November 24 Sunday – In Auckland, Livy wrote to her sister, Sue Crane:
Saturday we [lunched] at Bishopscourt, which is the bishop’s palace here…the bishop was interesting, but I found his wife still more so.
November 23 Saturday – In Auckland, N.Z.: Sam’s notebook: to Kauri Gum establishment of Ameri firm of Arnold, Cheney & Co — large exporters to Amer [NB 34 TS 40].
November 22 Friday – In Auckland the Clemens family went to the Public Library with the librarian and town clerk. In the afternoon they took a drive with W. Douglas, President of the Journalists’ Institute, to “the grassy crater-summit of Mount Eden.” In the evening Sam gave his (No.2) “morals” lecture “At Home” to another 1,100 at Auckland City Hall. On this occasion he included the Australian poem but left out the “Golden Arm” tale. Reviews published Nov.
November 21 Thursday – In Auckland once again, Sam went sightseeing with unnamed friends and liked what he saw:
November 20 Wednesday – The Mahinapua sailed through the Taranaki Bight on the west coast of North Island. Passengers were unable to see Mt. Egmont due to heavy mist. The ship arrived in Auckland around 6 p.m. and the Clemens party took rooms at the Star Hotel on Albert St., Auckland’s “leading hotel.” Sam met an Englishman, “a fine large Briton a little frosted with age,” who had fought in the West during the American Civil War and was now working at the hotel as a porter.
November 19 Tuesday – The Clemens party arrived in New Plymouth, N.Z. where they stayed “all day” sailing again on the Mahinapua at 10 p.m. for Auckland. On board ship they met Archbishop Redmond and a priest. No record is given for the group’s activities in New Plymouth.
November 18 Monday – At about 4:30 a.m. the Mahinapua was grounded for a half hour on a sandbar in French Pass. From FE:
November 17 Sunday – At about 5 p.m. in Wellington, N.Z. the Clemens party changed to a smaller ship, the Union Co.’s Mahinapua, captained by W.J. Newton [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 25]. It sailed at 8 p.m. From FE:
November 16 Saturday – In Christchurch, N.Z., Sam lunched with the Canterbury Club. Joseph Kinsey and daughter May went with the Clemens party to Lyttelton, 12 miles on the train. The Clemenses carried 35 gifts including Maori artifacts. Kinsey also gave Sam a stuffed platypus (ornithorhyncus). Kinsey took photographs in Christchurch and would send them to the Clemenses in Wellington. At midnight they sailed in the Union Company’s Flora for Wellington.
November 15 Friday – In Christchurch, N.Z. this may have been the day Sam visited the Canterbury Museum:
In the museum we saw many curious and interesting things; among others a fine native house of the olden time…and the totem-posts were there, ancestor above ancestor, with tongues protruded and hands clasped comfortably over bellies containing other people’s ancestors — grotesque and ugly devils, every one, but lovingly carved, and ably; and the stuffed natives were present…looking as natural as life….