Transcriber's Note:
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as
possible including some inconsistent hyphenation. The corrections
listed before the table of contents have been made. Some other
changes have been made. They are listed at the end of the text.
Italic text has been marked with _underscores_.
OE ligatures have been expanded.
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND _A HISTORY_
[Illustration: Coat of Arms of Auckland]
[Illustration: Captain William Hobson, R.N. (1792-1842)
First Lieut-Governor and Governor of New Zealand
Founder of the City of Auckland
_From a copy of a painting by Collins of Bristol in the Old Colonists'
Museum_]
The
City of Auckland
New Zealand, 1840-1920
_by_
JOHN BARR
Chief Librarian
_preceded by_
A Maori History of the Auckland
Isthmus by George Graham
and a Foreword by J. H. Gunson, C.M.G., C.B.E.
Mayor of Auckland
_Prepared by direction of the Auckland City Council_
MCMXXII
WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED
AUCKLAND . CHRISTCHURCH . DUNEDIN . WELLINGTON . N.Z.
MELBOURNE AND LONDON
W.&T.LTD.
PRESS OF
WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED
AUCKLAND, N.Z.
DEDICATED
TO THE PIONEERS, MEN AND WOMEN,
WHO BY THEIR INDUSTRY AND
SELF-ABNEGATION
ESTABLISHED
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND
_THE CITY OF AUCKLAND_
Foreword
This History of the City of Auckland is issued by the City Council in
the confident expectation that the wonderful progress recorded in the
following pages will not only afford pleasure and information to a wide
circle of readers, both in New Zealand and abroad, but that the work
will prove to be an inspiration to good citizenship for the further
advancement of Auckland.
_J. H. GUNSON,
Mayor._
MAYOR'S ROOM,
TOWN HALL,
_Auckland, N.Z._,
_February, 1922_.
Preface
This book is the first attempt which has been made to write a
connected history of the City of Auckland. Although in years the city
is comparatively young, many of the events which have marked its
progress have already been forgotten. With the exception, perhaps, of
the principal incidents associated with the foundation of the city,
and a most interesting account of the state of Auckland in the early
'fifties, written by Mr. W. Swainson, no period of Auckland's history
has been adequately dealt with. The lack of information has made the
task of writing a history a difficult one, and may account for the fact
that none has hitherto been essayed. The need for such a book has been
felt for a long time, and it is only to be regretted that the work was
not taken in hand before, by someone who had been a spectator or a
participant in the events described. To a writer who has not had these
advantages, his work must lack that element of the personal which adds
to the interest of the reader, and helps in the re-presentation of the
events.
The author's intention in writing this sketch has been to group into
periods the principal events and incidents of the city's history. He
has concentrated his efforts to make these--the groundwork of any
history--as full and correct as possible. In a pioneer effort it is
only natural to expect some omissions, and the writer hopes that
his readers will acquaint him upon any matters which he may have
inadvertently overlooked. He also hopes that the appearance of the book
will stimulate some of the older residents of the city to record their
recollections, so that those of the younger school who are interested
in the city's past may have fuller information about Auckland of the
early days.
The writer wishes to acknowledge the assistance which has been
uniformly extended to him when prosecuting his inquiries, especially to
the officers of city institutions whose histories have not so far been
made public, and to other individuals who have assisted him in a more
personal way. To all of these he offers his thanks. Especially must he
thank Mr. George Graham, who, at his request, prepared the sketch of
the Maori history of the Isthmus, which forms a prologue to the later
history of Auckland. Without this contribution, this history would only
have been partial; as now presented it is a complete outline of the
city's history from earliest known times to the present.
Correction
P. 231, line 5, for "Peace Treaty" read "Armistice".
P. 227, lines 1 and 2, for "Mr. James Carroll" read "Hon. Sir James
Carroll, K.C.M.G."
Contents
PAGE
A Maori History of the Auckland Isthmus, by George Graham 1
The City of Auckland, a History: 1840-1920, by J. Barr 33
Foundation and Settlement, 1840-1850 35
Development, 1851-1870 77
Progress and a Slump, 1871-1900 141
Prosperity and Expansion, 1901-1920 182
Appendix I--The Name of Auckland 236
Appendix II--Population of the City of Auckland, 1840-1921 239
Appendix III--Table showing Imports and Exports at the
Port of Auckland, 1853-1920 240
Index 243
List of Illustrations
FACING PAGE
Captain William Hobson, R.N. Frontispiece
Plan of Auckland, 1840
"He Taua! He Taua!" A War Party! Sounding the Alarm of an
Approaching War Party 1
Interior of Maori Pa, about the year 1840 16
Auckland, 1840, showing the Tents of First Settlers 33
Facsimile of the original Deed of Purchase of the Site of the
City of Auckland 40
Translation of original Deed of Purchase 41
Plan of Auckland, 1842 48
Queen Street in 1843, showing Stocks in front of Gaol 53
Commercial Bay, 1844 60
Auckland, Circa 1852 65
Auckland, 1852, from Hobson Street 69
Auckland, 1852, from Smale's Point 71
Auckland, 1852, from Britomart Barracks 74
Auckland, 1852, from Queen Street Wharf 76
Mayors of the City of Auckland 80
Sir George Grey, K.C.B. 85
Auckland, 1862, Maori War Canoe Race in progress 92
New Zealand's First Parliament Building 97
Auckland, 1876, showing Fort Britomart in course of demolition 112
Auckland in 1884. View taken from Hobson and Wellesley Streets 128
Calliope Dock 145
Auckland Public Library, 1880 149
Public Library, Art Gallery and Old Colonists' Museum, To-day 149
Queen Street Wharf, 1887 156
View of Auckland from Rangitoto 165
Plan of Auckland Waterfront To-day 172
Queen Street To-day 181
View of Auckland's Harbour Frontage taken from a Seaplane 188
Albert Park, formerly the Site of Albert Barracks 197
Auckland from the North Shore 200, 201
Auckland from the Ferry Buildings, looking Eastward 200, 201
The Town Hall with the Sir George Grey Statue 204
Photograph of Auckland taken from a Seaplane 216
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales at the Town Hall 232
Map of the City of Auckland at End of Book.
The Coat of Arms of Auckland, printed in facsimile colours, has
been inserted on the half-title preceding the frontispiece.
[Illustration: Plan of Auckland, 1840, by Felton Mathew, Surveyor
General
Note proposed reclamations and dock accommodation]
THE MAORI HISTORY OF THE AUCKLAND ISTHMUS
(Tamaki-Makau-Rau)
_by_ GEORGE GRAHAM
[Illustration: "He Taua! He Taua!"--A War Party! Sounding the Alarm of
an Approaching War Party
_After the original by J. McDonald, Wellington_]
I
_Introduction_
In compiling this history, I desire to narrate in as brief and clear
a manner as possible the doings of the ancient Tamaki tribes, as
recounted in the folk-lore of their descendants.
I have, as far as possible, confined the history to the tribes of the
Auckland Isthmus itself--referring to the history and peoples of other
parts only so far as is necessary to the clearness of the general
narrative.
There may be some doubt as to the chronological sequence and to many of
the details of incidents herein related--such is inseparable from the
legendary history of all races who did not possess written records.
However, the narrative as I now present it is in the form accepted
by the people--as related to me by that generation of chieftains now
almost passed away.
THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF TAMAKI
Ancient Maori culture did not embrace the knowledge of letters. We
therefore possess no written records of the pre-European times. Our
information is confined to the tribal folk-lore and folk-songs of the
people.
We do know, however, that from a very remote past the Pacific had been
peopled by races of a more or less Polynesian type, and that branches
of these had also reached New Zealand.
Legend tells us that the earliest settlers in Ao-tea-roa were a race
of giants--the "Kahui-tipua." Of that ilk was one Mata-aho, who had
no doubt arrived from lands of a more genial temperature. He called
upon his Fire-Goddess (Mahu-ika) to produce subterranean fires to warm
his limbs. Hence the volcanic outbursts which have left evidence of
the efficiency of that ancient invocation in the form of the extinct
volcanic cones and lava flows of the Tamaki Isthmus.
Then, again, there was an equally ancient, but more human-like people
resident hereabouts--the "Patu-paiarehe"--so-called "Fairies," from
whom, indeed, many of the leading chieftains of to-day proudly claim
descent. Concerning these people we are told of their industry in the
arts of peace, fishing, hunting, weaving, etc.; nor were they, it would
seem, deficient in the sterner art of war, for they were involved in
much inter-tribal strife. One of these struggles resulted in a weaker
faction deciding to emigrate across the Waitemata. In order to do so
they began to erect a stone causeway. However, the sun arose on their
uncompleted toil, and dried them all up! The ruin of this ancient
attempt to bridge the Waitemata remains to this day in the form of
that long reef "Te Toka-roa," off Point Chevalier. The unsentimental
geologist will tell you it is actually an old lava flow from Mount
Albert.
Despite the mists of legendary lore which surround the doings of these
ancient people, both "Giants" and "Fairies," it is probable that they
had actually existed here. They were, perhaps, the earliest of the
immigratory races which were continually arriving. Over the Pacific
Ocean canoe voyages were taking place in all directions. The motive
which impelled these undertakings was doubtless that stated in the
legends--overpopulation involving warfare, causing the weaker factions
to seek safer homes over the water to live in. No doubt the food
supplies of over-populated islands also necessitated sections of the
people to swarm off; the mere spirit of adventure, ever in the human
heart, was probably an important contributory cause.
Whoever these ancient people were--and the probability is that they
were Polynesians similar to the immigrants of a later time--they
were a numerous people who "covered the land like ants"; such is the
proverbial description of them.
II
_Toi-te-huatahi_[1]
Some time about 1150 A.D. there arrived in New Zealand a chief named
Toi-te-huatahi, the leader of a large immigration, who settled at
Whakatane, and his people, known as Te Tini-o-Toi, rapidly spread
throughout the land, conquering or merging with their predecessors.
Tamaki was soon populated by them. Oho-mai-Rangi, said to be a son of
Toi, lived at the Waikato Heads, and to him is generally attributed the
tribal name "Nga-Oho"--a people of Toi who occupied a wide area in the
south, Waikato and Tamaki. A great-grandson of Toi was one Kauea, who
carried the conquests of his people into the Kaipara and the far north.
By the middle of the fourteenth century we find the Nga-Oho dominant
over all this area, having various sub-tribal names, such as the
Nga-riki, Wai-o-hua, etc.
III
_The Arrival of the Fleet_--_1350 A.D._
About 1350 A.D. came another wave of immigrants from Polynesia--for
then arrived the historic fleet of canoes, the Arawa, Tainui, Matatua,
and others.
It may be remarked here that this was the last of the great Polynesian
immigrations. From very remote times expeditions had been arriving in
New Zealand, and many return voyages were likewise made to the Pacific
groups. Why these voyages eventually ceased, at a time when among the
Polynesians the arts of navigation had been brought to perfection,
remains an unsolved problem.
The fact remains that this immigration of about 1350 A.D. was an
epoch-making affair, and from this time on Maori history assumes a
definite form. We now reach an era of which we possess more definite
detail as to the doings of the Tamaki tribes down to European times.
From 1350 A.D. the next century or so is mainly a record of the
settlement of the immigrants, involving much inter-tribal warfare.
IV
_The Tainui Canoe_
Of these canoes, the one which most directly affected local history was
the Tainui canoe. This canoe, like most of the others, arrived on the
East Coast. Coasting northwards (some say as far as the North Cape)
she arrived at last in the Hauraki Gulf, and entered the Waitemata.
Resting for some time at Te Kurae-o-Tura (Devonport Beach), the canoe
continued its journey to Tamaki (Otaiki). At Taurere (Tamaki Heads) a
chief named Te Kete-ana-taua remained with the local people, and became
the ancestor of Ngai-tai of those parts; they were owners of all the
Takapuna district as far north as probably Mahurangi, and included in
their territorial areas the Kawau, Great Barrier and other islands of
the Gulf.
Arriving at Otahuhu, the people awaited the re-arrival of an important
lady of their party, by name Marama. This lady, having landed at
Hauraki, was doing "the overland trip." On her ladyship's arrival, the
canoe was taken into the Manukau, whence they voyaged southwards to
Mokau, eventually settling at Kawhia. From there they spread inland to
Waikato, Hauraki, and eventually to Tamaki. Marama, with other members
of the Tainui crew, also settled here, her descendants being known as
the Nga-Marama people. Hence the Tamaki Isthmus became a Tainui tribal
area at a very early period.
V
_The Arawa Canoe_
The Arawa people at an early date also contributed its quota to
the population of Tamaki. Arriving on the East Coast (at the same
time and place as the Tainui) this canoe likewise made a coastal
exploration. Eventually its people settled down at Maketu (Bay of
Plenty), Tamatekapua, their leader, having remained at Moehau (Cape
Colville), where he died. From there his children spread throughout
the Coromandel peninsula and the islands of the Gulf, and were known
as Ngati-huarere (Huarere being Tamatekapua's grandson). We are told
that Ihenga, a brother of Huarere, lived at Tamaki for some time, and
at Kaipara. These early Arawas left descendants here, and through them
the Tamaki chiefs thus claimed an Arawa lineage. The Ngati-Huarere are
said to have occupied fortified villages at Orakei, Fort Britomart,
Queen Street, Three Kings and other places, until the final conquest
of the Tamaki Isthmus, as hereinafter related. Kahumatamomoe, another
son of Tamatekapua, having quarrelled with his brothers and relatives
at Maketu, came to Tamaki, and is said to have lived at Orakei with
other relatives already settled there, hence the name of the village at
Orakei--"Okahu." Going on to Kaipara, he permanently resided there.
VI
_The Matatua Canoe_
This immigrant canoe was also an important factor in populating
the Tamaki Isthmus. Its people had settled at Whakatane, and were
remarkable for their restlessness. Parties of this tribe, known under
the general name of Ngati-Awa, were always on the move. They are
reputed to have formed an important element of the One Tree Hill
(Maungakiekie, lofty hill) people. The Owairaka (Mount Albert) pa
belonged to this people. The Ngati-Awa chief Titahi, who lived in
Tamaki and Kaipara for some time, is said to have instructed the local
people how to perfect their fortifications. Hence one name for the
terracing and earthworks (so conspicuous a feature of the hills of
Tamaki) was "Nga-whaka-iro-a Titahi"--"The decorations of Titahi."
The intrusion of these various immigrant parties no doubt was not
peacefully accomplished, and almost continuous warfare marks the
history of the next few centuries, as the direct result of the jealousy
between rival chieftains and the struggles of the respective tribes to
maintain and extend their territories.
VII
_The Aotea Canoe_
This important canoe, commanded by the famous Turi, also visited the
Tamaki, the crew eventually settling at Patea, in the South, but Turi's
son, Turanga-i-mua, became dissatisfied with that place, and about
1400 A.D. he came to Tamaki with a war-party, moving on to Hauraki
and other places, finally returning to Tamaki. Tu' soon came into
conflict with the local people, whom he defeated in the battle at
Waitaramoa (the creek at the head of Hobson Bay), and then occupied the
pa at Onepuwhakatakataka (the headland at Orakei, opposite Parnell).
There he lived for some time, and again left for the South, leaving a
large number of his people in possession of this locality, where they
occupied several villages. By intermarriage, the Aotea people appear to
have soon lost their tribal unity, and from them the Tamaki chiefs of a
later time were proud to claim an ancestral descent.
VIII
_Ancient Maori Society--A Retrospect_
Before going any further, a brief outline of the daily life of the
Maori community should be of interest.
The tribes of Tamaki lived in village communities, each hapu, or
community, consisting of a group of families, more or less closely
inter-related, and governed according to various customary usages by
their hereditary chiefs. These communities collectively acknowledged
the superior prestige of an Ariki, or hereditary high chief.
The religious side of life was the province of their "tohungas," or
priests, the priesthood being also hereditary within certain families
of chiefs.
Each village was a fortress--palisaded and parapeted, with deep
trenches and draw-bridges. Every hill-top, headland or locality lending
itself to defence was utilised for that purpose.
The aristocratic families lived in elaborately built houses (similar
to "Rangitihi," the great carved house in our Museum). The chieftains
had their residential quarters in the citadel of the villages; whilst
the great mass of the tribesmen lived in mere thatched sheds, or in
pit-dwellings. The remains of the latter are numerous throughout the
Isthmus.
The plantations were on the easy cultivated flats or slopes surrounding
the villages, and were usually so located as to be easily defended
against marauders.
Large stores of dried fish and preserved food of all kinds, from
forest, stream and sea, were kept in store-houses within each village.
To become "short of supplies" was a reflection upon the industry of
such a village, which would go to great lengths to conceal such a
predicament.
The crops grown were the "taro," "hue" (gourd), "uwhi" (yam), and
"kumara." This latter was indeed the "staff of life," and its
cultivation occupied much of the time and industry of the people. At
harvest time these crops were gathered into the store-houses and pits
for winter use.
At early dawn the people were astir and about their daily duties.
After the morning meal, the cultivators went forth to the plantations,
the fishers to the sea, and the hunters to the forest. Other men were
engaged in the building of houses or canoes, in which the art of the
carver was utilised, or in the making of stone implements or weapons,
whilst the women of rank directed and actively took part in the
domestic arts--garment weaving, mat and kit plaiting, etc.
No individual was idle; to be so was a reproach, and a failing not
tolerated. The whole idea pervading the community was the public weal,
and each individual did his or her "bit," not for individual profit,
but _pro bono publico_.
At sundown the people withdrew to their villages for the night. The
gateways were closed, and sentries were posted on the parapets. By
their watch-songs and calls throughout the night, the sentries answered
one another from village to village.
Within doors the communities, by night, amused themselves and their
visitors with dancing, songs and folk-tales of ancestral doings. Such
relaxation is, indeed, the feature of Maori village life at the present
day.
The burial-places of the people were the caverns of the Isthmus,
each sub-tribe and family having its own place of sepulchre. In some
cases these were in remote places of the forests of Waitakerei, or
other secluded localities. Of the many other aspects of ancient Maori
social economy, religious rites, etc., and, above all, of the customs
connected with war, I must refer those interested to the many excellent
books dealing with the subject.
The above sketch will, however, give an idea of the social status
of the people in those ancient times, when the events hereinafter
described were enacted.
IX
_The Wars of Tamaki_
It is hard to ascertain the actual causes and the chronological
sequence of the wars which followed the arrival of the fleet, and only
an outline is attempted here.
MAKI'S INVASION FROM WAIKATO
This chief, Maki, came from Ngati-Awa of Taranaki. Coming northward
with his people he seemed to have gradually worked his way _via_
Kawhia and Waikato to Tamaki, capturing the Rarotonga (Mount Smart)
pa, where for a time he dwelt. Here he was visited by the chiefs of
Kaipara, descendants of Titahi. They requested his assistance in
warfare against the Kawerau, an ancient aboriginal people, who had
become intermixed with the Tini-o-Toi. Responding to this invitation,
and reinforced by a large section of Tamaki people, he invaded Kaipara
with great success, attacking ultimately, like Strongbow of old, the
people whom he had come to assist. He then turned his attention to the
Waitakerei and Mahurangi districts, with like results, and extended his
doings to the outlying islands--Tiritiri, Kawau and Waiheke, finishing
up at Maraetai. Afterwards he departed as he came, returning, it is
said, to the southern districts of Taranaki.
KAWHARU'S INVASION FROM KAIPARA
This affair resulted from some tribal differences in the
Waitakerei-Kaipara borderland, about 1680. Kawharu (who was a chief
connected with the Northern Ngati-Whatua) attacked the tribes in those
districts, driving all before him. He assaulted also many of the
Tamaki villages, continuing his campaign until he reached as far as
the Paparoa headland, east of Howick. Capturing and destroying the pa
there, he returned to Kaipara.
[Illustration: Interior of a Maori Pa, about the year 1840
_After a painting shown at the Colonial Indian Exhibition, London_]
WARS WITH HAURAKI GULF TRIBES
To the south-east were the powerful Hauraki coastal tribes, who, like
those of Tamaki, had gone through much the same history. Also descended
from the Patu-paiarehe, they had gradually incorporated their pedigrees
with those of the Tainui, Arawa and other people. The earliest warfare
on record of Tamaki with these people originated (so says the legend)
when the Tamaki tribes slew the pet seal belonging to the Hauraki
people. Strange to say, this animal (named "Ureia") was on a visit to
Manukau Harbour, at the invitation of the Tamaki people, and there it
met its untimely end. Surely the most unusual of Maori _casus belli_.
Maru-tuahu, as the tribes of the Hauraki district were called, then
invaded Tamaki. They attacked among other places the Maunga-whau (Mount
Eden) pa. After various other successes they returned homewards.
THE MURDER OF KAHURAUTAO
Subsequent to this affair was the warfare resulting from the murder of
Kahurautao, his son Kiwi, and other Maru-tuahu chiefs. These people
were returning from Waikato by canoe _via_ Manukau and Tamaki. They
had visited the Tamaki chiefs at Mount Eden and other places, and on
their return to their canoes at the Tamaki River they were waylaid
and murdered near where St. John's College now stands, hence the name
of that place, "Paru-tahi"--killed together. The Maru-tuahu tribes,
under Kahu's son Rau-tao, thereupon invaded Tamaki. They attacked with
success the riverside pas at Tamaki, also those at Mount Eden, One Tree
Hill and Orakei. Crossing to Takapuna, they scoured along the coast as
far as Mahurangi. Apparently all those people, being Ngai-Tai, were of
one tribal identity. This was not the last time these coastal tribes
suffered in this way.
KAPETAWA'S INVASION
Thereafter occurred the affair of Kapetawa. When a mere lad, this
chief, while on a visit from Waiheke to his sister, who had married
Taramokomoko, a chieftain of Kohimarama, got into several scrapes,
as boys were much the same then as ever, but when he, as the
ringleader with kindred spirits, plundered the kumara store of his
brother-in-law, he got into disfavour with Taramokomoko, who marooned
him on the Bean Rock off the shore. Being rescued by his sister, he
returned home, where he grew to manhood among his own people, the
Ngati-Paoa, at Waiheke. He then organised a war party to avenge the
long-remembered insult. Surprising the pas at Kohimarama, Orakei, etc.,
he crossed to Takapuna, destroying several villages there and along
the outer coast, where the erring brother-in-law, the cause of all
this trouble, was caught and killed at Raho-para--a pa on the northern
headland of the Wairau Creek (Milford).
X
_Kiwi Tamaki (1720-1750)_
We now come to the era of Kiwi Tamaki, the last, and undoubtedly
the most notorious, of the olden Tamaki chiefs. He was so called to
distinguish him from other men of that name.
His parents, Te Ikamaupoho and Te Tahuri, united in their ancestry
all that was aristocratic in lineal descent from the ancient
Patu-paiarehe, Nga-Oho (People of Toi), Ngati-Awa, Arawa, Tainui, etc.
Despite the many repeated invasions and incessant warfare within their
territories, the Tamaki people at this time were apparently in their
"golden age."
The family home was the citadel of One Tree Hill. The mother, Te
Tahuri, was renowned for her hospitality and industry. The resources
of the district and the extent of the fortifications and cultivation
were famous far and near. On the Manukau and Waitemata, large fleets of
canoes for fishing and war purposes were maintained. Hence the proverb
"Te pai me te whai-rawa o Tamaki"--the luxury and wealth of Tamaki.
The many previously described wars had ere this earned for the Isthmus
the appropriate motto "Tamaki-makau-Rau" (_i.e._, The spouse contested
for us by a hundred lovers).
Surrounded by all this Maori opulence, Kiwi grew to manhood. He early
developed an arrogant and turbulent disposition. When on a visit
to Ngati-Whatua to attend a funeral feast held near Helensville,
Kiwi treacherously slew several of the local chiefs and a prominent
chieftainess, named Tahataha. Following this up with other murders on
his homeward journey, he reached the supposed safety of his tribal
domains. The Ngati-Whatua promptly retaliated, and before Kiwi realised
their intentions, they arrived in canoes from Pitoitoi (Brigham's
Creek, near Riverhead) and successfully attacked the Waitemata
foreshore villages. Kiwi then advanced, and met a Kaipara war party
coming overland, at Titirangi. After some skirmishing, they defeated
Kiwi, who returned to One Tree Hill. The Ngati-Whatua then advanced
to the Tamaki Heads, where they captured the Taurere pa, and again
returned to Kaipara, losing some of their chiefs in ambush near Remuera.
Returning, however, in greater force, one party crossed the Manukau and
attacked the Tipitai (Awhitu) and other villages.
Kiwi had meanwhile organised his tribesmen, and, reinforced from the
southern districts, he advanced against the Kaipara. The forces met
again at Titirangi. After much skirmishing, ending in a feigned
retreat, the Ngati-Whatua advanced rapidly. The retreat became a
"debacle," only ending on the shores of the Manukau, where at Paruroa
(Big Muddy Creek) Kiwi fell. All the important Tamaki chieftains
fell that day, hence the name of this Maori Bannockburn, "Te
Rangi-hinganga-tahi" (The day when all fell together).
This battle took place about 1750. Tamaki was now at the mercy of
Ngati-Whatua, who advanced, easily disposing of such defenders as
remained to dispute their progress.
Having depopulated Tamaki, Ngati-Whatua then returned to Kaipara.
On their departure, some of the Tamaki refugees again returned to
the Waitemata and re-occupied several villages on the harbour side.
Ngati-Whatua, hearing of this, sent another expedition, which attacked
and finally drove these people away. Tuperiri, the Ngati-Whatua leader,
and his tribesmen, then returned to Tamaki and made their home at One
Tree Hill and other places. After capturing the last remaining forts at
Mangere, they held undisputed sway over this land. Most of the Tamaki
people had been slain. Some were enslaved, and a remnant fled into
Waikato and Hauraki.
Thus ends the story of the ancient tribes of Tamaki.
XI
_The Ngati-Whatua Era in Tamaki_
Ngati-Whatua were now installed in possession of Tamaki. They soon
found that might was the only right to their new territory. To the
south were the powerful Waikato and Marutuahu tribes, who by sea and
land were a continual anxiety to the new lords of Tamaki. They were
closely related to the late victims of Ngati-Whatua. Many of the
refugees, indeed, had gone to those districts to live, and no doubt
instigated many a surprise attack. Ngati-Paoa appear to have always
maintained several fortified villages on the Tamaki River unmolested by
Ngati-Whatua down to European times.
Quarrels arose with Ngati-Paoa at last as the result of a marriage of
a Waikato chieftainess to Te Putu, a Ngati-Paoa chief. Land on the
Tamaki River had been given to cement a tribal peace and in honour of
the union. Shortly thereafter, at a fishing expedition off Mahurangi,
Ngati-Paoa and Ngati-Whatua quarrelled. The former attacked the latter
and killed Tara-hawaiki, son of Tuperiri. Ngati-Paoa followed this up
by invading Tamaki, having in alliance with them the other Hauraki
tribes. The invaders were defeated by Ngati-Whatua at Pu-ponga on the
Manukau Harbour and again at Rangi-mata-rau (Point Chevalier Beach).
On a later occasion a party of Ngati-Paoa were surprised whilst
shark-fishing at Kauri Point,[2] the survivors being left on the
pinnacle rock (Niho-Kiore) off there to drown.
Thereafter Ngati-Whatua, now in alliance with Waikato and Manukau
tribes, attacked Ngati-Paoa at Putiki (Waiheke). In a final battle at
Tamaki West Heads, Ngati-Paoa were defeated, and thus was ended that
warfare. This event is placed about 1793, and permanently established
Ngati-Whatua's prestige and their possession of Tamaki.
At this time, Tamaki had become a rather unsafe place of residence, and
does not appear to have been extensively occupied. In fact, Mount Eden
and many of the large hill forts had long been abandoned, and their
elaborate defences were already in ruin and overgrown with scrub and
fern.
About this period, also, came a great epidemic remembered as the
"Rewharewha." It was probably an influenza outbreak, and swept
throughout the land. No doubt this visitation further reduced the
Tamaki population, and therein lies the reason why many of the old-time
villages were abandoned and passed out of history. The remnants of
the people, though still numerous, were unable to hold the large hill
fortresses against an enemy. Smaller and easier defended positions only
were maintained.
Tuperiri continued, however, to live at One Tree Hill, and died there
in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Ngati-Paoa still resided
in various Tamaki River pas, but nothing remarkable appears to have
happened in Tamaki itself. About this year (1793) there came the first
of the Ngapuhi raids, the precursor of many such subsequent affairs,
which ultimately involved the Ngati-Whatua of Tamaki. The cause of the
first invasion by Ngapuhi of these parts is not certain. The Ngapuhi
war party, after attacking the Hauraki people, appeared to have come
to the Tamaki Heads, and there, at the West Head again, a battle was
fought. Ngapuhi were defeated at the hands of the local people, only
two canoe parties of their fleet escaping.
The event was followed up by a Hauraki invasion of the northern
districts _via_ Kaipara, in which Ngati-Whatua also took part. They
returned after many successes in the north, and thus closed the Tamaki
history of the Eighteenth Century.
XII
_The Nineteenth Century (1800-1840)_
Of this, the final epoch in the Maori history of Tamaki, I will give
but a brief sketch.
Of the years from 1800 to 1810 we know little. In the latter year a
second great epidemic swept over these districts. This no doubt brought
about a further depopulation of the Isthmus. About 1810, Ngati-Paoa
again began to reside on the Tamaki shores, and erected fortresses at
Mauinaina and Mokoia (Panmure).
MARSDEN'S VISIT
In 1820, Marsden passed through the district on his way northward.
Going by Ngati-Paoa canoe to Riverhead, he met the Ngati-Whatua
chieftain Kawau, who escorted him safely to Kaipara. Returning to
Tamaki with Kawau, he visited the Ngati-Paoa villages at Tamaki, and
met their chieftain Te Hinaki, between whom and the Hauraki chiefs
Marsden succeeded in arranging a meeting, the result being a tribal
peace between these people.
This peacemaking occurred aboard the ship _Coromandel_, in the Waiheke
Passage. After again visiting the Mokoia pa at Panmure, Marsden finally
left for the north overland.
CRUISE'S VISIT TO TAMAKI, 1820
In the same year (1820), the Waitemata was visited by Major Cruise
aboard the ship _Prince Regent_, ten days after Marsden's departure.
He was invited to the Tamaki settlements, and there met the chief Te
Hinaki. Cruise gives much detail in his Journal of the local natives
and their homes.
Now began in earnest the dreadful era of the Ngapuhi raids. Their
war parties were now armed with the destructive firearms obtained by
bartering with the early traders to these coasts.
TE KOPERU'S INVASION
A Ngapuhi chief had arrived at Tamaki in 1820, apparently to attack
Ngati-Paoa and Hauraki generally. Ngati-Whatua came to assist
Ngati-Paoa, and the Ngapuhi attack on Mauinaina was repulsed. Then
Te Koperu was invited into the fortress to make peace. There he was
treacherously murdered by Te Paraoa-rahi, a Ngati-Paoa chief.
This event was followed almost immediately by Te Koperu's brother, Te
Morenga, attacking the Tamaki pas, and he severely punished Ngati-Paoa,
amply revenging Te Koperu's death.
HONGI'S INVASION
The following year (1821) saw yet another attack on the people of
Tamaki. Hongi Ika himself first then came on the scene. He had just
returned from England, and had met Te Hinaki in Sydney, whence they
both returned to New Zealand. Te Hinaki had been warned in Sydney by
Hongi as to his intentions; he therefore prepared his fortifications
at Mokoia and Mauinaina for the storm about to break upon his people.
The Ngapuhi duly arrived and began a blockade of the Tamaki forts.
After a long siege, accompanied by much skirmishing, the Mokoia fort
was captured. Te Hinaki himself was slain, with a great number of
his people. After the incidents usual to such affairs had been fully
enacted, the Ngapuhi departed, to carry on the war in the districts of
Hauraki and the south.
For some years after the Ngapuhi invasion, the Tamaki Isthmus appears
to have been altogether abandoned as a permanent residential area. It
was during this time a kind of "no man's land." Ngati-Whatua retreated
to the forest wilderness of Waitakerei and Kaipara, or into the
recesses of the Waikato.
D'URVILLE'S VISIT
In 1827 D'Urville visited the Waitemata. He ascended Takarunga (Mount
Victoria, Devonport). Looking westward towards the Tamaki, he says
there were no signs whatever of any inhabitants. Crossing the harbour,
he found a deserted village (perhaps Orakei). He also attempted to
ascend what was probably Mount Eden, but had to abandon the attempt.
The denseness of growth of fern and scrub since the time of the
Ngati-Whatua conquest of the last century had obliterated all the old
native tracks. The greater area of the Isthmus had become little better
than a jungle of vegetation.
D'Urville also describes his visit to the villages at Tamaki, where a
namesake of the late ill-fated Hinaki was then head man.
NGAPUHI DEFEATED AT TAMAKI HEADS
In this year (1827) was fought the last tribal battle in Tamaki. The
Manukau and Ngati-Whatua people in alliance came in canoes down the
Tamaki River to give combat to Ngapuhi. That people, crossing from
Waiheke, "captured" the apparently abandoned canoes of the local people
at the West Tamaki Head. While Ngapuhi were quarrelling over the
supposed "spoils of war," the allies returned and surprised them, with
such success that only one small Ngapuhi party of twenty men returned
home to tell the tale.
THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY
Christianity was now beginning to show its influence among the
war-weary tribes of New Zealand, and from now on until 1835 much
inter-tribal peacemaking was the order of the day.
In that year Ngati-Whatua began to return to the Isthmus, but none of
the old hill forts were re-occupied. The decrease in population, the
introduction of firearms, and the general change in the modes of life
had made those elevated places of abode impracticable under the new
conditions which arose.
Okahu (Orakei Bay) became the headquarters of the Ngati-Whatua; they
had also a large village at Mangere, where also lived Kati, younger
brother of Te Wherowhero,[3] the paramount Waikato chief. His
wife--Matere Toha--was a Ngapuhi chieftainess of high rank, being
a niece of the great Hongi Ika.[4] Apihai Te Kawau, head chief of
Ngati-Whatua, took up his residence at Orakei, and other villages were
established and occupied on the shores of the Waitemata and Manukau.
This was the position in 1840.
The days of local inter-tribal warfare had now passed away for ever. In
this year the purchase of the site of Auckland City took place, and the
British Flag was unfurled at Fort Britomart. Thus closed the long and
troublous history of Tamaki-Makau-Rau.
[Illustration: Auckland, 1840, showing the Tents of First Settlers
All the bays have been reclaimed and the Point demolished]
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND 1840-1920
_by_ JOHN BARR
Chapter I
_Foundation and Settlement (1840-1850)_
The City of Auckland was founded on the 18th September, 1840, by
Captain William Hobson, R.N., Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand.
Captain Hobson, on his arrival in New Zealand, made his headquarters
at the Bay of Islands, at that time the most populous place in
the colony, as far as white people were concerned, for here both
missionaries and traders had settled in greatest numbers, and here,
also, Mr. Busby, British Resident, was located. The Bay of Islands did
not meet with the approval of the Lieutenant-Governor, and, in his
first conversation with the Rev. Henry Williams,[5] he asked for his
opinion as to the most suitable place to erect the capital of the young
colony. The Archdeacon recommended the Tamaki or the Waitemata. The
Surveyor-General, Mr. Felton Mathew, visited both these localities,
and favoured Tamaki, which, if his recommendation had been adopted,
would have placed the seat of Government where Panmure now stands.
Captain Hobson, however, decided to investigate the sites himself, and
in company with Mr. G. Clarke, Protector of Aborigines, and Captain
David Rough, who was appointed "Harbour Master at Waitemata" in August
of this year, he sailed in the Revenue cutter _Ranger_, commanded by
Captain Carkeek, from the Bay of Islands at the end of June, 1840.
After inspecting the channel at the Tamaki, the Lieutenant-Governor
decided against that site. He then visited the upper reaches of the
Waitemata Harbour, and was again dissatisfied with the channel.
However, as Captain Rough had left the vessel to take soundings near
the Ponsonby shore, and on the report of these being satisfactory,
Captain Hobson expressed his approval of the Waitemata as the site
of the capital, but did not commit himself to a particular spot, and
returned to the Bay of Islands. In a despatch to the Secretary of
State for the Colonies, dated 15th October, 1840, Captain Hobson gives
his reasons for "forming the seat of government on the south shore
of the Waitemata," and continues: "In the choice I have thus made, I
have been influenced by a combination of circumstances: First, by its
central position; secondly, by the great facility of internal water
communication by the Kaipara and its branches to the northward, and the
Manakou [sic] and Waikato to the southward; thirdly, from the facility
and safety of its port, and the proximity of several smaller ports
abounding with the most valuable timber; and finally, by the fertility
of the soil, which is stated by persons capable of appreciating it, to
be available for every agricultural purpose...." In a later despatch,
dated 10th November, 1840, the Lieutenant-Governor states that he had
"lately returned from a visit to the Waitemata, where I found the
officers of the Government, and the mechanics and labourers under their
orders, proceeding with the necessary works for establishing the town
which I contemplate being the future seat of Government, and which I
purpose distinguishing by the name of 'Auckland.'"[6]
Hobson's choice of the capital was strenuously opposed by the New
Zealand Company, and its agents endeavoured to have Wellington made
the seat of Government. The controversy between the Governor and the
Company lasted until 1842, when Queen Victoria signified her approval
of the Governor's selection, notification of which appeared in the "New
Zealand Government Gazette" of November 26th, 1842. Auckland remained
the capital until February, 1865.
In September a move was made to occupy the new site, the ship _Anna
Watson_ (Captain Stewart) conveying the Government officers from the
Bay of Islands to the Waitemata, where they arrived on the 15th. The
vessel anchored off Freeman's Bay, moving on the following day to an
anchorage near Point Britomart, where the deepest water was found, and
which was afterwards named Commercial Bay. East of Point Britomart the
officers of the expedition took up their location in a pretty little
bay, which was named Official Bay, and in the next bay, which received
the name Mechanics Bay, the tradesmen found accommodation. Here the
making of the city began.
The following extract from _The New Zealand Advertiser and Bay of
Islands Gazette_ of September 24th, 1840, sets forth in detail the
ceremony attending the establishment of the city:--"The barque _Anna
Watson_, having on board several officers of the Government, mechanics,
labourers, etc., anchored in the Harbour of Waitemata on Tuesday, the
15th instant, and the site for the intended Settlement on its shores
having been selected by the Surveyor-General, on Friday, the 18th
September, at 1 p.m., the ceremony of taking formal possession in the
name of Her Majesty was duly performed. The whole party having landed,
the British Flag was hoisted on a staff, erected on a bold promontory
commanding a view of the entire harbour. The Flag was immediately
saluted by twenty-one guns from the _Anna Watson_, followed by a salute
of fifteen guns from the barque _Platina_, after which Her Majesty's
health was drunk at the foot of the flagstaff, and greeted by three
times three hearty cheers. The _Anna Watson_ then fired a salute
of seven guns in honour of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor,
which was responded to by three hearty cheers, and 'one cheer more'
from those on shore. The party then returned to the _Anna Watson_,
and, after partaking of luncheon, a regatta took place between a
five-oared gig belonging to the Surveyor-General and a six-oared gig
belonging to the _Anna Watson_, both pulled in excellent style by
amateurs. This was followed by a match for a purse of five pounds
between two whale-boats pulled by sailors, and by another between
two large canoes paddled by Natives. And thus concluded the ceremony
of founding the first British Settlement established under the
auspices of the Government in this part of New Zealand; a ceremony
the more interesting, as this settlement is intended for the future
Capital of what we may venture to predict will one day become a mighty
empire. The Officers of the Government present on the occasion
consisted of the [7]Police Magistrate, the [8] Colonial Surgeon,
the [9]Harbour-master, the [10]Superintendent of Works, the
[11]Sub-Protector of Aborigines, and the [12]Surveyor-General and his
lady."
[Illustration: Facsimile of the original Deed of Purchase of the site
of the City of Auckland]
TRANSLATION
Listen all people to this Book written by Kawau, Tinana, Reweti
Tamaki and other Chiefs of the (tribe) Ngatiwhatua on the one
side by George Clarke Protector of the Aborigines for the Queen
of England on the other side they have consented to give up to
sell a portion of land to the Queen of England for ever and ever
(for whatever purposes Her Majesty may deem right). The Boundary
of the said piece of land we have now sold is this--The Boundary
to the North is the River of the Waitemata from the River named
Mataharehare[A] reaching the River called Opou[B] and from the
extremity of Opou[B] in a straight line to Maunga Wau[C] up to
the rise of extremity of Mataharehare[A] and from the extremity
of Mataharehare[A] up to the River of Waitemata the extent of
this piece of land is this Three Thousand acres more or less. The
payment for the said Land is this Fifty Blankets Fifty Pounds of
Money Twenty trousers Twenty shirts Ten waistcoats Ten caps Four
Casks of Tobacco One box of pipes One hundred yards of gown pieces
Ten iron pots One bag of sugar One bag of Flour Twenty Hatchets.
This writing with our signatures in this book is true signed by
us on the Twentieth day of October in the Year One Thousand Eight
Hundred and Forty of our Lord.
(Signed) _G. Clarke, P.A._
(Signed _The Mark of X Kawau_ _Ko Te Reweti Tamaki_
_The Mark of X Tinana_ _The Mark of X Horo_
Witnesses:--
_Thomas Ryan, J.P., Major, 50th Regt._
_Wm. C. Symonds, P.M., Capt., 96th Regt._
I have received Six Pounds in Money (£6) in addition to the money
(named above) from Captain Symonds.
(Signed) _Na Te Reweti_
Witnesses:--
_Edward Shortland_
_J. Coates_
29th July, 1841
[A] MATAHAREHARE, Bay at the foot of Brighton Road, Hobson Bay.
[B] OPOU, Cox's Creek.
[C] MAUNGA WAU, Mount Eden.
Auckland City had now begun its career. On the 17th October, Captain
Hobson again visited Auckland, but did not make an official landing
until 14th March, 1841, when he was received with such honours as
the small community could furnish. There was a guard of honour in
attendance. A procession was formed, and the Lieutenant-Governor was
escorted to the newly-erected official residence. Shortly after the
Lieutenant-Governor had taken up his residence in Auckland, New Zealand
was proclaimed, on 3rd May, 1841, to be independent of New South Wales,
and Captain Hobson continued in office, becoming Governor instead of
Lieutenant-Governor.
Captain Hobson did not long survive the foundation of Auckland.
He died on September 10th, 1842. His remains were interred in the
burial-ground at Symonds Street, all the officers of the Government,
as well as the civilian population, being present at the funeral.
In a political sense we have no interest in Captain Hobson, but
the question of the choice of the Waitemata as the capital has an
interest for us. We feel constrained therefore to pay tribute to the
man who chose, with the instinct of a city-maker, the site upon which
Auckland now stands. He discarded the Tamaki, for its obvious defects;
he rejected the upper reaches of the Waitemata, and he chose the
situation which has proved to be the most natural and effective for a
new and constantly-increasing city. Other men, such as the late Sir
John Logan Campbell, may have more substantial claims in actual work
for the community and in precedence of time to the title of "Father
of Auckland"; for Logan Campbell had settled in the Waitemata before
Captain Hobson had fixed upon Auckland as the site of the city, but
in actually making the choice, Hobson is, I claim, entitled without
opposition to be called the father of Auckland.
Auckland in the early 'forties had a very different appearance from the
city of to-day. Indeed, it is one of the fascinations in writing about
Auckland to follow its growth from untamed natural country to a city
state; it is also one of its drawbacks, for changes have been so rapid
and thorough that the original condition is completely obliterated.
The boundaries of the original town (see Land Deed of the City of
Auckland, _f._ p. 40) were as follows:--It commenced at Cox's Creek
and followed the coast until Hobson's Bay was reached at a point where
Brighton Road now meets the waterfront, thence inland in an irregular
line to Mount Eden, and from there back to Cox's Creek. The waterfront
naturally shows the greatest alteration. Commercial Bay was the
principal part of the waterfront. At that time the sea came right up
to the foot of Shortland Crescent. Commercial Bay then swept eastward
to a headland, which was first called Flagstaff Hill, but was renamed
Point Britomart, after H.M. brig _Britomart_. Later still, when the
promontory was utilised as a military station, the "Point" was changed
to "Fort." Continuing in the same direction were Official and Mechanics
Bays. On the western side the most prominent bay in proximity to the
city was Freeman's Bay. The appearance of the waterfront at this period
was more picturesque than at the present time; the bays were prettier,
and the vegetation covered the land right to the water's edge.
Sir John Logan Campbell, in the interesting account[13] of his pioneer
experiences, gives a graphic picture of Auckland a few weeks after the
Lieutenant-Governor's visit, when he settled the site of the capital.
"The capital!" he writes--"a few boats and canoes on the beach, a few
tents and break-wind huts along the margin of the bay, and then--a sea
of fern stretching away as far as the eye could reach."
The first consideration of the Government officials and mechanics was
to provide housing for themselves and then to make buildings for the
requirements of the young community. The eastern side of the town was
the first to show growth. In 1842 (see map _f._ p. 48), there were a
considerable number of houses along the waterfront as far as Mechanics
Bay. Both sides of Shortland Crescent (_now_ street) had houses built
on it. Queen Street also had a number of buildings, which diminished
in number as the street continued southward, and practically finished
at Victoria Street, with an isolated dwelling here and there beyond.
The sketch of Auckland in 1843 (_f._ p. 53), reputed to have been made
by Captain D. Rough, conveys a good impression of the town at that
date. It is the earliest existing picture we have of Queen Street, and
depicts the condition of living in those days. The roads are unformed,
the houses are all built of wood, and there is no wharf. Outside the
Court House are to be seen stocks, in which wrong-doers did penance for
their evil deeds.
Sir John Logan Campbell provides us with a picture of the social and
economic conditions of the early days in the book[14] from which I
have already quoted. "My large establishment, representing not only
the firm's business premises, but the resident partner's place of
abode, consisted as of old, of the historical tent. It had been pitched
where a little trickling thread of water ran past, and I had dug a
little well, which gave me a plentiful supply, and got hold of an old
flour-barrel to put in the hole. I had also fenced myself off from the
gaze of passengers, as the great thoroughfare from Store [Commercial]
to Exclusion [nickname of Official] Bay passed in front of my tent.
I had stuck up some poles and clothed them with ti-tree, so that I
might have a screen behind which I could carry on all my domestic
duties.... I used to get up at sunrise, often before it, and go away
foraging for wood, which I brought home from a not far-distant patch of
brushwood.... At the back of my fence I had rigged up a triangle, from
which hung a hook on which to suspend my gipsy-pot, and the fireplace
was backed round with large blocks of scoria stone, to prevent my fence
from being burned down. Here I did my modest cooking to the oft-told
MENU, pork and potatoes--not a sheep or herd of oxen had yet reached
the capital, neither butcher nor baker had yet appeared on the scene.
We all were still our own cooks and drawers of water, and jolly and
well and happy every one of us looked.... Very primitive were our
ways, as I have already stated. We had parsons without churches, and
magistrates without courts; but we scrambled through our divinity and
our law somehow or other.... For instance, here is an entry of date
15th May [1841]. 'To-day saw Mr. ---- sitting in front of his _whare_
administering justice under the canopy of heaven.'"
Another interesting description of Auckland in its cradle days is given
in the Diary of Mr. Robert Graham, one of the immigrants by the _Jane
Gifford_, which arrived in Auckland on October 9th, 1842. Under the
date October 12th, he records:--
"The town of Auckland lies in a hollow, and the houses are built close
down to the beach. Some of them are very 'natty'. Shortland Street
appears to be the principal street. In the meantime, the first shop
is a grog shop; the next is Mr. McLennan's; the third a shoemaker's;
the fourth a baker's; then a grog shop; next a pork stand; and then
another grog shop. There seems to be a grog shop for every three of all
the other trades put together. Shortland Crescent is a pretty steep
hill. On the top of it is the church, the Customs-house, bank and the
public buildings, and adjacent the barracks. A road leads to Manukau,
a distance of ten miles, where a coach can run the whole way. Mr. Gould
and I went out this road four miles to a place called Epsom. There is
a little cultivation going on there, but none nearer the town. Saw
some nice cottages and fine gardens, and two farms of about ten acres,
each under cultivation in wheat and barley. There were also two herds
of cattle with bells on their necks to indicate their whereabouts
when in the fern, which is everywhere around. Observed one plough at
work, drawn by two bullocks. The Maoris to be seen about are seemingly
quite happy, fond of smoking; and appear to have pork, fish and
potatoes in abundance. They are intelligent looking, have most pleasant
countenances, and are all mostly tatooed, the chiefs in particular
being elaborately so."
[Illustration: Plan of Auckland, 1842
At this date the waters of the Waitemata Harbour reached Lower Queen
Street at a point opposite Shortland Street where a streamlet known as
the Ligar Canal ran into the Bay.
_After the original in the Old Colonists' Museum_]
The following tables, taken from Charles Terry's "New Zealand; Its
Advantages and Prospects as a British Colony" (pp. 60-61), show the
cost of living at that time, and make an interesting comparison with
the cost of living at the present time:--
_Price of Provisions at Auckland, July, 1841_
s. d.
Beef per lb 1 4
Mutton " 1 0
Pork " 0 7
Flour " 0 5
Bread " 0 7
Cheese, English " 2 0
Butter, Irish " 2 6
Tea " 10 0
Coffee " 2 6
Sugar, brown " 0 6
" refined " 1 0
Rice " 0 4
Potatoes, per cwt. 8 0
_Rents and Lodging_
Wooden Houses, unfurnished Two small rooms and kitchen,
£60 to £80 per annum
Lodgings, unfurnished One small room, £1 per week
Board and Lodging Board, being without malt or spirituous
liquors, and Lodging, a bed in a room
with others, £2 per week
_Wages_
Carpenters 16s. to 20s. per day
Brickmakers 10s. per day
Labourers 8s. per day
Men Servants £4 per month, and board
Maid Servants £36 per annum, and board
Boys 10s. per week, and board
After the Government had established itself at Auckland, one of the
first duties which it undertook was to provide settlers with land. On
April 19-20, 1841, the first sale of town lots by auction was held,
and the figures realised were stupendous, due to jobbing, which land
sharks from Sydney and other parts of Australia had fostered. According
to the official "Gazette," only 116 allotments were sold, the total
area comprising 38 acres 1 rood 28 perches, realising £21,299 9s. In
addition, twelve allotments measuring 5 acres 3 roods 2½ perches were
reserved for Government officers, and realised £2,976 8s. 9d.
Among the names of the purchasers will be found some of Auckland's most
respected citizens, who had the confidence, even in those early days,
that Auckland was destined to be a big city.
The size of the town allotments varied from approximately a quarter to
half an acre. The plan of the town was the work of Mr. Felton Mathew,
Surveyor-General, its principal features being a circus where Albert
Park now stands, balanced on the western side of Queen Street by a
square, into which Hobson Street and Victoria Street now intersect.
The sections were designed so that they had a double front, one to
the main street, the other to a lane. Some of these lanes survive to
the present, for example, High Street. The principal streets were 66
feet wide, the secondary streets 33 feet, and the lanes somewhat less.
Unfortunately for the city's future, the owners of sections subdivided
their lots, and the lanes automatically became important thoroughfares.
To-day these narrow streets are completely congested with the traffic,
and widening operations must inevitably take place. O'Connell Street,
one of those lanes (where the first wooden house[15] erected in
Auckland stood for some eighty years), has just undergone this process
of widening, and others must follow.
Following upon the sale of town lots, selections of Government land
comprising suburban allotments, cultivation allotments and sections
suitable for small farms were offered for sale on September 1st of
the same year. The first group of sections was situated eastward of
Mechanics Bay proceeding towards Hobson's Bay, which approximates
roughly to the Parnell district of to-day. These allotments were each
about four acres in size. Of the twenty-five lots offered, eighteen
were sold, and realised £2910, the average price per acre being £45
14s. 3d. The ten cultivation sections were intended for market gardens,
and were situated "about one mile to the southward of Mechanics Bay,
on low, swampy ground under Mount Eden." Of these, ten were put up and
eight sold, the total revenue being £318, or an average of £13 5s.
an acre. The farm sections were situated on the flat between Mount
St. John, One Tree Hill and the Three Kings, and varied from four to
twenty-three acres in extent. Thirty-eight sections were sold, those
fronting the proposed Manukau Road selling readiest and realised £1598,
the average price per acre being £3 8s.
One of the consequences of this series of sales was the subdivision
and reselling by buyers of their sections, with the idea of opening
suburban districts. Two of the places were named Parnell and Epsom,
which names still survive; but two others, named Anna and Windsor
Terrace, have passed from local knowledge. Charles Terry, author of
"New Zealand: Its Advantages and Prospects as a British Colony,"[16]
published in 1842, caustically remarks: "The towns of 'Anna,' 'Epsom,'
etc., with reserves for churches, market places, hippodromes, with
crescents, terraces and streets named after heroes and statesmen, were
then advertised with all the technical jargon with which colonial
advertisements are characterised."
[Illustration: Queen Street in 1843, showing Stocks in front of Gaol
_After an original water colour in the Old Colonists' Museum_]
The population of Auckland in 1841 was estimated by the Colonial
Secretary of the day, Mr. Andrew Sinclair, to be 1500 persons. In 1842
it had grown to 2895, due to the influx of settlers following upon the
foundation of the capital, and also to the arrival of 500 immigrants
by the ship _Duchess of Argyle_ (667 tons, R. G. Tait, captain) and
the barque _Jane Gifford_ (558 tons, Captain Paul). These vessels
arrived in the harbour on the same date, October 9th, 1842. They were
the first ships to bring British immigrants direct to Auckland. Their
port of departure was Greenock, and, naturally, the Scottish element
predominated among the new arrivals. The Scottish sentiment, which is
quite a feature of Auckland, may be traced back to those immigrants.
The passengers of these two ships held reunions every tenth year from
1852 to 1892 on the anniversary--10th October--of their landing in
Auckland. Out of these gatherings has developed the Old Colonists'
Association, membership of which is confined to colonists of fifty
years' standing and their descendants. The meetings have been held
annually since 1898.
The Government was not prepared for such a large influx of immigrants
as these two ships had brought. The domestic servants and some of
the men were able to obtain employment, but the families were not so
fortunate, and they had to be content with the rough accommodation
which hastily-built whares could give them. The ship _St. George_[17]
arrived soon after, with over ninety boys from Parkhurst Prison on
board. They were placed under the care of Captain Rough, in his
capacity of Immigration Agent; but he found them less agreeable
subjects to deal with than the earlier immigrants. On the 31st March,
1843, the ship _Westminster_ brought to Auckland a very good class of
immigrants, mostly English, and on this occasion the Immigration Agent
was better able to provide for their reception than formerly.
The conditions of the young city in its earliest years were not
enviable. The work of pioneering was exceedingly strenuous. Employment
was difficult to obtain, for none of the settlers had much capital
to work upon, and the Government had little enough in the Treasury,
and none to spend on public works. Despite discouragements and
disappointments, the settlers were patient, endured the hardships--and
hoped. By 1844, with the advent of Governor Fitzroy (December 23),
steps were taken to absorb those, who had not received private
employment, upon road formation. Captain Rough, whose name we have
already mentioned as Harbour Master and as Immigration Officer, might
as well have borne the name of Pooh Bah, for to him was given charge
of this work. In his reminiscences, he says: "As there was at that
time no superintendent of works, I was asked to take the business [of
road making] in hand, and though little acquainted with such matters,
yet, by getting an intelligent and practical foreman, and letting out
divisions of the work to be done by contract to parties of immigrants,
we managed in the course of eight or ten months to cut down the upper
part and fill up the lower part of Shortland Street, to form and
metal Princes Street and Queen Street, which previously were almost
impassable in wet weather; and also to clear and make the roads to the
Tamaki and Onehunga districts, as well as to blast and to cut through
a spur of Mount Eden, filling up an almost insatiable swamp, and thus
opening and forming the road to Newmarket called the Khyber Pass,
the terrible massacre of British troops in Afghanistan being much in
mind at that time. The improvements executed in the course of twelve
months found employment for the immigrants and were very cheering and
satisfactory to the town people and to country settlers. To myself the
superintendence was a somewhat arduous addition to my duties afloat,
but still I look back at it as having been one of the most interesting
and useful occupations of my life in New Zealand."
In 1843, the first conflict with the Maoris took place at Wairau,
and in the following year Hone Heke's rebellion began. These events
are outside the scope of this sketch, except in so far as they react
upon the city's history. The destruction of Kororareka by Heke's
followers caused many of the settlers to come to Auckland, and created
consternation and panic in the town itself. It was feared that
the rebels would follow up their success in the Bay of Islands by
attacking the capital. The defences of the barracks were improved, and
entrenchments made, while the citizens were prepared for eventualities
by being drilled. As it happened, the tide of war swept northward, and
did not reach the city. The consequence, however, as far as the capital
was concerned, was to retard its progress. We do not need to enter into
the details of the war, except to anticipate its results. Governor
Fitzroy's conduct of the crisis was unsatisfactory. He was recalled,
and his successor, Captain George Grey,[18] arrived in Auckland on
14th November, 1845, and took steps which speedily ended the war in the
north. As Governor of New Zealand and citizen of Auckland, he did much
for both. He was twice Governor (1845-53 and 1861-68), Superintendent
of the Auckland Province, 1875, and he is the only Governor who
subsequently became a member of Parliament and Premier of the Colony
over which he formerly governed. The greater part of his official and
private life is associated with this city. On his retirement from the
governorship, at the expiration of his second term, he acquired the
island of Kawau, and there made his home. From then until 1894 he was
closely identified with Auckland's development, and it may be taken
for granted that he held the former capital in high esteem when he
chose to bequeath to it his collection of rare and valuable books and
manuscripts, as well as his pictures and an ethnological collection of
no little value. He is to be ranked as one of Auckland's makers and
benefactors. A statue erected to perpetuate his memory stands near the
Town Hall. It was unveiled on December 21st, 1904, by the Governor,
Lord Plunket. Mr. W. J. Speight, who was chairman of the Memorial
Committee, presided at the ceremony.
The Maori Festival which took place in May, 1844, on the outskirts of
the city, near Mount St. John, forms a contrast to the troubles which
the Government was having with the natives in the North. This was a
gathering of some two or three thousand Maoris collected "from various
remote districts of the Island ... for the purpose of still more
cementing that friendship and good feeling which their now superior
knowledge teaches to be essential to their comfort and happiness."
The Governor (Captain Fitzroy) visited, on May 11th, the ground where
the festival was held, and was well received by the natives, who
danced hakas in his honour. The following note on the feeding of these
thousands is taken from _The Southern Cross_ of May 18th, 1844. "The
preparations made for the feast were enormous. A wall of potatoes in
baskets extended nearly for a quarter of a mile, covered on the top
with several thousand dried sharks and dog fishes. Opposite to this
potato wall was a shade of the same length, covered over with blankets,
which were intended as presents to their guests. The number of the
blankets could not be short of five hundred." The correspondent adds:
"Some of our English manufacturers would have relished such a sight."
From what we have learned from our investigations into those early
days, almost any of the settlers would have relished the sight still
more. At the time the population of Auckland was only 2754 persons, and
such a gathering, while the native war in the North still continued,
must have caused no little concern both to the authorities and the
settlers.
A year after the capture of Ruapekapeka, on January 11th, 1846,
which ended the war in the North, an attempt was made by Hone Heke
to instigate an attack on Auckland, and for this purpose invited the
Kaipara and Waikato chiefs to join him. He sent messengers to Mangere,
where they met the Waikato chiefs, including Potatau (Te Wherowhero),
Kati, Te Wherepu, Taka-anini, Tutere, Ngapora, and others. After
conveying the presents which Hone Heke had sent, and having stated
the object of their mission, Potatau consulted with the assembled
chiefs, and on the following day returned a bag of bullets, which had
formed part of the gift Hone Heke had sent to him, and declined to take
part in the suggested attack upon the Pakeha, stating that the chief of
Ngapuhi would have to dispose of his shadows first. Tuhaere agreed with
Potatau, saying, "My word is one with thine, O Potatau." The messengers
returned home, but Heke did not venture to attack with the other tribes
hostile, and so the project failed.
[Illustration: Commercial Bay, 1844
Showing Shortland Street and St. Paul's Church
_After a drawing by Lieut. Godfrey, R.N., M.R.C.S. (H.M.S. Urgent) in
the Old Colonists' Museum_]
Among the earliest events of a domestic character in the development
of the city, the newspaper must take a prominent place. The first
newspaper was born on 10th July, 1841, and was named the _New Zealand
Herald and Auckland Gazette_. It consisted of four pages of very
much smaller size than a newspaper of to-day, and cost a shilling
a copy. Its circulation was 250 copies. Its career was brief, the
last issue being April 2nd, 1842. The editors of the _Herald_ were
successively Charles Terry, William Corbett, and Dr. Samuel McDonald
Martin, a fiery Highlander, whose trenchant articles brought about
the demise of the paper. It was succeeded in a week's time by the
_Auckland Standard_, which had even a shorter career, four months
(April to August) being the extent of its vitality. Its editor was
William Swainson, who had come to New Zealand to fill the position of
Attorney-General. _The Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist_
made its initial appearance on 8th November, 1841, but after a month's
run it was suspended. It revived in November of the following year,
and continued to appear until July, 1843. After another suspension of
two months it again appeared and survived until 1845, when it finally
disappeared. Messrs. Kitchen and Barrow were the editors, and Mr. John
Moore was the printer. On September 5th, 1842, the _Auckland Times_
made its _début_. On its first appearance it was printed by Mr. Moore
from type which had been used by the printer of the _New Zealand Herald
and Auckland Gazette_. This type had been purchased by the Government
on the winding-up of that paper. For some reason the Government forbade
the use of the type to Mr. Henry Falwasser, the editor and proprietor
of the _Times_. Mr. Falwasser was not deterred by this refusal, and
collecting all sorts and sizes of types, and with the aid of a mangle,
he continued to bring out his paper under such unique conditions for
about thirty successive issues. Dr. T. M. Hocken, whose researches in
the byways of New Zealand bibliography are of such value to students,
and to whom I am indebted for much information, remarks that if
the production was "not a confusion of tongues, it was certainly a
confusion of letters." The last of these curious issues appeared on
the 13th April, 1843. It reappeared on November 7th in conventional
form, and continued until its one hundred and fifty-ninth number, 17th
January, 1846.
With the _Southern Cross_ and the _New Zealander_ we arrive at
something like stability. The promoter and first editor of the former
was Dr. Martin, whose association with the first Auckland paper has
been mentioned. The proprietors were Messrs. Brown and Campbell, who as
business men were pre-eminent, being interested in practically every
local commercial venture. _The Southern Cross, New Zealand Guardian,
and Auckland, Thames, and Bay of Islands Advertiser_, to give the paper
its full title, appeared on April 22nd, 1843, and continued regularly
until its one hundred and sixth number (April 26th, 1845), when it was
suspended because it proved unprofitable. It resumed publication in
July, 1847, with the title shortened to _The Southern Cross and New
Zealand Guardian_. In June, 1851 (No. 415), it was enlarged, and in
May, 1862, it appeared daily. Shortly after its change to a daily it
was sold to Mr. (afterwards Sir) Julius Vogel, and again resold, in
1876, to Mr. Horton, who amalgamated it with the _New Zealand Herald_,
which had been founded in 1863.
[Illustration: Auckland, Circa 1852
_P. J. Hogan, delt._]
_The New Zealander_ commenced its career on 7th June, 1845, during
the suspension of the _Southern Cross_. It was owned by Mr. John
Williamson, for many years Superintendent of the Auckland Province and
the Government printer of the day. Shortly after the advent of the
paper, Mr. Williamson was joined by Mr. W. C. Wilson, and they became
partners in its publication. The partnership lasted until 1863, when
Mr. Wilson retired, owing to his dislike of his partner's philo-Maori
policy at the outbreak of the Taranaki campaign. Mr. Wilson then
started the _New Zealand Herald_. The _Herald_ immediately gained an
ascendancy over the _New Zealander_, which ceased publication on the
destruction by fire of its premises in 1866.
The new paper continued to enlarge its hold and influence, and in 1876,
when Mr. Wilson died, it was firmly established. He was succeeded by
his sons, and they were joined in partnership by Mr. Horton, who had
become the owner of the _Southern Cross_, and ever since the name of
Wilson and Horton has been on the _Herald's_ imprint. The _Auckland
Weekly News_, which was commenced just two weeks after the _Herald_,
holds the record in New Zealand for a weekly paper, and has attained a
high place among the weekly journals. Many men of outstanding ability
have been editors of the _Herald_, and contributions have been made to
it by the best writers the Dominion has produced.
The _Herald_ was first printed in temporary premises in Queen Street,
near Durham Street East. Nine months later it was removed to Wyndham
Street, and from then (1863) until 1912 extensive additions have been
made at different times to meet the increasing business which the firm
has to handle.
Between the 'forties and the present day many other papers have been
launched, and after brief careers, have passed out of existence, but
beside the _New Zealand Herald_ only the _Auckland Star_ (originally
the _Evening Star_) needs mention, and may be most fittingly dealt
with here. The suggestion for the commencing of the paper came from
Mr. William Tyrone Ferrar, who enlisted the interest of Mr. George
McCullagh Reed, and on the 8th January, 1870, the first issue appeared.
Two months later they were joined in partnership by Mr. Henry M. Brett,
who became, in 1876, sole proprietor and later managing director. In
1872 the paper was so firmly established that the _Evening News_ and
_Morning News_ gave up business, and were purchased by the proprietors
of the _Star_. Mr. G. M. Reed retired from the editorship in 1876, and
was succeeded by the present editor, Dr. Thomson W. Leys. The _Star_
commenced operations in Wyndham Street in the building now occupied by
the _Observer_; in 1884 it removed to Shortland Street, and in 1916 was
enlarged by the addition of a nine-storey building in Fort Street.
Among the earliest institutions to be founded in the town's history
were the churches. Auckland's first church was St. Paul's Anglican
church, the foundation stone of which was laid by Captain Hobson on
July 28th, 1841, the consecration taking place two years later, on
March 17th, 1843, at which Bishop Selwyn, who arrived in Auckland on
May 30th of the previous year, officiated. This building was situated
in Emily Place, and is easily located to-day by the monument erected
in memory of its first minister, the Reverend John Frederick Churton,
which stands in the reserve where the church formerly stood. In the
'sixties this building was demolished, except for the front gable and
tower, and was replaced by another structure in the Gothic style of
architecture. Colonel Mould, of the Royal Engineers, was the architect
of this church, which was a pleasing structure, both externally and
internally, but the commercial expansion of the city spelt its doom.
After having served as a place of worship and a landmark for more than
fifty years, it was completely demolished in 1895, and the present
church at the corner of Symonds Street and Wellesley Street was opened
on November 1st of that year. Mr. W. H. Skinner was the designer of the
new building, and Mr. McLean was the contractor.
The first Roman Catholic church was St. Patrick's Cathedral, the
foundation stone of which was laid by Bishop Pompallier in 1846. The
building was located in Wyndham Street, and was completed in 1848. It
was dedicated on the Feast of St. Joseph by the Reverend Dr. Viard,
Coadjutor-Bishop. Additions were made to the structure in 1884,
amounting almost to a new building, and again in 1908.
[Illustration: Auckland, 1852, from Hobson Street
Showing the Harbour, North Shore and islands. The Albert Barracks and
the principal buildings of the city are also shown
_P. J. Hogan, delt._]
The Presbyterian Church had no church building until 1850. Prior to
this it held its services in buildings designed for less spiritual
purposes. In 1843 the adherents of this Church used the Supreme Court,
Queen Street, where, it is said, the ruling elders sat in the dock as
their bench of honour! The first church--St. Andrew's--was commenced in
1847, and opened for divine service on April 7th, 1850. It cost £3500.
Originally it was a very plain building, but with later additions,
including the tower, which was erected in 1882, it has now quite a
commanding appearance. The additions and alterations were made from
the plans of Mr. Matthew Henderson, and cost £3000. Mr. J. J. Holland
was the contractor. The Rev. A. G. Panton was the first minister. The
Presbytery of Auckland was formed six years later, on October 14, 1856,
the Rev. John Mackay being appointed first Moderator.
The Wesleyan denomination commenced its ministration early in the
'forties, and, in 1843, a small weatherboard church was erected in High
Street, on a site granted by the Government. The building was a modest
one, costing £246. It was superseded by a brick church, which was
erected and opened in 1848.
Commercial development rendered a banking concern a necessity. The
first bank to be opened in Auckland was the New Zealand Banking
Company, which had commenced its career at Kororareka. In July, 1841,
a branch was instituted at Auckland in premises which were situated in
Princes Street, near the site occupied by the Grand Hotel of to-day.
Mr. Alex. Kennedy was the manager. Beyond these meagre details, the
writer has not been able to obtain satisfactory information about this
bank's subsequent history.
[Illustration: Auckland, 1852, from Smale's Point
Showing Commercial Bay, Fort Street, Fort Britomart, Shortland Street
and old St. Paul's Church
_P. J. Hogan, delt._]
The Auckland Savings Bank commenced its career on June 5th, 1847. The
trustees transferred their property to the Government in 1848, and
under its auspices continued to operate, an office in the Union Bank
of Australia being used, and here it remained until 1854, when a room
adjoining the Colonial Bank of Issue was granted by the Government for
the use of the Savings Bank. In 1859 a site in Queen Street, being
part of the site upon which the bank still stands, was acquired from
the Provincial Council, and obtaining additional land by purchase, the
trustees decided, in 1860, to erect a building of their own. The
year 1876 saw the inauguration of the Penny Savings Bank. The present
premises were opened in 1884 by the Governor, Sir William Drummond
Jervois. The architect and contractor were respectively Mr. Edward
Bartley and Mr. J. Heron.
The establishment of a branch of the Union Bank of Australia in 1848 in
Auckland was an indication of the commercial progress of the city. The
building in Princes Street, used at the foundation of the bank, still
stands next to the Northern Club. Later the business was removed to
offices at the corner of Shortland Crescent and O'Connell Street. In
1864 the present building in Queen Street was occupied. The architect
was Mr. Leonard Terry, and the contractor Mr. Charles Brown, both of
Melbourne. The contract price was £9000, but with extras the building
cost approximately £10,000.
Early in 1842 (January 5th) the first race meeting held in New Zealand
took place at Epsom. At what exact location this event was held the
writer has not ascertained, nor can he give any information about the
event itself. Despite this, it is of interest to record the beginning
of a sport which has grown to such enormous dimensions.
The Supreme Court was opened on 28th February of this year (1842), and
occupied a site at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets. Here,
a week later, the first execution which took place in Auckland was
carried out on March 7th. The victim of the law was a native, by name
Maketu, who was found guilty on a charge of murder. It is related that
a Government land sale was postponed for an hour so that purchasers
could witness the event. The Court House was used until the present
building in Waterloo Quadrant was finished in 1867. This building was
commenced in 1863 by Messrs. Amos and Taylor, and completed by Messrs.
Mathews and Bartley. Mr. Edward Rumsey was the architect.
The Auckland Hospital, reputed to be the first hospital opened in the
Dominion, was erected on the site of the present Costley wards about
1845. Dr. F. M. Philson was the first regularly appointed medical
officer. Up to the year 1883 the Hospital was under the control of the
Provincial and General Governments. In this year the management was
delegated to a local committee, which administered the institution
until the passing of "The Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act,
1885," when it vacated office to the newly-constituted authority,
consisting of representatives of local bodies of the district, to which
the financial responsibility and management of the institution was
transferred.
The main block of the present Hospital was erected in 1875-76. Mr. P.
Herepath was the architect and Mr. John Taylor the contractor. The
contract price was £19,249. The next notable addition to the Hospital
was made in 1898, when the Costley wards were erected, at a cost of
£5600. The chief operating theatre, attached to the Costley block, was
built in 1905, and cost £2753. Subsequently a surgical wing was added
to the Costley block. The Princess Mary Hospital for Children was
erected in 1917. The furniture of the Children's Hospital was provided
by the Auckland Vaudeville Employees' Association as a war memorial,
the association collecting a sum of £3152 for the purpose. The typhoid
wards, erected as a temporary building in 1887 to cope with the severe
typhoid outbreak which occurred in that year, and the Nurses' Home are
the other principal buildings of the Hospital.
The Costley Home, One Tree Hill, which was erected from funds
bequeathed by the late E. Costley, was opened by the Governor, the Earl
of Onslow, on April 23rd, 1890, and cost £8650 to erect. The infirmary,
adjoining the home, which cost £5000, was opened on December 9th, 1907.
An addition to the latter building, which was made in 1916, cost about
£6300. The home is administered by the Hospital Board.
During the war the Hospital had to meet heavy demands made by the
return of sick and wounded soldiers. One of the Exhibition buildings,
which had been kept intact, was formed into an annexe, while a house in
Domett Avenue, Epsom, and the residence of the late A. R. D. Watson at
North Head, were utilised as convalescent homes. The Point Chevalier
Hospital was also used for military purposes in 1915.
[Illustration: Auckland, 1852, from Britomart Barracks
Showing Commercial Bay, Lower Queen Street, and new Queen Street
Wharf, Wyndham Street, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Smale's Point. (The
steamboat in the foreground is the _Governor Wynyard_)
_P. J. Hogan, delt._]
Another institution which came into being during the first decade of
the city's history was the Auckland Mechanics' Institute and Library,
which was opened on 30th September, 1842. In addition to a hall, which
for many years was the only place for meetings the town possessed,
there was a library, a reading room and official's residence. In this
humble building practically all the important meetings of the town were
held, and in it many of the city's institutions and societies were
born. The building was situated in Chancery Street.
The first ship propelled by steam to arrive in Auckland was H.M.S.
_Driver_. She steamed into the Waitemata on January 20th, 1846, the
vessel being in charge of Commander C. O. Hayes. Her tonnage was 1058,
and her horse-power 280. She mounted four large guns, and carried a
complement, including marines, of 175. The first merchant steamer to
visit Auckland was the _Juno_, from Sydney, which reached the Waitemata
on July 7th, 1847.
The earliest fire of importance recorded in Auckland was that which
destroyed Government House in June, 1848. The building was constructed
of wood, which was brought out in sections from England, and in
appearance resembled an ordinary cottage. Fortunately, a sketch by
Baron de Thierry survives, and is preserved in the Auckland Old
Colonists' Museum. The destroyed building occupied a site within the
grounds of the present Government House property.
[Illustration: Auckland, 1852, from Queen Street Wharf
Showing Queen Street and corner of Shortland Street, the Wesleyan
College (now the People's Palace) and the Windmill, Karangahape Road,
still a city landmark. (The two uniformed men in the foreground are
native policemen)
_P. J. Hogan, delt._]