More excerps from early NZ immigrant letters

Dear Cousin,
                  ...When it was stormy, we had to stay under the deck. Everyone had to squish under while the water was pouring in. Everyone was vomiting. It was stinky. 1 out of 5 babies died. also 65 chidren died during the voyage.
             We had to live in steerage with no windows. We all had to sleep on bunks. We couldn't shower and got quite smelly. The men showered down with salt water. This was how life was during the voyage.
              New Zealand is beautiful. It is filled with forests and mountains. I miss you all in England.

Love from
Sumsijah


Dear Grandfather,
                    ... Now for the exciting part, when I arrived in New Zealand. When I first arrived, I was very glad to get off the ship. New Zealand looked like a very gigantic forest. It had millions and millions of trees and bushes and swamps. Once we got into it we hunted birds and cooked them on a campfire. We are living in a tent. To build the tent we used lots of sticks, branches and a tarpaulin and some rocks to hold the tarp down on a windy night. ...
           
Love from 
Levi