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Vessels arriving at Port Taranaki, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Rutherford, James, The Establishment of the New Plymouth Settlement in New Zealand, 1841-1843: 1940. New Plymouth, N.Z.: [2d ed.] New Plymouth, Thomas Avery & Sons. Compiled and edited by Rutherford, James, and W. H. Skinner (William Henry 1857-1946) 274 p. [1969] DJ. From the introduction: "The Plymouth Company of New Zealand was initiated at a public meeting held in Plymouth, England, on the 25th January, 1840. It was an association of Devon and Cornish gentlemen, with the Earl of Devon as governor, and a strong body of influential men as directors. The aims of the Company, as set out in its prospectus, were 'to render available the resources of Devon and Cornwall, and to present to their inhabitants the means of participating in the favourable prospects offered by this new field of colonization.' The Company's life as a separate body was brief for it became merged into the New Zealand Company of London in 1842. Before the Company became involved in financial difficulties which led to the merger with the New Zealand Company, six ships were dispatched to New Plymouth. These six vessels with the BROUGHAM, a barque of 250 tons, which sailed from Port Nicholson (Wellington) with surveyors and staff for laying out the settlement and landed them at Moturoa on 12th February, 1841, constitute the fleet bring the pioneer founders of the 'Colony of New Plymouth' to these shores."
Being the journals of Henry Weekes (1814-1894), surgeon on the 'William Bryan'; John Newland, passenger on the 'Amelia Thompson'; Josiah Flight, passenger on the 'Timandra'; together with extracts from the log of the 'Blenheim'; brief notes of voyages of the 'Oriental' and the 'Essex'; accounts of the settlement of New Plymouth; the official passenger lists of the six pioneer ships of the Plymouth Company of New Zealand; and list of other arrivals between 1841-1860 with lists as best possible gathered from newspapers etc (see below). It also has a list of naval & military settlers, members of the British Forces stationed in NZ, of the Navy and Army who between the years 1850 - 1860 settled in New Plymouth or its immediate vicinity.
| Vessel | Arrival date | Comments |
| William Bryan | 31 Mar 1841 | New Plymouth Company 311 tons with 148 passengers |
| Amelia Thompson | 3 Sep 1841 | New Plymouth Company 477 tons with 187 passengers |
| Oriental | 7 Nov 1841 | NPC Wellington 26 Oct 506 tons with 130 passengers |
| Timandra | 23 Feb 1842 | New Plymouth Company 382 tons with 202 passengers |
| Blenheim | 19 Nov 1842 | New Plymouth Company 374 tons with 138 passengers |
| Essex | 20 Jan 1843 | New Plymouth Company 392 tons with 115 passengers |
| Partial list | ||
| Speculator | Jun 1841 | from Wellington |
| Regina | Oct 1841 | from Plymouth |
| London | Dec 1840 | arr Wellington with N.P. settlers |
| Phoebe | Mar 1843 | arr Nelson with NP pass |
| Tyne | Aug 1843 | arr Wgtn & transferred to Brig Victoria to NP |
| Thomas Sparks | Feb 1843 | from London via Nelson |
| Victoria | Dec 1843 | arr from Bay of Islands |
| Himalaya | Dec 1843 | from London |
| Bella Marina | May 1844 | from London via Hobart |
| Raymond | Aug 1844 | |
| Louisa Campbell | July 1845 | arr Wellington with NP pass. |
| Madras | Sep 1846 | |
| Carbon | Nov 1846 | arr from Sydney |
| Ralph Bernal | Dec 1847 | from London via Nelson |
| Bernica | Nov 1848 | from London |
| Cornwall | Aug 1849 | from Gravesend |
| Kelso | Oct 1849 | from London |
| Berkshire | Jan 1850 | from London via Nelson |
| Pekin | Feb 1850 | from London via Otago |
| Poictiers | Jun 1850 | from London |
| Mariner | Oct 1850 | |
| Eden | Oct 1850 | from London direct |
| Phoebe Dunbar | Oct 1850 | |
| Sir Edward Paget | Jan 1851 | |
| Isabella Hercus | Apr 1851 | 1856 |
| Cresswell | Apr 1851 | |
| Victory | Apr 1851 | |
| Cashmere | Nov 1851 | |
| Fatima | Feb 1852 | from London via Wellington |
| William Hyde | Mar 1852 | from London via Lyttelton |
| Gwalior | 1852 | pass arr Auckland & to NP by schooner |
| Joseph Fletcher | Oct 1852 | from London via Auckland |
| Camilla | Oct 1852 | from NSW |
| St Michael | Dec 1852 | from London via Madeira |
| Tasmania | Apr 1853 | from London via Wellington |
| Simlah | Aug 1853 | from London via Auckland |
| Sir Edward Paget | Aug 1853 | from London via Auckland |
| Cresswell | Aug 1853 | from London direct |
| Joseph Fletcher | Sep 1853 | from London direct |
| John Taylor | Nov 1853 | from Eng. via Canterbury & Wellington |
| Hamilla Mitchell | Feb 1854 | from London via Auckland |
| Lady Clarke | Apr 1854 | from London via Auckland |
| Eclipse | Jun 1854 | from London |
| Cashmere | Aug 1854 | from London direct |
| Joseph Fletcher | Oct 1854 | from London direct |
| Monarch | Oct 1854 | from London via Auckland |
| Josephine Willis | Jan 1855 | from London direct |
| Vixen | Feb 1855 | from Melbourne |
| Cresswell | Jun 1855 | from London direct |
| Rock City | Jul 1855 | from London via Auckland |
| Duke of Portland | Aug 1855 | from London via Auckland |
| Egmont | Nov 1855 | from London via Auckland |
| Cashmere | Nov 1855 | from London via Lyttelton |
| Mary Jane | Nov 1855 | from Wanganui |
| Ashmore | Mar 1856 | from London via Auckland |
| Sandford | July 1856 | arr Auckland & tsf to NP |
| Gypsy | Oct 1856 | from London |
| Cashmere | Apr 1857 | from London |
| Dinapore | Oct 1857 | from London via Auckland |
| Sporting Lass | Apr 1858 | with pass from the Joseph Fletcher |
| Sporting Lass | Oct 1858 | with pass tsf from Mary Ann |
| Kate Kearney | Nov 1858 | from Sydney |
| Lord Worsley | Jan 1859 | from Sydney via Nelson |
| Eclipse | Mar 1859 | from London |
White Wings Vol. 2 by Sir Henry Brett also contains a list detailing emigrant vessel arrival dates an for New Plymouth, 1843 to 1885 and other vessels are mentioned in that list.
Otago Witness, Issue 2547, 7 January 1903, Page 21
TARANAKI. Obituary: Levi Sarten, aged 62, said to be the first European child
landed at New. Plymouth from the first ship on March 1, 1842. Deceased was well
known as a member of the Harbour Board.
