Reminiscences of Earliest Canterbury/Chapter 2
CHAPTER II.
The Whalers.
The whalers visited Canterbury before the settlers. They were the pioneers of the pioneers, but, unlike the latter in being birds of passage, they seldom remained for any length of time in one place. In the early days of Canterbury there were two distinct classes of whalers scattered along the coast. The first class comprised the whalers per se, hardy, brave, and resourceful; men to be depended upon, and inhabitants of all parts of Europe, America, and Australia.
The second-class comprised convicts, who, as ticket-of-leave men, were brought over from Hobart, whither they were not permitted to return. Nothing need be recorded of them, save the fortunate circumstance for Canterbury, that, when the Melbourne diggings broke out, they rushed over there in a body.
Of the regular whalers, one of the most famous in the annals of Canterbury was Captain Hempelmann. He and his head man, Billy Simpson, may be regarded as the first settlers in Canterbury. They went to Peraki in the autumn of 1835. Mr. Joseph Price was actually here before Hempelmann, but only as a visitor—as a settler he succeeded him. Captain Hempelmann, like all the others of his class, occupied himself entirely with the whaling industry for a time, taking no interest in farming or stock-breeding. Eventually he purchased, with a fully equipped whaleboat and some gear, a large tract of land on the Peninsula, but the Government would not ratify the transaction.
Many of those whalers, allured by the Maori damsels, left their ships and married, and settled down rearing families of half-castes. They took up trades (notably boat-building and coopering) in which, from their intelligence and versatility, they succeeded. They were, however, not ambitious, for although they had excellent facilities for acquiring large and valuable tracts of land there were but few of them who availed themselves of this opportunity. They were mostly content with small holdings, and their love for the sea kept them near the beach for the pastimes of boating and fishing. On sheep stations they were good workers, many of them excelling as bullock drivers. In whatever manner they were occupied they showed great aptitude in acquiring new duties, were intelligent, clever with their hands, and conscientious. Their one failing was their love for rum. For three or four months they would work steadily and well, and then they would deliberately abandon themselves to a fortnight’s spree with their accumulated earnings. Their first care on these occasions was to pay all their liabilities to storekeepers and others, reserving the balance for their frolic. They drank rum, and drank it neat, scorning either to dilute or pollute it with water, and when their money ran out, they went back quite resignedly, and even cheerfully to work for another spell.
As a class, they were fine chivalrous fellows, and from their natural generosity and resourcefulness were most useful to the early settlers, with whom they were on good terms.
Notwithstanding their mode of life, and the liberties they took with themselves in pursuit of those rum orgies, it is astonishing to what an age they lived. Very few of them died under eighty, many of them reached ninety and over, and a few got even to a hundred.
In the earlier ’thirties there was a firm in Sydney, Messrs. Cooper and Levy, who owned whaling and sealing vessels working in New Zealand waters. They had an agent here who purchased for them, and transported by their home-going ships such commodities as flax, pork, and mutton birds, which he procured from the Maoris. This agent, on behalf of Messrs. Cooper and Levy, also purchased from the Natives considerable blocks of land at Akaroa, Port Levy, and Port Cooper. On the plains also he purchased a large block, which included both the Riccarton and Papanui bushes. In order to exploit those holdings, Messrs. Cooper and Levy despatched a ship under one Captain Underwood, with men, stores, and appliances to take possession of and work the different properties. Unfortunately this vessel, with all on board, as well as with the title deeds, was lost. Captain W. B. Rhodes had joined Messrs. Cooper and Levy as a partner previous to this venture, but when the vessel was lost the firm abandoned the scheme.
Whaling ships in those early days were a godsend to the pioneers. They bartered with each other for mutual benefit, the whalers taking the produce of the settlers in exchange for stores, tobacco, and even (in the case of the American vessels), articles of furniture, clocks, etc. The barter was conducted by an estimate of equivalent values as the whaling vessels did not carry money. The prices, I remember, were exceedingly reasonable, and the articles good. For example, tobacco was sold at the rate of 11d. per lb., and spirits at 3s. per gallon. Besides the things already mentioned, the whalers supplied us with what are known at sea as “slops,” i.e., ready-made clothes, etc. What cheese and butter was not disposed of in this way to the whalers had to be sent to Wellington, which was the only other market for dairy produce at this time—towards the middle of the ’forties.
In Pigeon Bay I have seen as many as eight vessels (ships, barques, and brigs), at anchor at one time, all busy taking in wood, water, beef, potatoes, fresh vegetables, etc.
Mr. Joseph Price traded between Sydney and New Zealand for some years before permanently settling on the Peninsula. From the shore whaling stations, which then flourished (Peraki, Oashore, etc.) he loaded oil, whilst he brought to them stores, slops, and whaling plant.
Another well-known name in those olden days was that of “Johnny Jones.” Before Dunedin was settled he was there, having come over from Sydney, and, being a shrewd man, he acquired a great deal of land from the Maoris. He, in this way, secured a very fine property to the north of Dunedin, called Cherry Farm. He eventually settled down as a general merchant. It was his custom when a ship arrived to use his influence, as leading merchant of his time, to insist on his goods being discharged first in order that he might have them placed first on the market. This was not always convenient, and on one occasion, when he ordered the mate of a ship to burrow down into the hold for some case he wanted landed at once, he was surprised and enraged when he met with a point blank refusal. Jones was a big man and a good boxer, and the mate, being a small man, words soon came to blows; but if Jones was surprised at the refusal to obey his orders, he was still more surprised at the drubbing he got. However, he was a good sport, and, after the fight was over, he went up to his opponent, and confessed that he had been beaten by a better man, and, as an evidence of the admiration he felt for his prowess, presented him with £5. They were fast friends from that time, and whilst the ship remained at Port Chalmers the mate dined every Sunday with Mr. Jones. The latter was of great assistance to the early settlers, and built the first large stone house, which is now the Fern Hill Club. He died at a good old age, leaving a large family.
In the “thirties” there was a whaling plant at Little Port Cooper. I can remember seeing the bricks on which the try-pots had been supported. The whaling ships at times landed their try-pots, and when they got a whale they landed the blubber also and left men to try out the oil on shore.
Port Levy was a favourite spot for the whalers to land for wood and water, and to spell their men. It was those old whalers who gave Pigeon Bay its name. They were accustomed to go there in whaleboats to procure pigeons, which were then very plentiful.