Soldier Life In The War: Departure To Do Justice In Honour Of Country And The Motherland

The history of New Zealand (Aotearoa) dates back approximately 700 years to when it was discovered and settled by Polynesians, who developed a distinct Māori culture. The first European explorer is known to sight New Zealand was Dutch navigator Abel Tasman on 13 December 1642.
Troopship 55, SS Torfua, Sailed from New Zealand on May 30th, 1916 with 900 troops aboard.
I write this diary to my Mum & Dad, and all my friends. I wish that it should be passed on to all those interested in my welfare and I trust it will prove interesting.
After 4 months of solid, hard, and tiresome training at Trentham & Featherston Military camps, our time came, like other drafts, to embark on an unknown destination.
We struck camp on Monday, May 29th, 1916, a great hustle of packing kits, cleaning up camp ready for the next to occupy the huts we were in. Excitement was very high because of the long looked for Sea trip.
Many men were leaving N.Z. for the first time, they were the most excited, their eyes were going to be opened to the ways of the East and probably, this great England they had heard so much about. The time of their very life was in store for them and they were beginning to realize the fact. After getting our kits to the Station, we entrained, in Cattle Trucks, which the N.Z. government are so generous in supplying to the N.Z. Troops, and had a rough sort of journey to Wellington, to make things more pleasant, it was raining as it generally did when the 13th were out to show the public their best.
However we reached the Ships Side, passing crowds of people who, strange to say, did not show very much enthusiasm for us, think they must have pitied us more than anything, but what was the good of that?