11/13/1915 Left Wgtn x Great crowds x People gave soldiers flowers, eatables, etc x Not great deal [Too] cheering along streets but great enthusiasm on wharf, especially! as troopships were leaving x Howie, Willie, Misses Thornton, Rigby & Robertson were on the wharf x Willie sent me up a champagne cork, & also £1 note to buy a bottle to put it in x Also mementos from the ladies x Cut off some buttons & my hat badge and sent them down x Anchored in stream for some time, & Nikau on way to Nelson steamed round us & lot of cheering led by Willie x also noticed Dudley Edwards & Miss Kitching (Diocesan office) x Found that our (Srgts) accommodation not very good & found another bunk for myself (we were all fixed up in good quarters next day) x Soon after 6 cleared for Lyttleton x arrived about 8.30, very smooth trip x Big crowd on wharf x Cheers. Entrained 9 x 0 at Ch/ch immense crowds enthusiastic reception x Marched through to Cranmer Sq, where church service held x Nell & Tommie found me out x also saw Wallace and [Nancy], of Motueka x Did not hear any of the service x At railway station apples handed round very acceptable x on train again G. 1 o’clock off to Lyttleton 11/15/1915 Still smooth; ran into a little rain about 10, the coast was hazy x No drill; Dunedin men very interested passing their coast; many glasses picking up points x In afternoon helped to sort out parcels put on board; terrible lot x Got mine all right, filling a potato sack x Not long before the chaps were feeding, & if none of us are sick tomorrow ’twill be a miracle x Great excitement opening different packages x Oat cakes from Kit, pickles, paste, cake, dates, chocolate; sweets from Miss Warne; rolly polly from Mother x Have not opened up others yet x We ought to live well during next few weeks x When off Dog Island Lighthouse about 4 pm Wanaka passed going North x Dipped her flag & blew blast; we cheered x Strong head winds all day, fair sea on in Foveaux Straight x Will get our last sight of good old N.Z. tonight x Very cold in the evening; must be an iceberg floating round x Glorious sunset, streaks of gold; & Stewart Island coated in purple glow x Balaclava hats caps very useful now x Band on board x Thousands Mother Carey’s chickens x Dog Island light winking out good-bye to us x 11/16/1915 Bitterly cold; must be several “bergs” loose somewhere x Mittens & caps & warmer under-clothing x Saw first albatross x very windy, fair sea on x Had mother’s rolly-polly for tea; very good x Spent most time in bed reading Grand Babylon Hotel (Arnold Bennett) Tofua plugging along some distance on port bow; cloudy day, with snatches sunshine x Eating well! x 11/17/1915 Much warmer; but still strong wind, half a – gale x. Tofua came up alongside in the evening x No drill; bit of a sea on, & Tofua making hard work of it x No drill x 11/18/1915 Sea increased during night; tossed about x In morning still pretty rough, & last sight of Tofua x Circled round & picked her up x came close enough to exchange yells, & made a break in the monotony of things x Sea came through port hole of next cabin, right thro’ door and flooded opposite cabin without touching as it passed through x Sea increased - in evening, & (8:30) old packet is tossing about like a cork x Did not miss a meal, but not feeling as brisk as usual x 11/19/1915 Very rough night; forecastle swamped x Seas very high x One struck half–way up funnel x The port dormitory was stove in during the morning, making things very unpleasant x Tofua not in sight; and reported she had rough time x Soon got about that we would put into Hobart for repairs and this proved correct, land being sighted after dinner - a very steep point, with a lighthouse on x On entering the Derwent passage the Iron Pot Lighthouse, on a little island something like a clay bank x It is said that in the convict days the worst prisoners were put on this island x Going down harbour, with land on both sides, was very charming;. Passed orchards & farms x Hilly place, with slopes falling gently to seashore x Passed residential suburbs; very nice farms and well laid out grounds x The roads were made by convict labour; also a shot pour tower which is a prominent landmark x Tofua got alongside about 8, great cheering x Anchored - in stream for night; bright moonlight x Got to wharf 6:30 Saturday morning x Quite in love with Hobart; built on hill x Country wooded, in here and there a clearing which makes picturesque landscape x Everyone looking forward to a run ashore in the 11/20/1915 Went ashore this morning for route march x The men came back laden and decorated with flowers x At breakfast this morning a crown came off one of my teeth, and I got a pass to go into town & have it fixed up x Had a good time in the morning with some lady friends x Had dinner & tea at Imperial x Nice waitresses x Afternoon went to gardens; strawberries & cream etc. Night time went to Theatre went to earlier boarded boat soon after 11, after “great” day x The men were advanced general leave from 1 until 7; my pass enabled me to stay in town longer x The prettiest part of Hobart is going down the Derwent x Town itself rather old - fashioned; no bustle x Tram cars have “verandahs” on top x Not up to N.Z. ones. Few decent buildings; but lots of small ones; quaint looking some of them & must have been built in the very early days of the settlement x Town is be placed on side of hill; at the back big clay patches show which does not improve beauty of town x All the houses and other buildings erected either in brick or stone; many shingle roofs, looking much! worse for age x Hotels very poor; did not see one to come up to the Commercial in looks x Great numbers of them 11/21/1915 Was awakened at 5 by gentle movement of boat x Looking through port hole could see the reserves and gardens as we passed by x Lovely morning; but after getting out in open strong wind x Church parade x Chaplain spoke about Jacob x afternoon strong head wind x 11/22/1915 Rough and cold; had to turn round & pick up Tofua x Spent most time in bunk reading & sleeping x Nothing doing x 11/23/1915 Best day since day after leaving Ch/ch x Sea comparatively calm - sunshine now & again x Did little drills, signalling etc. In change of guard; rotten job x Passed several whales x Tofua kept up with us all day x Got swag which went aboard Tofua by mistake x 11/24/1915 Lovely calm day; best since leaving N. Z. x Drawn up syllabus for drill, & will be able to adhere to it weather permitting x More whales x Posted letter home. 11/25/1915 Another glorious day; made 320 miles - the record so far x Opened the parcel from Thornton’s - socks, chocolate, mouth organ (made in Germany with a request to return it to the maker at the first opportunity, a book, “Heart of the Sunset “ (Rex Beach) soap, a parcel not to be opened until Christmas, & a thumping big cake x Wrote and thanked them x Also wrote to Putty x Expect to reach Albany tomorrow [NOTE - at Hobart posted letter to mother, Kit and Howie, also p.c to Rogers (3) Effie, Ray, Patty, Aubrey, Miss Warne (thanking her for sweets) and Nell] 11/26/1915 Glorious day x Sighted Australian coast 9:45 x Low lying hills in the haze, other points soon showing up x One of the hills from distance was not unlike miniature Mt Egmont x Closer view resemblance faded; clay formation, big bare patches x Approaching outer harbour Saw a whaler; had one in tow and was after another which we could see spouting & every now & then a splash denoting discharge of harpoon x Country Limestone x Two harbours x outer harbour saw whaling station; one ship & whale looked like several steam lawn trawlers x Pretty going down land-locked harbour; only stunted scrub on land; sand beaches dazzling white x Lighthouse at entrance outer harbour x At inner harbour entrance not unlike French Pass, narrow passage - way between island & mainland x One of islands huge dome - shape, glacier formation, & waveworn x Tied up to pier 12:30 x Land round harbour covered with wooden slabs - diamond – shaped, etc; tell me survey marks and also guides to small boats x Picked up Naval transport- officer & health officer before berthing x Route Route march at 3; & leave from 5 until 9 x Albany built side small petit low lying hill, about 2 11/27/1915 Finished coaling x at wharf all day x Instead of giving men a march we simply did a little drill on wharf x An infantryman took a fit or something & was carried aboard unconscious x Left wharf 2 pm; Major Ross, several other officers, picquet & others too late, & had to come off later in launch.