“The best time for colonists to arrive is from October to January; they then arrive in the summer months, have the summer before them to house themselves, and probably form a garden, or break up some land and get in a crop.”
– Extract from a Despatch of Captain Thomas, the Canterbury Association’s Chief Surveyor, 15 May 1849.
The First Six Ships sent out from England by the Canterbury Association in 1850-1851 were known as The Summer Ships
CHARLOTTE JANE
CRESSY
RANDOLPH
SIR GEORGE SEYMOUR
CASTLE EDEN
ISABELLA HERCUS
More Information on Shipping
Archives New Zealand, Christchurch hold copies of all existing shipping lists including The Summer Ships [Link]
The Canterbury Museum Archives also has a comprehensive list of passengers in and out of the port of Lyttelton.