which, thank God, we have had a good sale for.

Dear friends, I am happy to say that anyone can do well, if they keep themselves sober.  As for myself, I work very hard; I am taking down timber for Captain King's house; I make my wages £3 per week in the sawing. The timber is very large here - it is from five to seven feet through, which we have a good lot of; it is inland.

Eliza works very hard too. She is at Captain King's two or three days a week, and one day at another gentleman's house, for which she gets 2s.6d a day and her meat. My two boys go to school and they are quite well.

Dear Mother, you would be glad to see them and to hear them talk the Mowry (Maori) language. I hope, in a short time, you will hear from me again, and then I will let you know all the particulars.

Sawyers get 14s to £1 per hundred. I am now talking of having a spot of land to put a house on; I intend putting up a wooden one, as we have the skids of the timber that we saw. The inhabitants are not enough to employ a cooper at present, soI work at that mornings and evenings.

When our ship was finished discharging, teh schooner Regina, of Plymouth came in sight; she had all our heavy things with her. I was ordered to go on board of her by Captain King, and see all the things taken out safe etc.

Dear friend, I hope you will give my love to uncle and aunt, etc. Tell them I will send them a letter soon. This is now our harvest time - some wheat and barley are cut. Give my love to all friends, adn tell them I should be glad to see them all here. But if they intend coming, I hope they will keep themselves steady. 

Dear friends, I can assure you this is a beautiful country, and the natives are very kind to the white people. Some of them are missionaries: we have one here, and they attend his house. We have preaching twice on Sundays. I must conclude; but I hope I shall hear from you again soon. If you send any parcel, please to direct it to me as you did the last.

From your dutiful son and daughter

More letters like these, written between February 1842 and January 1843, can be found in a little red-covered book Letters from New Plymouth, 1843, from Settlers & Labouring Emigrants in the New Zealand Company's Settlements of Wellington, Nelson & New Plymouth.