You might find this a spooky experience! I’m talking about the world’s oldest merchant ship, the Edwin Fox, which is right here in New Zealand, near the Picton Ferry Terminal. I had no expectations about this visit but it ended up being such a great find. The museum is run by volunteers passionate about restoring the Edwin Fox and keeping it’s history alive. They’ve done a fantastic job.
The Edwin Fox is the last surviving ship carrying immigrants to New Zealand and the last to carry convicts. It seems the old ‘ball and chain’ quip directed at males about to marry, originated from something far more sinister.
First, visitors will explore the museum and as small museums go, it’s pretty darn good. There’s an excellent replica of the Edwin Fox in a glass cabinet and a sailor or two with a good yarn to tell:
The entire floor is laid out with old beams, thick ropes and wooden flooring which creak when you walk over them. Do watch the archived film footage on the video. Apparently, some decades ago, the good folk of Picton were all in favour of towing this boat out to sea and scuttling it! Thankfully, some objected.
Just as an afterthought, I took a quick walk to the dry dock to view the skeletal remains of the Edwin Fox. What I saw really astounded me. I had no idea of it’s size. It’s huge! Michael and I larked about on the top deck. We each had a turn at steering and took photos, that at the time, we thought were rather amusing.
But once we descended a couple of decks down,within the bowels of the ship, the atmosphere changed and our mood became sombre. Do ghosts still linger here?
After descending to the lower level, it was easy to imagine the misery of the desperately ill as they looked out from insect-infested bunk beds. There’s a pall of desperation in this part of the ship, the result of so many passengers having to endure and sometimes die from severe sea-sickness, childbirth and other illnesses. The convicts possibly fared the worse. They were tethered by that horrible contraption, the ‘ball & Chain’. Corporal punishment was meted out at the whim of the Ship’s captain and more alarming, the Ship’s surgeon!
I was relieved when we finally climbed back to the top deck and out to a golden sun. Even though I was a little spooked, I still consider this a great discovery for visitors to Picton. It’s so easy to find and with only a nominal entry fee, it’s a nice feeling to be able to make a donation to support the further restoration of this amazing piece of history.
