Loading "Rawhiti" at Hamilton
This is the Roose wharf in Hamilton in the days of very little mechanisation in shipping. Each item, each sack of spuds, each barrel and each box or crate, has to be moved by one man. You can see the men using sack barrows – four of them. The one particular problem with such photos, you can’t tell if the men here are loading or unloading. On close examination of a high-resolution image, it has the faint look of being posed. At any rate, it was not easy work – heavy loads on sack barrows could take a toll on your back and shoulders.
The P.S. Rawhiti II had its maiden voyage on 31st October 1925 so this photo is after that and, given the grime on the superstructure, maybe a few years later.
This, and many images like it, feature in our Transport Photo Exhibition on Level 3 of the Central Library. Pop in and see how life with cars, trains and river boats in Hamilton has changed.
Contributed by Perry Rice, Whakaputu/Special Collections Librarian, Hamilton Central Library. If you have any information you would like to pass on or would like to buy an electronic copy of the photo, please e-mail heritage@hcc.govt.nz quoting: HCL_05965