EIGHTY YEARS AGO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2082, 27 January 1920, Page 4

EIGHTY YEARS AGO.

Eighty years' ago on Thursday last the first passenger ship, the Aurora, arrived in Port Nicholson (Wellington)'harbour. She was a vessel 0f,55.0 tons, eonuuanded by Captain Ilcale, and she brought about 150 passengers. The vessel had been ’'(.'bartered by the New Zealand Company, of which Mr Edward (tibbon Wakefield was the managing director. Prior to the arrival of the Aurora an expeditionwas sent out in the Tory in charge of Colonel William Wakefield. One of the passengers on Nils- vessel wasUr. Dorset (father of Mr W. Dorset, of Maslerton). The Tory arrived at Pori Nicholson on September 20th, 1890. alid by .September 25th Colonel . Wakeiield hail purchased the' harbour and surrounding lands from the natives, the “consideration" being some gewgaws and firearms. The first immigrant ship to arrive was the Aurora. She was followed a days later by the Oriental under Captain Wilson. The passages of these vessels occupied between four and live months. The transformation that has taken place in Wellington in the course of eighty years is simply marvellous. To Colonel Wakefield and the brave pioneers of 18-10'the present settlers of the Wellington Province owe a debt of gratitude which They willTiever be able to repay.

Tiie Rev. -I. McKenzie (late of Shannon), speaking at a ” - ;itliorin” - of early sell leva ami their descemlauls at Wellington 1m Thursday last, said he was very proud indeed that he belonged to the pioneer stoek. His father landed here on Pelone beaeh on 31st January, 18 It), in the Oriental, after being live or six' .months on the voyage. His mother, who was then a Miss Maser, mime out some twelve months later in the ship Hlenheim, and landed at Kaiwarra. The last survivor of the Hlenheim, Mrs M - Donnell, died last year, and some of her relatives were .present in lhat room, lie himself was burn in the Lower Rangilikei district, his mother being the first white woman whoset i led there. Her descendants were all settled in that district, whirl) was quite a rare thing to find in New Zealand, particularly in the Horlh Island. His mother and father married in 1842, and lived at Kvans Hay, afterwards moving to Porirua, and from there to Tnrakina in 1850, They had an exciting trip in their removal to the lastnamed place. There were live young children, and they did the journey in a dray without springs, being ferried across the rivers by the Maoris. His mother rode twelve miles to Fox ton on a horse lent her by Mrs Host. His father had never .-men the place which they were going to lake up at Turakiua; he took it on report. The house was. a deserted sawyer's whare. They would know what it was like when he told them what it was without; it was minus doors, windows-, and flooring. There they camped, and there Ids brother was born. During those days they gut their supplies from Wanganui by puck nudes, .Next they removed to the Lower Raugitikei —about- the lime of the. Indian Mutiny, which, he said jokingly, was so “modern” lhat the period was scarcely worth talking about. Little boats used to come from Wellington into the mouth of the river and deliver their supplies, Hour costing ,€25 a ton. One feature of the early settlers’ lives was their never-failing hospitality. The .stranger was always 1 aken in and provided for. He eoneluded by saying that he was not related to the late Mr T. W. M’Kenzie, who arrived in Hew Zealand six weeks after his fad her, Mr T. U. .MTvenzie. They both became friends.