Kōrero: Mail and couriers

Wellington-to-Auckland mail run

Wellington-to-Auckland mail run

From about 1856 mail was delivered regularly between Wellington and Auckland by a succession of Māori mail carriers. The trip took two and a half weeks each way, partly because the carriers, who had become devout Christians, refused to work on Sundays. The journey up the west coast was difficult and often dangerous. One postman almost drowned crossing Kāwhia Harbour by canoe in rough weather. However, he managed to save both himself and his mailbag, which could weigh around 30 kilograms.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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Source: Howard Robinson, A history of the Post Office in New Zealand. Wellington: Government Printer, 1964, p. 58

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Tim Shoebridge, 'Mail and couriers - Beginning of the postal system, 1810s–1850s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/map/23043/wellington-to-auckland-mail-run (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Tim Shoebridge, i tāngia i te 11 Mar 2010