New Zealand

We landed in Auckland and went looking for Tom Jenkins (we met him in Spain) went to is address only to be told he was working, we went to his place of work he was a boiler man in the local hospital. Well Tom could not believe we had arrived he was so overjoyed! He phoned is boss to tell him he was taking a holiday, his boss said no you are not! Tom resigned and walked out of the boiler room. We pleaded with him not to quit his job he would not listen, he said “I will go back to working on the railway I am a train driver. So we three had a great time touring in Kiwi land. New Zealand is wonderful country fantastic scenery, geysers, boiling mud and the people are great. It is the only country I would emigrate to.


All good things come to an end. George and I had to start working. George as an experienced dish washer got work in a RAF base washing dishes. I found work in a local hospital as mortician. This is the only work where I received tips, the undertakes were so generous and the work was interesting.

Every Saturday and Sunday we went down to the docks and tried to find a ship where we could get a working passage back to the UK. This was never successful as we were required to have seamen’s papers but were always welcomed on board usually to a party and after returned to land a bit unsteady. Our boarding house was a typical wooden house. There was only one other border I can’t remember his name but he seemed a lonely person he could not talk properly and he was paralysed down his right-hand side, walking was a problem for him. His life was just spent sitting in a boarding house I felt so sorry for him.

After about nine months George and I decided it was time to return home. When I told my working friends I was going back to the UK. They were sad and gave me a souvenir book of New Zealand and everyone signed it and wished me well I still have this book and treasure it. We had booked a passage with the Blue Star Line sailing to Southampton and sadly set sail for home. From New Zealand we sailed to Acapulco Fiji and watched young boys dive from a high cliff into the sea they had to time the dive as a big wave came in so as not to hit the seabed and injure/kill themselves. After our overnight stop we set sail for the Panama cannel. The ship tied up in Panama and we had a day in Panama. We were only allowed on the main street, at every side street stood a policeman who would prevent us from leaving the main street.

Early next morning the ship headed for the entrance to the canal, it was carrying very little fuel and the bilges were empty so was sitting very high out the sea as the canal is sallow and it was narrow just a foot or two clearance to port and starboard, however, two small trains on each side attached to the ship by cables kept the ship off the side of the canal and pulled the ship through a series of locks. It is very impressive. All to soon we left the canal after the ship refuelled and set sail for Florida US of A.