When in 1855 the railway was opened between Panama and Colon for traffic across the Panama isthmus, the plan arose to set up a direct steamship line from the U.K. via Panama to Australia and New Zealand, but the outbreak of the Crimean War delayed the plan.
When this war ended in 1858 the Colonial Government proposed a plan to establish a service with fast packets of about 2.000 tons, with an average speed of 12 knots.
1863 An agreement was reached between the Government of New South Wales and New Zealand and the new founded Panama, New Zealand & Australia Mail Steam Packet Co. was founded with a capital of £375.000.
Sailings between Sydney and Panama were to be monthly in each direction, in New Zealand; Wellington was the port of call. The new company got an annual subsidy of £100.000.
Four iron screw steamers were ordered by yards in the U.K., the RUAHINE, KAIKOURA, RAKAIA and MATAURA. The speed of the vessels to be not less than eight knots.
Built as an iron hulled passenger-cargo vessel under yard No 46 by Randolph Elder & Co. Govan, Scotland for the Panama, New Zealand & Australia Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd., London.
31 January 1866 launched under the name RAKAIA, three sisters.
Tonnage 1.456 gross, 938 net, dim. 83.21 x 10.39 x 5.58m.
Powered by a steamengine, manufactured by shipbuilder of 350nhp., speed 10 knots.
A two masted brig rigged vessel, two decks, she had fine lines and lofty raking spars, clipper bow.
Passenger accommodation of 100 first class, 60 second and 65 third class passengers.
One funnel painted white. On the stamp she carried the funnel of the Royal Mail Line.
Delivered in 1866 and under command of Captain Wright she went direct from Milford Haven to Panama via Cape Horn in order to begin the service from the Panama side. She made the voyage entirely under steam a distance of 11.315 miles in 46½ days, at an average speed of 10.37 knots, on a coal consumption of 30 tons a day.
She left Panama on 24 June 1866 bound for Wellington; she reached Wellington 28 days later. The first three months of her service she steamed 19.000 miles without any mishap.
The vessels in this line did not have large bunker capacity, so it was a necessity to open a coaling station between Wellington and Panama. The island Rapa was chosen, the island did have a large deep water harbour, capable of accommodating many vessels. The company established a coal hulk there for the convenience of their steamers.
The saloon fare was £65 from Wellington to Panama, and to Southampton £100.
First there were a fair number of passengers travelling with the line, but when a railway line was opened across the United States most of the passenger’s traffic was diverted to San Francisco. The fevers contracted by the passengers on the overland journey across Panama made the line unpopular.
After three years the service was ended, the last ship in this service was the RAKAIA which left Sydney on 22 December 1868 for Panama.
All the four liners returned to London and were laid up.
1872 Transferred to the Royal mail Line, renamed in EBRO.
Refitted thereafter with a new 2-cyl compound steam-engine 350nhp, manufactured by Randolf Elder & Co., Glasgow. Speed increased to 12 knots.
21 August 1872 made her first sailing for her new owner from Antwerp via Southampton to Brazil in the service between Europe and Brazil.
November sold to Cia Trasatlántica Española, Barcelona and renamed BLADOMERO YGLESIAS.
Used in the service between Havana and New York.
1898 Broken up at France.
Pitcairn Island 1988 $1.20 sg324, scott ?
Sources: North Star to Southern Cross by Maber. Merchant Fleets Royal Mail Line, Duncan Haws (which gives a wrong builder). South Atlantic Seaways by Bonsor.