We Three go South
The year is 1890 and the writer is nineteen years old when she and her two sisters decided - on the toss of a coin - to embark on a voyage on the SS Hinemoa to the sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand, visiting places where few women had ventured before.
The enchanting account of this trip is recorded in an illustrated diary which offers an extraordinary insight into the lives of this trio of young adventurers who fearlessly faced the challenges of freezing southern latitudes with little more to protect them than high spirits. They were experienced sailors who visited most of the outlying islands of New Zealand and appear to have enjoyed a freedom unusual in their era. From riding horses to rowing boats, drawing or playing music, their love of nature and quick sense of humour gave them an ability to make fun from the simplest of situations.