EARLY WHALERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 8

EARLY WHALERS

CANTERBURY RECORDS FIRST EUROPEAN SETTLER It is not generally realised that the first permanent European settler in Canterbury arrived at Port Cooper (Lyttelton) nearly 98 years ago, long before the First Four Ships of December, 1850, or the Hay, Deans and other iamilies of 1843, or even the Akaroa French setilere of 1840. He was Captain George Hempleman, who, when the Says of Banks Peninsula began to be a regular resort of whaling ships, established the first shore whaling station at Port Cooper in April, 1836. Captain Hempleman's name is chiefly associated with Peraki Cove, near Akaroa, where he maintained a whaling station from March, 1837, until the end of 1843, by which time Akaroa had seen the advent of the French settlers, and the Peninsula had ceased to be merely a whaling centre," says the Christchurch Press. Through the whole of his whaling days on the Peninsula Hempleman kept n diary of the daily business of his station.

The commonly accepted belief that Hempleman's shore station wgs established at Peraki on March 17, 1835, prompts a correspondent to suggest that preparations should be made for . & fitting celebration of the centenary of Canterbury next year, just as Otago in October, 1931, celebrated the centenary of the landing at Otakou of Edward Weller. However, the historical evidence points to the station not being established until a year after this date, ancl then at Port Cooper and not at Peraki. The Peraki station was apparently not begun until 1837. Ships travelled along the eastern coast of " the South Island fairly frequently after 1829, when whaling at Cook Strait began in earnest. The first naniing of Port Cooper and Port Levy was in 1829, by Captain Wiseman, agent for the Sydney whaling firm of Cooper and Levy. But at that time Banks Peninsula was not regularly visited by whalers, though it is not known for certain when whaling began in' its bays. The first ship recorded in Sydney as bringing a cargo of whale oil from the Peninsula is the Lucy Ann, which arrived in September, 1835, from Port Cooper. In November, 1835, Captain Hempleman accepted the command of the brig Bee, belonging to Messrs. Long and Wright; of Sydney, who had fitted her out for a cruise to New Zealand, where whales were reported to be particular!}* plentiful. The Bee left Svdnev on November' 29, 1835, and went'to Lord Howe Island, where supplies of vegetables /were obtained. On January 2, 1836, a woman stowaway was transferred io the whaler Governor Bourke to be taken back to Svdnev.

The Bee then went round Cape Maria ran piemen and southward by way of tast Cape. On Wednesday, "February 17, 1836, Banks Peninsula was sighted. 'lhe log for this day reads: "Strong breezes and squally; made and shortened sail and layed to (sic) till daylight; then stool in for the harbour. 10 came to an anchor in 4$ fathoms water, yday bottom. Here ends the sea log to commence the shore one." Captain Hem pieman does not name the harbour, but in spite of the contention of the editor of his diary that it was Peraki, later authorities contend that it was Port Cooper. The ship was beached there and her copper was stripped off so that leaks could be mended. On April 15 a boat was 'sent to Pigeon Bay to cut spars for the building of a house and shore works, •which, / with the assistance of Maori laboui 1 , were finished on July 35. Thereafter Hem pieman's crew conducted tteir whaling from the shore station.