Voyages to New Zealand.

On her first visit to Auckland the Laira was under the command of Captain McCarry. The passage occupied from February 1, 1882, to June 1, and was quite uneventful. On the next three visits to the port she was commanded by Captain Thow, who was very well known in these waters. Her second trip was only two days less than the 118 she took the first time she made the Waitemata. Leaving London on June 18, 1883, she took twelve days to clear the land, and did not cross the prime meridian until September 28, after which she struck a gale, during which she was hove-to for twelve hours. In the following year she made a fine passage of 94 days, which was her best while trading to the colony. She left London on April 9, crossed the Equator on May 6, and the prime meridian on May 27. The Cape was passed on June 4, and then a gale caused the ship to heave-to for 24 hours. The maintop-sail was blown away, and a heavy sea that came aboard damaged the long-boat and other gear on deck. The barque's fourth visit to Auckland was in 1885. She and the Ada Melmore were signalled at the same moment—one of those coincidences that sometimes happened to ships on the long, long sail from London half-way round the globe. Not once on the voyage had the ships seen each other, yet they entered the Hauraki Gulf at almost the same identical moment. the Laira had an uneventful trip, with the exception of a heavy gale on September 25, during which she was hove-to for 18 hours, and a heavy sea did some damage to the fore end of her poop.

The passages made to New Zealand ports by the Laira were:—