Whangarei Considered as N.Z’s Capital

Northern Advocate, 25 January 1939, Page 3

Whangarei Considered as N.Z’s Capital

Account of SurveyorGeneraFs Visit to ‘Forest PrimevaF in 1840

TXAD ANY EXTENT OF TOLERABLY LEVEL LAND ADJOINING DEEP WATER BEEN FOUND, WHANGAREI IN 1840, MAY HAVE SUCCEEDED KORORAREKA AS THE CAPITAL OF NEW ZEALAND. WHANGAREI IN 1840. EXPLORATORY VISIT BY FELTON MATHEW (SURVEYOR GENERAL) AND HIS WIFE, APRIL, 1840.

Captain Hobson and his staff had visited the Waitemata at the end of February, 1840, in order to induce the native chiefs there to sign the Treaty of Waitangi and also to select a site for the capital. Hobson’s tragic illness prevented the completion of the latter task.

After arrangements had been made for a temporary seat of government at Okiato —the old “Russell,”. Bay of Islands —Felton Mathew, SurveyorGeneral, was sent off in the revenue cutter “Ranger” (Captain Carkeek) to complete the interrupted survey. , *

His attention was specially directed to the Waitemata, which had been recommended by Rev. H. Williams, but he was also ordered to examine the Whangarei and Mahurangi inlets arid report on their possibilities.

Mathew was accompanied hy his wife, whose journal of the trip makes interesting reading, as she was a shrewd observer and a fluent writer.

► Reference to this journal was made by Professor J. Rutherford, who is superintending the production of the Auckland Provincial History, when he visited Whangarei to meet the Northland Historical Committee. Professor Rutherford obtained the Felton Mathew manuscripts for the New Zealand archives from Lady Oliver, the niece of Mrs Felton Mathew, and from Dr. Crump. Graciously responding to a request then made by the “Northern Advocate,” the professor has forwarded for publication relevant portions of the journal kept by the wife of the Sur-veyor-General:

THE CENTENNIAL

Extracts from Mrs Felton, Mathew’s Journal

Saturday, April 18, 1840. —“ Went On board the “Cutter” as she was beating out with very little wind; soon became sick and sad, and went to bed.

Sunday, April 19.—“ A - fine, warm day, but very little wind, merely roll-* ing about in sight of the Perforated Rock all day; sick and miserable, of course, lying on cloaks on the deck till night, when, a breeze springing up, the vessel became much easier;

“Bold, Magnificent” Whangarei Heads Monday, April 20.— -“ At daylight were off the heads of Wangari Bay, the wind very, light, but with the tide we got in and anchored about 10 a.m. 1 went on deck about 8 o’clock, and as we drifted in close to the shore, I was perfectly delighted and lost almost all sense of sea-sickness ur the bold, magnificent scenery it presented.

“Such lofty, craggy heights I never saw, the sides of them generally covered with trees and beautifully green. The summits were broken into pinnacles and masses of rocks resembling towers .and walls and bastions; indeed very little help of the imagination might transfer the scene to the banks of the Rhine. The birds were singing beautifully in the woods.

“A boat was lowered as soon as the cutter anchored and we started away to explore the upper part of the harbour and river of ‘Wangari.’ A heaVy shower of rain ■ came on, but we buffeted it stoutly and with the help of cloaks were determined to care for nothing.

Fine Fishing “We left a canoe full of natives alongside the cutter, and they, as well as the crew, were pulling up the fish as fast as the hooks were thrown; very fine fish they are—snapper, gurnet and what is called salmon in these seas. “We reached the mouth of the river and landed on a shelly beach intending to climb the highest shore and look around us. but very heavy rain coming on and the sides of the steep ascent from the beach being thickly tangled with fern and brushwood, we found it was impracticable and returned to our boat ...

“We were wet and cold having been in repeated showers all day, so were glad to return to the cutter about 5 p.m. Found the natives whom we left in the morning still on board.

Well-Mannered Chief

“The old chief was invited to the cabin to drink tea with us. He seems a very intelligent old fellow and though we could not understand each other very well, yet we managed to keep him in perfect good humour, and he drank his tea in a very civilised manner, and even ate his fish with a fork till hunger prevailed and he was obliged to take the assistance of his fingers to expedite the business. Tuesday. April 21.— -“ Started early, fully prepared to proceed up the river as far as navigable, and to camp if necessary. The river is wide and has a deep channel on the north side which we followed, taking the tide with us. “The shores are high, broken and wooded; on the southern shore thickly fringed with mangroves, and as we afterwards found, very shoal, quite a mud flat for many miles at low water. Cock Crow Betrays European “We proceeded merrily up this very beautiful river until about noon, when

on suddenly turning a road, we came in view of a small rapoo house, evidently the abode of Europeans, being larger than the huts the natives construct for themselves in this manner. “The crowing of a cock, too, is a most civilised sound, and in this country a very uncommon one. As we approached, two men came out to reconnoitre. I was glad to see they were both white men. “We pulled ift to the landing place where lay ( a canoe, and a fine whaleboat was carefully drawn up on the land near. “There was at a little distance a pah or native village, and several New Zealanders were hanging about the place. “The proprietor is a Scotsman, .a settler from Illawaora, and had been there about six months. He seemed very glad to see our party. He had some land in cultivation, and plenty of pigs. “Our men landed and cooked their dinner in the house. We took some luncheon in the boat and then walked a little, but the ground is everywhere so encumbered with fern, scrub, and reeds that we could not go far. |

Journey Up River

“A narrow path, full of holes, led to the pah, but rain coming on and it being muddy and very disagreeable walking, we returned to the boat. “The gude-man gave us a basket of potatoes for. a few figs of tobacco, and then we took leave of him and proceeded up the river which now narrows suddenly, and about a mile farther is lost in a mangrove swamp, or becomes only a little mountain stream so encumbered with these mangroves as to be quite useless. “We returned and were surprised at the different appearance the river now presented. It was, in many parts, merely a narrow, winding stream, on either side being a vast extent of sandbanks overed with mangroves, among which millions of waterfowls were enjoying themselves. “It was now getting late, and we anxiously looked put for a place to camp, but in vain. It was impossible

to reach either shore from the mudflats which extended from them, and a fine breeze now springing up, we determined to run for the harbour and get aboard the Cutter. “First, however, we tried to land on the Point we yesterday reached, and which we now found was an island, but though we could reach it, we could not find on it a level spot large enough for a single tent, so encumbered is it all around that no footing scarcely could be made on it. Caught by Squall. “So we stretched on till, about the middle of the bay, a squall of wind and rain set in so thick upon us that we were compelled to lower our sail and take to the oars, for the water was so shoal and the darkness so great that we could not venture to run before the gale. “Indeed, I was quite terrified, for our little boat is but a frail one for these seas in such a squall, and so laden as ours then was. “Meantime, we pulled on in the darkness, wondering where the cutter could be. She had certainly left the anchorage she .had occupied in the moiming, and it was now so dark we could see nothing 20 yards from the boat.

“We then fired a shot, in the hopes j she would answer, and the sound would guide us. Anxiously we listened for some time; no reply. Nearly Benighted. “I fully expected we should pass the night in the boat; at least, till the moon rose, and, being very wet and cold, the prospect was not cheering. We pulled on, however, towards a little glimmering on the shore, which we thought might proceed from the huts of some of the natives, and again fired a shot, which this time was answered, and then a light was hoisted by the cutter,’ then scarcely 100 yards from us, though not in the place we had left her in the morning. “She had heard our first shot but, not expecting our return, Had fancied it was merely the chief who had paid them a visit in the morning, and to whom.they had lent a musket to shoot some pigeons. Fortifications on South Shore. I Wednesday, April 22. “Started about 9 a.m. to examine the southern

shore. We returned to the beach, enjoyed a good lunch, and then pulled across to the foot of the high, rocky peak which forms the northern point on entering the Bay. Here we again landed and. with incredible difficulty, made our way to the top.

“Half-way up, there ,are deep trenches, evidently the work of man, and most probably intended as entrenchments or defences in some of the destructive wars which in bygone days were so frequent among the savage tribes.

“We counted three distinct ledges or trenches, each perhaps twelve or twenty feet deep and quite perpendicular. Now they are quite overgrown with brushwood and fern, and we climbed from one to the other with but little difficulty.

“We got on Doard, and, quite tired, were glad to go to bed. .She ran out during the night and next morning.”

Later Reference to Cruise,

In her “Autobiography,” written at a later date, Mrs Mathew records: — “It was arranged that my husband was to take the small Revenue Cutter and proceed along to the examination of the coast and country, in order to fix upon the site for the first settlement and principal township, the capital of the new colony. “This was the month of April, the weather was breaking up—it is autumn in that hemisphere—and we had some terrible gales while on our cruise. “The little cutter was a fast sailer, but, of course, had little accommodation. A crew of six men, captain and mate, and our two selves, made a party of ten, but, small as was the space for us passengers, it was far better than another separation, even though I suffered miserably from seasickness.

“Forest Primeval.”

“We explored the country all down the East Coast—Wangarie, Tutu-kaka, Mahuranghi. At all these places, that are now flourishing townships, at that time, with the exception of a few natives, whom we sometimes fell in with, not a human being traversed these solitudes. It was the ‘forest primeval,” and there was a new and strange delight in wandering over the wild and trackless land. . .. .”