At the time of this issue in 1882, the postal rate to the UK was 6d per ½oz. In 1891, it was reduced to 2½d.
The Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company ran the service between Auckland and San Francisco until November 1885 and from 1886 by the Oceanic Steamship Company. The service typically took between 40 and 44 days.
In 1884, the New Zealand Shipping Company signed a 5 year contract for a direct mail service to the UK. This service alternated with the service via San Francisco and so, together, they provided a mail service once a fortnight.
A description of mail routes in 1882-83 between US and Australia and New Zealand that was published in 1884 has been reproduced in [1].
Covers to the UK
The cover was posted in Taupo on 7 September 1887 and is addressed to London.
The manuscript on the front states: By Frisco Mail and so the route was by sea to San Francisco, by rail to New York and then by sea to the UK.
There is a Napier backstamp on 9 September and a red London receiving mark on 17 October. A manuscript on the front bottom left states that it was received on 17 October. It was therefore 40 days in transit.
The stamp is die 1. As the date is 1887, the stamp is on
the first paper, i.e. it has a horizontal mesh and the distance
between the NZ and star is 6mm.
This 1888 cover is also routed via San Francisco. It is postmarked in Nelson on 29 November 1888 and backstamped in Colchester on 7 January 1889. It was therefore 40 days in transit.
Again, it is franked with a 6d die 1 second sideface.
Both these covers would have been sent by the Oceanic Steamship Company.
Covers from the UK
This 1884 cover from the UK is also routed via San Francisco.
It is postmarked on 30 January 1884 and backstamped at Christchurch on 13 March and so was 44 days in transit. It would have been sent by the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company.
The stamp is SG 162, 6d on 6d which was issued in 1883.
The next cover is franked with two Queen Victoria Jubilee stamps. It is postmarked in Bristol on 12 July 1887 and backstamped in Picton on 22 August and so was 42 days in transit. It does not have routing instructions.
The Jubilee stamps had been issued on 1 January 1887.
Reduced rate
In 1891, the rate was reduced to 2½d.
This cover is postmarked 30 May 1896 and is addressed to Dublin. It has an Auckland transit mark of 2 June. The receiving mark shows that it had arrived in Dublin by July 16 and so was 44 days in transit from Auckand.
It has the reduced franking of 2½d.
This 1897 cover to Germany also has the reduced franking of 2½d and is routed Via Frisco.
It is postmarked on 20 January and is backstamped on 26 February in Dresden and again on 28 February after having been redirected to Leipzig. It therefore made very good time of only 38 days to Dresden.
It should be noted that there was no difference in the postage rate for British Empire
and for foreign countries.
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The above information is taken from The Postage Stamps of
New Zealand Vol 3, published by the
Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand in 1955.
All scans were made by the author.
[1] Mail Routes to N.Z. and Australia in 1882-83, The Mail Coach,
29(3), 121-123, February 1993. Extracted from: G.W. Griffin, New Zealand:
Her Commerce and Resources, Government Printer, Wellington 1884.