Early settlers at Motunau

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32655, 10 July 1971, Page 11

Early settlers at Motunau

High on the cliffs of the North Canterbury coast at the northern end of Pegasus Bay stands the Motunau homestead. The present house is comfortably protected by great belts of ancient pine trees, many of them bent and bowed by the high winds off the sea. Gum trees about the house and yards have grown to tremendous heights. They thrust stark and improbable brandies upwards where the foliage has been eaten away by scale insects. So effectively do these trees shelter the garden that figs, tree tomatoes, grapefruit, pawpaw and Chinese gooseberries grow readily. A mile to the south the cliffs are broken by the small, tidal harbour at Motunau Beach. This attractive inlet with its fishing fleet and bird colony is popular with holiday makers and many have discovered the wide expanse of beach reached by a cliff path. Motunau Island, a remnant of the plain cut off by marine erosion, rises dramatically, a mile from the shore. Its name derives from the Maori, motu, an island, and nau, scurvy grass. This grass has long since been eaten by rabbits. It is the breeding ground for large numbers of sea birds including Sooty Shearwaters and white faced Stormy Petrels. Interesting past But the Motunau district as a whole has a very interesting past It was one of the earliest white settlements in the province, a whaling station having been established at the harbour by Phillip Ryan in 1842. Later in that decade the first pastoral farming in North Canterbury was begun there by the Greenwood brothers. Recently the lonely, exhilarating beach below the old Greenwood homestead has yielded a number of existing fossils which tell us something of Canterbury near the dawn of its history. Motunau Island and harbour would have been well known to the early Canterbury Maoris. They were es-

sentially coast dwellers who lived by fishing and travelled frequently between the coastal settlements of Kaikoura and Kaiapoi. There is evidence of their visits in the deposits of paua shell and charcoal buried beneath the ground on parts of Motunau Island. The Maoris rarely ventured inland and although they grew kumera it is unlikely that the rich, coastal land was ever cultivated by them. Whaling station The earliest European to live at Motunau was Ryan. He had been employed by Weller Brothers, of Otago. His early history was colourful. According to Douglas Creswell he had been bom in Ireland in 1802 and lived as a boy with his mother in Portugal while his father campaigned in Spain with the Duke of Wellington. Later he was a sailor in a North Sea fishing boat which had Captain Hemplemann as mate. After the failure of his firm Ryan found himself unemployed at Port Levy and decided to start whaling on his own account at Motunau. It was at Ryan’s whaling station that William Heaphy recuperated after his disastrous journey back from surveying the site of Dunedin in 1844. Instead of returning with the rest of the party by drip to Wellington he attempted to travel overland to Nelson. After hair-raising experiences while lost in the Amiri foothills, Heaphy staggered out to Motunau more dead than alive. He later returned to the Deans brothers at Riccarton, but his experiences probably discouraged others from venturing into North Canterbury.' The Greenwoods The Greenwood brothers were not discouraged. James, Joseph and Edward Greenwood were well established at Purau by late 1846 after suffering from early trouble with the Maoris. In October, 1846, Joseph Greenwood left his newly-established property and set off for Motunau where, with long hours of exhausting labour, he began another farm. Much has been learnt of these early days from Joseph Greenwood’s personal diary, recently lodged in the TurnbiH Library. We know that Edward Greenwood returned to England after the "Blue Cap” robbery at Purau and left Wellington in September, 1846. After Purau was sold to the Rhodes brothers in May 1847,

(By

only Joseph and James Greenwood went north to the new station. Joseph was already at Motunau and James, assisted by Edward Prebble, travelled from Purau via Gebbie’s Pass with the stock. Edward’s carpenter father, James Prebble, built the Greenwood homestead at Motunau. The timber probably came from the Port Levy bush. A sod outbuilding from the Greenwood times still stands beneath the gum trees at Motunau—a continuing reminder of the station’s early beginnings. Joseph worked hard and a house and yards were built A woolshed was erected on what is now known as the “Bluegum Flat” above the river and the wool was manhandled down a steep zig-zag to the boatshed opposite the present village. From there the wool was lightered out to boats and taken to Port Levy by sea. One of the brothers often stayed at Port Levy where Habersfield, who was an early settler in Otago met him and recorded it “I afterwards shipped in the cutter Levien for Port Levy where lived a wealthy old bachelor named Greenwood, who gave the captain a freight of wool, cheese and butter with 32 sheep on deck for Wellington.” Tragic deaths The success of the Greenwoods at Motunau must have had a healthy effect on the interest shown in North Canterbury -land. In 1849 W. J. W. Hamilton, a survey officer in H.M.S. Acheron, submitted a report to the Government of a journey up the Port Cooper plains. He wrote: "It is the general opinion of the settlers about Banks Peninsula that the sheep thrive far better on the hills than the plains. Thus strengthened by experience, I had not hesitated to include in the estimates (of available pasture lands) parts of the country which to me would have seemed almost useless had I not visited Motunau station and been able to judge of the great value of even the most broken parts of the sea coast” The venture was a success and the rewards of hard work and ambition lay ahead for the Greenwood brothers when tragedy struck. In October, 1848, Joseph was drowned when a whale boat capsised on the way back from Port Levy. After his death James left for Sydney to buy stock. As he was never heard of again it was thought that he was murdered for the money he carried for this purpose. It is also possible that he died from tuberculosis but there is no documentary evidence to support this.

Exuberant Scot

What happened to Motunau after these disasters? The date of John Scott Caverhill’s arrival at Motunau and connection with the Greenwood brothers is very uncertain. The facts are few and the trail confusing and probably made more so by the temperament and personality of this exuberant Scot

Caverhiil was bom in Jedburgh, in 1820, where his father was the factor for the Marquis of Lothian. He and his elder brother Tom voyaged out to Australia in 1840 where he explored, drove stock and assisted with the sale of runs to new immigrants from England. He was a very good hand with stock and had a remarkable memory for individual beasts. It was said that Caverhiil could identify cattle at a great distance when others were unsure whether they were cattle or horses.

He was a jovial, good hearted man with a tremendous love of practical jokes and “a good story” and was affec-

ELISABETH OGILVIE)

tionately known in early Christchurch as “Whitehaired Bob” or “Darby.” He was also something of an explorer and pioneer who journeyed into.the Clarence Valley and the Acheron as early as 1850-51. He was more of a pioneer than a settler and rarely stayed put for long. John Scott Caverhiil can rightly be regarded as one of the most colourful of North Canterbury’s early settlers. Caverhiil arrived here in 1849 and would have met the Greenwood brothers at Riccarton—he had known Mrs John Deanes and her family in Scotland. Caverhill’s family thought that he rowed up the coast to Motunau in that first year. Law suit The facts about this early exchange of Motunau have been supplied by L. G. D. Acland in "Early Canterbury Runs.” He had access to a station diary which is thought to have been lost in a fire at Teviotdale in the 19305. He says that the sole surviving Greenwood brother (presumed to have been Edward) let the station to Caverhiil after his brother’s failure to return from Sydney. The details of stock delivered were 981 sheep, 474 lambs, 141 head of cattle (all separately named), 40 pigs, 30 horses and a mule. Some of the sheep were retained by Greenwood and sold to the Canterbury Association Workers at Lyttelton. Now according to Joseph’s diary Edward appears never to have been at Motunau. George Oates Greenwood, the fourth brother and sleeping partner • in England, always had an interest, both in Purau and Motunau. He came to New Zealand on November 1, 1864 and quickly sued Caverhiil for sheep sold and interest unpaid. In that case he states quite plainly that Caverhiil continued to occupy Motunau but not under agreement with him. He referred to a previous visit to New Zealand so it seems likely that it was George Greenwood who originally let the station. Caverhiil, the “prince of squatters” was definitely established at Motunau in 1850 where his friend from Jedburgh, Robert Waitt, visited him. He wrote of an interesting. excursion there. “Neither must I forget our shouldering pick-axe, shovel

and spade and starting on our coalmining excursion with Caverhiil; our navvy accomplishments against the sides of that high hill with the Motinua Stream, meandering close by; the cheerful coal-fire we established while we enjoyed our lunch ... I must not forget our visit to the dairy and stock, especially that imported bull which he informed tis was so quiet; but how John did run when he saw the bull begin to paw and put its head to the ground and how we laughed at his courage.” At that time the station extended from the sea to the Waikari River and Cabbage Tree Flat from Boundary Creek to Slip Creek. Work consisted mainly of milking, keeping boundary-watch on the sheep and hunting for lost cattle—these sometimes wandering as. far as Riccarton in the early days. New house built In 1955,.Caverhiil married Frances King, of Lyttelton, whose family came out in the Cressy. Her father had been Lord Spencer’s huntsman of the Harleston pack and on , arrival in New Zealand her mother kept a boarding-house at Lyttelton. Mrs Caverhiil journeyed to Motunau in 1855 on a flea-bitten grey mare to establish her home in complete isolation. A new house was built for her and. in 1856 was described as being "very good, weather-boarded—large kitchen and two comfortable sitting rooms.” Here Mrs Caverhiil brought up her family and entertained hospitably. There were seldom fewer than 10 occupants in the sleeping loft. This homestead survived at Motunau until 1948, although empty for many years. The Caverhills left for Hawkswood in IM9. ... E. M. Templar, Caverhill’s brother-in-law was. often at Motunau as a guest and signed sheep returns as manager during Caverhill’s' absences. Caverhiil was off exploring or down to Christchurch very frequently. In Christchurch, where he both judged and exhibited stock at the first shows he was a memorable figure. ' C. P. Cox describes how after arriving at Lyttelton they were overtaken on the Bridle Path by “a red-faced man with towlike white hair, large promiscuous tusks of teeth and abundant evidence of being

addicted to the weed (chewing tobacco). He apologised to us for not allowing us the use of his horse’s tail for helping us up, on the ground that she kicked.” Wedding prank On one early visit Caverhiil arrived in Christchurch dressed in his habitual white corduroy trousers, a tweed coat and a hat known as a half-topper. A wedding was about to take place and Caverhill was uninvited. The guest list, he was told could not be extended as the supper, the first turkey killed in Christchurch, was a small one. "Darby” departed and sb dfd the turkey. The wedding party hurriedly extended an invitation to him and the turkey reappearedfrom the middle of a flaxbush. Ms practical jokes often led him into trouble but he Wm usually affectionately and readily forgiven., ; , , . Still in the possession of the Caverhiil family is a quaint, old document conferring on XS. the right to occupy Motunau Island. How he came by this has produced an exciting tale butuhfortunately one .that has all tha marks of a Caverhiil story. On investigating the arrival of a strange ship near , the island Caverhiil .was disgusted’to find that „ the vessel was commanded by Bully Hayes, already possessed <of an evil reputation.. The buccaneer. and his crew remained at the island for some time, coming ashore frequently for carousals. ,&■ Bought a boy Caverhiil, fearing that the little island might become the haven of bad Characters, applied for permission to occupy it This was granted by Governor Gore-BroWne in January. 1857, Caverhiil is said to nave purchased a kidnapped, half-stkrved lad from Bully Hayes. The purchase price was a sack of flour—this lad was always known in Cheviot as Johnny Flourbag. Old provincial records show that on December 16, 1856, J. E. Fitzgerald wrote to the Governor asking that Caverhill, who had stocked’ the island with . rabbits, might have some authority over it to prevent them being destroyed. The reply on January 10 gave that authority! George Greenwood arrived back from England in 1864. The disagreements over the tenancy of the run led to Caverhitl’s decision to concentrate on his bther properties. He' gave 1 up Motunau and pursued his colourful way through Hawkswood Highfield and on to the North Island. (To be concluded.)