THE EARLY DAYS OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10037, 25 January 1896, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE EARLY DAYS OF AUCKLAND.

—— [BY captain d. ROUGH, FIRST harbourMASTER. NO, 111. SEIZING A VESSEL. In the month of October, 1843, tho master of a small coasting vessel called on me at my office and stated that ho touched at a creek of the Big Mercury Island, of the Hausez group, near the coast, and about sixty miles from Auckland, whore he hud seen a large brigantine, tho Hannah, of Kirkcaldy, at anchor; that vessel being in possession of a man named Ellis and a crow of desperate mon who had stolen tho vessel from her captain and owner at the Chatham Islands, and como to New Zealand to fit out for a piratical expedition, and in a lawless manner helping themselves to provisions and arms at some places on the coast. The person acting as second to Ellis had come on to Auckland, hoping to be able to discount some bills of exchange on England, which they had found amongst the captain's papers, but finding the manager at the bank demur to tho transaction, he became frightened, and made confession to me of the nefarious business in which he had taken part; and as there was no ship ofwar on the coast, the Acting.Governor, Mr. Shortland, atonce acquiesced in my offer to try and arrest the persons engaged in it. Mr. W. S. Grahame, a leading merchant of Auckland, generously agreed to lot us have the use of his sclioonor, tho Ariel, then in the harbour, but without a crew on board. With my boatmon wo got sails bent, and some water and provisions shipped. Major Bunbury ordered an officer, Lieutenant Welman, and twenty 111011 of tho SOtli Regiment to embark. A magistrate and some constables wero appointed to keep matters legal, and the same night we weighed anchor and left the harbour with a strong fair wind. Early tho following morning we ran into the creek of tho island before mentioned, and found tho Hannah moored close to the shore. By keeping tho soldiers concealed below, tho pirates took us for a trading vessel, and, boforo they had timo to offer any resistance, tho Ariol was anchored close alongside the Hannah and tho marauders made prisoners. j Tho vossel was taken to Auckland, and being abandoned by her owners in England or Scotland, was after a long time claimed by an insurance company and given up to them, without salvago or reward to tho captors, excepting the satisfaction of having, been able to frustrate lawless deeds, and to show in those early days of the colony that there was tho means of punishing crimes committed 011 the coast'. The leader, Ellis, who had been a shipmaster, was banishod to the penal settlement of Tasmania, and tho ross of tho crow condemned to penal servitude in Now Zealand.

CAPTAIN KIT/,HOY. On the 22nd December, 184."i, tlio Bangalore was signalled with the now Governor, Captain Fitzroy, R.N., on board. 1 went out a long way to bring the ship into harbour, and had a very agreeable reception on board. His Excellency expressed much concern regarding the condition of the immigrants, and in a short time after his arrival made arrangements for giving employment on public works to all who had no private engagement--. 110 AI) MAKING.

As there was at that time no superintendent of works, I was asked to take the business in hand, and though little acquainted with such matters, yet by getting an intelligent and practical foreman, and letting out divisions of tho work to bo done by contract to parties of immigrants, we managed in tho courso of eight or ton months to cut down the upper part and fill up the lower part of Shortland-street, to form and metal Princes-street and Queenstreet, which previously were almost impassable in wet weathor, and also to clear and make the roads to the Tamaki and Onehunga districts, as well as to blast and cub through a spur of Moilnb Eden, filling up an almost insatiable swamp, and thus opening and forming the road to Newmarket called tho ICyboi- Pass, the terrible massacro of British troops in Afghanistan being much in mind at that time. Tho improvements executed in tho coureo of twelve months found employment for the immigrants, and wore very cheering and satisfactory to the townpeople and to the country settlors. To myself tho superintendence was a somewhat arduous addition to my duties afloat, but still I look back at it as having been one of the most interesting and useful occupations of my lifo in New Zealand.

KXt'LOKINO THE INTERIOR. The first of our official party to go far into tho interior of tho North Island was Dr. Johnston, tho Colonial Surgeon, and ho brought back such a glowing account of tlio lakes, rivors, mountains, plains, and especially of tho wonderful volcanic phenomena, that 1 resolved to take the first opportunity I could find to seo them for myself; bub ill was not until tho yoar 1849 that I was abltfi to do so. Ah that period there woro no roads, no vehicles, no horses to help » traveller; the journey had to bo mado on foot by native paths, ovor hills aud valleys, through forests, and along the odgos of swamps, or in canoes when wator facilities came in tho way; and travellers had to provide themselves with tents and provisions, or take their chance of such accommodation as smoky nativo huts afforded, and in all tho long detour wo made such t'udo shelter was never denied us. At that early period the easiest and shortest way to tho lakes was to start from the East coast; and in tho month of August, when the New Zealand winter season was nearly ovor, I landed ab Tauranga, in company with an officor of H.M.s. Ely, and after passing a littlo time under the hospitable care of the excellent old missionary, Archdeacon Brown, we went on to Maketu, whoro we were greatly aided in procuring a party of natives as guides and carriers by the amiable and much-loved veteran missionary, Mr. Chapman. From Maketu wo struck inland for Rotoiti and Rotorua, where we spent some days seeing cho strange construction of the nativo village, Ohinemubu, amidst the hot springs, alraoso every hut having its own natural boiling cauldron for cooking food in the middlo of tho floor, which was of a recent volcanic formation, from thence we travelled on to Lake Tarawora, at the base of a lofty, jagged, peaked mountain, then looking stern but apparently quioscont, though ib-has since by a terrible eruption made such havoc of the unique and wonderful volcanic phenomena of that district Assisted by Mr. Spencer, the good missionary of that then > romota region, we passed up Lake Ariki by canoe, and reached the shores of Rotomaharm. Tlio scenery of that tepid sheet of wator. was even then very gloomy, bub the terracos formed by the sulphate of lime residuum, of tlio clear bluo water flowing from small boiling lakes high tip the hillsides, we wonderful sad

beautiful beyond description. We felt indeed that if our journey to reach them had been even much longer and wearisome, we would have been amply repaid by the glorious sight of such fairy-like, wonderful, most elegant, and fanciful productions of nature unequalled in the world, and by the refreshing enjoyment of 'swimming in the large marble-like baths which each terrace provided. Alas that such enchanting and attractive objects should have been lost to tho world for ever!

From Rotomahana we continued our journey towards the great central lake, Taupo, getting magnificent views of Tongariro mountain, towering above the clouds and brilliantly reflecting the sunshine from its snow-covered peak. _ As I endeavoured to give a detailed account of our journey, which was published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1851, and the Lake Country hits been so fully described by later travellers, I need nob dwell upon it, but only give your readers some idea of the condition in which we found the native inhabitants at that early period of the colony's history. Our return journey lay through the Waikato and Waipa districts, which had then a largo native population. The influence of Government did not extend much beyond the neighbourhood of the European settlements, but missionary Christian work was at its height. Under the Church of England and tho Wosleyan Missionary Societies, with the addition of a few French Roman Catholic missionaries, nearly all the natives had been converted to Christianity ; every village hadachurchand native teacher, who, under the supervision and guidance of the European missionaries, conducted religious services and Sunday-schools, Wo usually reached one of the stations on Saturday evenings, and were most hospitably entertained, and enjoyed our rest amidst quiot surroundings and roligious observances more like those of a Scottish rural village than a halt amongst the once cannibal natives of New Zealand. Wars between the tribes had ceased, and cultivation of tile land, to produce articles for sale to the settlers near the coast, was being energetically carried on. From Arowhena, on the highest point of the hills which bound the plains of the Waikato and other rivers, we obtained a magnificent view of the wide undulating lands to the northward, watered by many streams, encircled by woods, and enlivened by tho smoke of many native villages. Rangiawhia, near Otawhao, the church mission station under the care of the late Rev. J. Morgan, presented a specially interesting and cheering prospect. About four hundred acres had been sown with wheat, which was then just above ground, and gave such a fresh green appearance to tho land that it looked like a wide English park. Clumps of tall trees and native cottages and chapels, with fruit trees aboub them, enhanced the pleasing and picturesque aspect of the country, which is now I beliove occupied by European settlers in thriving dairy and sheep-farms. THE NATIVES. Tho present condition of tho natives is better known to readers of the Herald than it is to myself; but during that long journey and sojourn at sevoral stations I had good reason to form a very high opinion of their character and the progress they had inado in education and civilisation. Probably, even in their original heathen condition, they would have been kind to strangers, and certainly our experience of their conduct, and the treatment wo received at thoir hands, left on our minds a most favourable and grateful remembrance. Of all the good and zealous missionaries who did so much for tho roligious and mundane welfare of tho race, I believe only the Rov. R. Burrows is now alive.

TO AUCKLAND FROM WAIKATO. Tho point on tho Waikato River where wo quitted tho canoe left us about forty miles of land journey to roach Auckland. Part of the way lay through a denso forest by a path much troddon by nativos and their pigs, which after rain was about the worst that can' be imagined— continuous slough.of. deep mtad slippery roots of trees. Wo mado tho best of it, however; and by evening wo had emerged from tho forest, and were able to encamp for the night on the hills commanding an extensive view of the plains and estuary of the Manukau and the peak of Rangitoto Island at the entrance of tho Waitomata— cheering prospect for footsoro and weary travel* lers. CHANGES.

Marvellous transformations have since those days coma ovor that scone, and indeed over the face of nearly every part of tlio colony, Greater changes have taken place than could have been anticipated by the most sanguine expectations of the early settlers, who saw fow indications of the pastoral wealth to be produced from the surface, or of the treasures to be dug from below the fern and forest-covered soil, or could have imagined that boforo half a contury had passed well-formed railroads and conjoining carriage-roads would convey travellers with ease and speed far into tho interior of the country, passing wellcultivated farms, neab country towns, villas, and villages, affording comfortablo accommodation and substantial food of every kind, instead of the smoky native hut and the staple pork-and-pofcatoea fare of formor days. In the early parb sf the year 1848 I accompanied, in H.M.s. Inflexible, the venerated, beloved, and steadfast friend of both races, Sir George Grey, at that period the very able and active Governor of New Zealand before it had a Constitution, to visib parts of tho Middlo Island, before the arrival of the New Zealand Company's settlers to occupy and form the provinces of Otago and Canterbury. Intertribal wars and conquest had left bub few natives there, and most of tho promising and open country lay wasto. I have since then seen sites and ruins of great cities in Europe and Asia, which are highly interesting on account of thoir past) history and ancient glory; bub far more interesting is it to havo been privileged to witness the rise, on vacant wasto lands, of such cities as Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, which in the lifetime of some of their founders have become populous and wealthy, although separatod by half the circumforenco of the globe from the mother country— already possessing elegant public and private buildings and institutions for religious, educational, and benevolent purposes, as well as for the promotion of literature, the fine arts, and science, together with spacious and beautiful public gardens for recreation and amusement.

THE COLONY SUMMARISED. All the settlements havo thoir peculiar advantages, and all havo a healthy and agreeable climate, varying according to thoir position in south latitude, and free from oxtromes of temperature. The natural scenory of the whole country, north and south, is also much diversified and attractive, being made up of mountains and lakes as in Switzerland; flat lands like those of Holland; sounds and inlets resembling in awful grandeur tho deep fiords of Norway; long rivers navigablo by vessels of small burthen; numerous harbours; and wide undulating arable lands like the broad acres of England. So that almost every description of scenery can bo seen and. enjoyed within tho confines of the colony. Such a country, with no frontier foes to dread, and separated by more than a thousand milos from any other land, may, reasonably look forward to a happy exemption from international strife, and to a future history whose glory should be the promotion of laws and institutions for the benefit of humanity and tho extension of the " Kingdom of God and His righteousness." That such may be the aim and the experience of those whose homes are, and are to be, in the highly favoured " Now Land of the Sea," is the oarnesb wish and prayer of an ocbogonarian.