Arrival in Wellington

The Kaikoura arrived in Wellington in the late afternoon of Saturday, April 1st, 1899, in perfect autumn weather and was met by members of the College Council and the College Registrar, Mr C. P. Powles. Mackenzie was quickly taken away to stay with relatives. One councillor tactfully stated that he had voted for me because there was no candidate from Scotland on the short list for the chair of chemistry. Another gentleman, not on the Council, though I thought he was at the time, told us that if the professors came out strongly for the Seddon Government they would obtain all they wanted for the College—otherwise they would get very little. Alas! He spoke the truth.

Mr Powles kindly shepherded us to a hotel on the site of the present Midland, and on the following day callers arrived; the first of them was Lady Stout. They did all in their power to make us feel that we were not strangers in a strange land.