Wellington

stein · Nov 10, 2007

Great picture. With so many non-workers you'd think it was Sunday, but with so many at work it can't be! Are they waiting for a ship? Dockers ready to go to work at lower right?
Looks like a blackboard at lower left, maybe it's info on ships in port? Last word of the line on top is "list". A newspaper kiosque at right?, with steamboat tickets at one end perhaps. Something is found readable outside it. Lot's of things going on. Regards, Stein.

John.H.Clark · Nov 10, 2007

Stein
under a magnifying glass the board reads Berthage List. The kiosk reads Gordon & Gotch, not confident of second word. Nobody appears to be in a hurry so it may a Sunday
regards
John

stein · Nov 10, 2007

And that's Gordon & Gotch, magazines and newspapers, I understand. An office was established in Sydney in 1861, followed by an office in London in 1867. Later in New Zealand and Canada. Still going strong.
I see at least four females a bit in, no luggage, it has to be Sunday. In Norway not much would have moved on a Sunday at the time, those not scared enough of God's revenge would have gotten to taste some of it in advance. But in a young country, with lots of fresh immigrants willing to work hard to "make it", things were probably a bit different. Regards, Stein.

raybnz · Nov 10, 2007

Certainly a busy place. If memory isn't playing tricks I think the Signal Tower was still there in the 1960s.

Ngaio 62 · Nov 10, 2007

"those not scared enough of God's revenge would have gotten to taste some of it "
Yes there were some of those about-Calvinist/Lutheran protestant.
but the prevailing protestantism in New Zealand both then and now is of the C of E variety. The Roman Catholic church also had a very strong following back then as well.

If this is 1910-1915 then my granparents may have come in on one of the NZSC boats showen.

John.H.Clark · Nov 11, 2007

when I had the pleasure of sailing to NZ Sundays were very quiet. Certainly no pubs or shops and I think no cinema. In small ports like Timaru the ships were open to the public on Sunday and we apprentices got to know more than one Kiwi girl on such occasions.

KIWI · Mar 7, 2008

That newspaper & cigarette kiosk now stands in the Khandallah Bowling Club Wellington.It is in excellent condition possibly a hundred years later from when the picture was taken. Kiwi

Wellington

stein

John.H.Clark

stein

raybnz

Ngaio 62

John.H.Clark

KIWI

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