Succession of Gales.

During the height of this storm this ship carried away several of her forecastle rails and mizzen stay, and did other damage. Luckily the Oamaru was a vessel that lay-to easily. After the gale moderated she had light variable winds all round the compass, which continued until November 3rd. On that day she passed the Snares; thence she had light northerly winds until breasting Banks Peninsula on November 7th. When off the Kaikouras on November 12th, she encountered another heavy gale, with a heavy south-east sea, which compelled her to stand off shore, and finally heave-to for thirty-six hours; the weather then moderating allowed the ship to stand in for the land again, but when about ten miles distant from Pencarrow Head another strong northerly gale set in, which sent the ship away off the land, and kept her there until November 19th. On the morning of that day, when close in to Flaxburn, a southerly wind was taken, and this carried her up to Wellington Harbour—arriving there on 19th November.

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During the passage from the Cape of Good Hope to the Snares the ship was compelled to heave-to some six or seven times, owing to the prevalence of very severe northerly gales.