1853 - New Zealand and its Six Colonies Historically and Geographically Described. - Chapter V, p 42-51

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CHAPTER V.

3. NEW PLYMOUTH: --The settlement of New Plymouth was undertaken by a company, formed in 1840, chiefly of inhabitants of Devonshire and Cornwall. This company was to be in connection with the original company, to which it is now joined; and amongst its directors were Lord Devon [the governor], Sir Anthony Duller, the Mayor of Plymouth, Lord Eliot [now Lord St. German's], Sir Charles Lemon, Sir William Molesworth, Mr. E. H. W. Pendarves, Mr. Edward St. Aubyn, and Sir Harry Vivian. Their object was to have a settlement distinct from that at Port Nicholson; and the fertile district of Taranaki, on the west coast of the Northern Island, was fixed upon. They bargained to receive from the parent society 50,000 acres in this district, including a site for a town to be called "New Plymouth;" and in the middle of the year a ship was despatched, with fourteen cabin passengers, and 148 labouring emigrants, to the colony, where they arrived quite safe. Mr. Frederick Alonzo Carrington was the chief surveyor for the company; and he at first fixed upon the banks of the river Waitera as the site of the new town. This river falls into the Pacific about twelve miles north of the Sugar-loaf Islands, and has a bar nearly dry at low water, with a rise of twelve feet in the spring tides. The eligibility of the spot, however, was destroyed by a high surf which ran there at times, when it was comparatively smooth at Ngamotu. The party engaged in the survey capsized one or two boats at the entrance of

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the river; and then Mr. Carrington removed the site to the coast close to the islands.

The early settlers had serious disputes with the natives. The New Zealand Company had purchased this district, as well as their other possessions, from the chiefs; but some Maories of a different tribe laid claim to the land, and it was with difficulty that the colonists maintained their own; and, having fixed themselves in a splendid tract of country, the town soon sprung into existence. Mr. Fox tells us that "it is extremely picturesque, scattered up and down the sloping-sides of easy hills, and more resembling an English village than any other in the colony." There is a church, with Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels, schools, a brewery, and three excellent flour-mills. It lies close to Mount Egmont, already described (p. 12), and that noble eminence forms a magnificent object in the scenery. Before this mountain "lies a beautiful undulating country, bounded by the sea on one side, and on the other stretching away, one vast forest, into the blue distance. The soil is of the very first fertility, and the natural vegetation of every sort except grass, most abundant."

New Plymouth possesses an indifferent access from the sea, and has a poor harbour; it is not, therefore, calculated for commerce; but for agricultural pursuits it is unsurpassed, if equalled, by any other tract in the islands. We have quoted Mr. Fox's testimony to its fruitfulness. Mr. Carrington says, the climate is magnificent, and the soil excellent; and Governor Grey says -- "I have never, in any part of the world, seen such extensive tracts of fertile and unoccupied land as at Taranaki." "The soil," says Mr. Palmer, "is a black vegetable mould, four or six feet deep; the subsoil a yellow clay. Wheat and Indian corn are finer here than in any other part of New Zealand, as also potatoes." Numerous other testimonies to the same effect could be quoted, and it seems that this settlement is not inaptly styled the "garden" of the island.

To an Englishman, New Plymouth will soon be endeared, for it reminds him of home. "There are," says a tourist, "cottages after cottages, with tasty gardens; trees and ferns left here and there to throw their shadows across the thatch; neat gates and compact fences; and you meet with all the little civilities and kindly greetings of the west

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country peasantry. We looked from a cliff over a huge hollow, filled with the richest wood of every shade and colour; a blue stream rushing and winding through the midst; and beyond, the clear dazzling cone of Mount Egmont; then came up the piping, gushing, and thrilling of birds."

There are between fourteen and fifteen hundred English colonists in this settlement, and about eight hundred natives. By the two, the soil is well cultivated, as far as clearances have been effected; the produce greatly exceeds the consumption; and large quantities are exported to Auckland and Wellington. A bridle road connects the settlement with Auckland. The most ready way of communicating with Wellington is by sea. Though the harbour is not good, still the Waitera can be entered by moderate-sized vessels, and it is navigable a considerable way up the country, which is watered also by the Waiwakaiho (a fine stream, sixty feet wide, and swarming with fish), the Huatoki, and the Enui. It produces wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, potatoes, turnips, hops, and grass. The gardens are luxuriant with flowers and fruits. There are cattle, goats, pigs, and horses, which thrive well; but the pasturage is not good for sheep. Coal easily accessible, and of good quality and thickness, is found in the neighbourhood.

The following extracts from a letter written by a settler at New Plymouth, and dated August 30, 1852, will be read with interest:--

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There is a newspaper, called "the Taranaki Herald" published at New Plymouth.

4. NELSON. --This, the fourth settlement in point of time made in the New Zealand Islands, was the third formed by the New Zealand Company. The first party of settlers was organized in England in 1841, under different leaders, and in many respects different circumstances, from Wellington. It was on the 28th of August, 1842, when the Arrow, a store-ship, forming one of the preliminary expedition of this proposed colony, arrived at Wellington, and announced that two barques containing the rest of the pioneers might be daily expected. After some negotiation with the Governor, Capt. Hobson, who was opposed to the colonizing New Munster, Blind Bay, at the head of Tasman's Gulf, on the south side of Cook's Straits, and at the northern extremity of that island, was fixed upon as the site of the new establishment. The emigrants who followed the Arrow, left Wellington on the 2nd of October for their destination. Many of them were young and active: all were industrious; and soon, under their auspices, the nucleus of the present pleasant little town was formed. In the month of March, in the following year, when Mr. Wakefield visited it, there was a group of wooden houses, tents, rough booths, and sheds, disposed about a small hollow on the side of a hill; and the settlers were busily engaged in completing the necessary accommodations they required.

Mr. Wakefield, in narrating his trip from Wellington to the infant colony, says--"After rounding Cape Stephens

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we had made out clearly the entrance of Port Hardy, the southern mouth of the French pass which separates D'Urville's Island from the main, the islets at the mouth of Croisille's harbour, and the bluff promontory formed by Pepin's Islands. All this east side of the gulf is backed by high and rugged mountains. The land towards Massacre Bay rose blue and clear over the distant horizon, until the haze and night closed in; but the low land at the southern end was not yet distinguishable; and the bay, looking like a broad strait, deserved the name of 'Blind,' given to it by Captain Cook." A bank of boulders of no great breadth, and raised only a few feet above the highest tides, runs parallel with the land for about six miles, thoroughly sheltering a space which averages a quarter of a mile in width from the face of the sea, and forming a natural breakwater. It joins the land at its northern extremity, but leaves a narrow gut between its southern point and the steep coast adjoining, at the very south-east corner of Blind Bay. This gut is the entrance to Nelson haven. The eastern shore of this haven is formed by a low and steep ridge of hills, which are bare of wood, and extend for about a mile. Beyond this, to the eastward, the haven expands in breadth; and, when covered by the hole, it presents the appearance of a fine lake; but, when the tide recedes, it is a flat expanse of mud, intersected by the branching channels of a small river called the Maitai. "An amphitheatre of about 1,000 acres, shelving from the southern shore of this lagoon, to the base of abrupt mountains on the east and south-east, seems made for the site of a town; and here Nelson is situated." The ridge of hills separates it from the entrance to the haven; and there is a communication between the latter and the town by a path over its summit. There is a good prospect from the north, over the wide part of the haven and the boulder banks, into Blind Bay; "and the fringe of wood on the banks of the Maitai lead the eye to the forest gullies and towering crags in the direction of the Ohiere or Pelorus River." The town possesses many of the requisites and accommodations of an English town. There are good shops and several breweries --it being famous for its ale. Good wharfs have been made, and roads constructed; and there is a newspaper called the "Nelson Examiner." The means of religious instruction and education are liberally provided; and a large number

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of the children of Nelson attend the schools. The population comprises about 4,000 Europeans and 600 natives.

The land around Nelson is more open than that which lies in the neighbourhood of Wellington, and is not so heavily timbered. There are about 50,000 acres in immediate connection with the port, but not much more than half of it is fit for agricultural purposes: that is a great deal more than the present population can occupy. Much of it is fern land, which requires to lay fallow about a year before it produces an average crop; and the expense of clearing is much less than where forests abound. Towards the sea this land is covered with flax, which is now known to indicate a very superior soil; the fern, too, indicates good land, and when cattle or sheep are turned into it, grass appears in great luxuriance. This has given an impetus to stock-breeding and store-farming, which have been found extremely profitable. "There are no heavy clays," says Mr. Fox, "or stiff marls to be met with, but the light lands break up as light as garden ground." The average produce, even under inferior management, is of wheat, 24; of barley, 25; of oats, 21 bushels; of potatoes, 6; and of turnips, 24 tons per acre. The flax, and some of the fern land, will, well cultivated, yield 40 bushels of wheat per acre. The wire-worm is found in wet soils, but no other destructive insect ravages the crops.

This is a very improving colony. The population is now approaching 6,000; and the buildings, the land taken into cultivation, and the live stock, are continually increasing. The prospects of trade are good. Mr. Bell in his report says:-- "It is likely that the brisk commercial intercourse which has sprung up between all these [Australasian] colonies and California, will benefit New Zealand more than any, from its geographical position, and its great resources and capabilities; and Nelson, as an exporter of timber and agricultural produce, which are the most wanted in California, will come in for a large share of the advantages which the new market offers. To the Auckland settlers," however, he says, "is due the credit of starting the trade, which promises to increase steadily with the wonderful rise of the 'gold country.'"

The climate differs from Wellington, as the days are hotter and the nights colder. Mr. Wakefield says: "during

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the month I remained here, the climate was certainly magnificent. There were only three or four days rain, and the rest of the days, cloudless skies and calm air glowed upon the landscape. If I had any complaint to make, it was that I thought it too dry and hot in the day time; and that the nights were, on the contrary, very cold, when a light air breathed down from the lofty peaks inland."

Mr. Fox says he has known the sky without a cloud for a month together, even in winter, during which season geraniums, aenotheras, picotees, and other English flowers, will be found in blossom. In summer the temperature seldom exceeds 80 or 82 degrees. Mr. Fox also informs us, that "forming part of the Nelson settlement, but separated by a ridge of mountains, which necessitates a journey round of sixty or seventy miles, is the Wairau valley, a plain consisting of about 250,000 acres of land, the lower portion of first-rate quality, the upper part only fit for grazing purposes. It is surrounded by hills, which afford excellent sheep-runs, and which are occupied by Nelson settlers, many of whom live in the Blind Bay district, entrust their flocks in the Wairau to a shepherd, and only occasionally visit them in person." West and south of Nelson the country does not invite the settler. In 1846-8 it was explored as far as Cascade Point, in lat. 44 S. by Mr. Brenner. In 1850 Captain Mitchell Dashwood explored the country to the east and south of the settlement. In 1851 and 1852, a party of four--Messrs. Monro, Stafford, Wells, and Travers --explored the district of Pakawau, and inspected its coal fields, which it is the object of the Nelson Mining Company, established in the settlement, to work. The report of these gentlemen, made at a meeting of the provisional committee of this company, in Sept. 1852, is highly favourable; and the Nelson Examiner, of the 25th of that month, congratulates the company upon "possessing, for the field of its operations, so rich a district;" and adds, "it seems difficult to attach too much importance to the possession of a large supply of coal, or to doubt that the resources of the Pakawau coalfield, if properly developed, will add immensely to the value and importance of this settlement, and of the colony generally."

5. OTAGO. --This is the fifth settlement in point of time; and the fourth of the New Zealand Company. It is situated

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towards the southern extremity of the east coast of the middle island; and was founded in 1847, by "a body of colonists organized in, and proceeding from Scotland, in connection with the Free Church, for the endowment of which, and of schools in connection with it, a portion of the fund arising from the land-sales is appropriated." All other sects, however, are allowed to establish their own churches and schools. The town of Dunedin was founded by the first settlers. The Otago block, as it is called, of 400,000 acres, is bounded on the north by the Otago harbour, and on the south by the Matou or Molyneux rivers. It has, we are told, abundance of untimbered fertile land; open grassy pastures; ample fields of coal, capable of being easily worked; an unbounded sheep-walk towards its mountains; an adequate supply of wood; a navigable inland communication, running up its centre; and sixty miles of sea-line. Otago harbour is two miles wide, six fathoms deep for seven miles, and three fathoms up to the head. It is perfectly sheltered, and the tide runs three knots an hour, it is safe to approach and enter, and easy to leave. "Many extensive lagoons, lakes, and streams, intersect the country in every direction, which will ultimately be connected by canals and afford a perfect internal communication. Few topographical difficulties present themselves to the connection of the various districts by the means of roads." The rivers Puerua, Koau, and some smaller streams, are more or less navigable, the former for vessels of considerable burthen; the Clutha, as the Matou or Molyneux is now termed, is a quarter of a mile broad, and six fathoms deep, and these dimensions it retains for sixty miles inland. The soil is very fertile on its banks, but liable at times to be overflowed. It rises out of three very large lakes, situated at the foot of the Snowy Mountains to the north-west of Dunedin, and falls into the sea, on the east coast of the island, about sixty miles from the town. It forms the southern boundary of the block of land purchased for the Otago settlement.

The harbour is described as presenting one uninterrupted scene of the most romantic beauty, throughout the entire fourteen miles to which it extends. A settler says, "As we sailed up to the anchorage, some of our people exclaimed, 'How like this is to the Trosachs and Lake Katrine!'" The

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difference is, that Otago is on a larger scale and of a blander character. Dunedin stands at the head of the harbour; and there is a considerable amount of available land around the harbour, and within a mile or two of the town. "The principal rural districts," says Mr. Fox, "commence about seven miles off. They consist of four plains, surrounded by grassy hills, all of them of good land." The rivers and streams we have named supply water-carriage through the greater part of the districts. The grazing capabilities of the country are very great, "as it is," says Mr. Fox, "almost entirely a grass country, and connected through the Clutha with a still more extensive level grazing country on Foveaux Straits." The latter district was explored in 1850 by Captain Stokes, R. N., and other officers of her Majesty's steamer Acheron. "It possesses a very good harbour at the 'Bluff,' in which the Acheron lay for some weeks; a river, called the New River, navigable for large vessels; and a smaller one, known as Jacob's River, adapted for coasters." There is a good supply of timber scattered through the districts.

Besides Dunedin, there is a village at Port Chalmers, where a place of worship for the Free Church of Scotland, was opened on the 17th of October 1852. The population of Otago is near 2,000. Of religious persuasions, there are members of the Free Church, of the Church of Scotland, the Church of England, Wesleyan Methodists, Roman Catholics, Independents, Baptists, &c. Although the colony was especially intended to be a "Free Church colony," the number of members of the Church of England and of the Church of Scotland each exceed those of the Free Church. The settlers are both agricultural and pastoral; and the quantity of cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and horses, in the settlement has greatly increased. There are birds of every description. Five or six different kinds of hawks; the tuis, a bird like our blackbird; robin-redbreasts, as they are called, from resembling that bird in shape and whistle, though the colour of the bodies is jet black, and of the breasts white; parrots in great variety, which are delicious to eat; wild ducks, called "Paradise Ducks," nearly as large as a goose; and quails in great variety, which are also excellent eating.

"The climate," says Mr. Fox, who is one of the latest

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writers on New Zealand, and visited all the colonies, residing at some of them a considerable time, "seems to resemble that of Wellington. There are more flying clouds, and more wind than in many other parts of the colony, but the climate is good on the whole, and exceedingly healthy-- certainly no Scotchman or Englishman need complain of it. I was there when a colonist arrived, who had lost his health by a long residence in India, and who had been unable to regain it on the continent of Europe and at the watering places of England. He seemed completely shaken to pieces. I saw him a year afterwards, when his health seemed entirely restored--he was full of activity; enjoying life and engaged at that particular moment in presiding over one of the pleasantest scenes I witnessed in New Zealand-- a harvest-home, attended by some thirty or forty labourers, and their wives and children who were in his employment."

A paper called the Otago Witness is published at Dunedin.