Eight of the 800 on the final voyage of the steamer which left Glasgow 50 years ago met at Cableways for dinner on Saturday and tales of the eventful trip splashed around the table.
British immigrant Jean Paulin said the boat's engine room caught fire near the Dutch West Indies during the voyage and passengers suffered "dreadful" seasickness as they sailed through severe storms and the tail end of a hurricane.
Fellow immigrant Mary Billington said the waves were so big, they broke the ship's mast and all the seating on the upper deck. "The waves were massive."
The stifling temperatures of the equator were also unpleasant and many were forced to sleep on the decks because there was no air conditioning in the cabins, she said.
Mrs Paulin said the journey was supposed to take four weeks, but the boat arrived in Auckland eight weeks later - a little the worse for wear - and decommissioned.
Despite the ordeal, none of the eight had any regrets about moving to New Zealand.
"I was young and single at the time," Mrs Paulin said. "It was the first time I had been away on my own and I was having a great time. It was an adventure."
