MAROONING OF THE BALDOCKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 210, 5 September 1925, Page 27

MAROONING OF THE BALDOCKS.

ADVENTURES IN BRAME'S BOAT ON THE KAIPARA. MR. INGER LOSES HIS PASSENGERS. Nothing could better instance the astonishing " greenness" 'pi some of the Albertlanders, and also their fortitude in tackling ."work of which they had only the foggiest of notions. Mr. Thomas inger, senior, of Port Albert, told the story to Mr. W. H. Marsh, of Whaiehine, who has done so much to rescue from oblivion so many interesting memories of the olden days. In spite of his 93 years Mr. Inger is still (in 1935) wonderfully hale and active, • and. may often be seen grubbing up gorse and blackberry on his townahip sections near what was once " Market Street," of which the pioneers had such high hopes, and is now a street in name only. "Yes/ 3 said old Mr. Inger, "they put mc in charge of a boat irhen the first settlers started to come up here to Albertland. I knew nowt about a boat; in fact, I didn't know one end from the other in those days. You see, I was engaged in England to come out and work for Brame, the founder of the settlement. When we got to Auckland Brame bought a boat and sent it up to the KaipaTa, transporting it overland between Kiverhead and the Kaipara. I was put in charge of her, the idea being that I should take people and their belongings up to the settlement on the Oruawharo. We loaded the boat at the landing above where Helensville is now, and - I'set out with three or four others to go to Port Albert. They were Ted and George Baldock and a man named Jones, a relation of "Cock's,.and I can't remember if there was another or not. We got somewhere out Shelly Beach way, where there were some Maoris living, and we went ashore and camped for the night. As I was saying, I didn't know anything about boating. I didn't even know there were tides, and the others didn't know any more than I did. In the night the boat was swamped and sank, and we got all our things wet.

"It didn't seem much use going further like that, so I told .** Baldocks to stay with the things and dry them, while I went Wt with Jones for some more stores. We started off. leaving the Blldocks there but we soon found we didn't know which way we kdeome, and had do idea where we were. I'm thinking it is a jg°a>b we did not see the opening between the Earpara Heads, or c might have sailed out to sea. , „, ... "After about, two days hunting around with nothing to eat *> pulled up at a "Maori settlement, which turned out to be Puatahi, J. the mouth of the Hoteo Kiver. There was a white man living fere named William White, and when we told him how we were "J** he gave us some kumaras and things, and told some of the to cook them for us. While they were being cooked we went town to bale the boat out. and when we got back the Maoris had ffconly cooked the food/but had eaten it too, 60 we had to wait ftr-wne more to be cooked. While we were at Puatahi a man named George Kicks, from Kaukapakapa, who had been looking for us, Win with his cutter and took us back to Helensville There J* great cheering when we arrived, and I was not sorry to get .*•& The wife cooked mc a fish, and I was that hungry I believe ■?»fe bones and all. , ~ .r m v T " .-in t. 1 i i. 'j vrinoro haTe you lett them: 1 Where are the Baldocks i wnere rime ; asked. - -..." I said, • God only knows, for I don't.'

•' I could give no idea where I had left them. Oh, yes, Bonner found them after they had been marooned for about a fortnight. They had been pretty scared of the Maoris, not knowing anything about them at that time. I don't think the Baldocks ever quite forgave mc for the time they put in when marooned. A little while after this adventure I set out from the Helensville landing with another party. This time I pulled up at Makarau, on one of the tidal creeks, a good deal south of Albertland, and Eicks had to hunt us up again. After that I wouldn't take charge of the boat any more." Mr. Marsh hunted up in the " Albertland Gazette"' an advertisement which evidently identifies the boat in which Mr. Inger went sailorising. In the issue of November 4, 1863, we read: "Be Brame, deceased: To be sold by public auction early in December by Hidings and Dowden, a large boat, 3-5 feet long, with oars, mast, jib, mainsail, etc. To view it apply to Mr. -Johnson, postmaster. Port Albert.'"