A WHALER'S MEMORIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19831, 29 December 1927, Page 6

A WHALER'S MEMORIES.

RUSSELL OF THE SIXTIES. INTERESTING EPISODES. SAILORS AND THE MAORIS. PERSONALITIES OF THE PORT. BX LONEHANDEE. A feature of the present-day newspaper that is much appreciated by old-timers is the picture page, wherein we sometimes find souvenirs of by-gone days that serve to keep memory alert, and bring oldtime happenings that remembrance had long since' laid aside fresh to mind. Some tirqe ago the Herald published a picture of a swordfish suspended from the crane on Russell Wharf, The primitive machine that is still doing duty as a crane is ail old acquaintance of the early sixties. It then stood on a short wharf, the property of Mr. S. Stephensou, a Russell merchant, who at that time did a big business with the numerous whale-ships that frequented the port; but as far as I can recollect the sole use of the crane was for the boys to take a high dive from, and many grizzled old seafarers will remember it for that reason. It also serves to recall the days when Russell had five licensed houses, so for such a small place it can safely be presumed that when 200 or 300 whalers and as many Maoris and pit-sawyers were patronising them, no one could say that the bay was dull.

Maori Camps. During those early years the natives had permanent camps in the town, which ■were more or less occupied, but fully so when there was a prospect of trading with the whalers. This crowding of the settlement naturally made for lively times, when the bay was full of ships and dozens of boats and canoes were drawn up on the beach, where, from lack of better accommodation, the native owners thereof made their camp, and blazing fires lighted the Strand from end to end, while noisy groups of carefree natives chatted and laughed the night away. This was their holiday,' and they made the most of 'the two or three days, the end of which found them starved out. Then, well stocked up with tobacco and odd articles of clothing, they paddled back to their homes again, and another party occupied the beach. Russell at that time had a mixed community. Some were highly educated, others were less- so,. but all seemed to find the bay a good place to live in, a bit gay at times perhaps, but the residents were accustomed to the -v+haler and his ways, so no alarm was felt, when things got a bit mixed, because the native chiefs could be relied on to keep theit people in check, especially"Tamati Waka Nene, who was then a permanent res; dent of the place, and a good neighbour to have during those troublous times. Men ol Memory. Mr. Gould was the schoolmaster, and perhaps some of his pupils will remember the master's shining spectacles and the thick leather strap —probably the latter Captain Bolger was harbourmaster, and pilot Mr. Mitford had charge of the customs department, and he was kept busy, for some of the ships had more tobacco and spirits than a whaling voyage required, and much of it was landed without official sanction. Another job the customhouse boat had was to ferry the Mangonui mail-man across the harbour. This man carried the mail, winter anci summer, between Russell and Mangonui. He did the journey on foot, besides the mail carrying his boots and pants. He said he preferred t<? travel that way, because he had more freedom and was not delayed when a creek had to be crossed. This man "was a noted walker and lived in Mangonui. Some years later, when the mail went by the small coastal boats, a Mangonui mail was held up in Russell and a young fellow offered to take it. He left the bay in a small skiff and delivered the mail next day after rowing the 60 miles to Mangonui. The following day a fresh north-wester brought him home, and he collected £6 for the job, and none thought him overpaid. Historical Events.

The sixties were good years to hear about old times, because the prominent actors in many notable events were still alive, and first-hand accounts could bft had. The Maori version of Captain Robertson's fight at the church-yard corner was a grea,t story. The church * eric ® was renewed "in the late eighties, hut previous to that the original corner post, hacked by sword and tomahawk, stood as a constant reminder of a brave man's last stand. Other historical spots are plentiful but where a " real man as his Maori foes named him, stood and fought it out to the bitter end will always be kept in mind. In recalling old days in Russell the whaler cannot be left out because from the earliest of times the bay had whaler? and the fortune of the place depended on the whaling business. This occupation was at the peak of profit when the American Civil War broke out and practically marked- finis to a great business. But it took a long time to die out altogether because some ships carried on in the hope of a. revival that never came. However, during the sixties and seventies three licensed houses dropped out of the trade and- the bay slowed down. Still there were quite a number of ships that frequented the port, but rarely more than ten or fifteen were in at one time. Still ten ships made things gay sometimes, but the bay never again was like it was one day when the natives gave a war dance in honour of the Governor. A Great War Dance. This was a special occasion and the five hundred performers who were all well tatooed, gave an exhibition that it is safe to say none of the spectators ever saw the like of again. It is a long time to remember hundreds of brown faces hut I could put a name to quite a lot. But one of the star performers will he enough. This was a chief named Wi te Tete. I picked this man out of hundreds of others whom I recollect because of an experience he had which I believe is not common. In a former article I mentioned the killing of a native chief named Te Waited and the trouble Mr. Barstow the magistrate had in getting the killer up for trial by the law, as the natives wished to save the authorities the trouble. Well, to satisfv the native mind which was then (the early 'sixties) a bit unsettled We te Tete was allowed to see the man hanged, so that when he came back to the bay again he assured them all that justice had been done. Many of the men that danced that day to honour the Governor's visit had been particularly active in sacking the settlement only a few years hefore, but they were not feelirg that way then, but did their best to make it a great day. Jsut the gay times were for the whalers only. As the whaling business fell away so did trade. By the time the ships had given up calling, the bay had become one of the quietest places on the coast and the prospect ahead was not inviting, but the historic old settlement, like the business wiih which it had been associated so long, Was destined to have another show to make good. About the time that the steam whaler and big harpoon-gun started to revive the whaling business some world-weary people found in Russell the ideal spot they were seeking for, and as: the new-comers wer9 well supplied "with cash, new well-built honses~ soon dotted the landscape, while their owners padded the beach batlesa ana barefooted, but content.