A ship by which many prominent early settlers came out to New Zealand was the Josephine Willis, a brand new vessel of 1000 tons, that afterwards met with a tragic end in the English Channel. She sailed under the flag of Willis, Gann and Co. On October 23, 1854, she left Plymouth, with 135 passengers on board, for New Plymouth and Auckland. New Plymouth was reached on January 26, 1855, after a voyage that was somewhat eventful owing to the fact that a portion of the crew was decidedly mutinous and opposed all authority on board. While the ship was at New Plymouth roadstead she was in some danger for a while owing to the springing up of a northerly gale, and the position was accentuated by five of the crew refusing duty. The loyal part of the crew, however, with the willing assistance of the passengers, worked splendidly, and got the ship under way. She then sailed for Auckland, where she arrived on February 5.

the Josephine Willis had among her passengers for Auckland Dr. Kenderdine, who became one of Auckland's best-known medical men, and will long be remembered for his splendid work on behalf of the poor and needy. Several of Dr. Kenderdine's family occupy prominent positions in Auckland, including Messrs. John Kenderdine, manufacturing chemist, Auckland; Frederic James Kenderdine, with Messrs. Champtaloup and Edmiston; William Thomas Kenderdine, who is now with Messrs. Buddle and Richmond, solicitors; Arthur George Kenderdine, chemist at Taumarunui; and two other sons, sheep farmers.

Another well-known early Aucklander that came out in the Josephine Willis was Mr. Joseph Brown, who brought his family of nine children. Mr. Brown for many years was organist and choirmaster at St. Matthew's, and was conductor of the Auckland Choral Society. Three of the family are Mr. G. J. Brown (of Onehunga), Mrs. Vincent E. Rice (widow of a former secretary of the Auckland Education Board), and Mr. J. Oberlin Brown, of Mount Eden.

Looking over the passenger list, one is struck by the number of names of other people who became very well-known in Auckland. There are, for instance, Mr. and Mrs. Glenny, Mr. D. Cruickshank, Mr. and Mrs. Bycroft, Mr. and Mrs. Maclean, Mr. and Mrs. Holland and three children, Mr. and Mrs. Buller and Misses Buller (2), John Dingwall, and Messrs. Henry Holdship and George Holdship.

the Josephine Willis made a smart passage Home, and was again put on the berth for Auckland, sailing from the St. Katherine docks, London, on February 3, 1856, but she never got further than off Folkestone, where during the night she was run into by a powerful iron steamer called the Mangerton, bound for the Thames from Limerick. the Josephine Willis, which was still in command of Captain Canney, who had brought her out to New Zealand the previous year, carried a valuable cargo, and there were on board upwards of a hundred souls, including seventy passengers. The ship was doing about six knots on the port tack at the time, and both vessels saw one another before the accident happened, but there was apparently some mistake as to the courses, and before the steamer could reverse her engines she had run into and cut the ship to the water's edge.