Matoaka (1853 ship) facts for kids

Matoaka (sometimes called Mataoka) was a large wooden sailing ship, built in 1853 in New Brunswick. She was a type of ship called a full-rigged ship, which means she had three or more masts with square sails. The Matoaka weighed about 1092 tons. By 1859, she was owned by a company called Shaw, Savill & Albion Line.

Between 1859 and 1869, the Matoaka made eight trips to New Zealand. Her quickest journey from Bristol to Lyttelton, New Zealand was in 1862, taking only 82 days! On May 13, 1869, she left Lyttelton heading for London with Captain Alfred Stevens, 45 passengers, and 32 crew members. Sadly, the Matoaka was never seen again.

First Trip to New Zealand

The Matoaka's first trip to New Zealand started on June 13, 1859, from London. Captain Stevens was in charge. She sailed on the famous clipper route, which was a long and fast way around the world for sailing ships.

She arrived in Wellington on September 13, then continued north to Auckland, arriving on September 17, 1859. Near Castlepoint, the ship faced a strong northerly storm. This storm tore some of her sails and forced the ship to stop for twelve hours.

Some of the people traveling on the Matoaka were migrants, meaning they were moving to a new country. One important passenger was Thomas Ball, who later became a politician in New Zealand. He had gathered about 80 people who planned to settle in Mangonui with special land grants from the government. However, when they arrived, the rules had changed! Instead of getting land, they had to buy it. This made many people very upset.

Amazing Icebergs

On December 25, 1866, while sailing from London to Lyttelton, the Matoaka sailed into a huge area filled with icebergs. This happened in the South Indian Ocean, near Kerguelen Island. Some of these icebergs were incredibly tall, described as being 300 to 400 feet high! Imagine seeing mountains of ice floating in the ocean.

Bringing Birds to New Zealand

Captain Stevens was not just a ship captain; he also helped bring English songbirds to New Zealand for the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. This society wanted to introduce new animals and plants to the country.

On January 10, 1867, he arrived with many birds, including starlings, larks, blackbirds, thrushes, pheasants, and partridges. He brought more birds in 1868, like more thrushes, blackbirds, house sparrows, and even a robin. His last shipment of birds was in 1869.

However, by 1879, the house sparrows that were brought over had become a problem. They were seen as a pest, and people blamed the Acclimatisation Society for introducing them.

Voyages and Important Passengers

The Matoaka made many journeys, carrying both people and goods. Here are some interesting facts about her trips:

• First Major New Zealand Voyage: In 1859, she sailed from London to Wellington and then Auckland. She was noted as the largest ship to sail to New Zealand at that time.
• Unique Cargo: After her first New Zealand trip, she sailed from Auckland to Callao and the Chincha Islands to pick up guano, which is bird droppings used as fertilizer.
• Politician on Board: In 1860, James FitzGerald, another important New Zealand politician, traveled on the Matoaka from Bristol to Lyttelton with his family.
• School Masters: In 1863, the ship carried the headmaster of Dunedin High School and several other teachers from London to Port Chalmers. Sadly, while transferring from the Matoaka to a smaller boat to reach Dunedin, the Campbell family (the headmaster's family) were lost in a boat collision in the harbor.
• Silver Cup: In 1864, the Matoaka brought a special silver cup from London to Auckland. This cup was a prize for cargo boats competing in the Auckland Regatta, a boat race event.
• Famous Suffragist: In 1868, the famous suffragist Kate Sheppard and her family were passengers on the Matoaka from London to Lyttelton. Kate Sheppard was a very important person who fought for women's right to vote in New Zealand.

The Final Voyage

The Matoaka's last journey began on May 11, 1869, when she left Lyttelton, New Zealand, heading for London. On board were 44 passengers and a cargo of wool, flour, animal fat (tallow), flax, animal skins, and other items. She was the last ship of the season to take the clipper route around Cape Horn, a very dangerous part of the world for ships.

What most people on board didn't know was that the ship was also carrying a huge amount of gold, worth £50,000!

By September 1869, the ship was overdue, meaning she hadn't arrived when expected. By December 8, 1869, she was officially considered lost. No other ships reported seeing her after she left New Zealand.

In July 1870, a rumor spread that the Matoaka's captain had told a former passenger he planned to sail further south than other captains. If this was true, it meant he might have sailed into even more dangerous ice.

Mysteries and Hoaxes

After the Matoaka disappeared, many rumors and strange stories began to circulate.

• False Sightings: Some reports claimed an American ship saw a large sailing ship with only one mast standing, or that the Matoaka had crashed ashore in America. Then, in February 1870, a telegram even announced that the Matoaka had arrived in London! However, all these sightings and messages turned out to be untrue. The shipping company Lloyd's officially declared the ship missing, believing it had sunk, probably due to ice in the Southern Ocean.

• Spiritualist Claims: In June 1870, a letter appeared in a newspaper from someone who claimed to be a spiritualist. This person said that through a medium (someone who communicates with spirits), they were told the ship had been wrecked on the Auckland Islands and that the passengers had survived. Another claim followed, saying that during a seance, a message was received that HMS Blanche was sailing to the Bounty Islands and then to the Auckland Islands to find survivors.

• Bottle Message Hoax: In May 1872, a bottle was found on St Kilda Beach in Dunedin. Inside was a message supposedly from the ship's First Mate. The message claimed that some of the crew were adrift in a lifeboat north of New Guinea. However, when experts checked the handwriting, it didn't match the First Mate's. The message was declared a cruel hoax.

The Search for Answers

Despite the hoaxes, real searches were organized to try and find the Matoaka or any survivors.

Bounty Islands Search

In May 1870, families of those on board asked the New Zealand Premier, William Fox, for help. They wanted a search of the Bounty Islands, in case the ship had been blown there by bad weather. On June 29, HMS Rosario sailed from Auckland to the Bounty Islands, arriving on July 8. Captain Palmer described the islands as bare, empty, and very exposed to the rough sea. He believed they were just dangerous rocks where no one could survive. He didn't find any sign of the Matoaka. He also took the chance to claim the islands for New Zealand.

Auckland Islands Search

Before this, the British Navy (Admiralty) received a letter from a man named John Knowles. He was on another ship, the Alexander Duthie, and said they had seen smoke from a fire on Enderby Island in January. Because of this letter, in April, the Admiralty ordered Commodore Lambert to search the Auckland Islands for the missing ship. HMS Blanche sailed from Sydney on July 2, arriving ten days later. A thorough search was made by the crews of the Blanche and another ship, the Daphne, but they found nothing.

South Georgia Search

A search was also made around South Georgia because there were reports of fires being seen there. However, no trace of the Matoaka was ever found.