Thomas Ritchie II Shipping
Thomas Ritchie came to Lyttelton from Ulster about 1860. Two years later he and his partners bought a coastal trader, the 'Wild Wave". In 1865 Ritchie and his brother Robert, crossed to the Chathams, where Thomas bought and leased 12,000 acres of land which came to be known as 'Kaingaroa". About 1868 Ritchie, who had a fascination for ships and salvaging shipwrecks, bought the schooner 'Rifleman', to ply the New Zealand trade. In 1871 it was lost near Cape Campbell but in 1878 Ritchie had an interest in the brigantine 'Island Lily".
Ritchie was in the salvage business. In 1877 he used the hulk of the 128-ton schooner Agnes , which had been wrecked in Waitangi harbour in 1876, to build the brigantine Island Lily. This traded to Australia and Fiji before being wrecked again at Te Raki in 1885.
Contact us at cole@familycole.net Return to Home Page