PATEA IN 1868.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXVIII, 12 September 1913, Page 3

PATEA IN 1868.

The township—for it had but little claim to be otherwise called—was then situated on the sandhills by the river (side, a site about as uninviting as could have been selected. Considering the state ol the country, however, it was, perhaps, the best that could be bad at the time. The community con» Bisted of about forty people, inde. pendent of the military, and even at that early day trade reared her head and was flourishing. Amongst those who were in business may be mentioned Messrs Q. Beamish, W. Dale, E. Lewis, Finnimore, "Dasher, and others. Situated as the township was, it is not extraordinary that it was somewhat noted for the production of two things, sandflies and thirst; and although no satisfactory cure could be discovered for the foimer,. residents able to satisfy the other by the aid of the "sparkling" from the brewery kept by Mr Emery. Then there were a couple of "shops," hotels we had better eay, kept by Messrs Campbell and Summers; and down on,the flat was a large building known as Casey's Hotel. The last named was removed when the township.was abandoned in favour of the present site, and Mr Casey then built the Australasian I Hotel, part of which was composed of of material from the old structure on the flat. The block house stood on ] the edge of the township, and war? manned by 0 company of old soldiers called the Patea Bi'fles, who were 1 commanded by Captain Eicbard Blake. The other troops were at the headqmrteis wheie the Bank of Aus'r ilasia now stands. Ihe redoubt, or whatever it was, was built round Captaip Wray'a old house in Egmont street, a modest dwelling of two rooms. Oo the other Bide of Lincoln street, was an iioo building which was used as an orderly room, and these, we believe were at that time the only 0 ections in the vicinity. Colonel Lyons was in charge of the troops here, and skirmishes with the natives were not unfrequenf: About that time, the end of '6B, or the beginning ,of '69, the pah was taken, and Tauroa and other natives made prisoners, nnd sent to Dunedin. Tho attacking party was led, we think, by Moj ir Noake, and with him were a company of old soldiers called the veterans, commanded by Captain KelU. S:on after the p»h was taken, Titokowaru came down the coast and carried everything before him almost to Wanganui. He ultimately took up his quarter 1 at Nukumaru, and constructed a pah there. His aubsf quent actions we need not refer to here, but it seems strange that on his passage 1 through the district he did not attempt to molest the little community on the sandhills, and left to themselves they commenced to prosper. The shipping trade was represented by a small steamer called the Tocgariro, which ran from Wanganui at intervals of six weeks £r two months. Ifcjroumstances were favourable she would sometimes come once a month but such occasions were rare. Besides the steamer there was a little vessel called the Dart, commanded by Captain Odgers, and another named the Patea, whose skipper's name was Tilly: Both these craft traded to Wanganui and their visits were uncertain in the extreme. The river then used to run along under the chff and it required a fortuitous combination of circumstances to enable the sailing craft to get in, and when in it was often a long while before they could get out. The break* water wasn't thought of in those days, and as the course 6f the river was somewhat erratic, the gallant captains were dependent upon the caprice of the wind. It required a favourable "slant" to enable them to steer the course, and as the said «' elant " was often a long while coming it is not surprising that their stay in port was frequently protracted to a vexatious extent. By and by the troops moved further up the coast and as native affairs got quieter settlers began to return. Eoada were made and town- j ahips laid off in 10 acre block, and ry arrangement with the Government, of which Sir William Fox (then Mr) was premier, settlers were enabled to defer the payment of their land over a term of years, This worked very well, and many who lookup those sections have since had good cause to be thank Jul. Blockhouses were erected at Waverley, Manutahi, Hawera and at Waihi, where the troops were, and were manned chiefly by the settlers, many of whom were familiar with military life, As might be supposed, when things commenced to be a bit settled, it was not long before the people on the sandhills began to think how much more comfortable they would be at the other (pr«sent) town. v ship." But before there was a general move in this direction, Mr Taplin, early in 1870, made a bold resolve. He had then been in business nearly two years, and sathiied with the prospect, he determined to permanently locate in the new town, He interviewed Mr Carriogton, and the result was that he chose a block, which for business purposes was then' one of the best in the place. As we mentioned before, the only buildings in Patea were the redoubt surrounding of Captain Wray'fl house, and the small iron shanty used as. an Orderly room. When, therefore, Mr Taplin announced bis intention of shifting his quarters, many people thought he had taken leave of his senses as on account of Jbe Maoris it was an extremely fciaky thing to venture beyond where Haywood's Hotel was. Mr Taplin, being possessed of a tolerable share of English doggedneßS, was not to be turned from bis purpose, and in due tima the cutter Patea arrived with the material for the new store. This was erected, the contract being taken by Messrs Holtham and Locker. Of course the new building was the feature of the district, and in those primitive days was looked upon as something magnificent. Well, to make oar story abort, it was not long before the rest of the residents on the eandhills followed Mr Taplin's example, and gradually buildings were put up, new people came, and the diatrict went ahead. •