[...]
> You probably want the -w option in there also. The default action of
> disklabel is to try to read the label.
> 
> Do you have a NetBSD system already up and running that you can read the
> disklabel manpage on?

Yes, but it's not especially straightforward.  I did this:

# disklabel -e /dev/rwd1d
[...edit label...]
disklabel: ioctl DIOCWDINFO: No disk label on disk;
use "disklabel -r" to install initial label
re-edit the label? [y]: 

So I try: 

# disklabel -r -e /dev/rwd1d

or
# disklabel -i -r /dev/rwd1d

And get:
disklabel: no disk label

in both instances.

So, in order to write the initial label, there must be an initial label?
That makes absolutely not damn sense at all.

-R.