The visit to Riverton had particular significance as Dame Patsy had recently learned of the slight to the community by Governor James Fergusson in 1874. The Governor had decided to change his itinerary and thereby arrived several hours late for a civic reception and lunch. To add insult to injury, he left the town soon after he had changed his horses.
Dame Patsy's visit to Te Hikoi gave her an opportunity to 'make amends' with the community and to learn more about Southland's heritage of sealers, whalers, loggers, miners, and the intermingling of cultures and personal histories in the 18th and 19th centuries.
