LOCAL HISTORY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1424, 26 April 1912, Page 3

LOCAL HISTORY.

EVENTFUL PORIRUA. TE 11-Al-IMKAII.-l AND OTHERS. Probably few people realiso how eventful has been the history of the township ami district of Porirua.- An account of filings that ii.ivo happened there from tho very early days was among the notes which (he Postnia.ter-Oueriil (Mr. Ell) had with,him on Wednesday on his visit to Porirua. The accident which delayed, his arrival caused his speech, and this portion was omitted but he afterwards handed it to the press. The earliest information in regard to Porirua dates back to the fourteenth century, when Kupe, the Polynesian navigator and first, known discoverer of New Zealand, while circumnavigating the North Island visited -the harbour with Ins canoe "Mata-hou-rua," and landed nt Waifawa. . inside the entrance on the south side. Here lie is reputed to have left his stone anchor. The alleged anchor for many generations afterwards lay at the other side of tho present railway bridge; but recently it was placed in the Dominion Museum. Several meanings have been attached to the name "Porirua," the lnost credibly accepted being that, tho locality was named after a prominent ancestor of the ancient Ngati-ira tribe, whose body was said to have been .cut up and eaten here. On the body being dissected, the heart was found to bo contained within a

double cavity, or "Pori," the syllable "ma" meaning double. The remarkable anatomical discovery was applied to the place of sacrifice and feast.

Later, Porirua became famous in tho North Island on account of a terrible taniwha, named Awarua-o-Pori llua, which was supposed to dwell in the harbour waters, and whose mission was to roam about the eountrv seeking whom it might devour. Still later, the" district became a favourite place of residence for many tribes, owing to its food supplies. The early rjart of last century found the Ngatitoa in possession, under their chiefs Te Pchi Kupe and To Itauparaha. In 1820 tho whalers established themselves'at Porirua. One of tho best-known of them was Geordy Thorns, more often called Geordy Bolts, owing to a certain encounter with a whale, from which the would-bo captor "bolted" on fight being shown. Thoms's outfit consist/id of two boats, manned by fifteen men. Another whaler was Edward Bolton, who, as late as 1815, obtained in one season eighteen tons of oil. His outfit consisted of two boats, manned by eighteen men. The whalers were strauge, wild characters, and some were known by quaint names, such as Bill the Steward, Butcher Noti, Fat Jackson, Worser Hebberley. • The seashore was covered with the bones and heads of whales, and tho cutting up of a ! whale in the shallows drew all the neigh- ; bouring natives to the prospective feast, and attracted huge shoals of shark, hapuku, and other fish. The depth or the harbour entrance was then over fifteen feet, and inside there was to be found in places a depth of twelve- fathoms. Vessels of 150 tons were accommodated, and on one favourable occasion the emi-

grant ship Brougham, 250 lons, after dis |. charging her passengers at Wellington u loaded up here with whale oil. i It was in 1827 that To Eauparaha, thei ; . residing at Kawhia, made one of hi: -_ southern raids, lighting his way down tk< west coast, and, arriving at this harbour if seized many fine' eauocs which were drawi ' up on the beaches. Making his way out 9 side the harbour, lie met a storm, man; s of the canoes were overturned, and lmn b dreds of his warriors perished. Ho wai . spared to make mere history. Prior to 1810 (he Polynesian Land Company, of Sydney, started running cattle here, a well-lcnonn Scotch character ' B named Cameron, being in ihnrge. Cams eron, getting into dispute with the Naj, fives, was transferred from the district, j and the venture terminated. In 1810 tho Xew Zealand Land Company made large purchases of land from I To Eauparaha. Had the harbour nos- . sessed a greater depth of water, the place '_ would have been favourably considered J as its first Cook Strait settlement in placo of Wellington. However, 10.S00 acres i were bought, cut up, and resold; and in I 1811 the whilo population in the locality . was about 50, and by 1845 it had increased to 225. Some of tlie early settlers ; were: Messrs. P. Johnson, W. Buchanan, U. Swainson, Bcrners, J. Johnston, Captain Hay, and Major Hornbrook. 1 . All the traffic for Wellington, Wanganui, and Tarauaki passed through tho ! settlement. The bridle track from Kaiwarawara to Porirua was called tho "Parerua," and passed through the magnificent bush of Kcnepuni Valley, now called Tawa Flat. The transport of cattle and stores soon' reduced the track to a deplorable state; but the New Zealand Company, at an expense of about -E3OOO, had it widened to six feet over its whole twelve-mile, length, and the thick bush felled ten feet upon each side of the road. This was done with tho assistance of the Hutt axemen, under tho leadership of a renowned Yankee sawyer, who pocketed many a half-crown over bets as to how long it) would take hjm to get through a tree. During tho Maori War tho British troops and friendly Natives completed the formation of the road, under the superintendence of Captain Russell, taking it through tho Ngahauranga Gorge. The track emerged from tho bush on the south shores of the Porirua Harbour, and led along to the .present railway bridge, where were the ferries known as "Jimmy" Jackson's and Thoms's. The ferry charge for a man was 3d., for a pig the same .amount, and for a horse Is. The toll for a horse was generally avoided by the towing of the animal in tho rear of the ferry. There were several inns for the accommodation of travellers. One was kept by tieordy' Thorns, who was tho local big man, and another by Mrs. Bolton. The "shakedowns" usually consisted of bunches of supplejack. The rooms swarmed with, rats, which were attracted to tho bay by the whale blubber. In 1811, H.M.S. Herald visited Porirua with Major Banbury, whose mission was to obtain the signatures of the Maori chiefs to the Trcnly of Waitangi. In 1813 To Eauparaha and Eangihaeata, in fear of the consequences of the Wairau massacre, entrenched themselves at Porirua against attack by the British. . In 1815 the Maori War, which had been in progress elsewhere, broko out in the Hutt and Porirua. From being purely :> whaling station, tho district was quickly turned into an important military post to ward off possible raids upon Wellington, and was soon dotted with forts and stockades. Sir George Grey took an active part in the movement. Tho forts and stockades usually bore the name of the militaryofficer in charge, and Fort Strode, Leigh's Stockade, Fort Elliot, and others were garrisoned with drafts of the 58th, Gsth, 06th, and 69th ■ Regiments, tho Iloval Artillery, and the Wellington Militia. Her Majesty's ships Calliope, Driver, Castor, nnd North Star participated; and it i<.difficult now to believe that their long boots, with guns mounted at tho bows and with oars muffled, in the dark of the night investigated the arms of tho harbour and raked the bushes on each sid° with shot. This outbreak terminated with tho capture of To Eauparaha bv Lieutenant M'lullop, of H.M.S. Calliope. Lieutenant M'Killop was a very daring young officer, end by the Natives was called "Kai Tniigata," or "Man Slayer." Making a bold dash up the harbour at night, he and his men seized the old chief in his whare, and quickly transferred him to their b-.mt, Te Eaiiparaha shouting "Ngatitoa! Ngatitoa! to the rescue!" During the passage he buried his teeth

in the shoulder of the boatswain, who supported his head. Many lives were lost on both sides in these engagements. Among those who were killed may bo mentioned Acting-Brigado-Majnr Blackburn, a most popular young officer, who, with four others, was shot down while storming a pa. In 1852, whilst If.M.S. Fantome, from Sydnoy, was tnchored in the bay to land mails for Wellington, ono of her boats in crossing tho bar was upset, with the result that several lives were lost, including the ship's doctor, Mr. Bent. Upon this occasion a resident named Tandy and a Maori woman showed great gallantry in saving lives. Mr. Tandy's service's were recognised by a present of plate from the ship's company, while the Native wa« also suitably rewarded. Mention must'also be made of the invaluable miseiomu'V work done along the coast from 18U!I under the direction of the I.Vv. Oclavius lladiteld, afterwards MUlinp (if Welliuglon. It was without dotilit his influence that picvont.-.l the Maori War locally assuming larger and mure .-prions pi'o portion?.