ABOUT WESTLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1922, Page 1

ABOUT WESTLAND.

(By Kanui Korero).

Our last article terminated with the visit of Captain George Vancouver in 1791. The visits of the other early navigators, although of great interest to New Zealand history, may be dismissed in a few words as they do not come within the scope of our article on the history of the West Coast. De Surville, a French navigator, visited New Zealand in 1769. Another French expedition under Marion Du Fresne, visited New Zealand in 1772. He followed the route taken by Tasman 130

years previously, but the first part of New Zealand that lie sighted was Mt Egmont which he named Jit Mascarin, after his vessel. One of the tributary glaciers to the Fox Glacier is named Mascarin. Vancouver visited Dusky Sound in 1791. Captain Haven in the Britannia, visited Dusky Sound in 1792, and there loft the first sealing gang ever placed on the coast of New Zealand. The following year in company with the Francis lie returned and relieved the gang. His fourth officer was Robert Murry, who kept a journal which the Hon R. McNab discovered in the Essex Institute Salem U.S.A. This book contained not only the record of this voyage, hut also a record of his visit in 1795 in the Endeavour. He gives a drawing of the first snwpit and describes the first vessel buill in New Zealand from New Zealand timber. Malaspina, a Spanish navigator, visited New Zealand in 1793. Bellingshausen, a Russian navigator, came in IS2O, Captain Riscoe of the Tula, arrived in 1831, and Captain Bnllenv in the Eliza Scott in 1839.

Owing to the immense development of American whaling on the coast of New Zealand, the United States Government appointed Mr James 11. Clendon, a resident of the Bay of Islands, as United States Consul in 1839. Mr McNab copied the records from the consular reports in the office of the Secretary of State, Washington U.S.A. Between the Ist of January and the Ist of July 37 vessels left New Zealand for America with cargoes valued at 1,113,310 dollars. In the next six months 25 vessels with cargoes ''estimated at 523,025 dollars; between .January and July 1840, 45 vessels with cargoes valued at 1,029,927 dollars. .Most of these whalers belonged to New Bedford, Salem, Nantucket and Sag Harbour. The above are .American vessels only. One list tabulated for the six months ending December 1839 totals 75 vessels from England, America, France and New South Wales.

boat had 3,800 barrels of oil. From 1795 until the sealing industry was ruined by injudicious slaughter there was a constant trade between the Sounds and New South Wales. Apart from the individual descriptions of Westland given by Tasman and Cook, there seems to he no mention of any visit having been paid to Westland, although it is very likely that some of the early sealers visited the seal rookery at the Cascade below Jacksons Bay. Tn the early days there used to bo a legend about some spot in the vicinity of the Cascade called the Frenchman’s cave, where bars of gold and barrels of spirit were supposed to be found. One can hardly imagine any of the old sea dogs leaving any spirits behind.

J Wo now conic to the occupation of Westland, but before doing so will give a short description of the evtents that led up to it. The first missionaries arrived in New Zealand in 1814. Various attempts at colonisation were made between 1825 and 1839. In 1839 Wellington was settled untiler Captain Wakefield. In 1841 the first settlers came to Nelson. In November 1843 .Mr Charles Heapliy and Mr J. S. Spooner started from Nelson on an exploring tour to the south-west. The natives of Motueka reported that there exis’c' 1 grassy plains about four days’ journey from Nelson. Through these plains a river v.as reported to flow and to join the sea near Cape Foul wind. They got as far as the Muller and turned back on account of shortage of provisions. In 1845 an expedition consisting of Messrs Fox, Brunner and Heapliy, guided by a native, crossed the mouth of the Muller and made their way to the Native Settlement of Arahura. They were away five months and suffered great privations. In 184(5 Mr Brunner set off again with four natives and reached the mouth of tlte Muller on June 4th. They then walked to the Taramakau and Arahura. From Arahura Brunner with some local natives went to Hokitika or, as the old maps have it, Okitika. He crossed the Hokitika and went on to Okarito and down to the Paringa. Coming back he went up the Grey rivier to the Lake named after him. On his wav he noted the coal seams on the roekv sides of the Grey River at Mruunerton. They came.back from Lake Brunner down the Arnold and continued up the. Grey River and then struck across country, crossing the Tnangahua Saddle and following down to the Buller. Gold was discovered in the Motueka district in 1840. Three expeditions were organised in 18(50 with a view of exploring the West Coast and were placed under the change of Mr John Rochfort, Mr James Macka.v and Mr Von Haast. Mr Von Haast followed m the tracks of Messrs Mackay and Roohfort who had been there before time. He reached the Buller, followed up the Mataketaki to the Marina saddle and eventually reached the Grey country. In 1857 Mr James Mackay junior, had travelled on foot along tl?e sea coast from West Wanganui to the Buller river with two Massacre Bay natives. They travelled to Charleston and on to Grevmouth and up the river to the \haura, Totara Flat and Little Grey and tlten returned to Massacre Bay carrying the first coal seen in Nelson. He again started for the West Coast in February 1860 with bis cousin, also Mr F. Flowers and three Collingwood natives, and proceeded to Rotoiti Plains with the intention of finding a practio-

able road via Upper Buller and Maruia to the Upper Grey where his trip had ended the year before. Mr Von Haast accompanied them for a portion of their trip. Shortage of provisions and a scarcity of birds compelled some of the party to return to Nelson, but J. Mackny and the natives who were getting disheartened at last reached the Grey after seven weeks’ travelling. In 1863 and 1864 the gold diggers commenced to open up the country and it was no longer necessary to eat one’s dog to get from Nelson to Westport as Mr Brunner was forced to do. The rush to the Wakamarina took place in 1864. For months the gold discoveries at Hokitika and Grey had been steadily increasing and by March 1865 there were from eight to ten thousand people in and near Hokitika and Greymouth.

(To he continued).