Station Life in New Zealand

"Station Life in New Zealand" by Lady Barker is a series of letters chronicling a woman's life as she emigrates from England to settle in New Zealand as a sheep farmer's wife during the late 1800s. Her story brings to life the thrills, struggles, and ordinary moments of adjusting to a world completely different from her life in England, revealing both her personal development and the larger story of colonial existence. The story begins with Lady Barker's introduction, explaining the purpose behind her writings to capture the truth of her experiences. We then read of her difficult two-month sea journey to Melbourne, filled with seasickness and boring days but also finding friendship with other passengers. Arriving in Melbourne, she is fascinated by the city's fast growth, which highlights the big differences between her old life and her new one, with colorful descriptions of activities, events, social interactions, and local culture, with her letters setting the scene for a examination of colonial life in New Zealand, with personal stories mixed with wider thoughts on society and the world around her.