YACHTING IN NEW ZEALAND
BY THE EARL OF ONSLOW, G.C.M.G., &c.
As has already been said, there exists every facility in our
Australasian Colonies both for cruising and racing. These colonial
waters are indeed the only ones in the world where yachting can be
enjoyed among our fellow-countrymen on summer seas and in a temperate
climate during that portion of the year when yachts are laid up in the
mud in England and yachtsmen shiver in the bitter winds, the fogs and
frosts of Northern Europe.
The travelling yachtsman may either take out his yacht with him, if
she be large enough, or if this be deemed to involve too great trouble
and expense, he will find but little difficulty in making arrangements
to hire a comfortable craft at the Antipodes.
The southern coast of Australia, though it possesses many beautiful
harbours, is washed by the great rollers of the Pacific, coming up
through the 'roaring forties' without anything to break their force,
straight from Antarctic regions, to dash themselves in mile-long
breakers against the Australian coast. Yachting is therefore better
confined to the sheltered harbours, and specially to those which have
been selected for the sites of the capital cities of Adelaide,
Melbourne and Sydney.
No more lovely sea exists in the world on which to cruise than that
part of the eastern coast of the Australian continent, sheltered as it
is from ocean storms by the Great Barrier Reef, extending for miles
from Rockhampton to Cape York, along the Queensland coast. Numberless
coral islands, the roosting places of countless Torres Straits pigeons
that spend the hours of daylight feeding on the mainland, afford
abundant sport for the gunner. These pigeons are quick-flying
black-and-white birds about the size of the blue rock; they twist and
turn in their flight with great rapidity, and tax the gunner's
quickness of eye and hand not less than the best blue rocks from the
pigeon-cotes of Mr. Hammond. Unfortunately this long stretch of calm
blue water is beset with perils from coral reefs so numerous that the
traveller is lost in admiration at the skill of Captain Cook as well
as at the good fortune which enabled him, in complete ignorance of the
dangers now carefully marked on our charts, to escape with but one
mishap. Among the apt terms which he applied in all his nomenclature
only one, Cape Tribulation, bears witness to the risks which he ran.
Still, an enterprising yachtsman, choosing the time of year when the
monsoon, blowing softly on these confines of its influence, is in the
favourable direction, may start from any of the ports touched by
vessels of the British India Steamship Company, and, by careful study
of the chart coupled with information obtained from local mariners,
may enjoy without great risk a prolonged cruise amid tropical scenery
and vegetation as far south even as Brisbane.
It is to New Zealand, however, that the yachtsman will turn as the
paradise of his sport--abounding in harbours, offering every variety
of climate from semi-tropical Auckland to the equable temperature of
Cook's Strait, and on to the colder harbours of Stewart's Island--he
will find as great variety in scenery as in climate. But let him not
imagine that after cruising in Australian waters he may trust himself
to the tender mercies of the Tasman Sea, or cross to New Zealand in a
small yacht. No more terrible sea exists in either hemisphere.
Once arrived in the harbour of Auckland, however, the potentialities
which lie before the amateur navigator are boundless. As he passes
down the coast from the lighthouse on Cape Maria van Diemen, he will
see the entrance to the singular harbour of Whangaroa, where masses of
limestone rock lay piled one above another, dominated by the
cupola-shaped dome of Mount St. Paul. Either this or the historically
more interesting Bay of Islands may be visited in a yacht from
Auckland. The Bay of Islands is one of the most beautiful yachting
bays in the colony. It has a width of ten miles at the entrance, and
is divided in two by a peninsula, while, with the exception of the
Onslow Pinnacle rock, which has 19 feet on it at low water, it is
devoid of all dangers. Here is the scene of the earliest settlement of
the colony. In this bay the fleets of whalers, who trafficked in dried
and tattooed human heads, and who had dealings of all kinds with the
Maories (not always the most reputable), conducted a lucrative
business, which has now ceased entirely.
Here the first missionaries established themselves, and here was
signed the treaty with the natives which brought the islands under the
sovereignty of the Queen, a sovereignty which was not to remain
undisputed, save after many bloody contests, and after a loss of life
and treasure which still burdens the New Zealander with a load of war
taxation, happily not imposed on his neighbour of the Australian
continent. In this bay many days may profitably be spent in studying
the interesting Maori tribes who dwell on its shores, and of whom none
have stood more loyally by the English settlers than those who fought
under Tamati Waka Nene. Every sort of provision may be obtained in the
bay from the once flourishing town of Russell, while a sufficiently
good cheap coal may be procured at Opua.
It is around the harbour of Auckland, in the Hauraki Gulf, and the
Firth of Thames, however, that the perfection of yachting may be
enjoyed. As the traveller approaches the earlier capital of New
Zealand he will observe how the aptly named Great and Little Barrier
Islands protect the Gulf from the heavy seas of the Pacific, and as
the steamer wends its way through the islands that dot the Gulf and
opens up the land-locked Firth of Thames on one side and the Waitemata
Harbour on the other, he will realise the advantages afforded by the
situation of Auckland.
Two comfortable and well-managed clubs exercise the proverbial
hospitality of colonists to properly accredited arrivals from England.
In addition to which the Auckland Yacht Club is an association from
which all information as to both cruising and racing will readily be
obtained.
The history of yachting in New Zealand is of but recent date; for,
although for many years races have taken place and regattas been held
annually, the competitors were rather the cutters, schooners, and
scows that did the coasting trade of the colony before the Union
Steamship Company inaugurated their line of well-found, fast and
regular coasting steamers to and from every port of New Zealand. These
were assisted by the boats and crews of Her Majesty's ships, whose
presence was, and still is, ardently in request on Regatta days. The
era of pleasure yachts dates from the last eight or ten years, and the
Auckland Yacht Club now occupies, in the number of yachts belonging to
the squadron, the first place among the Australasian Colonies. The
club has one hundred members and the register of yachts exceeds sixty,
which does not by any means exhaust the number of vessels used solely
as pleasure-boats in the harbour.
Colonial yachts, like the great majority of colonial incomes, are not
large, and nearly all the boats used are built locally. Shipbuilding
is a trade extensively carried on at Auckland. During the year 1875,
when the prosperity of that part of the colony was at its highest, not
less than forty vessels were built, their aggregate tonnage being
1,930. A few steam yachts, such as the 'Sunbeam,' the 'St. George,'
and the R.Y.S. schooner 'Blanche' with auxiliary screw, used by Sir
James Fergusson when Governor of the colony, have cruised in New
Zealand waters; but a vessel of 20 tons burden is considered among
the Tritons of colonial pleasure craft. The 'Thetis,' a small yacht of
10 or 12 tons, was built on the Clyde, and was brought out by five
gentlemen, her owners, to the Antipodes.
Perhaps the most interesting yacht now sailing in New Zealand waters
is the 'Mascotte,' both on account of the circumstances under which
she was built, as well as for the remarkable success which has
attended her during her sailing career.
In the year 1890 a strike in the shipping trade broke out in
Australia, and after a few days was extended to other trades connected
with shipping, finally spreading to New Zealand. During the enforced
idleness of certain shipbuilding hands at Lyttelton, the port of
Christchurch, some of the men bethought themselves of laying down the
lines of a yacht for themselves. The 'Mascotte,' commenced under these
circumstances, was found, when finished, to be an exceptionally fast
sailer. Within eighteen months of her completion she was manned and
sailed by her owners in six regattas, netting for them 395_l._,
besides numerous smaller prizes in club races--not a bad outcome of
work which, at the time, was doubtless done with no little amount of
grumbling, because no wages were coming in weekly on account of it.
The result, however, has been a very considerable falling off in the
entries for the races last year. For the Champion Cup at Lyttelton
only the 'Tarifa,' rated 8, the 'Mima,' 10, and the 'Maritana,' 14,
put in an appearance. The First Class Championship race for 100_l._ at
Wellington, the capital, was among those secured by the 'Mascotte.'
It is, however, in the cruising opportunities to be found in New
Zealand that readers of the Badminton Library will be chiefly
interested. Taking Auckland as headquarters, it may safely be asserted
that throughout the season the yachtsman may lie in a different creek,
harbour, or estuary every night that he is out.
He may coast up the north shore till he reaches Waiwera, where he
will find an excellent hotel. He can bathe in a large and luxurious
hot swimming bath, formed from the thermal springs rising close to the
sea, or he may go on to the beautiful island of Kawau, once the
property of Sir George Grey, which has been so graphically described
by Mr. Froude in 'Oceana.' He may lie in the harbour of Bon Accord,
which indents the island a mile and a half, and affords shelter in all
weathers.
On landing he will find planted by the erstwhile owner of Kawau every
sort of tree, shrub, and rare plant that will live either at Madeira
or the Cape.
He will see the wallaby from Australia, deer, sheep, and wild goats.
The beautiful Pohutukawa, or Christmas-tree, covered at Christmas-tide
with scarlet blossom, feathering down to the clear blue sea till its
lowest branches are covered by the rising tide, so that oysters
cluster on them with all the appearance of being the natural fruit. In
the rocky depths of the clear water great lazy stingarees may be seen
floating along with the tide, like sheets of brown paper flapping idly
from side to side in the tide race. A perfectly appointed English
country gentleman's house fronts the harbour. Its lawn and park-like
slopes are timbered with the forest trees of Europe. The opossum of
Australia may be seen nimbly springing from the boughs of an English
oak to those of the silver tree of South Africa, the whole being a
combination of the flora and fauna of all continents, bewildering to
the brain of the naturalist.
As the total population of the island is thirty-two, and consists of
the family and dependents of the owner, visitors, unless they wish to
run the risk of abusing hospitality which is always cordially
accorded, must bring a sufficiency of provisions with them.
The Little Barrier Island, though possessing no harbour, has several
yachting anchorages. It is uninhabited, and is chiefly interesting
from the fact that it is the last remaining stronghold of many rare
species of New Zealand birds. This is attributable in some degree to
its distance from the mainland. The bee has not found its way across
to Little Barrier, and the honey-eating birds, driven away from
elsewhere by the stings of bees seeking a common food, have made this
island their last habitat. It is greatly to be hoped that the New
Zealand Government will complete the pending negotiations for its
purchase from the natives, so that it may be made into a national park
for the preservation of these unique ornithological specimens.
Great Barrier Island is larger than the Isle of Wight, being 21 miles
long. It is about eight miles eastward of the Little Barrier, and
possesses in Port Fitzroy one of the finest harbours in New Zealand.
Yachts enter by a channel 1-1/4 mile wide, pass under a remarkable
rock resembling the Duke of Wellington's head, and come to Governor's
Pass, a narrow channel, 178 feet across, which opens out into an inner
harbour three miles in length and more than half a mile wide,
surrounded on all sides by high mountains which give complete security
from every wind. The harbour is full of fish of every kind, from the
little New Zealand herring to the flat stingaree resembling an
enormous skate with a formidable spiked tail. Unless the fisherman
cuts this off before he proceeds to deal with the fish, he may find
one blow from it compel him to seek for several weeks an asylum in the
Auckland Hospital. If the yachtsman has on board a seine net, he may
realise something of the miraculous draught of fishes mentioned in the
Bible. Let him also bring his rifle, for the island is swarming with
wild goats, and if he can steel his heart against the piercing and
humanlike screams to which they give utterance when wounded, he may,
by getting up to the highest ground and stalking them down the
mountain-sides, secure more than he will find it possible to get back
to his yacht, be he never so impervious to powerful odours. He will,
moreover, earn the gratitude of the settlers by so doing, for the
goats eat not a little of that pasture which would more profitably be
utilised in affording sustenance to the domestic sheep of the island
farmers.
Many years ago Selwyn Island, at the entrance to the harbour, was
stocked with the large silver-grey rabbit, and a good day's shooting
may still be had among them, though the skins are no longer of the
great value they were when first acclimatised.
Having explored the creeks of the Waitemata, which open into the
harbour of Auckland to the north, the yachtsman may proceed to cruise
in the southern waters of the Hauraki Gulf. On his way he may run in
for a few hours to one of the Maori villages, where he will find some
very well-to-do natives, owners of valuable property close to
Auckland, but who still practise all the old-fashioned Maori customs
of cooking and manufacture. He will be interested, too, in the long
war canoe with its carved prow, one of the few now remaining in New
Zealand.
All the islands between the mouth of the gulf and the Firth of Thames
are interesting. The most remarkable in appearance is Rangitoto,
guarding the entrance to the Auckland harbour. In shape it is a
perfect cone. The mountain is an extinct volcano, rising to a height
of 920 feet, and presents a precisely similar appearance from whatever
aspect it is regarded. The summit of the mountain is composed of
masses of scoria, but there is no fresh water on the island. Rangitoto
is connected by a sandy neck, a quarter of a mile long, dry at high
water, with Motu Tapu, the Sacred Island. Whatever odour of sanctity
may have attached to it in earlier days, it is now the island most
profaned by the feet of Auckland yachtsmen. Herds of deer scamper
across its grassy slopes, and afford excellent stalking to the
hospitable owner and his guests. No one who takes care to keep on the
shores of the island and refrain from disturbing the deer is likely to
be forbidden to shoot a few rabbits. From some of the higher points
round the coast he may espy the acclimatised emus stalking over the
hills; the pheasants feeding round the edges of the patches of
woodland, and the flocks of turkeys, once tame, but which now require
the persuasion of the fowling-piece before they can be brought to
table.
From the Thames the yacht may be taken round to the harbour of
Tauranga; this is a quiet and comfortable little town, the harbour
land-locked by an island running down to meet a sandy spit. From this
spit rises the Mawayanui Rock, 860 ft. in height, conspicuous for
miles, both from the land and sea sides of the harbour.
The entrance is tortuous, narrow in places, and liable to gusts and
eddies when the wind is blowing from the sea, but of considerable
capacity inside. Tauranga is close to the scene of a conflict between
the Maories and English troops, in which the 68th Regiment lost more
officers than did any regiment at Waterloo. It is the best harbour
whence to visit the volcano of White Island, and is the nearest also
to the Maori Settlements, the hot lakes and springs of the interior of
the North Island.
White Island is sixty miles off, and the steam blowing off the crater
to a height varying from 2,000 to 10,000 feet is clearly visible in
fine weather. This island is well worth a visit, though great care
must be exercised in landing, for the whole island is so hot that
walking is not pleasant, while the clouds of sulphurous steam blowing
to leeward are suffocating. It is about three miles in circumference,
having in the centre a crater about a hundred yards in circumference,
surrounded by steam geysers, which make a roaring, deafening noise,
like a hundred engines massed in one engine-room. Although there is no
vegetation on the island, the base of the crater gives the appearance
of a well-watered meadow in spring. This effect is produced by the bed
of crystallised sulphur traversed by the streams from the several
geysers. Myriads of sea birds, chiefly gannets, circle round the
island, and the remarkable Tuatara lizards may be seen crawling on the
hot rocks. There is no harbour in the island, but there is shelter
between the principal islet and a little islet half a mile to
south-east.
Yachting on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand is less
agreeable; there is no convenient centre from which to start on many
cruises, and between the harbours are long distances of usually
stormy sea.
Once inside the Kaipara Harbour a large expanse of rather
uninteresting water is available, but the rivers which flow into it
are wide and picturesque, afford excellent wildfowl shooting, and are
the home of the trade in Kauri timber. The huge logs are cut up by
sawmills with giant circular saws. The trunks of the Kauri trees may
be seen floating down the rivers from the forests above till they are
caught, as they pass the various mills, by baulks stretched at an
angle across the stream to intercept their progress. In the same way,
once you get across the bar of the Hokianga River, many days may be
spent in the land of oranges and lemons.
Travelling to the southern end of the North Island to the harbour of
Port Nicholson, we come to Wellington, the capital, where the Port
Nicholson Yacht Club have their headquarters.
An annual regatta is held here in January. The harbour, though
magnificent for steamers or vessels of large tonnage, is subject to
the gales and sudden squalls which blow through Cook's Strait as
through a blast pipe, and therefore not always to be trusted. Not a
few sad accidents have happened to small craft sailing on the waters
of the harbour.
Most enjoyable excursions may be made from Wellington to the sounds on
the northern shores of the South Island, but great care should be
exercised in crossing Cook's Strait, though the distance to the first
sound is but a few miles. The winds are local, and almost invariably
north-west or south-east. Yachts running through the Straits should,
therefore, be on the look out for a rapid change from the south-east
to north-east, or from north-west to south-west, as they open out
either entrance. Queen Charlotte and the Pelorus are the most
picturesque of these sounds. They resemble somewhat the fiords of
Norway, and though they have not the grandeur of the sounds on the
west coast of this island, they are remarkable for the soft green
contour of their slopes and the striking contrast between sky, shore,
and sea which they present in clear weather.
Picton, at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound, is picturesquely
situated, with a good wharf. Like those in the south, the sounds are
so deep (20 to 25 fathoms) that, except in the coves, of which,
fortunately, there is no lack, vessels have difficulty in finding an
anchorage. Like the harbour of Wellington across the strait, these
sounds are liable to many gusts from the mountain gullies, and care
should be exercised whenever it is known to be blowing hard outside.
Pelorus Sound has even more coves and bays than Queen Charlotte Sound,
and no inconsiderable time is necessary to explore the whole of it.
There is abundance of both wood and fresh water; in every part
excellent fishing with the line may be had. Most of the catch will be
new to English fishermen. Rock cod, blue cod, schnapper, the giant
hapuka, a sort of cod, and the game kahawai, which will run like a
salmon, are the best from a gastronomical and sporting point of view.
Enough has been caught by a single line in a day to feed the whole
crew of a man-of-war. Every sort of necessary provision is obtainable
both at Havelock and Picton, at the heads of the respective sounds.
From the northern sounds every traveller will wish to proceed through
the remarkable French pass to Nelson in Blind Bay. This bay is
singularly free from gales and storms. Often, while a hurricane is
tearing and raging through Cook's Strait, calm weather will be found
to prevail without disturbance in Blind Bay.
The harbour of Nelson is formed by a very remarkable bank 4-1/2 miles
in length, covered with huge boulders and forming a natural breakwater
to the harbour. There are one or two gaps in the bank at high water
where boats and very small vessels may pass over, but the tide runs
with such force that it is not advisable to attempt it.
The entrance is not more than 50 yards wide, and lies between the bold
pinnacle of the Arrow Rock and the barrel beacon at the edge of the
Boulder Bank. The entrance is easily effected on the flood, but the
tides run very strong in and out of the narrow entrance. The climate
of Nelson is perhaps the most perfect in all New Zealand, and the
scenery of the bay, with its blue waters and background of
snow-covered mountains in winter and early spring, excels anything
that can be seen on the Riviera, while the climate closely resembles
that of the French littoral of the Mediterranean; the only
unpleasantness being the Waimea wind, felt in early spring down the
valley of the Waimea, but it is neither so continuous nor so
unpleasant as the Mistral of the Riviera.
Very pleasant expeditions may be made to Motueka and Collingwood, on
the opposite shores of the bay. The Californian quail exists in great
abundance on these shores; so much so that the little steamers plying
weekly bring sackloads of the birds to Nelson, where they are
preserved whole in tins for export.
The yachtsman should spend a sufficient length of time in exploring
the indentations of the northern coast of the South Island, for next
to that of the surroundings of Auckland he is likely to meet with the
best weather for his pursuits to be found in New Zealand.
If he then wishes completely to exhaust the opportunities which the
colony affords him, he may, choosing a fine day and favourable
barometric indications, venture on the ocean to the southward. Let
him, however, avoid the west coast, where the harbours are few and far
between, and where those that exist are rendered difficult of access,
save where great expense (as at Westport and Greymouth) has been
incurred by the local authorities to erect breakwaters and dredge the
bars. It is noteworthy that the harbours on the west coast of both
islands, where they are also the estuaries of rivers, have dangerous
shifting sand-bars, while those on the east coast are comparatively
free from this objection.
If the yacht be taken down the east coast to Lyttelton, the traveller
will pass in full view of the grand range of snow-covered mountains,
the Kaikouras. With a north-easterly wind the sea does not get up to
any extent, but if it should change to south there is convenient
shelter for small craft at Kaikoura.
The harbour of Lyttelton is an indentation of considerable depth and
width in Banks Peninsula, which, rising from the flat plains of
Canterbury to a height of some 3,000 feet, juts out into the ocean and
extends twenty miles from the mainland with an average width of
sixteen miles. This peninsula affords plenty of facilities for
yachting. Lyttelton has a yacht club, and is connected by eight miles
of railway with Christchurch, a town that has always borne the
reputation of resembling those of the old country more closely than
any other in New Zealand.
Inside the harbour are many pleasant anchorages for yachts, especially
Quail Island and Ripa Island; also Governor's Bay, a favourite holiday
resort of the people of Christchurch. It should be borne in mind that
with a north-easterly wind a heavy swell comes rolling up the harbour,
but a secure inner harbour of 107 acres has been formed by moles of
rubble, where there is perfect safely for vessels of every kind.
There are many pleasant cruises to be made from Lyttelton to the
various bays and harbours in the peninsula, such as to Port Leny and
to Pigeon Bay, formerly a favourite station for whaling vessels; but
the most interesting as well as the most beautiful is the harbour of
the old French settlement of Akaroa. This harbour penetrates the
peninsula to a distance of eight miles. The town of Akaroa is the
centre of a fine pastoral district, most picturesquely situated on the
slopes of green hills turned into fertile gardens. The French language
is no longer to be heard in the streets, but the green 'persiennes'
and the white fronts of the older houses bear witness to the
nationality of their builders. Lucky it was for the Anglo-New
Zealander of to-day that Captain Hobson, Lieutenant-Governor at
Auckland in 1840, was both of hospitable intent and impressed with the
necessity of 'pegging out claims' for the future of the English race.
Lucky, too, that Captain Lavand, on his way to prepare for a shipload
of French colonists, stayed to enjoy Captain Hobson's hospitality in
Auckland, while the latter, having ascertained his guest's intentions,
had time to despatch H.M.'s brig 'Britomart' with all possible speed
to Akaroa, so that when the gallant Frenchman arrived he found the
smart sailors of the 'Britomart' sitting at the foot of a recently
erected flagstaff admiring a Union Jack flying from the top; by virtue
of which they claimed the South Island of New Zealand for Queen
Victoria in the same manner as Captain Hobson had recently done in the
case of the North Island. These same French emigrants, stopping at St.
Helena on their way out, visited the tomb of Napoleon, and piously
preserved sprays cut from the weeping willows that surrounded it. From
these sprays, planted and cherished on their arrival at Akaroa, sprang
all the beautiful willows which grow with such rapidity, thrive so
remarkably, and are so conspicuous a feature throughout New Zealand.
In December of every year a regatta is held at Akaroa, and yachts from
all parts of New Zealand, as well as boats' crews of one of H.M.'s
ships, come to take part in it.
The yachting grounds proper of New Zealand may be said to be completed
by the exploration of the peninsula below Christchurch, and yet the
most remarkable waters of the colony remain unvisited.
These are the sounds of the south-western extremity of the island. To
get to them, however, many miles of open ocean must be sailed over.
Rarely does the wind blow from the east, and hard threshing against
the wind is the usual condition of sailing from the 'Bluff' to the
sounds. When they are reached, the giant mountains which hedge them in
on every side shut out from some, for days and weeks together, the
least puff of wind to fill the sails of the yacht; while the deep
gullies running down the sides of the mountains in others admit sudden
and violent gusts of wind full of danger to the small sailing craft.
There are interesting places to be visited on the way, such as the
harbours of Timaru and Oamaru, where man at vast labour and expense
has wrested from the violence of the ocean a small space of calm
water in the long straight coast line, well named the Ninety-mile
Beach, on which the rollers break and roar with ceaseless monotony; or
the beautiful harbour of Port Chalmers, leading to Dunedin, the Scotch
capital of Otago. The uninviting looking harbour of the Bluff, where
the traveller may touch the most southerly lamppost in the world, lies
opposite to Stewart's Island, and is separated from it by Foveaux
Strait, one of the most extensive oyster beds in the world. There are
several fine harbours in Stewart Island, especially the spacious port
of Paterson's Inlet, full of coves and bays.
Yachts bent on visiting the sounds should be warned that a strong
current consequent on the quantity of water pouring down from the
mountain torrents is usually found to oppose the entrance of a yacht
into each sound, and that it is very rarely that the wind blows strong
enough to bring yachts in. Generally speaking, within a mile of the
entrance a dead calm with heavy swell will be found, rendering it both
difficult and dangerous to make the entrance.
Once inside the depth is so great that, except where a river runs in
at the head, there is little chance of anchorage, and the vessel must
be made fast by tying her to a tree.
There is land communication with one sound (Milford) alone, and that
only by a foot track. One or two men manage to eke out a hermit's
existence in certain of the sounds, but are chiefly dependent on the
periodical visits of the Government steamer; otherwise the only living
things on the land are the wingless kiwis and kakapos, and an
occasional seal lying upon the rocks. Probably no one visiting New
Zealand will care to omit a trip to these sounds; but let the
yachtsman leave his vessel snugly berthed in the harbour of Lyttelton
or Port Chalmers, and pin his faith to the screws of the Union
Steamship Company's well-found vessels, rather than to the sails of
his own craft.
For a yachting expedition to New Zealand the month of January,
February, March, or April should be chosen. During these months in
the northern parts of the colony and on the coast a N.E. sea breeze
sets in daily about ten in the morning, and dying away at sunset is
succeeded by a westerly or land wind. The yachtsman may generally
reckon on these winds; but if the land wind should not set in towards
evening the sea breeze may increase to a gale, when he can remain safe
at his anchorage till it has blown itself out--a proceeding which
generally occupies not more than twenty-four hours. These gales occur
on an average but once in six weeks, and should be looked for when the
moon changes or comes to the full.
I have already spoken of the winds of Cook's Strait; those likely to
be met with between it and Banks Peninsula will be chiefly
north-easterly and light in summer. Southerly and south-easterly
gales, known as 'southerly busters,' often last three days, and bring
cold rain and dirty weather. Very strong, hot north-westers blow
across the Canterbury plains to Banks Peninsula, and are particularly
drying and unpleasant. Their approach can generally be foretold by a
remarkable clearness of the atmosphere, and an arch of cloud over the
Southern Alps, showing blue sky between the cloud and the snow peaks.
The climate in the central and southern parts of the colony is
remarkably like that of Great Britain, with more wind and more
sunshine, while the northern part resembles that of the shores of
Europe washed by the Mediterranean. Indeed, if one takes the map of
New Zealand and turns it upside down, imagining the two islands joined
together at Cook's Strait, its general similarity in outline and
configuration to Italy will at once become apparent. The Southern
Alps, the Spencer Mountains, and the Ruahine Mountains, like the Alps
and Apennines in Italy, form the head and backbone of the country. The
rich plains of Otago and Canterbury answer to those of Lombardy and
the Campagna, while the palms and fern-trees of Auckland wave against
a sky as blue as that of Naples.
The coast is more indented, the harbours more spacious than those of
the Mediterranean; the islands in the north are more numerous, and
though the winds blow stronger and the sea runs higher when gales come
on, the weather is far less treacherous than that of the
Mediterranean, and gives better warning of its approach. For those who
wish to enjoy two summers without a winter, to see some of the most
remarkable natural phenomena of the world, and the most interesting
and most developed savage race with which Englishmen have come in
contact; to explore fresh waters; to find an ample supply of good
provisions, suited to European requirements; to live among
fellow-countrymen who will assuredly give a hearty and hospitable
welcome, and to realise something of the extent, the variety and the
vastness of the Queen's Empire, I can suggest no better nor more
enjoyable cruise during the English winter months than one round the
beautiful islands of Antipodean Britain.