Harbours and Havens

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 374, 7 June 1928, Page 8

Harbours and Havens

PORTS THAT HAVE DECLINED

Maritime Progress in Dominion

MARITIME progress round the coasts of New Zealand has been a varying quantity. Auckland and Wellington have attained pre-eminent positions, and many minor ports are solidly established, but there are others which have declined in importance since the early days when they were in the heyday of their prosperity.

CEVENTY-FIVE years ago, In 1853, the ports of importance in overseas trade were set out in the list of ports of entry, at which facilities were provided for the passage of incoming merchandise through ’the Customs. In 1853 there were 17 ports of entry, among which northern ports were predominant. The indented shores of North Auckland were lined with important trading stations, and Mangonui, Russell, Whangarei, Kaipara, Hokianga, Kawhia and Auckland were the ports of entry for the Auckland Province. Of these seven, only two, Kaipara and Auckland, are still listed as ports of entry. The others either declined in importance or were found unsuitable for carrying on an overseas trade. They remain as

coastal ports, with Whangarei, in particular, a coastal port of growing importance, and with a distinct future. Maritime progress on the northern coasts has not been restricted to Whangarei. An enterprising scheme is at present in execution at the beautiful harbour of Whangaroa. Again, at Opua, there are berthage facilities for large vessels. These improvements promise that some day the northern harbours may come back into their own. Even the Kaipara, which has lost in importance since the decline of the timber-exporting industry, may regain its prestige, as an outlet for the pastoral province, when a reliable channel is formed across its miles of tidal shallows. To-day the ports of entry In New Zealand number 21. New ports of entry In the north include Tauranga, Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne, Waitara and Patea, while in the south there are Wairau (including Picton), Westport, Greymouth, Hokitika, Timaru and Oamaru, which have replaced Akaroa and the Chatham Islands, in addition to older entry ports such as Lyttelton, Dunedin and Nelson. In actual number of vessels work-

mg the port, Auckland is far ahead of any other port in the Dominion. In 1926, for instance, 8,530 vessels were entered here. But this large number was partly attributable to Auckland’s position as headquarters of a very large “mosquito fleet.” In actual tonnage handled, both inward and outward, for all classes of shipping, Wellington is slightly ahead of Auckland. The total amount of tonnage for the port of Auckland in 12 months was 2,450,714, and for Wellington it was 3,430,594. Here the Wellington figures must be discounted because they include the tonnage of the regular Picton and Lyttelton ferries. With these excluded, the overseas vessels touching at the two ports are about equal in number each year, though in tonnage handled Wellington is slightly ahead.

Auckland remains the principal importing port, but it is at Wellington that the largest volume of exports is shipped. In values of produce handled, with both exports and imports taken into consideration, Wellington leads Auckland by the small margin indicated in the following comparison of annual figures: Wellington, £28,482,184; Auckland, £27,891,905. Among the other ports, excluding the West Coast coal ports, which handle only one class of commodity, Napier follows Lyttelton for fourth place, while such progressive ports as New Plymouth, Timaru and Wanganui appear to be creeping up on Dunedin and the Bluff. On some of these harbours, of course, immense sums have been expended, yet have produced very little tangible result. The maritime business of Napier, a port with a great sweep of productive back-country, has been handicapped by a harbour controversy waged with incredible bitterness. A royal commission to investigate the case sat last year, at a cost to the district of £S,OOO or more; but the harbour board is still reluctant to direct its policy in accordance with the commission’s findings. In Wanganui and Patea the controlling harbour boards have set out to conquer treacherous river-mouths. Wanganui has been successful, but Patea’s difficulties are shown by the fact that in 1926 the port only handled £l7 worth of goods for export, though its coastal business, of course, has been carried on all the time. LIGHTING THE SEAWAYS In addition to the large sums put into harbour development by harbour boards, and other local authorities, the Marine Department has spent a great deal of money in surveys and the erection and maintenance of lighthouses, of which the most important guard the rocky headlands of Cook Strait, and the island-studded waters through which shipping approaches Auckland. The two largest lights in New Zealand are those on Stephens Island, Cook Strait, and Cape Brett, North Auckland. The former is visible at 32 miles, and the latter at 30. The East Cape light, is another which Is visible from a long distance, and Cuvier Island and Mokohinau lights, in Auckland waters, are each visible from 27 miles away. The sum involved in the erection of the 43 lights round the New Zealand coast was over a quarter of a million. Their average cost was about £6,000 each, with Cape Brett the most eostly (£11,237), and the yearly maintenance expenses amount to over £77,000.