THE LANDS-OF THE MAD WINDS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 18

THE LANDS-OF THE MAD WINDS

Right out on the coast, some thirty odd ; miles from Waipukurau, within a short distance of frowning Blackhead bluff, and within hearing of tho roar of sun-splashed breakers and billows, lio the beautiful homesteads of Porangahau and Papakihau. Ominous - meaninng names, which give an idea, what sort of & place this-was before being .transform-

Ed from a wilderness by tho. civilisation. .of half a century or more. Papakah'ati ; is Understood to mean the birthplace of • the wind, Porangahau -an ; aiigry* or -a mad wind, and if rccordsaro'in any way accurate,,the district well deserved tlio. tSJkdri'.: appellations. The 'iir i. wild and undulating even:now',; and: one; ■ can tonly, wonder at tho idea .which ac-

PORANGAHAU AND PAF&iCIBIAU. . THE STIRY OF .THE HUNTERS. GLIMPSES ®FOLD'WELLINGTON.''

tuated tho lato Mr. Georgo Hunter in founding a homo ill such ail out-of-the-way place. Possibly tho reason was that although a merchant, ho was lieeijly interested in agriculture, and being tile owner of tho Island Bay Estate and the most prominent stock-breeder in tho province, ho naturally thought that the sequence would be a well-kept run on larger and more extensive lines. 1 In thpse days Porangahau Station was all ono property, and under Mr. Hunter's ownership, and there is little doubt thjfc during his lifo timo tho late Mr. Hunter worked it at considerable loss to himself. Mr; Hunter Was a progressive man, and bad the strenuous. and' thorough spirit/which was a characteristic of his father, tho first Mayor of Wellington, aliJ which is again represented in the'present generations, tno chiefs of whom aro Mr. Georgo Hunter, of Porangahau, and Mr; Paul Hunter, of Papakihau. ■ Threa Generations.Tho three generations. of Hunters in New Zealand havo each left a distinctive mark of their zeal and enterprise for the benefit of their country. Mr; George Hunter, tho first, camo to New Zealand in January, 1840, in the New Zealand Shipping Company's third ship the Duko of Roxborough. He brought with him from "London-a liouso ■ in sections, and in the erection of . it at Petone, then known- as Britannia, Hunter grand pere, mado what is said to be the' first written' contract of tho kind 'ip tlio" world • with the late 'Mr. S. D. Parnell, that - eight . hours' work should coiistituto. a day's' labour. The house. was : aftorwards dismantled and rc-ereoted-in-Wellington., . Shortly afterwards Wellington was 'mado a boroughs—the first in New Zealand—and by virtue of position.of being the first emSloyer' who conceded "eight hours as a ay's work, Mr, Hunter topped tho poll in the election, for-a municipil council, with 273 votes, and in accordance with the decision. of. the burgesses that the candidate who scored tho most number of votes should 1 be Chief Magistrate; 1 was made' the first Mayor of' Wellington. , .... ■ Mr. Georgo Hunter, tlio second, was the colonist who purchased Porangahau from the Government. He had at the time a 7000-acro. farm, known as.Torawhiti, Island Bay,; the Maori name being Kaoroi, and lie was a breeder of Shorthorn cattle,' draught horses, and Lincoln' and Leicester . and • Cotswold sheep. .A. prolific prize-winner at tho 'show's,;extending to 18S0,. lio was presented with-, a medal; by 'the Canterbury A., and P., Association as'the first North .Island; exhibitor, of, sheep at the Christ.'cliilrch Sli6#ijHe' ( -ivaß ' also, a Mayor of' a member of' the' Legislative Council tijl the

inauguration of the Constitution Act in 1853, a member of tho Provincial Council uutil its abolition, and a member of Parliament. Mr. Hunter had also much to do with the inception of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce,' Wellington Gas Company, Patent Slip Company, and other important associations. Ho is described by those who know "him intimately 'as a man of a inost kind and generous disposition, with a remarkably bountiful charity. Ho died in 1880; Hunter Street, Wellington, and the town of Hunterviile were named after him. Of his two sons, Mr. George Hunter, the elderj has been a prominent man in tho public lifo for many years. As a mere youth, ho and his brother, Mr. Paul Hunter, had charge of tho late Mr. Georgo Hunter's champion pedigreo stock ab the various shows m Ohristchurch, Wairarapa, Hutt, and other places; and ho was managing Porangahau Station when quite a young man. Ho took ail active part in local politics, and in the various institutions that have been called into existence by tho progressive spirit of tho community, and later ho repro-' sented his constituency in Parliament. For a period of twenty-one years ho has had an honoured 'connection with the turf, notably as the owner of Cynisca, ■Whisper, Mystification, .and others, c Mr. Paul Hunter has had a seventeen years' connection with Jersey breeding, which he first carried on partly to supply tho needs of a young and growing family, and at present as a hobby. For the past quarter of a century he has been a breeder of English setters, winning prizes in Australia and New Zealand, and he is regarded as one of the authorities of the breed in Australasia. Mr. Hunter is also a frequent 'Jersey judge at shows where lie'is not exhibiting, and .lie is ono of the most popular figures on agricultural and pastoral show grounds in New Zealand. Purchased with Gold. Porangahau was amongst the station .properties purchased by the late Sir Donald M'Lean, on behalf of the Government, from the Natives. It is recorded that the purchase _was one of the first made by Sir Donald on tho itinerary,and that.theprice wfes paid by him in golden sovereigns, which ho carried in a sort of treasure-cliest. In tho days of half a century ago,'people camo up to Porangahau round the East Coast by way of Orongorongo and Castlepoint, cutting roads and building bridges. It was fortunate indeed that tho Natives wero friendly, as tho settlers were comparatively defenceless, so far as firearms wero concerned.: At that time the district was covered with fern, manuka, flax, and toi-toi, whilo tho back portion, hilly and undulating, carried some bush. It was a somewhat uninviting land, but it was taken up partly because there was little bush, and partly because settlers at the time of the Native troubles, wero thought to be safer, in -the open country than in tlio bush. Thero is no doubt the land' was rather poor, and I even now, after years of cultivation, tho country shows a tendency to return to native grasses, and pastures sown in English seeds havo to. bp renewed frequently. The First Shcop. Sooii after purchasing Porangahau, Mr George Hunter, father of the present occupant, stocked tho run with, merino sheep, • which were driven up the coast Castlepoint and Wairarapa. The first men who camo through on Mr. Hunter's behalf, included John Bird, who is still living at Waipukurau. They _ dwelt in tents, and mado periodical trips' to Wellington, the journoy backwards and forwards occupying six weeks. . The few bales of wool froni the first season's, clip, were shipped to Wellington by way of' Blackhead, which place is still tlio shipping port for the two stations. The first, flock numbered not moro thaii 200 sheep.

' It may be mentioned 'that Poranga-' hau town itself possesses a shipping placo called Makaramau, about ■twelve miles nearer. Blackhead was the port for many years, but eventually tho Porangahau river was bridged at Makaramau, near Blackhcyl, small vessols coming up ■ the river ' with the materials. This was tho cause of tho . regular • opening up of the river for trading purposes, a change greatly appreciated by settlers and business people residing in Porangahau, and a great relief to the road trafiic from Waipukurua. Tho ' Fairburn; a scow from Napipr, iiow makes regular trips up the river. -'At Blackhead itself, the Himitangi carries nearly all the wool and other traffic, the wool being taken off to tho steamer by means of surf-boats. Blackhead appears to be .well'named. Tho Point is notable for a prominent and ugly-looking reef running out for a coni siderablo .distance, but acting as a natural breakwater, which at low water forms something approaching a uatural harbour.

; High-class Stocking. \ In addition to merinos, Sir. George I Hunter, senior, drew from his Island ; Bay' property other high-class stock, ; such as Shorthorn cattle, horses, and • sheep. It lias been stated beforo that ■ lie was a notable. stock-breeder. He i was probably the principal breeder ill , New Zealand, and he gavo Porangahau , Station the best, ho could bring along. . Somo idea of what this best was may bo gauged by "the fact that at his : death his two sons George and Paul • divided between tliem ono hundred and i eight medals won by their father in ■ peaceful- contests on the showgrounds. ■ One'of these medals, with three others, i was presented to him in 1873 by the ! Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral ■ Association, as the first'exhibitor of ; stock from the North.lsland. The first , M'Master Shornhom' bull was bred by ! i\lr. Hunter from Queen of May, an im- : ported cow. Thirty Years Ago, It .'was in 1880 that the Messrs. '• George and Paul Hunter came up. to .. manage Porangahau. Previously, the i ruii had been managed by Messrs. William and- David Hunter, • uncles. Mr. W. Hunter died, and Mr. David Hunter moved to Waverley. Tho farm in 18S0 was breeding merino halfbreds—first cross from long-wool rams—and these were, in a measure, the-'nucleus of the present Lincoln flock-which now numbers about 25,000. The two brothers, .comparatively young men, .in fact, little moro than youths, had a very arduous • task set before them in managing the estate. Their father had just "died, and from a farmer's point of view, the outlook, in New Zealand, was unpromising. The refrigerating schemo, which may be said to have been one of tho greatest industrial blessings ever' conferred en a sheep-growing district', was in too nebulous a state for anybody to mako certain that an industry would materialise from it, and sheep at the time were only useful for their, wool. Stock all rouud were at a discount, and tho ono main thing that the farm appeared to exist for was to eat its head off. 1 It is a matter of history how rabbits ' were first introduced into New Zealand by some misguided enthusiast, and how in the Wairarapa especially they quickly proceeded to eat the farmers out of liouso and l 'homo. They became a plague in the Valley, and threatened Hawke's Bay. It says a good deal for tho foresight of the Hawke's Bav farmers that tho threatened invasion never materialised.. Tho settlers met at Porangahau, and formed a rabbit hoard, which exists to this day. They struck a rate, and erected a rabbit-proof fence as aboundary between Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa. Tho fence ran from Waimata to Woodville, a distanco of nearly forty miles, through tho bush, to Weber, and on fce Kumeroa. Men were employed for years on. both 'sides of tho fence, keeping.an eyo on the. rodents, and they aro still employed. Thanks to tnefeo precautions, tho rabbits were kept back; ~ At Porangahau, the rabbiter employed catches an ' averago' of ono rabbit per month/but'his services are not dispensed with. In these and other questions, the yoi(hg Hunters took their part and did their utmost m providing a successful solution to the trials and tribulations which attend'all men who go on the laud. ; Hard Travelling. i Travelling oven 'in the' "eighties" was not a joy-in the Porangahau district. It took a day to go through to WAipukurau, and three , days, said Mr. .Paul Hunter,' when he was driving out his dairy stock. The railway line reached as' far as Waipukurau from Napior, thence tho coach was taken to'Takapau, and on to'Palmorston, after which tho journey was continued on the train to Foxton, where tho, coach was again resorted to to reach Wellington. It was altogether a tedious trip, and a-misery ahlo . contrast' to. the travelling of today, when one, may motor from Porangahau to Waipukurau 'in ninety minutes,', rind, board a train to Wellington oiv a soven-and-a-half-hours' run, which the average traveller will curso heartily .if it exceeds its schedulo by ten minutes. it must be admitted) however,, that . there wero compensating joys in tho travelling of. the bad old times. .The itinerary usually was an eighteen inilo - run through to Ferguson's Hotel,, on the,..'edge, of tho bush, and .here . the travellers spent the night. From Ferguson's thero was a beautiful bush ride to Tahaoraite, on a splendidly metalled road. Tho route 'was avenued with bush for a distance of forty miles, something like that which onco was between Mangamahoo and Pahiatua, and in the summer time the drive a joy to, even tho most blase traveller. Then came a passage over tho Gorge in a cage, two men at a time; arriving at Palmerstou North at 7 p.m., Foxton 10 p.m., after-which .there,was a • well-earned night's rest The journey to Wellington next morning occupied from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the wholo time occupied was two and a half days. ' Another drivo was through from Woodvillo to Eketahuna, where there, was hardly a house to bo seen on the; road. The great' drawback, in addition to the tediousness of tho travelling, was the unhridged rivers ™ hcl j tl>° fast-rushing, streams'in the woodville-Mastcrton and Napier dislicts wero in flood, tho .coach horses always had to be swum from the punt and- at times thero werq accidents of a serious, if not always of a fatal nature. Nowadays; by the aid of the'telephone,- the- railway, and tho motor-car * , distance is almost eliminated in New Zealand, Farmers' trials. In connection with tho management of Porangahau and Papakahau Estates tho Hunters have been faced with tho difficulty of dealing with and obtaining the best results from land which is not ploughable, and which lias been stocked for years. This question is still serious, and pno which can only bo properly understood by practical farmers. The sand.duno difficulty, so noticeable in tile Foxtoii and ,south Manawatu districts, is also very pronounced at Porangahau', and proper management of the farms there is attained oidy at considerable expense, Reference already has\ been mado to tho native grasses. Theso do. not grow ill the winter, at the timo ono wants tho .feed, and the tendency of tho country is to grow these nativo '

grasses. . Tlien it is found that rye grass requires to bo renewed continuously. Until very recently, communication with the railway line was extremely difficult, owing to tho naturo of tho country, and, with tho absence of good metal, tlio roads havo been very bad. Within tho last few years, however, loans havo been raised through the enterprise of tho local bodies, and large sums of money have been expended, with the result that tho difficulties of reaching tho railway lino havo been greatly reduced. . In connection with the shearing at Porangahau, it is .interesting to note that Air. George Hunter has always been an employer of whito labour ever since he has been on the station. Tho shearing is usually done by the small settlers in the neighbourhood and others. Many of'these have been on "tho board" at Porangahau for .-the past twenty years, and several for nearly thirty years. The other day Mr. Huntor 'gavo a testimonial to a man who had shorn every season at the station during his management. Three years ago tho Porangahau Station was divided, Mr. George Hunter taking the southern, and Mr. Paul Hunter tho northern portion. Each place has a beautiful homestead and gardens and plantations looking over into the sea. Hospitality reigns supreme, and the families _ are amongst tho best known and honoured in all Hawke's Bay.