Early settlers:
By 1838 there were about two thousand Europeans living in New Zealand. Two years later when the country became a British Colony, the New Zealand Company started to send out more settlers and the gentle flow of pioneers began. The number of European immigrants had risen to 32,000 by 1863. Gold had been discovered in Otago and the dreams of making a fortune changed the flow into a stream. If they originated from Dorset can you tell us what happened to them?
We have had news of many people leaving Dorset on the ship Timandra as early as 1841. She was one of six ships sent out by the Plymouth Company with passengers from the West Country who settled at New Plymouth. Do you know of people that came either with free passages or who came out independently from Dorset? If so we would like to hear from you? Return to World Regions
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