It is of great importance to note that Cascade Point is 30 miles north of Westland’s southern boundary, and that the sealing grounds extended much further in that direction, and in particular that only men who had “worked” that part of the coast for seals and were familiar with it could describe it with such a wealth of detail; and thus is established the outstanding fact that at least 116 years ago Westland contributed its quota of seals to the many gangs engaged in the industry, which, as noted by R. C. Reid in “Rambles on the Golden Coast,” was still existent, though in a very small way, in 1836. There are still seals in the rookery below Carmichaels Plateau, South Westland, but ruthless slaughter has almost entirely exterminated them, and thus has been destroyed a natural industry of the greatest value and importance to the Dominion.
The year 1827 is notable for the fact that the French navigator D’Urville sailed along the shores of Westland in the warship Astrolabe, logging its prominent physical features. Of Rapahoe (Cobden Hill), Greymouth, commonly known as the Twelve Apostles, because of its twelve small peaks, which are most regular in formation, and run due north and south, he observed:
- The summit remained saw edged, the teeth of the saw leaning quite uniformly towards the north in a most remarkable way.
