Transcriber's Note:

Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible including some inconsistent hyphenation. The corrections listed before the table of contents have been made. Some other changes have been made. They are listed at the end of the text.

Larger versions of some of the illustrations and maps may be seen by clicking on the images.

THE CITY OF AUCKLAND
NEW ZEALAND
A HISTORY

Captain William Hobson, R.N. (1792-1842)
First Lieut-Governor and Governor of New Zealand
Founder of the City of Auckland
From a copy of a painting by Collins of Bristol in the Old Colonists’ Museum

The
City of Auckland
New Zealand, 1840-1920

by

JOHN BARR
Chief Librarian

preceded by

A Maori History of the Auckland
Isthmus by George Graham

and a Foreword by J. H. Gunson, C.M.G., C.B.E.
Mayor of Auckland

Prepared by direction of the Auckland City Council

MCMXXII
WHITCOMBE & TOMBS LIMITED
AUCKLAND . CHRISTCHURCH . DUNEDIN . WELLINGTON . N.Z.
MELBOURNE AND LONDON

W.&T.L^TD.

PRESS OF
Whitcombe & Tombs Limited
Auckland, N.Z.

DEDICATED
TO THE PIONEERS, MEN AND WOMEN,
WHO BY THEIR INDUSTRY AND
SELF-ABNEGATION
ESTABLISHED
THE CITY OF AUCKLAND

THE CITY OF AUCKLAND

[Foreword]

This History of the City of Auckland is issued by the City Council in the confident expectation that the wonderful progress recorded in the following pages will not only afford pleasure and information to a wide circle of readers, both in New Zealand and abroad, but that the work will prove to be an inspiration to good citizenship for the further advancement of Auckland.

J. H. GUNSON,
Mayor.

Mayor’s Room,

Town Hall,

Auckland, N.Z.,

February, 1922.

[Preface]

This book is the first attempt which has been made to write a connected history of the City of Auckland. Although in years the city is comparatively young, many of the events which have marked its progress have already been forgotten. With the exception, perhaps, of the principal incidents associated with the foundation of the city, and a most interesting account of the state of Auckland in the early ’fifties, written by Mr. W. Swainson, no period of Auckland’s history has been adequately dealt with. The lack of information has made the task of writing a history a difficult one, and may account for the fact that none has hitherto been essayed. The need for such a book has been felt for a long time, and it is only to be regretted that the work was not taken in hand before, by someone who had been a spectator or a participant in the events described. To a writer who has not had these advantages, his work must lack that element of the personal which adds to the interest of the reader, and helps in the re-presentation of the events.

The author’s intention in writing this sketch has been to group into periods the principal events and incidents of the city’s history. He has concentrated his efforts to make these—the groundwork of any history—as full and correct as possible. In a pioneer effort it is only natural to expect some omissions, and the writer hopes that his readers will acquaint him upon any matters which he may have inadvertently overlooked. He also hopes that the appearance of the book will stimulate some of the older residents of the city to record their recollections, so that those of the younger school who are interested in the city’s past may have fuller information about Auckland of the early days.

The writer wishes to acknowledge the assistance which has been uniformly extended to him when prosecuting his inquiries, especially to the officers of city institutions whose histories have not so far been made public, and to other individuals who have assisted him in a more personal way. To all of these he offers his thanks. Especially must he thank Mr. George Graham, who, at his request, prepared the sketch of the Maori history of the Isthmus, which forms a prologue to the later history of Auckland. Without this contribution, this history would only have been partial; as now presented it is a complete outline of the city’s history from earliest known times to the present.

[Correction]

P. 231, line 5, for “Peace Treaty” read “Armistice”.

P. 227, lines 1 and 2, for “Mr. James Carroll” read “Hon. Sir James Carroll, K.C.M.G.”

[Contents]

[List of Illustrations]

The Coat of Arms of Auckland, printed in facsimile colours, has been inserted on the [half-title] preceding the frontispiece.

Plan of Auckland, 1840, by Felton Mathew, Surveyor General
Note proposed reclamations and dock accommodation

[THE MAORI HISTORY OF THE
AUCKLAND ISTHMUS]
(Tamaki-Makau-Rau)

by
GEORGE GRAHAM

“He Taua! He Taua!”—A War Party! Sounding the Alarm of an Approaching War Party
After the original by J. McDonald, Wellington

I
Introduction

In compiling this history, I desire to narrate in as brief and clear a manner as possible the doings of the ancient Tamaki tribes, as recounted in the folk-lore of their descendants.

I have, as far as possible, confined the history to the tribes of the Auckland Isthmus itself—referring to the history and peoples of other parts only so far as is necessary to the clearness of the general narrative.

There may be some doubt as to the chronological sequence and to many of the details of incidents herein related—such is inseparable from the legendary history of all races who did not possess written records.

However, the narrative as I now present it is in the form accepted by the people—as related to me by that generation of chieftains now almost passed away.

THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF TAMAKI

Ancient Maori culture did not embrace the knowledge of letters. We therefore possess no written records of the pre-European times. Our information is confined to the tribal folk-lore and folk-songs of the people.

We do know, however, that from a very remote past the Pacific had been peopled by races of a more or less Polynesian type, and that branches of these had also reached New Zealand.

Legend tells us that the earliest settlers in Ao-tea-roa were a race of giants—the “Kahui-tipua.” Of that ilk was one Mata-aho, who had no doubt arrived from lands of a more genial temperature. He called upon his Fire-Goddess (Mahu-ika) to produce subterranean fires to warm his limbs. Hence the volcanic outbursts which have left evidence of the efficiency of that ancient invocation in the form of the extinct volcanic cones and lava flows of the Tamaki Isthmus.

Then, again, there was an equally ancient, but more human-like people resident hereabouts—the “Patu-paiarehe”—so-called “Fairies,” from whom, indeed, many of the leading chieftains of to-day proudly claim descent. Concerning these people we are told of their industry in the arts of peace, fishing, hunting, weaving, etc.; nor were they, it would seem, deficient in the sterner art of war, for they were involved in much inter-tribal strife. One of these struggles resulted in a weaker faction deciding to emigrate across the Waitemata. In order to do so they began to erect a stone causeway. However, the sun arose on their uncompleted toil, and dried them all up! The ruin of this ancient attempt to bridge the Waitemata remains to this day in the form of that long reef “Te Toka-roa,” off Point Chevalier. The unsentimental geologist will tell you it is actually an old lava flow from Mount Albert.

Despite the mists of legendary lore which surround the doings of these ancient people, both “Giants” and “Fairies,” it is probable that they had actually existed here. They were, perhaps, the earliest of the immigratory races which were continually arriving. Over the Pacific Ocean canoe voyages were taking place in all directions. The motive which impelled these undertakings was doubtless that stated in the legends—overpopulation involving warfare, causing the weaker factions to seek safer homes over the water to live in. No doubt the food supplies of over-populated islands also necessitated sections of the people to swarm off; the mere spirit of adventure, ever in the human heart, was probably an important contributory cause.

Whoever these ancient people were—and the probability is that they were Polynesians similar to the immigrants of a later time—they were a numerous people who “covered the land like ants”; such is the proverbial description of them.

II
Toi-te-huatahi[1]

Some time about 1150 A.D. there arrived in New Zealand a chief named Toi-te-huatahi, the leader of a large immigration, who settled at Whakatane, and his people, known as Te Tini-o-Toi, rapidly spread throughout the land, conquering or merging with their predecessors. Tamaki was soon populated by them. Oho-mai-Rangi, said to be a son of Toi, lived at the Waikato Heads, and to him is generally attributed the tribal name “Nga-Oho”—a people of Toi who occupied a wide area in the south, Waikato and Tamaki. A great-grandson of Toi was one Kauea, who carried the conquests of his people into the Kaipara and the far north.

By the middle of the fourteenth century we find the Nga-Oho dominant over all this area, having various sub-tribal names, such as the Nga-riki, Wai-o-hua, etc.

III
The Arrival of the Fleet—1350 A.D.

About 1350 A.D. came another wave of immigrants from Polynesia—for then arrived the historic fleet of canoes, the Arawa, Tainui, Matatua, and others.

It may be remarked here that this was the last of the great Polynesian immigrations. From very remote times expeditions had been arriving in New Zealand, and many return voyages were likewise made to the Pacific groups. Why these voyages eventually ceased, at a time when among the Polynesians the arts of navigation had been brought to perfection, remains an unsolved problem.

The fact remains that this immigration of about 1350 A.D. was an epoch-making affair, and from this time on Maori history assumes a definite form. We now reach an era of which we possess more definite detail as to the doings of the Tamaki tribes down to European times. From 1350 A.D. the next century or so is mainly a record of the settlement of the immigrants, involving much inter-tribal warfare.

IV
The Tainui Canoe

Of these canoes, the one which most directly affected local history was the Tainui canoe. This canoe, like most of the others, arrived on the East Coast. Coasting northwards (some say as far as the North Cape) she arrived at last in the Hauraki Gulf, and entered the Waitemata. Resting for some time at Te Kurae-o-Tura (Devonport Beach), the canoe continued its journey to Tamaki (Otaiki). At Taurere (Tamaki Heads) a chief named Te Kete-ana-taua remained with the local people, and became the ancestor of Ngai-tai of those parts; they were owners of all the Takapuna district as far north as probably Mahurangi, and included in their territorial areas the Kawau, Great Barrier and other islands of the Gulf.

Arriving at Otahuhu, the people awaited the re-arrival of an important lady of their party, by name Marama. This lady, having landed at Hauraki, was doing “the overland trip.” On her ladyship’s arrival, the canoe was taken into the Manukau, whence they voyaged southwards to Mokau, eventually settling at Kawhia. From there they spread inland to Waikato, Hauraki, and eventually to Tamaki. Marama, with other members of the Tainui crew, also settled here, her descendants being known as the Nga-Marama people. Hence the Tamaki Isthmus became a Tainui tribal area at a very early period.

V
The Arawa Canoe

The Arawa people at an early date also contributed its quota to the population of Tamaki. Arriving on the East Coast (at the same time and place as the Tainui) this canoe likewise made a coastal exploration. Eventually its people settled down at Maketu (Bay of Plenty), Tamatekapua, their leader, having remained at Moehau (Cape Colville), where he died. From there his children spread throughout the Coromandel peninsula and the islands of the Gulf, and were known as Ngati-huarere (Huarere being Tamatekapua’s grandson). We are told that Ihenga, a brother of Huarere, lived at Tamaki for some time, and at Kaipara. These early Arawas left descendants here, and through them the Tamaki chiefs thus claimed an Arawa lineage. The Ngati-Huarere are said to have occupied fortified villages at Orakei, Fort Britomart, Queen Street, Three Kings and other places, until the final conquest of the Tamaki Isthmus, as hereinafter related. Kahumatamomoe, another son of Tamatekapua, having quarrelled with his brothers and relatives at Maketu, came to Tamaki, and is said to have lived at Orakei with other relatives already settled there, hence the name of the village at Orakei—“Okahu.” Going on to Kaipara, he permanently resided there.

VI
The Matatua Canoe

This immigrant canoe was also an important factor in populating the Tamaki Isthmus. Its people had settled at Whakatane, and were remarkable for their restlessness. Parties of this tribe, known under the general name of Ngati-Awa, were always on the move. They are reputed to have formed an important element of the One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie, lofty hill) people. The Owairaka (Mount Albert) pa belonged to this people. The Ngati-Awa chief Titahi, who lived in Tamaki and Kaipara for some time, is said to have instructed the local people how to perfect their fortifications. Hence one name for the terracing and earthworks (so conspicuous a feature of the hills of Tamaki) was “Nga-whaka-iro-a Titahi”—“The decorations of Titahi.”

The intrusion of these various immigrant parties no doubt was not peacefully accomplished, and almost continuous warfare marks the history of the next few centuries, as the direct result of the jealousy between rival chieftains and the struggles of the respective tribes to maintain and extend their territories.

VII
The Aotea Canoe

This important canoe, commanded by the famous Turi, also visited the Tamaki, the crew eventually settling at Patea, in the South, but Turi’s son, Turanga-i-mua, became dissatisfied with that place, and about 1400 A.D. he came to Tamaki with a war-party, moving on to Hauraki and other places, finally returning to Tamaki. Tu’ soon came into conflict with the local people, whom he defeated in the battle at Waitaramoa (the creek at the head of Hobson Bay), and then occupied the pa at Onepuwhakatakataka (the headland at Orakei, opposite Parnell). There he lived for some time, and again left for the South, leaving a large number of his people in possession of this locality, where they occupied several villages. By intermarriage, the Aotea people appear to have soon lost their tribal unity, and from them the Tamaki chiefs of a later time were proud to claim an ancestral descent.

VIII
Ancient Maori Society—A Retrospect

Before going any further, a brief outline of the daily life of the Maori community should be of interest.

The tribes of Tamaki lived in village communities, each hapu, or community, consisting of a group of families, more or less closely inter-related, and governed according to various customary usages by their hereditary chiefs. These communities collectively acknowledged the superior prestige of an Ariki, or hereditary high chief.

The religious side of life was the province of their “tohungas,” or priests, the priesthood being also hereditary within certain families of chiefs.

Each village was a fortress—palisaded and parapeted, with deep trenches and draw-bridges. Every hill-top, headland or locality lending itself to defence was utilised for that purpose.

The aristocratic families lived in elaborately built houses (similar to “Rangitihi,” the great carved house in our Museum). The chieftains had their residential quarters in the citadel of the villages; whilst the great mass of the tribesmen lived in mere thatched sheds, or in pit-dwellings. The remains of the latter are numerous throughout the Isthmus.

The plantations were on the easy cultivated flats or slopes surrounding the villages, and were usually so located as to be easily defended against marauders.

Large stores of dried fish and preserved food of all kinds, from forest, stream and sea, were kept in store-houses within each village. To become “short of supplies” was a reflection upon the industry of such a village, which would go to great lengths to conceal such a predicament.

The crops grown were the “taro,” “hue” (gourd), “uwhi” (yam), and “kumara.” This latter was indeed the “staff of life,” and its cultivation occupied much of the time and industry of the people. At harvest time these crops were gathered into the store-houses and pits for winter use.

At early dawn the people were astir and about their daily duties. After the morning meal, the cultivators went forth to the plantations, the fishers to the sea, and the hunters to the forest. Other men were engaged in the building of houses or canoes, in which the art of the carver was utilised, or in the making of stone implements or weapons, whilst the women of rank directed and actively took part in the domestic arts—garment weaving, mat and kit plaiting, etc.

No individual was idle; to be so was a reproach, and a failing not tolerated. The whole idea pervading the community was the public weal, and each individual did his or her “bit,” not for individual profit, but pro bono publico.

At sundown the people withdrew to their villages for the night. The gateways were closed, and sentries were posted on the parapets. By their watch-songs and calls throughout the night, the sentries answered one another from village to village.

Within doors the communities, by night, amused themselves and their visitors with dancing, songs and folk-tales of ancestral doings. Such relaxation is, indeed, the feature of Maori village life at the present day.

The burial-places of the people were the caverns of the Isthmus, each sub-tribe and family having its own place of sepulchre. In some cases these were in remote places of the forests of Waitakerei, or other secluded localities. Of the many other aspects of ancient Maori social economy, religious rites, etc., and, above all, of the customs connected with war, I must refer those interested to the many excellent books dealing with the subject.

The above sketch will, however, give an idea of the social status of the people in those ancient times, when the events hereinafter described were enacted.

IX
The Wars of Tamaki

It is hard to ascertain the actual causes and the chronological sequence of the wars which followed the arrival of the fleet, and only an outline is attempted here.

MAKI’S INVASION FROM WAIKATO

This chief, Maki, came from Ngati-Awa of Taranaki. Coming northward with his people he seemed to have gradually worked his way via Kawhia and Waikato to Tamaki, capturing the Rarotonga (Mount Smart) pa, where for a time he dwelt. Here he was visited by the chiefs of Kaipara, descendants of Titahi. They requested his assistance in warfare against the Kawerau, an ancient aboriginal people, who had become intermixed with the Tini-o-Toi. Responding to this invitation, and reinforced by a large section of Tamaki people, he invaded Kaipara with great success, attacking ultimately, like Strongbow of old, the people whom he had come to assist. He then turned his attention to the Waitakerei and Mahurangi districts, with like results, and extended his doings to the outlying islands—Tiritiri, Kawau and Waiheke, finishing up at Maraetai. Afterwards he departed as he came, returning, it is said, to the southern districts of Taranaki.

KAWHARU’S INVASION FROM KAIPARA

This affair resulted from some tribal differences in the Waitakerei-Kaipara borderland, about 1680. Kawharu (who was a chief connected with the Northern Ngati-Whatua) attacked the tribes in those districts, driving all before him. He assaulted also many of the Tamaki villages, continuing his campaign until he reached as far as the Paparoa headland, east of Howick. Capturing and destroying the pa there, he returned to Kaipara.

Interior of a Maori Pa, about the year 1840
After a painting shown at the Colonial Indian Exhibition, London

WARS WITH HAURAKI GULF TRIBES

To the south-east were the powerful Hauraki coastal tribes, who, like those of Tamaki, had gone through much the same history. Also descended from the Patu-paiarehe, they had gradually incorporated their pedigrees with those of the Tainui, Arawa and other people. The earliest warfare on record of Tamaki with these people originated (so says the legend) when the Tamaki tribes slew the pet seal belonging to the Hauraki people. Strange to say, this animal (named “Ureia”) was on a visit to Manukau Harbour, at the invitation of the Tamaki people, and there it met its untimely end. Surely the most unusual of Maori casus belli. Maru-tuahu, as the tribes of the Hauraki district were called, then invaded Tamaki. They attacked among other places the Maunga-whau (Mount Eden) pa. After various other successes they returned homewards.

THE MURDER OF KAHURAUTAO

Subsequent to this affair was the warfare resulting from the murder of Kahurautao, his son Kiwi, and other Maru-tuahu chiefs. These people were returning from Waikato by canoe via Manukau and Tamaki. They had visited the Tamaki chiefs at Mount Eden and other places, and on their return to their canoes at the Tamaki River they were waylaid and murdered near where St. John’s College now stands, hence the name of that place, “Paru-tahi”—killed together. The Maru-tuahu tribes, under Kahu’s son Rau-tao, thereupon invaded Tamaki. They attacked with success the riverside pas at Tamaki, also those at Mount Eden, One Tree Hill and Orakei. Crossing to Takapuna, they scoured along the coast as far as Mahurangi. Apparently all those people, being Ngai-Tai, were of one tribal identity. This was not the last time these coastal tribes suffered in this way.

KAPETAWA’S INVASION

Thereafter occurred the affair of Kapetawa. When a mere lad, this chief, while on a visit from Waiheke to his sister, who had married Taramokomoko, a chieftain of Kohimarama, got into several scrapes, as boys were much the same then as ever, but when he, as the ringleader with kindred spirits, plundered the kumara store of his brother-in-law, he got into disfavour with Taramokomoko, who marooned him on the Bean Rock off the shore. Being rescued by his sister, he returned home, where he grew to manhood among his own people, the Ngati-Paoa, at Waiheke. He then organised a war party to avenge the long-remembered insult. Surprising the pas at Kohimarama, Orakei, etc., he crossed to Takapuna, destroying several villages there and along the outer coast, where the erring brother-in-law, the cause of all this trouble, was caught and killed at Raho-para—a pa on the northern headland of the Wairau Creek (Milford).

X
Kiwi Tamaki (1720-1750)

We now come to the era of Kiwi Tamaki, the last, and undoubtedly the most notorious, of the olden Tamaki chiefs. He was so called to distinguish him from other men of that name.

His parents, Te Ikamaupoho and Te Tahuri, united in their ancestry all that was aristocratic in lineal descent from the ancient Patu-paiarehe, Nga-Oho (People of Toi), Ngati-Awa, Arawa, Tainui, etc. Despite the many repeated invasions and incessant warfare within their territories, the Tamaki people at this time were apparently in their “golden age.”

The family home was the citadel of One Tree Hill. The mother, Te Tahuri, was renowned for her hospitality and industry. The resources of the district and the extent of the fortifications and cultivation were famous far and near. On the Manukau and Waitemata, large fleets of canoes for fishing and war purposes were maintained. Hence the proverb “Te pai me te whai-rawa o Tamaki”—the luxury and wealth of Tamaki.

The many previously described wars had ere this earned for the Isthmus the appropriate motto “Tamaki-makau-Rau” (i.e., The spouse contested for us by a hundred lovers).

Surrounded by all this Maori opulence, Kiwi grew to manhood. He early developed an arrogant and turbulent disposition. When on a visit to Ngati-Whatua to attend a funeral feast held near Helensville, Kiwi treacherously slew several of the local chiefs and a prominent chieftainess, named Tahataha. Following this up with other murders on his homeward journey, he reached the supposed safety of his tribal domains. The Ngati-Whatua promptly retaliated, and before Kiwi realised their intentions, they arrived in canoes from Pitoitoi (Brigham’s Creek, near Riverhead) and successfully attacked the Waitemata foreshore villages. Kiwi then advanced, and met a Kaipara war party coming overland, at Titirangi. After some skirmishing, they defeated Kiwi, who returned to One Tree Hill. The Ngati-Whatua then advanced to the Tamaki Heads, where they captured the Taurere pa, and again returned to Kaipara, losing some of their chiefs in ambush near Remuera.

Returning, however, in greater force, one party crossed the Manukau and attacked the Tipitai (Awhitu) and other villages.

Kiwi had meanwhile organised his tribesmen, and, reinforced from the southern districts, he advanced against the Kaipara. The forces met again at Titirangi. After much skirmishing, ending in a feigned retreat, the Ngati-Whatua advanced rapidly. The retreat became a “debacle,” only ending on the shores of the Manukau, where at Paruroa (Big Muddy Creek) Kiwi fell. All the important Tamaki chieftains fell that day, hence the name of this Maori Bannockburn, “Te Rangi-hinganga-tahi” (The day when all fell together).

This battle took place about 1750. Tamaki was now at the mercy of Ngati-Whatua, who advanced, easily disposing of such defenders as remained to dispute their progress.

Having depopulated Tamaki, Ngati-Whatua then returned to Kaipara. On their departure, some of the Tamaki refugees again returned to the Waitemata and re-occupied several villages on the harbour side. Ngati-Whatua, hearing of this, sent another expedition, which attacked and finally drove these people away. Tuperiri, the Ngati-Whatua leader, and his tribesmen, then returned to Tamaki and made their home at One Tree Hill and other places. After capturing the last remaining forts at Mangere, they held undisputed sway over this land. Most of the Tamaki people had been slain. Some were enslaved, and a remnant fled into Waikato and Hauraki.

Thus ends the story of the ancient tribes of Tamaki.

XI
The Ngati-Whatua Era in Tamaki

Ngati-Whatua were now installed in possession of Tamaki. They soon found that might was the only right to their new territory. To the south were the powerful Waikato and Marutuahu tribes, who by sea and land were a continual anxiety to the new lords of Tamaki. They were closely related to the late victims of Ngati-Whatua. Many of the refugees, indeed, had gone to those districts to live, and no doubt instigated many a surprise attack. Ngati-Paoa appear to have always maintained several fortified villages on the Tamaki River unmolested by Ngati-Whatua down to European times.

Quarrels arose with Ngati-Paoa at last as the result of a marriage of a Waikato chieftainess to Te Putu, a Ngati-Paoa chief. Land on the Tamaki River had been given to cement a tribal peace and in honour of the union. Shortly thereafter, at a fishing expedition off Mahurangi, Ngati-Paoa and Ngati-Whatua quarrelled. The former attacked the latter and killed Tara-hawaiki, son of Tuperiri. Ngati-Paoa followed this up by invading Tamaki, having in alliance with them the other Hauraki tribes. The invaders were defeated by Ngati-Whatua at Pu-ponga on the Manukau Harbour and again at Rangi-mata-rau (Point Chevalier Beach).

On a later occasion a party of Ngati-Paoa were surprised whilst shark-fishing at Kauri Point,[2] the survivors being left on the pinnacle rock (Niho-Kiore) off there to drown.

Thereafter Ngati-Whatua, now in alliance with Waikato and Manukau tribes, attacked Ngati-Paoa at Putiki (Waiheke). In a final battle at Tamaki West Heads, Ngati-Paoa were defeated, and thus was ended that warfare. This event is placed about 1793, and permanently established Ngati-Whatua’s prestige and their possession of Tamaki.

At this time, Tamaki had become a rather unsafe place of residence, and does not appear to have been extensively occupied. In fact, Mount Eden and many of the large hill forts had long been abandoned, and their elaborate defences were already in ruin and overgrown with scrub and fern.

About this period, also, came a great epidemic remembered as the “Rewharewha.” It was probably an influenza outbreak, and swept throughout the land. No doubt this visitation further reduced the Tamaki population, and therein lies the reason why many of the old-time villages were abandoned and passed out of history. The remnants of the people, though still numerous, were unable to hold the large hill fortresses against an enemy. Smaller and easier defended positions only were maintained.

Tuperiri continued, however, to live at One Tree Hill, and died there in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Ngati-Paoa still resided in various Tamaki River pas, but nothing remarkable appears to have happened in Tamaki itself. About this year (1793) there came the first of the Ngapuhi raids, the precursor of many such subsequent affairs, which ultimately involved the Ngati-Whatua of Tamaki. The cause of the first invasion by Ngapuhi of these parts is not certain. The Ngapuhi war party, after attacking the Hauraki people, appeared to have come to the Tamaki Heads, and there, at the West Head again, a battle was fought. Ngapuhi were defeated at the hands of the local people, only two canoe parties of their fleet escaping.

The event was followed up by a Hauraki invasion of the northern districts via Kaipara, in which Ngati-Whatua also took part. They returned after many successes in the north, and thus closed the Tamaki history of the Eighteenth Century.

XII
The Nineteenth Century (1800-1840)

Of this, the final epoch in the Maori history of Tamaki, I will give but a brief sketch.

Of the years from 1800 to 1810 we know little. In the latter year a second great epidemic swept over these districts. This no doubt brought about a further depopulation of the Isthmus. About 1810, Ngati-Paoa again began to reside on the Tamaki shores, and erected fortresses at Mauinaina and Mokoia (Panmure).

MARSDEN’S VISIT

In 1820, Marsden passed through the district on his way northward. Going by Ngati-Paoa canoe to Riverhead, he met the Ngati-Whatua chieftain Kawau, who escorted him safely to Kaipara. Returning to Tamaki with Kawau, he visited the Ngati-Paoa villages at Tamaki, and met their chieftain Te Hinaki, between whom and the Hauraki chiefs Marsden succeeded in arranging a meeting, the result being a tribal peace between these people.

This peacemaking occurred aboard the ship Coromandel, in the Waiheke Passage. After again visiting the Mokoia pa at Panmure, Marsden finally left for the north overland.

CRUISE’S VISIT TO TAMAKI, 1820

In the same year (1820), the Waitemata was visited by Major Cruise aboard the ship Prince Regent, ten days after Marsden’s departure. He was invited to the Tamaki settlements, and there met the chief Te Hinaki. Cruise gives much detail in his Journal of the local natives and their homes.

Now began in earnest the dreadful era of the Ngapuhi raids. Their war parties were now armed with the destructive firearms obtained by bartering with the early traders to these coasts.

TE KOPERU’S INVASION

A Ngapuhi chief had arrived at Tamaki in 1820, apparently to attack Ngati-Paoa and Hauraki generally. Ngati-Whatua came to assist Ngati-Paoa, and the Ngapuhi attack on Mauinaina was repulsed. Then Te Koperu was invited into the fortress to make peace. There he was treacherously murdered by Te Paraoa-rahi, a Ngati-Paoa chief.

This event was followed almost immediately by Te Koperu’s brother, Te Morenga, attacking the Tamaki pas, and he severely punished Ngati-Paoa, amply revenging Te Koperu’s death.

HONGI’S INVASION

The following year (1821) saw yet another attack on the people of Tamaki. Hongi Ika himself first then came on the scene. He had just returned from England, and had met Te Hinaki in Sydney, whence they both returned to New Zealand. Te Hinaki had been warned in Sydney by Hongi as to his intentions; he therefore prepared his fortifications at Mokoia and Mauinaina for the storm about to break upon his people. The Ngapuhi duly arrived and began a blockade of the Tamaki forts. After a long siege, accompanied by much skirmishing, the Mokoia fort was captured. Te Hinaki himself was slain, with a great number of his people. After the incidents usual to such affairs had been fully enacted, the Ngapuhi departed, to carry on the war in the districts of Hauraki and the south.

For some years after the Ngapuhi invasion, the Tamaki Isthmus appears to have been altogether abandoned as a permanent residential area. It was during this time a kind of “no man’s land.” Ngati-Whatua retreated to the forest wilderness of Waitakerei and Kaipara, or into the recesses of the Waikato.

D’URVILLE’S VISIT

In 1827 D’Urville visited the Waitemata. He ascended Takarunga (Mount Victoria, Devonport). Looking westward towards the Tamaki, he says there were no signs whatever of any inhabitants. Crossing the harbour, he found a deserted village (perhaps Orakei). He also attempted to ascend what was probably Mount Eden, but had to abandon the attempt. The denseness of growth of fern and scrub since the time of the Ngati-Whatua conquest of the last century had obliterated all the old native tracks. The greater area of the Isthmus had become little better than a jungle of vegetation.

D’Urville also describes his visit to the villages at Tamaki, where a namesake of the late ill-fated Hinaki was then head man.

NGAPUHI DEFEATED AT TAMAKI HEADS

In this year (1827) was fought the last tribal battle in Tamaki. The Manukau and Ngati-Whatua people in alliance came in canoes down the Tamaki River to give combat to Ngapuhi. That people, crossing from Waiheke, “captured” the apparently abandoned canoes of the local people at the West Tamaki Head. While Ngapuhi were quarrelling over the supposed “spoils of war,” the allies returned and surprised them, with such success that only one small Ngapuhi party of twenty men returned home to tell the tale.

THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY

Christianity was now beginning to show its influence among the war-weary tribes of New Zealand, and from now on until 1835 much inter-tribal peacemaking was the order of the day.

In that year Ngati-Whatua began to return to the Isthmus, but none of the old hill forts were re-occupied. The decrease in population, the introduction of firearms, and the general change in the modes of life had made those elevated places of abode impracticable under the new conditions which arose.

Okahu (Orakei Bay) became the headquarters of the Ngati-Whatua; they had also a large village at Mangere, where also lived Kati, younger brother of Te Wherowhero,[3] the paramount Waikato chief. His wife—Matere Toha—was a Ngapuhi chieftainess of high rank, being a niece of the great Hongi Ika.[4] Apihai Te Kawau, head chief of Ngati-Whatua, took up his residence at Orakei, and other villages were established and occupied on the shores of the Waitemata and Manukau.

This was the position in 1840.

The days of local inter-tribal warfare had now passed away for ever. In this year the purchase of the site of Auckland City took place, and the British Flag was unfurled at Fort Britomart. Thus closed the long and troublous history of Tamaki-Makau-Rau.

Auckland, 1840, showing the Tents of First Settlers
All the bays have been reclaimed and the Point demolished

[THE CITY OF AUCKLAND
NEW ZEALAND
1840-1920]

by
JOHN BARR

[Chapter I]
Foundation and Settlement (1840-1850)

The City of Auckland was founded on the 18th September, 1840, by Captain William Hobson, R.N., Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand. Captain Hobson, on his arrival in New Zealand, made his headquarters at the Bay of Islands, at that time the most populous place in the colony, as far as white people were concerned, for here both missionaries and traders had settled in greatest numbers, and here, also, Mr. Busby, British Resident, was located. The Bay of Islands did not meet with the approval of the Lieutenant-Governor, and, in his first conversation with the Rev. Henry Williams,[5] he asked for his opinion as to the most suitable place to erect the capital of the young colony. The Archdeacon recommended the Tamaki or the Waitemata. The Surveyor-General, Mr. Felton Mathew, visited both these localities, and favoured Tamaki, which, if his recommendation had been adopted, would have placed the seat of Government where Panmure now stands. Captain Hobson, however, decided to investigate the sites himself, and in company with Mr. G. Clarke, Protector of Aborigines, and Captain David Rough, who was appointed “Harbour Master at Waitemata” in August of this year, he sailed in the Revenue cutter Ranger, commanded by Captain Carkeek, from the Bay of Islands at the end of June, 1840. After inspecting the channel at the Tamaki, the Lieutenant-Governor decided against that site. He then visited the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour, and was again dissatisfied with the channel. However, as Captain Rough had left the vessel to take soundings near the Ponsonby shore, and on the report of these being satisfactory, Captain Hobson expressed his approval of the Waitemata as the site of the capital, but did not commit himself to a particular spot, and returned to the Bay of Islands. In a despatch to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 15th October, 1840, Captain Hobson gives his reasons for “forming the seat of government on the south shore of the Waitemata,” and continues: “In the choice I have thus made, I have been influenced by a combination of circumstances: First, by its central position; secondly, by the great facility of internal water communication by the Kaipara and its branches to the northward, and the Manakou [sic] and Waikato to the southward; thirdly, from the facility and safety of its port, and the proximity of several smaller ports abounding with the most valuable timber; and finally, by the fertility of the soil, which is stated by persons capable of appreciating it, to be available for every agricultural purpose....” In a later despatch, dated 10th November, 1840, the Lieutenant-Governor states that he had “lately returned from a visit to the Waitemata, where I found the officers of the Government, and the mechanics and labourers under their orders, proceeding with the necessary works for establishing the town which I contemplate being the future seat of Government, and which I purpose distinguishing by the name of ‘Auckland.’”[6]

Hobson’s choice of the capital was strenuously opposed by the New Zealand Company, and its agents endeavoured to have Wellington made the seat of Government. The controversy between the Governor and the Company lasted until 1842, when Queen Victoria signified her approval of the Governor’s selection, notification of which appeared in the “New Zealand Government Gazette” of November 26th, 1842. Auckland remained the capital until February, 1865.

In September a move was made to occupy the new site, the ship Anna Watson (Captain Stewart) conveying the Government officers from the Bay of Islands to the Waitemata, where they arrived on the 15th. The vessel anchored off Freeman’s Bay, moving on the following day to an anchorage near Point Britomart, where the deepest water was found, and which was afterwards named Commercial Bay. East of Point Britomart the officers of the expedition took up their location in a pretty little bay, which was named Official Bay, and in the next bay, which received the name Mechanics Bay, the tradesmen found accommodation. Here the making of the city began.

The following extract from The New Zealand Advertiser and Bay of Islands Gazette of September 24th, 1840, sets forth in detail the ceremony attending the establishment of the city:—“The barque Anna Watson, having on board several officers of the Government, mechanics, labourers, etc., anchored in the Harbour of Waitemata on Tuesday, the 15th instant, and the site for the intended Settlement on its shores having been selected by the Surveyor-General, on Friday, the 18th September, at 1 p.m., the ceremony of taking formal possession in the name of Her Majesty was duly performed. The whole party having landed, the British Flag was hoisted on a staff, erected on a bold promontory commanding a view of the entire harbour. The Flag was immediately saluted by twenty-one guns from the Anna Watson, followed by a salute of fifteen guns from the barque Platina, after which Her Majesty’s health was drunk at the foot of the flagstaff, and greeted by three times three hearty cheers. The Anna Watson then fired a salute of seven guns in honour of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, which was responded to by three hearty cheers, and ‘one cheer more’ from those on shore. The party then returned to the Anna Watson, and, after partaking of luncheon, a regatta took place between a five-oared gig belonging to the Surveyor-General and a six-oared gig belonging to the Anna Watson, both pulled in excellent style by amateurs. This was followed by a match for a purse of five pounds between two whale-boats pulled by sailors, and by another between two large canoes paddled by Natives. And thus concluded the ceremony of founding the first British Settlement established under the auspices of the Government in this part of New Zealand; a ceremony the more interesting, as this settlement is intended for the future Capital of what we may venture to predict will one day become a mighty empire. The Officers of the Government present on the occasion consisted of the [7]Police Magistrate, the [8]Colonial Surgeon, the [9]Harbour-master, the [10]Superintendent of Works, the [11]Sub-Protector of Aborigines, and the [12]Surveyor-General and his lady.”

Facsimile of the original Deed of Purchase of the site of the City of Auckland

Auckland City had now begun its career. On the 17th October, Captain Hobson again visited Auckland, but did not make an official landing until 14th March, 1841, when he was received with such honours as the small community could furnish. There was a guard of honour in attendance. A procession was formed, and the Lieutenant-Governor was escorted to the newly-erected official residence. Shortly after the Lieutenant-Governor had taken up his residence in Auckland, New Zealand was proclaimed, on 3rd May, 1841, to be independent of New South Wales, and Captain Hobson continued in office, becoming Governor instead of Lieutenant-Governor.

Captain Hobson did not long survive the foundation of Auckland. He died on September 10th, 1842. His remains were interred in the burial-ground at Symonds Street, all the officers of the Government, as well as the civilian population, being present at the funeral. In a political sense we have no interest in Captain Hobson, but the question of the choice of the Waitemata as the capital has an interest for us. We feel constrained therefore to pay tribute to the man who chose, with the instinct of a city-maker, the site upon which Auckland now stands. He discarded the Tamaki, for its obvious defects; he rejected the upper reaches of the Waitemata, and he chose the situation which has proved to be the most natural and effective for a new and constantly-increasing city. Other men, such as the late Sir John Logan Campbell, may have more substantial claims in actual work for the community and in precedence of time to the title of “Father of Auckland”; for Logan Campbell had settled in the Waitemata before Captain Hobson had fixed upon Auckland as the site of the city, but in actually making the choice, Hobson is, I claim, entitled without opposition to be called the father of Auckland.

Auckland in the early ’forties had a very different appearance from the city of to-day. Indeed, it is one of the fascinations in writing about Auckland to follow its growth from untamed natural country to a city state; it is also one of its drawbacks, for changes have been so rapid and thorough that the original condition is completely obliterated.

The boundaries of the original town (see [Land Deed of the City of Auckland], f. p. 40) were as follows:—It commenced at Cox’s Creek and followed the coast until Hobson’s Bay was reached at a point where Brighton Road now meets the waterfront, thence inland in an irregular line to Mount Eden, and from there back to Cox’s Creek. The waterfront naturally shows the greatest alteration. Commercial Bay was the principal part of the waterfront. At that time the sea came right up to the foot of Shortland Crescent. Commercial Bay then swept eastward to a headland, which was first called Flagstaff Hill, but was renamed Point Britomart, after H.M. brig Britomart. Later still, when the promontory was utilised as a military station, the “Point” was changed to “Fort.” Continuing in the same direction were Official and Mechanics Bays. On the western side the most prominent bay in proximity to the city was Freeman’s Bay. The appearance of the waterfront at this period was more picturesque than at the present time; the bays were prettier, and the vegetation covered the land right to the water’s edge.

Sir John Logan Campbell, in the interesting account[13] of his pioneer experiences, gives a graphic picture of Auckland a few weeks after the Lieutenant-Governor’s visit, when he settled the site of the capital. “The capital!” he writes—“a few boats and canoes on the beach, a few tents and break-wind huts along the margin of the bay, and then—a sea of fern stretching away as far as the eye could reach.”

The first consideration of the Government officials and mechanics was to provide housing for themselves and then to make buildings for the requirements of the young community. The eastern side of the town was the first to show growth. In 1842 (see [map] f. p. 48), there were a considerable number of houses along the waterfront as far as Mechanics Bay. Both sides of Shortland Crescent (now street) had houses built on it. Queen Street also had a number of buildings, which diminished in number as the street continued southward, and practically finished at Victoria Street, with an isolated dwelling here and there beyond. The [sketch] of Auckland in 1843 (f. p. 53), reputed to have been made by Captain D. Rough, conveys a good impression of the town at that date. It is the earliest existing picture we have of Queen Street, and depicts the condition of living in those days. The roads are unformed, the houses are all built of wood, and there is no wharf. Outside the Court House are to be seen stocks, in which wrong-doers did penance for their evil deeds.

Sir John Logan Campbell provides us with a picture of the social and economic conditions of the early days in the book[14] from which I have already quoted. “My large establishment, representing not only the firm’s business premises, but the resident partner’s place of abode, consisted as of old, of the historical tent. It had been pitched where a little trickling thread of water ran past, and I had dug a little well, which gave me a plentiful supply, and got hold of an old flour-barrel to put in the hole. I had also fenced myself off from the gaze of passengers, as the great thoroughfare from Store [Commercial] to Exclusion [nickname of Official] Bay passed in front of my tent. I had stuck up some poles and clothed them with ti-tree, so that I might have a screen behind which I could carry on all my domestic duties.... I used to get up at sunrise, often before it, and go away foraging for wood, which I brought home from a not far-distant patch of brushwood.... At the back of my fence I had rigged up a triangle, from which hung a hook on which to suspend my gipsy-pot, and the fireplace was backed round with large blocks of scoria stone, to prevent my fence from being burned down. Here I did my modest cooking to the oft-told MENU, pork and potatoes—not a sheep or herd of oxen had yet reached the capital, neither butcher nor baker had yet appeared on the scene. We all were still our own cooks and drawers of water, and jolly and well and happy every one of us looked.... Very primitive were our ways, as I have already stated. We had parsons without churches, and magistrates without courts; but we scrambled through our divinity and our law somehow or other.... For instance, here is an entry of date 15th May [1841]. ‘To-day saw Mr. —— sitting in front of his whare administering justice under the canopy of heaven.’”

Another interesting description of Auckland in its cradle days is given in the Diary of Mr. Robert Graham, one of the immigrants by the Jane Gifford, which arrived in Auckland on October 9th, 1842. Under the date October 12th, he records:—

“The town of Auckland lies in a hollow, and the houses are built close down to the beach. Some of them are very ‘natty’. Shortland Street appears to be the principal street. In the meantime, the first shop is a grog shop; the next is Mr. McLennan’s; the third a shoemaker’s; the fourth a baker’s; then a grog shop; next a pork stand; and then another grog shop. There seems to be a grog shop for every three of all the other trades put together. Shortland Crescent is a pretty steep hill. On the top of it is the church, the Customs-house, bank and the public buildings, and adjacent the barracks. A road leads to Manukau, a distance of ten miles, where a coach can run the whole way. Mr. Gould and I went out this road four miles to a place called Epsom. There is a little cultivation going on there, but none nearer the town. Saw some nice cottages and fine gardens, and two farms of about ten acres, each under cultivation in wheat and barley. There were also two herds of cattle with bells on their necks to indicate their whereabouts when in the fern, which is everywhere around. Observed one plough at work, drawn by two bullocks. The Maoris to be seen about are seemingly quite happy, fond of smoking; and appear to have pork, fish and potatoes in abundance. They are intelligent looking, have most pleasant countenances, and are all mostly tatooed, the chiefs in particular being elaborately so.”

Plan of Auckland, 1842
At this date the waters of the Waitemata Harbour reached Lower Queen Street at a point opposite Shortland Street where a streamlet known as the Ligar Canal ran into the Bay.
After the original in the Old Colonists’ Museum

The following tables, taken from Charles Terry’s “New Zealand; Its Advantages and Prospects as a British Colony” (pp. 60-61), show the cost of living at that time, and make an interesting comparison with the cost of living at the present time:—

Price of Provisions at Auckland, July, 1841

Rents and Lodging

Wages

After the Government had established itself at Auckland, one of the first duties which it undertook was to provide settlers with land. On April 19-20, 1841, the first sale of town lots by auction was held, and the figures realised were stupendous, due to jobbing, which land sharks from Sydney and other parts of Australia had fostered. According to the official “Gazette,” only 116 allotments were sold, the total area comprising 38 acres 1 rood 28 perches, realising £21,299 9s. In addition, twelve allotments measuring 5 acres 3 roods 2½ perches were reserved for Government officers, and realised £2,976 8s. 9d.

Among the names of the purchasers will be found some of Auckland’s most respected citizens, who had the confidence, even in those early days, that Auckland was destined to be a big city.

The size of the town allotments varied from approximately a quarter to half an acre. The plan of the town was the work of Mr. Felton Mathew, Surveyor-General, its principal features being a circus where Albert Park now stands, balanced on the western side of Queen Street by a square, into which Hobson Street and Victoria Street now intersect. The sections were designed so that they had a double front, one to the main street, the other to a lane. Some of these lanes survive to the present, for example, High Street. The principal streets were 66 feet wide, the secondary streets 33 feet, and the lanes somewhat less. Unfortunately for the city’s future, the owners of sections subdivided their lots, and the lanes automatically became important thoroughfares. To-day these narrow streets are completely congested with the traffic, and widening operations must inevitably take place. O’Connell Street, one of those lanes (where the first wooden house[15] erected in Auckland stood for some eighty years), has just undergone this process of widening, and others must follow.

Following upon the sale of town lots, selections of Government land comprising suburban allotments, cultivation allotments and sections suitable for small farms were offered for sale on September 1st of the same year. The first group of sections was situated eastward of Mechanics Bay proceeding towards Hobson’s Bay, which approximates roughly to the Parnell district of to-day. These allotments were each about four acres in size. Of the twenty-five lots offered, eighteen were sold, and realised £2910, the average price per acre being £45 14s. 3d. The ten cultivation sections were intended for market gardens, and were situated “about one mile to the southward of Mechanics Bay, on low, swampy ground under Mount Eden.” Of these, ten were put up and eight sold, the total revenue being £318, or an average of £13 5s. an acre. The farm sections were situated on the flat between Mount St. John, One Tree Hill and the Three Kings, and varied from four to twenty-three acres in extent. Thirty-eight sections were sold, those fronting the proposed Manukau Road selling readiest and realised £1598, the average price per acre being £3 8s.

One of the consequences of this series of sales was the subdivision and reselling by buyers of their sections, with the idea of opening suburban districts. Two of the places were named Parnell and Epsom, which names still survive; but two others, named Anna and Windsor Terrace, have passed from local knowledge. Charles Terry, author of “New Zealand: Its Advantages and Prospects as a British Colony,”[16] published in 1842, caustically remarks: “The towns of ‘Anna,’ ‘Epsom,’ etc., with reserves for churches, market places, hippodromes, with crescents, terraces and streets named after heroes and statesmen, were then advertised with all the technical jargon with which colonial advertisements are characterised.”

Queen Street in 1843, showing Stocks in front of Gaol
After an original water colour in the Old Colonists’ Museum

The population of Auckland in 1841 was estimated by the Colonial Secretary of the day, Mr. Andrew Sinclair, to be 1500 persons. In 1842 it had grown to 2895, due to the influx of settlers following upon the foundation of the capital, and also to the arrival of 500 immigrants by the ship Duchess of Argyle (667 tons, R. G. Tait, captain) and the barque Jane Gifford (558 tons, Captain Paul). These vessels arrived in the harbour on the same date, October 9th, 1842. They were the first ships to bring British immigrants direct to Auckland. Their port of departure was Greenock, and, naturally, the Scottish element predominated among the new arrivals. The Scottish sentiment, which is quite a feature of Auckland, may be traced back to those immigrants. The passengers of these two ships held reunions every tenth year from 1852 to 1892 on the anniversary—10th October—of their landing in Auckland. Out of these gatherings has developed the Old Colonists’ Association, membership of which is confined to colonists of fifty years’ standing and their descendants. The meetings have been held annually since 1898.

The Government was not prepared for such a large influx of immigrants as these two ships had brought. The domestic servants and some of the men were able to obtain employment, but the families were not so fortunate, and they had to be content with the rough accommodation which hastily-built whares could give them. The ship St. George[17] arrived soon after, with over ninety boys from Parkhurst Prison on board. They were placed under the care of Captain Rough, in his capacity of Immigration Agent; but he found them less agreeable subjects to deal with than the earlier immigrants. On the 31st March, 1843, the ship Westminster brought to Auckland a very good class of immigrants, mostly English, and on this occasion the Immigration Agent was better able to provide for their reception than formerly.

The conditions of the young city in its earliest years were not enviable. The work of pioneering was exceedingly strenuous. Employment was difficult to obtain, for none of the settlers had much capital to work upon, and the Government had little enough in the Treasury, and none to spend on public works. Despite discouragements and disappointments, the settlers were patient, endured the hardships—and hoped. By 1844, with the advent of Governor Fitzroy (December 23), steps were taken to absorb those, who had not received private employment, upon road formation. Captain Rough, whose name we have already mentioned as Harbour Master and as Immigration Officer, might as well have borne the name of Pooh Bah, for to him was given charge of this work. In his reminiscences, he says: “As there was at that time no superintendent of works, I was asked to take the business [of road making] in hand, and though little acquainted with such matters, yet, by getting an intelligent and practical foreman, and letting out divisions of the work to be done by contract to parties of immigrants, we managed in the course of eight or ten months to cut down the upper part and fill up the lower part of Shortland Street, to form and metal Princes Street and Queen Street, which previously were almost impassable in wet weather; and also to clear and make the roads to the Tamaki and Onehunga districts, as well as to blast and to cut through a spur of Mount Eden, filling up an almost insatiable swamp, and thus opening and forming the road to Newmarket called the Khyber Pass, the terrible massacre of British troops in Afghanistan being much in mind at that time. The improvements executed in the course of twelve months found employment for the immigrants and were very cheering and satisfactory to the town people and to country settlers. To myself the 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 life in New Zealand.”

In 1843, the first conflict with the Maoris took place at Wairau, and in the following year Hone Heke’s rebellion began. These events are outside the scope of this sketch, except in so far as they react upon the city’s history. The destruction of Kororareka by Heke’s followers caused many of the settlers to come to Auckland, and created consternation and panic in the town itself. It was feared that the rebels would follow up their success in the Bay of Islands by attacking the capital. The defences of the barracks were improved, and entrenchments made, while the citizens were prepared for eventualities by being drilled. As it happened, the tide of war swept northward, and did not reach the city. The consequence, however, as far as the capital was concerned, was to retard its progress. We do not need to enter into the details of the war, except to anticipate its results. Governor Fitzroy’s conduct of the crisis was unsatisfactory. He was recalled, and his successor, Captain George Grey,[18] arrived in Auckland on 14th November, 1845, and took steps which speedily ended the war in the north. As Governor of New Zealand and citizen of Auckland, he did much for both. He was twice Governor (1845-53 and 1861-68), Superintendent of the Auckland Province, 1875, and he is the only Governor who subsequently became a member of Parliament and Premier of the Colony over which he formerly governed. The greater part of his official and private life is associated with this city. On his retirement from the governorship, at the expiration of his second term, he acquired the island of Kawau, and there made his home. From then until 1894 he was closely identified with Auckland’s development, and it may be taken for granted that he held the former capital in high esteem when he chose to bequeath to it his collection of rare and valuable books and manuscripts, as well as his pictures and an ethnological collection of no little value. He is to be ranked as one of Auckland’s makers and benefactors. A statue erected to perpetuate his memory stands near the Town Hall. It was unveiled on December 21st, 1904, by the Governor, Lord Plunket. Mr. W. J. Speight, who was chairman of the Memorial Committee, presided at the ceremony.

The Maori Festival which took place in May, 1844, on the outskirts of the city, near Mount St. John, forms a contrast to the troubles which the Government was having with the natives in the North. This was a gathering of some two or three thousand Maoris collected “from various remote districts of the Island ... for the purpose of still more cementing that friendship and good feeling which their now superior knowledge teaches to be essential to their comfort and happiness.” The Governor (Captain Fitzroy) visited, on May 11th, the ground where the festival was held, and was well received by the natives, who danced hakas in his honour. The following note on the feeding of these thousands is taken from The Southern Cross of May 18th, 1844. “The preparations made for the feast were enormous. A wall of potatoes in baskets extended nearly for a quarter of a mile, covered on the top with several thousand dried sharks and dog fishes. Opposite to this potato wall was a shade of the same length, covered over with blankets, which were intended as presents to their guests. The number of the blankets could not be short of five hundred.” The correspondent adds: “Some of our English manufacturers would have relished such a sight.” From what we have learned from our investigations into those early days, almost any of the settlers would have relished the sight still more. At the time the population of Auckland was only 2754 persons, and such a gathering, while the native war in the North still continued, must have caused no little concern both to the authorities and the settlers.

A year after the capture of Ruapekapeka, on January 11th, 1846, which ended the war in the North, an attempt was made by Hone Heke to instigate an attack on Auckland, and for this purpose invited the Kaipara and Waikato chiefs to join him. He sent messengers to Mangere, where they met the Waikato chiefs, including Potatau (Te Wherowhero), Kati, Te Wherepu, Taka-anini, Tutere, Ngapora, and others. After conveying the presents which Hone Heke had sent, and having stated the object of their mission, Potatau consulted with the assembled chiefs, and on the following day returned a bag of bullets, which had formed part of the gift Hone Heke had sent to him, and declined to take part in the suggested attack upon the Pakeha, stating that the chief of Ngapuhi would have to dispose of his shadows first. Tuhaere agreed with Potatau, saying, “My word is one with thine, O Potatau.” The messengers returned home, but Heke did not venture to attack with the other tribes hostile, and so the project failed.

Commercial Bay, 1844
Showing Shortland Street and St. Paul’s Church
After a drawing by Lieut. Godfrey, R.N., M.R.C.S. (H.M.S. Urgent) in the Old Colonists’ Museum

Among the earliest events of a domestic character in the development of the city, the newspaper must take a prominent place. The first newspaper was born on 10th July, 1841, and was named the New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette. It consisted of four pages of very much smaller size than a newspaper of to-day, and cost a shilling a copy. Its circulation was 250 copies. Its career was brief, the last issue being April 2nd, 1842. The editors of the Herald were successively Charles Terry, William Corbett, and Dr. Samuel McDonald Martin, a fiery Highlander, whose trenchant articles brought about the demise of the paper. It was succeeded in a week’s time by the Auckland Standard, which had even a shorter career, four months (April to August) being the extent of its vitality. Its editor was William Swainson, who had come to New Zealand to fill the position of Attorney-General. The Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist made its initial appearance on 8th November, 1841, but after a month’s run it was suspended. It revived in November of the following year, and continued to appear until July, 1843. After another suspension of two months it again appeared and survived until 1845, when it finally disappeared. Messrs. Kitchen and Barrow were the editors, and Mr. John Moore was the printer. On September 5th, 1842, the Auckland Times made its début. On its first appearance it was printed by Mr. Moore from type which had been used by the printer of the New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette. This type had been purchased by the Government on the winding-up of that paper. For some reason the Government forbade the use of the type to Mr. Henry Falwasser, the editor and proprietor of the Times. Mr. Falwasser was not deterred by this refusal, and collecting all sorts and sizes of types, and with the aid of a mangle, he continued to bring out his paper under such unique conditions for about thirty successive issues. Dr. T. M. Hocken, whose researches in the byways of New Zealand bibliography are of such value to students, and to whom I am indebted for much information, remarks that if the production was “not a confusion of tongues, it was certainly a confusion of letters.” The last of these curious issues appeared on the 13th April, 1843. It reappeared on November 7th in conventional form, and continued until its one hundred and fifty-ninth number, 17th January, 1846.

With the Southern Cross and the New Zealander we arrive at something like stability. The promoter and first editor of the former was Dr. Martin, whose association with the first Auckland paper has been mentioned. The proprietors were Messrs. Brown and Campbell, who as business men were pre-eminent, being interested in practically every local commercial venture. The Southern Cross, New Zealand Guardian, and Auckland, Thames, and Bay of Islands Advertiser, to give the paper its full title, appeared on April 22nd, 1843, and continued regularly until its one hundred and sixth number (April 26th, 1845), when it was suspended because it proved unprofitable. It resumed publication in July, 1847, with the title shortened to The Southern Cross and New Zealand Guardian. In June, 1851 (No. 415), it was enlarged, and in May, 1862, it appeared daily. Shortly after its change to a daily it was sold to Mr. (afterwards Sir) Julius Vogel, and again resold, in 1876, to Mr. Horton, who amalgamated it with the New Zealand Herald, which had been founded in 1863.

Auckland, Circa 1852
P. J. Hogan, delt.

The New Zealander commenced its career on 7th June, 1845, during the suspension of the Southern Cross. It was owned by Mr. John Williamson, for many years Superintendent of the Auckland Province and the Government printer of the day. Shortly after the advent of the paper, Mr. Williamson was joined by Mr. W. C. Wilson, and they became partners in its publication. The partnership lasted until 1863, when Mr. Wilson retired, owing to his dislike of his partner’s philo-Maori policy at the outbreak of the Taranaki campaign. Mr. Wilson then started the New Zealand Herald. The Herald immediately gained an ascendancy over the New Zealander, which ceased publication on the destruction by fire of its premises in 1866.

The new paper continued to enlarge its hold and influence, and in 1876, when Mr. Wilson died, it was firmly established. He was succeeded by his sons, and they were joined in partnership by Mr. Horton, who had become the owner of the Southern Cross, and ever since the name of Wilson and Horton has been on the Herald’s imprint. The Auckland Weekly News, which was commenced just two weeks after the Herald, holds the record in New Zealand for a weekly paper, and has attained a high place among the weekly journals. Many men of outstanding ability have been editors of the Herald, and contributions have been made to it by the best writers the Dominion has produced.

The Herald was first printed in temporary premises in Queen Street, near Durham Street East. Nine months later it was removed to Wyndham Street, and from then (1863) until 1912 extensive additions have been made at different times to meet the increasing business which the firm has to handle.

Between the ’forties and the present day many other papers have been launched, and after brief careers, have passed out of existence, but beside the New Zealand Herald only the Auckland Star (originally the Evening Star) needs mention, and may be most fittingly dealt with here. The suggestion for the commencing of the paper came from Mr. William Tyrone Ferrar, who enlisted the interest of Mr. George McCullagh Reed, and on the 8th January, 1870, the first issue appeared. Two months later they were joined in partnership by Mr. Henry M. Brett, who became, in 1876, sole proprietor and later managing director. In 1872 the paper was so firmly established that the Evening News and Morning News gave up business, and were purchased by the proprietors of the Star. Mr. G. M. Reed retired from the editorship in 1876, and was succeeded by the present editor, Dr. Thomson W. Leys. The Star commenced operations in Wyndham Street in the building now occupied by the Observer; in 1884 it removed to Shortland Street, and in 1916 was enlarged by the addition of a nine-storey building in Fort Street.

Among the earliest institutions to be founded in the town’s history were the churches. Auckland’s first church was St. Paul’s Anglican church, the foundation stone of which was laid by Captain Hobson on July 28th, 1841, the consecration taking place two years later, on March 17th, 1843, at which Bishop Selwyn, who arrived in Auckland on May 30th of the previous year, officiated. This building was situated in Emily Place, and is easily located to-day by the monument erected in memory of its first minister, the Reverend John Frederick Churton, which stands in the reserve where the church formerly stood. In the ’sixties this building was demolished, except for the front gable and tower, and was replaced by another structure in the Gothic style of architecture. Colonel Mould, of the Royal Engineers, was the architect of this church, which was a pleasing structure, both externally and internally, but the commercial expansion of the city spelt its doom. After having served as a place of worship and a landmark for more than fifty years, it was completely demolished in 1895, and the present church at the corner of Symonds Street and Wellesley Street was opened on November 1st of that year. Mr. W. H. Skinner was the designer of the new building, and Mr. McLean was the contractor.

The first Roman Catholic church was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the foundation stone of which was laid by Bishop Pompallier in 1846. The building was located in Wyndham Street, and was completed in 1848. It was dedicated on the Feast of St. Joseph by the Reverend Dr. Viard, Coadjutor-Bishop. Additions were made to the structure in 1884, amounting almost to a new building, and again in 1908.

Auckland, 1852, from Hobson Street
Showing the Harbour, North Shore and islands. The Albert Barracks and the principal buildings of the city are also shown
P. J. Hogan, delt.

The Presbyterian Church had no church building until 1850. Prior to this it held its services in buildings designed for less spiritual purposes. In 1843 the adherents of this Church used the Supreme Court, Queen Street, where, it is said, the ruling elders sat in the dock as their bench of honour! The first church—St. Andrew’s—was commenced in 1847, and opened for divine service on April 7th, 1850. It cost £3500. Originally it was a very plain building, but with later additions, including the tower, which was erected in 1882, it has now quite a commanding appearance. The additions and alterations were made from the plans of Mr. Matthew Henderson, and cost £3000. Mr. J. J. Holland was the contractor. The Rev. A. G. Panton was the first minister. The Presbytery of Auckland was formed six years later, on October 14, 1856, the Rev. John Mackay being appointed first Moderator.

The Wesleyan denomination commenced its ministration early in the ’forties, and, in 1843, a small weatherboard church was erected in High Street, on a site granted by the Government. The building was a modest one, costing £246. It was superseded by a brick church, which was erected and opened in 1848.

Commercial development rendered a banking concern a necessity. The first bank to be opened in Auckland was the New Zealand Banking Company, which had commenced its career at Kororareka. In July, 1841, a branch was instituted at Auckland in premises which were situated in Princes Street, near the site occupied by the Grand Hotel of to-day. Mr. Alex. Kennedy was the manager. Beyond these meagre details, the writer has not been able to obtain satisfactory information about this bank’s subsequent history.

Auckland, 1852, from Smale’s Point
Showing Commercial Bay, Fort Street, Fort Britomart, Shortland Street and old St. Paul’s Church
P. J. Hogan, delt.

The Auckland Savings Bank commenced its career on June 5th, 1847. The trustees transferred their property to the Government in 1848, and under its auspices continued to operate, an office in the Union Bank of Australia being used, and here it remained until 1854, when a room adjoining the Colonial Bank of Issue was granted by the Government for the use of the Savings Bank. In 1859 a site in Queen Street, being part of the site upon which the bank still stands, was acquired from the Provincial Council, and obtaining additional land by purchase, the trustees decided, in 1860, to erect a building of their own. The year 1876 saw the inauguration of the Penny Savings Bank. The present premises were opened in 1884 by the Governor, Sir William Drummond Jervois. The architect and contractor were respectively Mr. Edward Bartley and Mr. J. Heron.

The establishment of a branch of the Union Bank of Australia in 1848 in Auckland was an indication of the commercial progress of the city. The building in Princes Street, used at the foundation of the bank, still stands next to the Northern Club. Later the business was removed to offices at the corner of Shortland Crescent and O’Connell Street. In 1864 the present building in Queen Street was occupied. The architect was Mr. Leonard Terry, and the contractor Mr. Charles Brown, both of Melbourne. The contract price was £9000, but with extras the building cost approximately £10,000.

Early in 1842 (January 5th) the first race meeting held in New Zealand took place at Epsom. At what exact location this event was held the writer has not ascertained, nor can he give any information about the event itself. Despite this, it is of interest to record the beginning of a sport which has grown to such enormous dimensions.

The Supreme Court was opened on 28th February of this year (1842), and occupied a site at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets. Here, a week later, the first execution which took place in Auckland was carried out on March 7th. The victim of the law was a native, by name Maketu, who was found guilty on a charge of murder. It is related that a Government land sale was postponed for an hour so that purchasers could witness the event. The Court House was used until the present building in Waterloo Quadrant was finished in 1867. This building was commenced in 1863 by Messrs. Amos and Taylor, and completed by Messrs. Mathews and Bartley. Mr. Edward Rumsey was the architect.

The Auckland Hospital, reputed to be the first hospital opened in the Dominion, was erected on the site of the present Costley wards about 1845. Dr. F. M. Philson was the first regularly appointed medical officer. Up to the year 1883 the Hospital was under the control of the Provincial and General Governments. In this year the management was delegated to a local committee, which administered the institution until the passing of “The Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, 1885,” when it vacated office to the newly-constituted authority, consisting of representatives of local bodies of the district, to which the financial responsibility and management of the institution was transferred.

The main block of the present Hospital was erected in 1875-76. Mr. P. Herepath was the architect and Mr. John Taylor the contractor. The contract price was £19,249. The next notable addition to the Hospital was made in 1898, when the Costley wards were erected, at a cost of £5600. The chief operating theatre, attached to the Costley block, was built in 1905, and cost £2753. Subsequently a surgical wing was added to the Costley block. The Princess Mary Hospital for Children was erected in 1917. The furniture of the Children’s Hospital was provided by the Auckland Vaudeville Employees’ Association as a war memorial, the association collecting a sum of £3152 for the purpose. The typhoid wards, erected as a temporary building in 1887 to cope with the severe typhoid outbreak which occurred in that year, and the Nurses’ Home are the other principal buildings of the Hospital.

The Costley Home, One Tree Hill, which was erected from funds bequeathed by the late E. Costley, was opened by the Governor, the Earl of Onslow, on April 23rd, 1890, and cost £8650 to erect. The infirmary, adjoining the home, which cost £5000, was opened on December 9th, 1907. An addition to the latter building, which was made in 1916, cost about £6300. The home is administered by the Hospital Board.

During the war the Hospital had to meet heavy demands made by the return of sick and wounded soldiers. One of the Exhibition buildings, which had been kept intact, was formed into an annexe, while a house in Domett Avenue, Epsom, and the residence of the late A. R. D. Watson at North Head, were utilised as convalescent homes. The Point Chevalier Hospital was also used for military purposes in 1915.

Auckland, 1852, from Britomart Barracks
Showing Commercial Bay, Lower Queen Street, and new Queen Street Wharf, Wyndham Street, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Smale’s Point. (The steamboat in the foreground is the Governor Wynyard)
P. J. Hogan, delt.

Another institution which came into being during the first decade of the city’s history was the Auckland Mechanics’ Institute and Library, which was opened on 30th September, 1842. In addition to a hall, which for many years was the only place for meetings the town possessed, there was a library, a reading room and official’s residence. In this humble building practically all the important meetings of the town were held, and in it many of the city’s institutions and societies were born. The building was situated in Chancery Street.

The first ship propelled by steam to arrive in Auckland was H.M.S. Driver. She steamed into the Waitemata on January 20th, 1846, the vessel being in charge of Commander C. O. Hayes. Her tonnage was 1058, and her horse-power 280. She mounted four large guns, and carried a complement, including marines, of 175. The first merchant steamer to visit Auckland was the Juno, from Sydney, which reached the Waitemata on July 7th, 1847.

The earliest fire of importance recorded in Auckland was that which destroyed Government House in June, 1848. The building was constructed of wood, which was brought out in sections from England, and in appearance resembled an ordinary cottage. Fortunately, a sketch by Baron de Thierry survives, and is preserved in the Auckland Old Colonists’ Museum. The destroyed building occupied a site within the grounds of the present Government House property.

Auckland, 1852, from Queen Street Wharf
Showing Queen Street and corner of Shortland Street, the Wesleyan College (now the People’s Palace) and the Windmill, Karangahape Road, still a city landmark. (The two uniformed men in the foreground are native policemen)
P. J. Hogan, delt.

[Chapter II]
Development: 1851-1870

The advent of the second decade of Auckland’s history finds the town passing from the cradle stage to one of more independence. Until the year 1851 Auckland had been variously described as “the town,” “the seat of government,” or “the capital.” In other words, it had been fostered by the Government. Now, by a Proclamation of the Governor, Sir George Grey, it was elevated to the position of a borough, with a corporation—the first to be created in New Zealand—to which was given the powers of self-government on all matters of local interest. The elections were held on November 18th, and resulted in the return of the following gentlemen:—Messrs. Edwin Davy, Archibald Clark, Patrick Dignan, F. W. Merriman, A. B. Abraham, James O’Neill, S. Norman, T. M. Haultain, J. A. Hickson, A. Macdonald, Joseph Newman, William Powditch, William I. Taylor, and W. Mason. On November 25th the councillors were sworn in, the event taking place at the Court House, Auckland, before the Chief Justice (Sir William Martin), and in the presence of Lieutenant-Governor Wynyard and the naval, military and civil officers of the Government, as well as the officers of the 58th Regiment, the clergy, a numerous assemblage of ladies and a great concourse of burgesses, the day being observed as a special public holiday in honour of the occasion. To the accompaniment of a flourish of bugles the names of the gentlemen chosen to be first Mayor and aldermen of Auckland were announced as follows:—Mayor, Mr. Clark; aldermen, Messrs. Dignan, O’Neill, Powditch and Mason. Thereafter the Charter of Incorporation was read, and the Lieutenant-Governor delivered an address, in which he stated to the councillors that “it cannot fail to be a matter of gratifying personal distinction to yourselves to be selected from upwards of fourteen hundred burgesses to fill the office and discharge the duties of the first Council of the first Corporation established in this country, under the immediate sanction of the Royal authority.” The ceremony ended with the guard of honour presenting arms, while the band played the National Anthem, and a salute of twelve guns from the battery at Fort Britomart was fired. The first meeting of the Council took place a week later in the Legislative Council Chamber, which had been placed at the disposal of the Corporation by the Government.

The Borough Council did not last long, owing to the disallowance in England of the “Land Fund Appropriation Act,” upon which the Corporation depended chiefly for its revenue, and on the passing of the Constitution Act of 1852, its existence terminated. Despite its short life, it is worthy of record as an historic fact.

Auckland’s municipal history during the remainder of this period is not of much interest. In 1854 “An Act to Provide for the Municipal Government of the City of Auckland” was passed by the Provincial Council. This Act was repealed in 1856, and the powers contained therein transferred to the Superintendent of the Province. The next attempt to develop local government was made in 1862, when the “Town Boards Act” was passed by the Provincial Council; it was repealed the next year, and was superseded by the “City Board Act, 1863.” Finally, “The Municipal Corporations Act, 1867,” was passed, and under this Act the city was constituted by Proclamation on April 24th, 1871. It has continued to be governed by that Act and its amendments up to the present time.

MAYORS OF THE CITY OF AUCKLAND. First Row:—Arch. Clark (1851-52); P. A. Philips (1872-74); H. H. Isaacs (1874); F. L. Prime (1874-75); B. Tonks (1875-76).
Second Row:—W. J. Hurst (1876-77); H. Brett (1877-78); T. Peacock (1878-80); J. M. Clark (1880-83); W. R. Waddel (1883-86).
Third Row:—A. E. T. Devore (1886-89); J. H. Upton (1889-91); J. H. Gunson, C.M.G., C.B.E. (1915—); W. Crowther (1891-93); J. J. Holland (1893-96).
Fourth Row:—A. Boardman (1896-97); P. Dignan (1897-98); D. Goldie (1898-1901); Sir J. Logan Campbell (1901); Alf. Kidd (1901-03).
Fifth Row:—Hon. (afterwards Sir) E. Mitchelson (1903-05); Hon. A. M. Myers (1905-09); C. D. Grey (1909-10); L. J. Bagnall (1910-11); Hon. C. J. Parr (1911-15).

The boundaries of the Borough of Auckland, as originally proclaimed, were wider than they are now, and stretched across the Isthmus from the Waitemata to the Manukau, and from the Whau Creek to the Tamaki, an area of about 58,000 acres. The population of the borough was between seven and eight thousand persons. W. Swainson[19] gives an interesting account of the state of the city at this time. “The principal streets are Princes Street, Shortland Crescent, Queen Street and Wakefield Street. The first is a broad, straight, spacious, well-made street on a gentle slope; St. Paul’s Church, the Treasury and the Bank, and the Masonic Hotel, are its principal buildings. Shortland Crescent, which connects Princes Street with Queen Street, is built on a rather steep ascent. It is less broad than Princes Street, but much longer. On one side [the right hand side going up from Queen Street] it is almost wholly built upon; shops and stores are here to be found of every description and of various forms and style ... with few exceptions, all are of wood. The roadway of the street is an even macadamised surface, but no attempt has yet been made to form footpaths on a general level. Some of the shops would not disgrace a small provincial town in England; though, taken altogether as a street, Shortland Street is irregular and unfinished. Queen Street is the least built upon; but in other respects, it is the best and most considerable street in Auckland. It is about half a mile long, nearly level, and almost straight, and terminates at its northern extremity at a pier or quay which runs into the harbour, and alongside of which small craft can land their cargoes. At its southern extremity it is overlooked by the Wesleyan Seminary [now the People’s Palace] ... a spacious brick-built and substantial structure. The gaol[20] is badly situated, and is by no means a conspicuous building; but by a diligent search it may be found on the west side of Queen Street [at the corner of Victoria Street], partly screened from view by the Court House and Police Office, which abut immediately upon the street. Several shops of superior description, two and three storeys high, have recently been erected, and Queen Street, besides being the longest, is certainly just now one of the most improving streets in Auckland. Wakefield Street ascends from its southern extremity until it joins Cemetery Road, and is the newest and most increasing street in the town. Many of the houses are built of brick, and it already bears a considerable resemblance to a new street in the outskirts of a modern English town.” The same writer continues (p. 31):—“The most considerable public buildings are the Britomart and Albert Barracks, having together accommodation for nearly 1000 men. The former are built on the extremity of the headland dividing Official from Commercial Bay, and form a conspicuous but by no means an ornamental feature. The buildings are solid and substantial, mostly of scoria—a dark, grey, sombre-coloured stone—square, heavy-looking and unsightly. The Albert Barracks,[21] the larger of the two, are built upon the same ridge, but about a quarter of a mile inland. The Stores, Hospital, Magazine and Commissariat Offices are built of scoria. The rest of the buildings are of wood, plain in style, and of a sombre colour. The various buildings, together with the parade ground, occupy several acres,[22] the whole of which is surrounded by a strong scoria wall, about ten or twelve feet high, loop-holed and with flanking angles ... the site, in a military point of view, is not happily chosen.”

From the same informative book (p. 64 et seq.) we obtain an interesting description of the social life of the town, in which, of course, the military element predominated. The author found that Auckland resembled an English watering-place. The houses were small and inconvenient, and many of the people felt that they were only temporary residents. The military part, with their families, were always on the move. There was little formality, little extravagance, and no ostentation; intercourse was freer; originality more obvious than in English towns; gossip more pronounced, but less harmful than in the Old Country; political animosities and religious bickerings were practically non-existent; and, except that the dress of the people was somewhat behind the fashion, one could not believe that the English watering-place was so very far away. As to amusements—“Once a week, during the summer, a regimental band plays for a couple of hours on the well-kept lawn in the Government grounds; and with the lovers of music and those who are fond of ‘seeing and being seen,’ ‘the band’ is a favourite lounge. Three or four balls in the course of the year, a concert or two, an occasional picnic or water party, a visit to the goldfield or to the Island of Kawau, a trip to the Waikato or the lakes of Rotorua, are among the few amusements which aid in beguiling the lives of the Auckland fashionable circle; while dissipation in the milder form of temperance and tea-meetings, school feasts, stitcheries and lectures suffices for the greater portion of the Auckland community. To sportsmen the place offers few attractions; the annual race meeting is the great event of the year. Of hunting there is none; and wild ducks, pigeons and curlew afford but indifferent sport for the gun. Riding, boating, cricket and bush excursions are the favourite outdoor amusements. Once in the year nearly the whole of the ball-going portion of the community are brought together at a ball given by the Queen’s representative on the anniversary of Her Majesty’s birthday.”

Sir George Grey, K.C.B. (1812-1898)
Governor of New Zealand, 1845-53 and 1861-67. Superintendent of Auckland, 1875. Premier of New Zealand, 1877-79.

The cost of living is also dealt with. “Almost everything necessary to comfort and convenience may now be procured in Auckland. Although cheaper than Wellington, Auckland is by no means a cheap place of residence; certainly not more so than an English town of the same size. House rent and servants’ wages are at least double what they are in England; but there are no taxes, rates or dues of any kind. Clothing of all kinds is also, of course, dearer in New Zealand than in England. Wine, spirits and groceries are, for the most part, cheaper. Bread and butcher meat are about the same. The fish caught near Auckland, although of but moderate quality, is plentiful and cheap. Vegetables are also abundant; during the summer of 1852 there were brought into market by the natives, in canoes alone, upwards of 1100 kits of onions (about twenty tons), upwards of 4000 kits of potatoes (more than one hundred tons), besides corn, cabbages and kumeras. Peaches grown by the natives and sufficiently good for culinary purposes are very abundant and cheap; during the present summer upwards of 1200 kits were brought into Auckland by canoes alone. Those who cultivate a garden are well supplied with peaches, strawberries, apples, figs, and melons; while plums, pears, gooseberries and cherries are by no means uncommon, although less abundant than the former.”

The economic conditions existing in Auckland at the beginning of the ’fifties is stated and reflected in a most succinct form in a [23]Memorial sent to the Governor (Sir George Grey) by members of the Provincial Council of Auckland, setting forth the reasons why they consider it a matter of justice to Auckland that meetings of the General Legislature of New Zealand should for the present be held here. The memorandum is couched in the following terms:—

“That of the population of these islands, native and European, estimated to amount to 130,000, about 80,000, or three-fifths of the whole, reside within the limits of the newly-constituted Province of Auckland; and that of the European population of the Colony upwards of one-third of the whole number are settled within a radius of ten miles of the City of Auckland.

“That since the foundation of the Colony, nearly the whole of the proceeds of the land sales paid into the Colonial Treasury have arisen from the sale of lands within the Province of Auckland, the proceeds of land sales in other provinces having been paid to absentee companies, and expended by them independently of any control or audit on the part of the Colony.

“That during the last twelve months upwards of £19,000 have been realised by the sale of Crown lands in Auckland and its neighbourhood alone.

“That the shipping frequenting the ports of the Province of Auckland exceeds the aggregate amount of the shipping of the other five provinces into which New Zealand is divided; and, without taking into consideration the shipping resorting to the Bay of Islands, Mongonui, Hokianga, and the other harbours of the northern province, upwards of 740 vessels, foreign and coastwise, entered the single port of Auckland in the course of the past year.

“That of the shipping belonging to the various ports of New Zealand, upwards of 100 vessels are registered as belonging to the port of Auckland alone, besides an equal number of licensed smaller vessels under fifteen tons.

“That exports of the value of upwards of £78,000 were shipped from the port of Auckland alone during the last year ended January, 1852.

“That the revenue arising within this province is nearly equal to the revenue collected within the whole of the provinces of Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago; that of Auckland for the year ending June 30, 1852, amounting to £35,318, and of the five other provinces to £37,915.

“That, without reckoning the very extensive native and other cultivations in various parts of the province, there are, within fifteen miles of Auckland, upwards of 20,000 acres of land, substantially fenced, in high cultivation.

“That, in addition to the various other valuable resources of the province, gold in its natural state of deposit has recently been discovered over an extensive district within forty miles of the capital, on and near the shores of a large, safe and commodious harbour,[24] and in other districts in an opposite direction, even much nearer to the town.

“That the large native population of the province are rapidly increasing in wealth, and advancing in the arts and usages of civilised life; that they are producers of the greater part of the wheat grown in the province; the owners of a large number of mills, worked by water power, and of numerous small vessels engaged in the coasting trade, navigated by themselves, and employed in carrying native produce.

“That, in short, in shipping, commerce, agriculture, revenue, population and wealth, the single Government Province of Auckland nearly equals in all respects, and surpasses in most, the aggregate of the numerous settlements planted in New Zealand by the New Zealand Company and the Canterbury Association, both of which bodies have now altogether ceased their colonising operations, if not wholly ceased to exist.”

In 1851 there occurred an incident, which, ending happily, might have had serious consequences. The beginning of the affair was the apprehension of a native named Ngawiki, of the Ngati-Tamatera (Thames) by the police for the theft of a shirt. An attempt was made by the chief of the Ngati-Paoa and some others to rescue the criminal, and a street row ensued, in the course of which a native constable struck the chief with his staff several blows on the head, and succeeded in holding the prisoner. The fracas resulted in a native expedition from Waiheke on April 17th against the town. This force, which consisted of 250 armed men, was led by a chief named Ngakapa. They landed at Mechanics Bay, where they danced hakas and used threatening language. With reinforcements, which they expected, they hoped to number from 600 to 800 men. As the military and naval forces within the capital did not amount to 400 men, the situation looked serious, and Governor Sir George Grey at once took steps to ward off the danger. He sent a message by the Commissioner of Police (Captain Beckham) to the natives, “informing them that they must either return to their homes within the space of two hours, or give up their arms, and that in the event of their non-compliance with these terms measures would be taken to disarm them at the expiration of the time specified.” This ultimatum proved effective, and the party retired to Okahu (Orakei). There the war party met with some reinforcements, but the failure of the invading force, combined with the efforts of the Ngati-Whatua chiefs of Orakei, who advised the newcomers not to take part in the insurrection, resulted in the reinforcements deciding not to participate further in the affair. Instead, they ridiculed the men who had taken part in the expedition “for having been compelled at low water to drag their canoes over the extensive mud flats in the vicinity of this town.” The incident ended with an expression of regret by the principal chiefs of the war party, and the voluntary surrender of their greenstone meres to the Governor. The preparations for the defence of the town were made by Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyard, in co-operation with Captain Oliver, commanding H.M.S. Fly. The pensioners in their several villages placed themselves under arms. Sir George Grey, in a special despatch, gives “especial credit to Major Kenny, of the first battalion of pensioners, who arrived in Auckland with a reinforcement of 200 pensioners in a shorter period of time than I believed it possible for them to have assembled and to have performed a march of about six and a half miles.”

The pensioners mentioned above were a body of time-expired regulars, who had been brought to New Zealand, the pioneers of the force having arrived in Auckland on August 5th, 1847, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Bolton, R.E., and Captain Kenny, named in the above despatch.

Auckland, 1862
Maori War Canoe Race (Annual Regatta) in progress
F. R. Stack, delt.

The native constables who took part in this incident did not long survive the event. It may, in fact, come as a surprise to many that there ever were native policemen, and it may be interesting to describe the appearance of these officers of the law. Their attire was a semi-military, blue uniform, resplendent with buttons, white facings and side stripes. They carried substantial bludgeons, which, as shown, they knew how to use, and did not scruple to do so. Two of these defenders of the peace are depicted in one of Hogan’s [views] (f. p. 77).

The discovery of gold at Coromandel, in 1852, was an important event in the history of Auckland and in the development of the resources of the province. The gold finds in Victoria gave the impetus to New Zealand, and prospecting parties began to work. But it was not until a “Reward Committee” was formed at Auckland, with Mr. Frederick Whitaker as chairman, that any steps were taken to prove the rumours that gold was available in New Zealand. In October, 1852, a reward of £500 was “offered to the first person who should discover and make known to the ‘Reward Committee’ ‘a valuable gold find’ in the northern district of New Zealand. Within less than a week the reward was claimed by Mr. Charles Ring, a New Zealand settler, recently returned from California, who asserted that he had discovered gold in the neighbourhood of Coromandel Harbour.”[25] Mr. Ring’s claim was thereupon investigated, and a sub-committee visited the locality (Driving Creek). On their return, the committee was able to announce that the sub-committee’s report “is satisfactory, in so far as the existence of gold is concerned, but that the question of its being sufficiently abundant to be profitably worked is yet in abeyance.”[26] As native rights were involved in connection with the land, negotiations had to be entered upon before the gold could be worked. The Government therefore stepped in, and were successful in their efforts with the natives, of whom the chief was Taniwha, an old man, who in his boyhood had met Captain Cook, and on November 30th an agreement was signed regulating the management of the goldfield. On 11th December the first sale of gold was held by Messrs. Connell and Ridings, Auckland, and realised £32 1s. In a short time a ‘rush’ to Coromandel took place, and about 3000 miners were at work on the diggings. Between 1857 and 1860 a slump took place, but a revival was experienced in 1861. During the Maori war another slack period was felt, but after hostilities had ceased, work was resumed, and has continued ever since.

Although Coromandel never produced the gold expected from it, it opened up a new industry, which has grown to a considerable extent, and has been the means of attracting population to the province, and has indirectly affected the growth of Auckland, the chief city of the province.

1853 stands forth a memorable year in the history of New Zealand; for on the 17th January Governor Grey proclaimed the Constitution Act of 1852, passed by the Imperial Parliament, by which the Dominion obtained representative institutions. The Act provided for a General Assembly for the whole Colony, consisting of a Legislative Council and a House of Representatives. It also abolished the Provinces of New Ulster and New Munster, which had been set up under the Charter of 1847, and replaced them by six new provinces, viz, Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago. The Councils were elective and were presided over by a superintendent; they had legislative powers within certain limits. The Provincial Councils lasted until 1876, when they were abolished by an Act of the General Assembly.

The first session of the Auckland Provincial Council, under the superintendence of Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyard, was held on June 30th, 1853, Mr. Thomas Houghton Bartley being appointed Speaker. The maiden session of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives took place simultaneously, on May 24th, 1854, the Queen’s Birthday, in the newly-erected Parliament Building. As befitted the day and the occasion, the ships in the harbour were decorated. At mid-day a salute of twenty-one guns was fired at Fort Britomart, and was followed by a feu de joie delivered by the 58th Regiment in the square of Albert Barracks. The Speaker of the Upper House was Mr. William Swainson, and of the Representative chamber, Mr. (afterwards Sir) Charles Clifford.

New Zealand’s First Parliament Building, Erected 1854
The front portion (first gable) was the parliament building. It was afterwards extended and used by the Auckland University College.

It is outside the limits of this work to attempt anything like a parliamentary history, but it may be interesting to remark that the first Parliament Building erected in New Zealand was situated at the corner of Eden and Parliament Streets, and that it served Parliament as a meeting place from the beginning of its career until the removal of the capital to Wellington. The building continued to be used by the Provincial Council until the abolition of the provinces, in 1876. It was afterwards acquired by the Council of the Auckland University College, by which body it was enlarged, and it served its purpose in the educational work of the city until 1918, when the buildings were taken over by the City Council in connection with the proposed new city outlet from Customs Street. Upon examination, with a view to re-erecting this historic building on another site, it was found that the condition was so bad that demolition was the only course. The city trams now run over the site of New Zealand’s first Parliament Building.

Notwithstanding the prosperity which Auckland and the Colony were experiencing at the opening of the ’sixties, there was serious trouble threatening with the Maoris. The origin of the dispute, which ended in warfare, was the land question, some natives refusing to sell land to the settlers. One result of this dissatisfaction between the Maori and the pakeha was the conference, which was held at Kohimarama in July and August, 1860. On the first day of the conference, 112 chiefs took their seats, and all the principal tribes were represented, with the exception of the Taranaki tribes, owing to the unsettled state of that province. Prior to this conference, it had been found necessary to make arrangements for the defence of Auckland “against any possible contingency.” In a despatch to the Duke of Newcastle, the Governor, Sir Thomas Gore-Browne, outlined the steps which he had taken with this object in view. “The town,” he states, “is divided into five districts, each of which is to furnish a company of militia. Those who have arms of their own will form an inlying picket, and the remainder will be required to ballot for such arms as the Government is able to supply. At the present we can furnish sixty stand of arms to each company.... In addition to the militia, a volunteer force of nearly 400 men, a mounted volunteer troop of about 43 men, 110 [men] of the 65th Regiment and 40 marines will form the garrison of the town. Blockhouses, or houses rendered musket-proof, will be established round the town ... and H.M. frigate Iris is now anchored in the harbour. The outer defences are as follow:—H.M. steam frigate Niger, attended by a gunboat furnished by the local government, is anchored in the Manukau. Lieutenant-Colonel Kenny ... has been placed in command of the settlement of Onehunga, and has been directed to protect the Whau portage and river.... At the portage itself a blockhouse is in course of erection.... Lieutenant-Colonel Nixon ... has been placed in command of the pensioner settlement of Otahuhu, Panmure and Howick, and has been directed to protect the line of the Tamaki from the Waitemata to the Manukau. A blockhouse is in course of erection on the narrow neck of land leading to the village of Otahuhu. Five hundred stand of arms ... have been supplied to this outpost and three hundred to the outpost on the west....”

The Taranaki campaign, which arose out of the dispute over the Waitara Block, lasted from March, 1860, to April, 1861. The trouble moved eastward, the Waikato campaign breaking out in July, 1863, and only ended with the magnificent defence by the Maoris of Orakau on April 2, 1864. Finally the war was concluded at Tauranga with the engagement at Te Renga, and on October 25th a proclamation of the Governor officially closed these wars.

At no time did the scene of hostilities reach the town of Auckland, but in July, 1863, Mr. Meredith and his son were murdered in barbarous fashion, and on October 26th of the same year two sons of Mr. Trust were killed near Howick, about fifteen miles from Auckland.

During the years 1863-64 the entire adult male population of Auckland was enlisted for compulsory service either in the militia, volunteers or fire brigade, and had to undergo military training. Some of the conscripts remained in the barracks both day and night, while others did duty at the various blockhouses placed on points of vantage overlooking the district. The blockhouses were situated where the Auckland Hospital now stands, and at Domain Hill, Parnell, Newmarket, Karangahape Road, Great North Road, and Freeman’s Bay. The coast-line was also guarded. On July 22nd, 1863, the Auckland First Class Militia and Volunteers joined the field force, and did duty on the Wairoa River. In February, 1864, the Second Class of Militia, comprising business and tradespeople, were ordered on active service, and a contemporary newspaper feared that, if the enlistments continued, the shops of the town would have to close and put up notices: “Gone to the front.”

The electric telegraph was introduced into the Auckland Province during the war of 1863, when a line was erected under great difficulties between the important military stations at Drury and Queen’s Redoubt. Covering parties were engaged to protect the workers, who were also armed, in case of emergencies. The first telegraph office erected in Auckland was a wooden hut, located in the Albert Barracks, just inside the barracks wall, Symonds Street. This was the terminal of a single wire which General Cameron had from his office to the Otahuhu Military Camp near Anne’s Bridge. The first operator was Mr. Alex. Brodie, of the Royal Engineers. About 1866, this office was removed to the Post Office, Princes Street. By October, 1864, there were 160 miles of telegraph lines in the province, but communication with Wellington and the South Island was not established until 1872. Four years later Australia and Great Britain were brought into telegraphic connection with New Zealand.

One of the happy results of the war in the Waikato was the discovery of coal on the banks of the Waikato River, in July, 1863, which was immediately used on the river-boats engaged in the war. After hostilities had ceased, the coal fields were exploited, and the beginning of the successful coal-mining industry at Huntly established. In March of the following year coal was discovered at Kawakawa, and from these sources were obtained supplies for the domestic use of Auckland residents and for the commercial needs of the town and province.

Another direct result of the war was the inauguration of the railway system of the North Island, although such a step would have taken place in due course. The initial movement was made by the Provincial Council in 1863, when a report was adopted recommending the construction of a railway between Auckland and Drury, with a branch line to Onehunga. Tenders were accordingly invited in the following year, the offer of Messrs. Brogden and Sons, an English firm, being accepted. The work commenced on 17th February, 1865. Parnell Hill was pierced by a tunnel on July 31st, 1872, and the Auckland-Onehunga portion of the line was opened on December 24th, 1873. The Auckland station was then situated on the harbour at the eastern side of Point Britomart, near the end of Custom-House Street [now Customs Street]. The growth of the railway system of the province was slow, and by the end of 1877 only 93 miles had been completed. With the demolition of Point Britomart the railway station was removed to its present location, being completed on October 26th, 1885. It would be interesting to trace step by step the extension of the railway system, as, obviously, it is part of the history of Auckland, but, in so brief a sketch as this, detail is impossible. It is worth mentioning, however, that the first Main Trunk train from Wellington to Auckland arrived on November 6th, 1908, and that the daily express between here and the capital was inaugurated on February 14th, 1909.

Travelling overland prior to the introduction of railways, and for many years after, was conducted by coaches. In the earliest days this means of locomotion was restricted, but increased with the opening up of the province and the development of the roads. Thus, in 1867, there was established a daily service of coaches to Hamilton. The coaches were of the type known as “Cobb & Co.”, an exceedingly picturesque vehicle, with dickys for the driver and for passengers at the rear. The most extensive and famous line of coaches were those owned by Messrs. Quick Bros.

The city and suburban conveyances were at first busses, and, later, horse-drawn Albert cars. As early as 1864 there was a half-hourly service of busses to Onehunga.

Early in the ’sixties a regular service of communication was inaugurated with the North Shore, which has been maintained and developed until the present time. The first name associated with this service is Mr. A. Alison, the present manager of the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, who, in 1861, inaugurated a ferry in open boats, making two trips a day, which obtained until superseded by a three-trip service introduced by Messrs. Holmes Bros., who owned the hotel at Devonport, and subsequently formed a company to run the steamer Waitemata in 1864. The following year the Enterprise was launched. This boat, small in size as compared with a modern ferry, was capable of carrying 200 passengers, and had accommodation in her two saloons for fifty persons. She did the trip from Auckland to the Shore in twenty minutes, and kept up a regular service between 7.30 a.m. and 8 p.m. The earlier boat, Waitemata, was enlarged by having her bow and stern cut off and replaced, and was then put into commission as Enterprise No. 2. Soon afterwards she was sold to a Thames company for work in connection with the gold discovery. Holmes Bros., in turn, met with opposition from a company styled the Auckland and North Shore Ferry Company, which built and ran the Takapuna and other boats, ousting them and acquiring their plant. There were also other rivals, who did not, however, last long. In 1881, Messrs. Quick and Alison formed an opposition company, and commenced building the Victoria. They also invited tenders for a second vessel, but before the tenders were received the Auckland and North Shore Company sold out. Messrs. Alison and Quick did not remain long in partnership, and in the same year the Devonport Steam Ferry Company was formed, and has carried on the ferry services ever since, which now include practically all parts of the harbour.

The effects of the war were felt in Auckland in various ways. At first there was confusion and consternation among the inhabitants, which feelings were allayed by the arrival of troops and the passing of the danger of invasion. Notwithstanding the business and commerce of the city continued to increase. At the conclusion of the war a reaction set in, and distress through unemployment became acute, especially among newly-arrived immigrants. The population of the city at the census taken in December, 1861, was 7989 persons, and three years later had grown to 12,423, a very large increase in so short a time. The rush to the Otago goldfields, however, began to draw numbers of the population south, and the removal of the seat of Government, in 1865, was responsible for the loss of the Government officers and civil servants. During the two following years, 1866 and 1867, most of the Imperial regiments which had taken part in the Maori wars returned to England, taking with them their wives and families, further reducing the population. The last of the troops to leave Auckland was the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment, which departed at the beginning of 1870. The survivors of this regiment hold a reunion annually in Auckland on July 4th, the anniversary of their arrival in New Zealand. By 1867 the inhabitants had decreased to 11,153. Auckland was passing through a bad period, while its rival on the Cook Straits, and Dunedin and Christchurch were progressing rapidly.

The record of the banks which opened business in this period shows clearly the progress which the city was making. In 1861 two new banks began operations. The Bank of New South Wales was opened in Shortland Street on 11th June, and continued to carry on the business of the branch of the Oriental Bank Corporation, which had been established in the city some years previously. On February 21st, 1884, the building in Queen Street was opened, where the business is still carried on. The architects were Messrs. Armson, Collins and Lloyd, of Christchurch, and the contractor Mr. Philcox, of Auckland. The building cost £11,500. The Bank of New Zealand, an entirely local concern, commenced business on 16th October. A contemporary newspaper emphasised this aspect, and stated that the business was being conducted “with colonial capital, with colonial shareholders ... and with colonial customers in every city and province of New Zealand vitally interested in its success.” The initial capital was £500,000. Mr. A. Kennedy, formerly manager of the New Zealand Banking Company and of the Union Bank of Australia, was its first manager. The original premises were in Queen Street, near Durham Street East, formerly occupied by T. S. Forsaith. The building now used was opened towards the end of 1867, and ranks as one of the finest examples of architecture in the city. The architect was Mr. Leonard Terry, of Melbourne, and the builder was Mr. R. Dickson. Mr. Richard Keals was supervising architect. The first twenty-five years of the bank’s history were years of prosperity. A strained situation was revealed in 1887, and for the next seven years the bank underwent a series of reverses, ending in the loss of the whole of the capital and reserves and one-third of the reserve liability. In 1894 the Government came to the rescue of the bank, and since then its progress has been well maintained, and it now occupies an assured position. The head office is now in Wellington; there is, of course, a London office, and, in addition to branches everywhere in New Zealand, there are offices in Australia, Fiji and Samoa. Three years later, 1864, two other banks made their advent. One of them, the Bank of Auckland, was another local undertaking, which did not meet with the success that the Bank of New Zealand was to experience. It was opened for business in the premises formerly occupied by the Union Bank in Shortland Street, but collapsed at the end of March, 1867. The other was an Australian company, the Bank of Australasia, which opened its head branch in New Zealand here, occupying premises in Shortland Street adjoining the Post Office. Later it removed to Queen Street, where it still carries on business.

Another indication of the growing business prosperity of Auckland was shown in the establishment of the New Zealand Fire and Marine Insurance Company, which came into existence on May 26th, 1859, as the result of the enterprise of some of Auckland’s leading business men. The original capital was £100,000, which was guaranteed by the first shareholders, in sums of from £2000 to £5000. To detail the history of this concern, which has grown to world-wide dimensions, would necessitate more space than could be afforded; but it is worth relating that its first office was located at the corner of Shortland and Queen Streets in premises known as Fraser’s Buildings. From 1871 till 1915 the business of the company was carried on in a two-storeyed building, over which was erected a clock tower, which became quite a feature of Queen Street. In the latter year this building was demolished, and upon its site was erected the present handsome edifice of seven storeys. Mr. W. H. Gummer, A.R.I.B.A., was the architect, and Messrs. Grevatt and Sons the contractors. The building cost £110,000.

The shipbuilding industry of Auckland appears to have commenced somewhere in the late ’forties, but the records of this interesting subject are either negligible or non-existent. Amongst the earliest boatbuilders mention must be made of Messrs. Henry Niccol, Holmes Bros., Alex. Duthie, Wm. J. Brown, Captain McCoy, and Mr. Stone, whose yards seem to have been kept busy. To the latter belongs the credit of building the first steamboat in New Zealand, which was launched at Freeman’s Bay on December 24th, 1851. She was named (contrary to her sex) Governor Wynyard. Her dimensions were as follows: Length over all, 60 feet; beam, 13 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 6 feet; burthen, 43 tons; draught of water with engines and fuel, 2 feet 6 inches. She was propelled by two steeple engines of 4 horse-power each. The designers were Messrs. Stone and Gardiner, the engine being constructed by Mr. Bourne. The steamer made her first trip to Panmure on January 19th, 1852, in very trying weather, and acquitted herself satisfactorily to all concerned. She developed a speed of eight knots. From a commercial point of view the boat was not a success, and was sold later in that year to a Melbourne firm. On the Yarra she proved a great “moneymaker,” as she earned as much as £80 in a day.

Auckland, 1876
Showing Fort Britomart in course of demolition
W. C. Wilson, delt.

At what date Mr. Niccol commenced his business the writer has not been able to find out, but he was engaged on shipbuilding in the ’fifties, during which period he built a vessel named the Moa. He also constructed a number of vessels for Australian owners and for the proprietors of the Circular Saw Line. One of the boats belonging to the latter, of which we have knowledge, was the barque Novelty, which was launched from Mr. Niccol’s yard, Mechanics Bay, on 11th October, 1862. She was the largest vessel built in Auckland up to that time—a record which still holds in local shipbuilding, as far as the writer’s knowledge obtains. Her dimensions were: Length over all, 147 feet; beam, 27 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 14 feet 9 inches; registered tonnage, 376 tons. The christening of the vessel was performed by Miss Macfarlane, daughter of one of the owners, in traditional fashion, and the event, as befitted its importance, was celebrated by a banquet. The Novelty was a well-designed and faithfully-built vessel, and did good service for her owners. She did the voyage from Auckland to Sydney in five days.

No sketch of Auckland’s shipping history would be complete without some reference, however brief, to the Circular Saw Line, which was established by Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, two of Auckland’s pioneers. Mr. Henderson arrived in New Zealand in 1842, and some years later he was joined by Mr. Macfarlane. About 1846 they established a timber business at Henderson, and later erected a mill there. Among the places to which they exported kauri was Mauritius, the vessels which took the timber returning with cargoes of sugar. It may have been this enterprise which encouraged them to establish the fleet some time in the ’fifties. Commencing with the brig Spenser, Mr. Henderson made the first trip to Melbourne. While there he purchased the schooner Will o’ the Wisp, and established the inter-colonial trade. The brigs (of which class of vessel he owned six) and barques (of which no fewer than fifteen flew the flag of this line) were employed in the inter-colonial and ’Frisco services. The schooners, numbering fourteen, did the Island trade. Before the dissolution of the line in 1875, four steamers were added to the fleet, which were bought from the Panama Company. These vessels were placed in the New Zealand coastal service, plying from Onehunga.

In the ’fifties and ’sixties there were a number of cutters and schooners, owned and manned by Maoris, which traded between Auckland and various ports on the East Coast, sailing as far south as the Bay of Plenty. White traders also participated in the coastal trade, amongst whom was Mr. H. J. Wadham, stevedore, of Auckland, who owned a number of fine vessels, drawings of which have recently been presented to the Old Colonists’ Museum.

During the first two or three decades of the port’s history, most of the shipping was by sail, and as the movements of these sailers were erratic, a continuous record is a rather difficult matter. With the advent of steam in the ’fifties, and its development in the following years, a more satisfactory account is possible.