Funny day, yesterday. My sister, Jackie, and I set out to witness what, for us, was probably a one-time event – only to find there was no event.

It started off when I spotted a news item in Chris Lynch Media about the arrival of a sailing ship into the Port of Lyttleton, which services Christchurch and a good portion of the South Island. Apparently, a historic Dutch tall ship called the Oosterschelde was scheduled to dock at 9am on 27^th Dec, which was the same day as the Cressy came into port in 1850 carrying 155 immigrants to New Zealand from the UK. The Cressy was the last of what are referred to as the First Four Ships to bring immigrants to Canterbury NZ, which was a planned settlement.

The arrival of the Oosterschelde was promoted as an event to coincide with the 175^th anniversary of the Cressy’s arrival.

It looked like it could be an interesting event, so Jackie and I made plans to be in Lyttleton by 9am to witness the ship coming in and docking. Lyttleton is small hillside town just outside of Christchurch, and finding carparking on a busy day can be a challenge. Seeing as this was bound to be a popular event, we decided to drive halfway there, park the car near a bus stop, and travel by bus the rest of the way. I did wonder if other event-attendees might have a similar idea resulting in a full bus, but strangely, there were only a few of us on board. Nevertheless, our plan worked out perfectly.

We arrived in Lyttleton a few minutes past 9am, greeted by a cold southerly. Summertime, or not, a southerly wind has no respect for seasons. A few minutes delay seemed neither here nor there for the ship’s grand entrance, and braving the cold wind was certain to be worthwhile doing to witness that.

But, apart from the usual container ships and a cruise ship in port, there didn’t seem to be any excited crowds, and there was no sailing ship that we could see. I asked an older couple lingering on a street corner, where there was a view of the port, if they were there to watch the sailing ship come in. They knew nothing about it, and were only waiting for friends to pick them up. Another couple were as puzzled as we were by the sailing ship’s absence, and finally a woman hurrying by stopped long enough to tell us, upon being asked, that it had come in during the night and was amongst the private moorings. Sure enough, there it was.

It was considerably smaller than I expected it to be, and it took me a while to spot it amongst all the other boats. We were suitably impressed, though, by the fact that it and its crew venture out into the big wide ocean, and cross all sorts of seas. The first four ships would have been bigger, but those who sailed in them would have still needed to be fairly intrepid, not just for the voyage, but to start a new life in a new land. Māori, of course, came beforehand in even smaller boats.

But where was the fanfare about it coming in 175 years later on the same day the Cressy did to dock at 9am in front of, what we’d presumed would be, thrilled crowds? It was all a bit …. nothing. After we’d seen the ship and taken a photo, the ‘event’ was done and dusted in five minutes. So, we went and had a cuppa, and eventually did the return trip home in reverse of the way we came in.

Sometime after getting home, I went back to check the news article to see if I’d got things right, and found this –

Then, I found this –

Historic Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde to open its deck to visitors on Sunday – Chris Lynch Media

The opening sentences read –

“Ship enthusiasts will finally have the chance to step aboard the historic Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde, which arrived at Lyttelton Harbour on ahead of schedule.

A local group initially shared information about the ship’s visit, but its captain personally contacted chrislynchmedia.com on Friday to acknowledge the significant local interest in her arrival.

The Oosterschelde set sail from Plymouth Harbour, UK, in August 2023, embarking on a remarkable two-year planetary conservation mission, retracing Charles Darwin’s voyage of the Beagle.”

So, in the end it was nothing to do with the Cressy arriving 175 years ago to the day – lol! Even so, the ship looks like it could be fascinating to go and see, and have a ramble around within the permitted areas.

Chris Lynch Media covers Christchurch and surrounds, and is a good source of local news. On this occasion, the info he initially received and what actually eventuated had a first-time incongruence, until he corrected it, that I’ve been aware of.

Curious non-event that it may have ended up being, Jackie and I weren’t really fazed too much by it. The day went according to plan in some ways, and not in others. C’est la vie😊