At the time of this issue in 1882, the postal rate to the UK was 6d per ½oz. In 1891, it was reduced to 2½d.
In 1884, the New Zealand Shipping Company signed a 5 year contract for a direct mail service to the UK via the Straits of Magellan. This service alternated with the service via San Francisco and so, together, they provided a mail service once a fortnight.
The Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company ran the service between Auckland and San Francisco until November 1885 using the steamers Australia, City of Sydney and Zealandia. From 1886 to 1901 it was run by a combination of the Oceanic Steamship Company and the New Zealand Union Steamship Company [3]. The service typically took between 40 and 44 days. Between 1901 and 1907, it was run by the Oceanic Steamship Company on its own.
The last mail service from San Francisco by the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company was usurped by the Oceanic Company although their contract had not yet started. Their new service left San Francisco on the Alameda on 23 November 1885 and arrived in Auckland on 13 December. The Oceanic Company had three steamers: the Alameda, the Mararoa and the Mariposa and in March 1886, they bought the steamers Australia and Zealandia which had previously been used on the Pacific route by the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company.
A description of mail routes in 1882-83 between US and Australia and New Zealand that was published in 1884 has been reproduced in [1] while dates of international mail services for 1892 as published in the New Zealand Post Office Guide is reproduced in [2].
Covers to the UK
The cover was posted in Taupo in the middle of the North Island on 7 September 1887 and is addressed to London.
The manuscript on the front states: By Frisco Mail and so the route was by sea to San Francisco, by rail to New York and then by sea to the UK.
The next sailing was the Mariposa which left Auckland on 12 September and was due in San Francisco on 2 October.
There is a Napier backstamp on 9 September and a red London receiving mark on 17 October. A manuscript on the front bottom left states that it was received on 17 October. It was therefore 40 days in transit.
The stamp is die 1. As the date is 1887, the stamp is on
the first paper, i.e. it has a horizontal mesh and the distance
between the NZ and star is 6mm.
This 1888 cover is also routed via San Francisco. It is postmarked in Nelson on 29 November 1888 and backstamped in Colchester on 7 January 1889. It was therefore 40 days in transit.
The next sailing was the Zealandia which left Auckland on 3 December and was due in san Francisco on 22 December.
The cover is franked with a 6d die 1 second sideface.
Covers from the UK
This 1884 cover from the UK is also routed via San Francisco.
It is postmarked on 30 January 1884 and backstamped at Christchurch on 13 March and so was 44 days in transit. The City of Sydney of the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company left San Francisco on 18 February and arrived in Auckland at midnight on 10 March.
The stamp is SG 162, 6d on 6d which was issued in 1883.
The next cover is franked with two Queen Victoria Jubilee stamps. It is postmarked in Bristol on 12 July 1887 and backstamped in Picton on 22 August and so was 42 days in transit. It does not have routing instructions, but the Mariposa arrived in Auckland on 18 August having left San Francisco on 29 July.
The Jubilee stamps had been issued on 1 January 1887.
Reduced rate
In 1891, the rate was reduced to 2½d.
This cover with the reduced franking of 2½d is postmarked 30 May 1896 and is addressed to Dublin. It has an Auckland transit mark of 2 June. The receiving mark shows that it had arrived in Dublin by July 16 and so was 44 days in transit from Auckland.
The Mariposa left Auckland for San Francisco on 13 June with the mail due in London on 15 July.
This 1897 cover to Germany also has the reduced franking of 2½d and is routed Via Frisco.
It is postmarked on 20 January and is backstamped on 26 February in Dresden and again on 28 February after having been redirected to Leipzig. It therefore made very good time of only 38 days to Dresden.
These dates fit with the Alameda which left Auckland for San Francisco on 23 January with the expected arrival date of the mail in London being 24 February.
It should be noted that there was no difference in the postage rate for British Empire
and for foreign countries.
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The above information is taken from The Postage Stamps of
New Zealand Vol 3, published by the
Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand in 1955 and from contemporary New Zealand
newspapers.
All scans were made by the author.
[1] Mail Routes to N.Z. and Australia in 1882-83, The Mail Coach,
29(3), 121-123, February 1993. Extracted from: G.W. Griffin, New Zealand:
Her Commerce and Resources, Government Printer, Wellington 1884.
[2] International Mail Services, The Mail Coach,
21(1), 40-41, October 1984.
[3] N.Z. Marine Post Offices 1864-1907, The Mail Coach, vol 9, part 8, pp152-159,
April 1973.