Over the Mountains of the Sea: Life on the Migrant Ships, 1870-1885

'The sea ran mountain high' is a recurring image in shipboard diaries written by people migrating under sail to New Zealand in the late nineteenth century. Every ship encountered terrifying storms in the Southern Ocean and there were also the threats of shipwreck, fire and icebergs: obstacles to overcome and ordeals to endure before migrants could begin their new lives on the far side of the world. Based on the records of 250 voyages and the direct testimony of more than 80 shipboard diaries, Over the Mountains of the Sea recreates what life was like on the migrant ships for ordinary people - the ancestors of many of today's New Zealanders - as they crossed the world. It deals with daily routines, matters of food, health, religion, crime and mutiny; it includes the humour, the scandal, the fights, the tensions of being stuck on a small ship in a huge ocean; it presents sea captains, ships' doctors, the grand and the lowly, single women confined in the 'virgins' cage' and children travelling to a new world. Over the Mountains of the Sea draws a vivid picture of the 'voyage out' during the crucial Vogel period.