On 29 June 1862 the steamer White Swan wrecked off the Wairarapapa coast. The White Swan was en route from Auckland to Wellington, and was intended to arrive in time for the first session of Parliament ever to be held in Wellington. On board the steamer were many significant political figures of the day, including the Premier, William Fox, and several Cabinet Ministers, their wives, and government officials. During the morning of the 29th, the White Swan struck rocks south of Castlepoint. Captain Allen Harper deliberately ran the ship aground to save the lives of those on board, and all passengers made it ashore easily. Parliament was eventually opened in Wellington on 14 July.

The most significant loss resulting from the wreck of the White Swan, however, was that of the government records that were on board at the time. The passengers aboard the ship had been travelling with many official papers and books necessary for the opening of Parliament. A great number of these were lost, despite efforts to float the cases containing the papers ashore. Many records from this time in Archives NZ’s collection are reproductions of originals lost on the White Swan.

This photograph of the White Swan comes from the collection extracted from the holdings of New Zealand Post Archives, which is part of the Post Office Museum and Archives.

Archives reference: AAME 8106 W5603 115/ 11/8/138