yes I understand that but what I wanted to know was what it was like in the area at the time for those who were working the land,

As I said various drivers but mainly a better life - spiritually, fiscally and/or environment. So turn this on its head and I would say that life in the area at that time was in general very hard. I'm not pretending that life in a young country like New Zealand was going to be a bed of roses, but to our ancestors it must have appeared to be a land of opportunity , despite the perilous journey to get there.