THE FOUNDATION OF TARANAKI.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4462, 7 June 1930, Page 3

THE FOUNDATION OF TARANAKI.

INTERESTING ADDRESS BY AIR. R. A. ROBBIE, ALA. Air. R. A. Robbie, AI.A., was the speaker at Thursday's meeting of the Eoxton Lunch (.'lull and he held his audience throughout on the interesting subject of “The Eounilalion of Taranaki." Taranaki was founded, ATr. Robbie said, by the Maoris who came io these shores in I lie Taonui Canoe. They first landed a little to the north of Afokan. The lirsi. navigators lo visit Taranaki however, were Tasman, Cook and Marion Da Presue, Alt. Egmonl proving a noble landmark for these seafaring men. Whalers visited Tavankai round about 1828, the firsl vessel being shipwrecked on Nganiolu, the Sugar Loaf Islands. They found Ihe locality very suitable for I heir cul - ling and established a station there. They were operating on behalf of Mr. Thomas Hynes, of Sydney, and the station was established by Dicky Darrell, who was later well known in Marlborough, assisted l,\ John Love, wiio later'settled in flic Hull. The ivying-ottl puts and cannon used by these men were to be seen to ibis day outside i lie museum at New Plymouth. At first the Maori inhabitants of i.he Taranaki numbered between ten and twenty thousand but I hat was prior lo ibe establishment, of the whaling si a lion. When that took place they had dwindled considerably and in 1828 were disappearing rapidly, due to the fierce invasions from (lie Waikato tribes led by Te Wilt ere-• wlmre, who later became (lie tir.sl Maori King. Tl was at this time l hat Te Kanp.-i ha ra, who later became the famous chief of the souIhci'ii part of the island, had io flee .south ami in doing so he look with him a number of Taranaki people. The remainder of the Natives gathered at Pukerangioi a pah at \Yaifara and not withstanding the fad i h:ti tin- pali was totally nnprovisioned for such a large number of people ii withstood an attack from the Waikato tribes for fourteen days, but at ihe end of that time the defences were broken down and 1200 were slain. It. was also reported that Te Where where, on that occasion sat at the gate of the pah and killed by his own hand, 150 of the unfurl mm te inmates, stopping only when his arm became too fired to wield bis mere. Many slaves were taken that day and sent back to (lie Waikato. The next assault by the Waikato tribes was made mi the’Drake, pah situated mi the site if ihe breakwater. Barralf and Love and other whalers look a hand in mailers, however, and the invaders were driven off. Soon after that. rhe Taranaki Xa lives decided that it would he safer to leave Ihe district and they made son lli to Wellington and Queen Charlotte Sound and on Wakefield's first arrival in -the country it. waTaranaki Natives that he met in Wellington. The New Zealand Company was formed in 1839 and on Wakefield's arrival in New Zealand lie immediately sei about acquiring land. His first purchase was all Hie land tha t could he seen from the AM-1 - lingfon harbour. The next, deed was obtained on Kapili Tsland and included all the land from Mokau In one hundred miles south of Napier ami all ihe north of Hie South Island, including Wellington, Taranaki and Marlborough. Wakefield next visited Taranaki by boat when lie discovered only sixty Natives I here.

In 18-14 Mi-. Spain hold the first land court in New Plymouth and it was about this time that the N.Z. Company attempted to form subsidiary companies on the oilier side. Endeavours in ibis direction in Scotland ami Ireland did not meei with success bill eventually a company was formed in Cornwall and Devon, called the Plymouth Company. It was really an off-slum! from the original company and lain' amalgamated with it. The idea of the company was to purchase In ml in New Zealand. A surveyor mimed F. A. Carrington was sent out in 18-10 and landed at Wellington where his deed was registered Although Wakefield had not neon very impressed with Taranaki owing lo file absence of a good harbour tie was loud in its praises to Carrington. Carrington sei sail for Tasman Bay bid; the wind not being favourable lie turned north and visited Taranaki. The absence of a harbour immediately made il - self plain and he did not think Taranaki a. very suit aide place. He menl Mined, however, in Ids report that a breakwater would possibly do much towards effecting a safe anchorage and indeed lived to see one built and was for many years chairman of the Harbour Board. His original idea was to build a break water right around the Sugar Loaves, hut this idea was later given up in favour of the site of ihe present structure. Carrington next visited Tasman Pay and Moliteka neither of which appealed lo him bui he missed Nelson which was more or less obscured bv flic boulder bank in those days and for this lie was subjected to much bitter criticism in later years. lit- was therefore compelled lo turn hack and select Taranaki. During ids excursions Carrington obtained the services of DiPky Barra ft, who was then living at Wellington, lint to whom he had to pay .Cloo to pilot him to Taranaki. When Carrington decided on ’Taranaki he selected a band of surveyors and assistants and trekked north and on arrival at Taranaki in 1810, he laid down Devon Line, which was now known as Devon St., in New Plymouth, and from it laid out ids sections for the township. It was a tribute to his town plan(Concluded on page I),