Story: Japanese

Visiting a naval ship (1st of 2)

Visiting a naval ship

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, few New Zealanders had the chance to meet Japanese people. Then in 1882 Japanese naval ships began making goodwill visits, giving fireworks displays and opening their ships to the public. Thousands of curious locals turned out. Here, two Wellington children pose with members of the crew of the Iwate in 1916. The visits continued until the 1930s, but ceased with the outbreak of hostilities between Japan and New Zealand’s allies in the Second World War.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: C-27791-1/2

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Tessa Copland, 'Japanese - East and West: early days', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/1215/visiting-a-naval-ship (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Tessa Copland, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Mar 2015