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Story: Camping

Katherine Mansfield and party, Urewera, 1907

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Katherine Mansfield and party, Urewera, 1907

The teenage Katherine Mansfield, later a renowned short-story writer, sits at left in a sun hat in this 1907 photo taken at Galatea, on the fringe of the Urewera forest. Two women are washing and drying dishes in a basin while others stand in front of a large tent with awning. The party is midway through a six-week camping expedition in the central North Island, stopping at small Māori communities then relatively unknown to Pākehā. Visiting unfamiliar and scenic locations was part of the appeal of this camping expedition, and sleeping in a tent was essential since other accommodation was seldom available.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-002585-F

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

Mark Derby, Camping – Early New Zealand campers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39186/katherine-mansfield-and-party-urewera-1907 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mark Derby, published 26 November 2012.