TRANSCRIPTION:
Totara Street
Toi Toi Valley
Nelson
3rd Jan /06
My dear Edith
You will be thinking it quite time I wrote you a letter, I have written letters to all my sisters telling them of my trips, & we have been out every day except the first week & that was preparing for Xmas so the time has just flown & I have been here over a fortnight. I like Nelson it is beautiful, but we have not had the usual Nelson weather since our arrival, with the exception of one or two days & it has been very windy, the Sat before Xmas we had a hailstorm hails as large as marbles & the weather very cold one or two days, Bessie writes they had frost in Raetihi on Xmas morning Mrs Blair & I had to stay one night in Wellington after all the ‘Alexander’ did not sail to Nelson at all, we sailed in the ‘Charles Edward’ at 5 o’clock on the Saturday.

I was rather pleased to be able to see round Wellington but Kate was in a state to get home We got permission to look over a big vessel that was in the Harbour, called the ‘Ma hina’ [sic ?Maheno] the fastest vessel that had been in Wellington, had that day done a record trip from Lyttelton by two hours, trades between Melbourne Sydney & N.Z. She left again for Sydney just after us & passed us in the Harbour we were sitting at tea we all went on deck to look at her, the Captain said ”Oh we wont try & race her” She soon left us far behind. The ‘Mahina’ [sic ?Maheno] has a crew of 114 & takes 533 passengers, 1st, 2nd & 3rd class, dining rooms for each class. Drawing room Smoking & two bathrooms with two baths in each. The kitchen had a range with five ovens. It would take up too much room to describe here what the saloons were like I was delighted with what I saw & consider myself very fortunate to see so much.

We went to the Museum & Library & had a ride in an Electric Cav [sic] & had a look around the shops. It was very windy in Wellington & windy on the sea. I went up on deck after tea & stayed there until dark the cabin was so stuffy I am sure had I stayed up above I would not have been sick but as soon as I went below I just had time to undress for bed when I got bad, that eating apples before I got undressed thinking what a good sailor I was when I was paid out for my conceit however I got on very well for my first experience on water I was only sick twice I went up on deck about 7 o’clock next morning again I felt seedy but I could not bear the cabin so I was up on deck till we arrived in Nelson it was a glorious day we got in about 10 oclock on the Sunday. Mr Blair was there to meet us & may be sure was glad to see his wife again was anxious to know what detained us, as he had got a wire from Wanganui to say we had left. Nelson is a much larger place than I expected but many of the buildings are old & out of date, there are several clay cottages here, There is a new Post Office being built here, the old one is very dilapidated. On boxing day we walked down to ‘Tahuna’ a place near the sea where people go for pic-nics [sic] There is not much beach but it is a nice walk down, asphalt Esplanade with seats at intervals we walked out on the rocks until the sea drove us back, then we went to the Port & there was a big boat ‘Patuna’ in & we had a look over her, very nice but of course not to be compared with the other. New Years Day I went out to Whakuapuaka [sic Whakapuaka] in a motor car for an hour & after dinner we went down to the Port again. Mr Blair wanted to fish I went to the Cathedral on Sunday morning it was all decorated & looked very pretty but had a poor minister & very poor congregation. I want to go to all the Churches while I am here.

On Friday we will hire bikes & go out to the country with a lady & today a lady neighbour offered us her horse & carriage to drive out to see the country there is not many people who would do that & I hardly like to use things like that of other people. We are going over the Jam & Biscuit Factories one day as that will be interesting. A man in the train told us Kirkpatricks would be only too pleased to show visitors around. I went to see a wedding in the church this afternoon & to the Library & Museum. I will have been here three weeks on Sunday, I will take the first boat that sails for Wanganui. I may have to go back Wellington way I hope I wont & alone it all depends on what time the steamer got in though I will close now with love to all not forgetting you
I remain
Yours sincerely
Emily Davis
xx Billy
xx Thea
& Reg