North Island

“ There is another contrast: in the south and west of the island we have no fiords or inlets, but long, smooth coasts hollowed out into bights; whereas the north is made up of islands, inlets, and peninsulas. We shall see later that these differences in structure have more than a purely geographical interest, since they have had a most marked influence on the settlement and history of the island.
North Island: Political.
Let us now start on our journey by rail and observe the country as we pass rapidly through it. At first we [107] travel through open lands with many prosperous-looking farms. ”

“ This island was formerly much frequented by India ships of many nations, but especially English, who have of late forsaken it, on account, it is said, of the badness of its water, and stop either at North Island, a small island on the Sumatra coast outside the east entrance of the straits, or at New Bay, a few leagues only from Prince's Island, at neither of which places, however, can any quantity of refreshments be procured. ”

“ North Island, lying in San Diego Bay, a mile across from the city, was turned over to me by its owners, the Spreckels Company. It is a flat, sandy island, about four miles long and two miles wide, with a number of good fields for land flights. The beaches on both the ocean and bay sides are good, affording level stretches for starting or landing an aeroplane. Besides, the beaches were necessary to the water experiments I wished to make. North Island is uninhabited except by hundreds of jack rabbits, cottontails, snipe, and quail. ”

“ It is at the north end of Le Petit Nord that St. Antoine is located.
The very character of the country and vegetation has changed. It is as if the great, forbidding fortress of St. John's Cape cut off the milder influences of southern Newfoundland, and left the northern peninsula a prey to ice and winds and fog. The people, too, have felt the influence of this discrimination of Nature. There is a line of demarcation between those who have been able to enjoy the benefits of the southern island, and those who have had to cope with the recurrent problems of the northland. ”

“ Kermadec Islands, North Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant, chiefly in lowland situations not far from the sea. South Island: Marlborough and Nelson to Banks Peninsula and Westland, but very rare and local. ”

“ People coming with more permanent intentions had a way of settling in the South Island to be under home conditions of temperature, many of them gradually moving across the Strait to the North Island in pursuit of balmier airs. ”

“ Kermadec Islands: Abundant, attaining a large size, McGillivray, T.F.C. North Island: In various places on the coast, as far south as Hawke's Bay; more plentiful on the outlying islands than on the mainland. ”

“ How shall we account for this nation's having spread itself, in so many detached islands, so widely disjoined from each other, in every quarter of the Pacific Ocean! We find it, from New Zealand, in the south, as far as the Sandwich Islands to the north! And, in another direction, from Easter Island to the Hebrides! that is, over an extent of sixty degrees of latitude, or twelve hundred leagues, north and south! and eighty-three degrees of longitude, or sixteen hundred and sixty leagues east and west! How much farther, in either direction, its colonies reach is not known ”

“ The cook, was, therefore, instructed to prepare an especially good dinner, and, after shaking the reefs out of our mainsail, we proceeded to circumnavigate the island, keeping as close to the shore as we were able, so that we could have a good view of the scenery.
We sailed by the different points which we now knew so well—the Ness, the Pier, the Ninepin—and at last doubled North Point. This extremity of the island is extremely wild and desolate, and is utterly inaccessible. Many of the sharp pinnacles which cap the mountains are out of the perpendicular, and lean threateningly over the sea. ”

“ At ten o'clock in the morning of the 19th, we saw an island bearing west by north six or seven leagues distant: the latitude at noon, was 1° 44' south, and the longitude 150° 39' east. With a fine breeze at east-south-east, we steered for the island, as it lay directly in our course, and soon perceived that it was inhabited, as we saw a number of people standing on the south point, and a great many canoes were coming off to meet us; but as the vessel approached them they paddled towards the shore ”

“ In the afternoon of the 6th, we perceived the northernmost land to be two small islands, which appeared to trend north-north-east and south-south-west; the main land lying a little to the westward of them. The easternmost of these two islands Lieutenant Ball named Sirius's-Island; it is situated in 10° 52' south latitude, and 162° 30' east longitude: the other was named Massey's-Island. We observed by the land, that a very strong current, or tide, set us fast to the northward. ”

“ There are, however, several islets scattered around, whose productions show that they belong to the same sub-region;—the principal being, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe's Island, and the Kermadec Isles, on the north; Chatham Island on the east; the Auckland and Macquarie Isles on the south;—and if these were once joined to New Zealand, there would have been formed an island-continent not much inferior in extent to Australia itself. ”

“ If Things are left in their present State the whole Northern Island will shortly be in the Possession of the Europeans, the North Americans classing themselves with the Europeans. So that, in fact, if Things were left in the Situation in which they are, the Land will be taken almost entirely out of the Possession of the Natives? ”

“ The numerous patches of foul ground lying off the coast, between New River and Jacob’s River, were made visible by only a slight break on the rocks awash, and by the presence of some quaint-looking peaks in their midst. These dangers are chiefly to the eastward of Centre Island. This island is not of great height in any part, but it slopes from its summit gently to the north and east: and it is asserted that these islands in Foveaux Straits—Ruapuke, for instance—enjoy a better climate, and a more genial soil, than do some of the contiguous parts of the mainland. ”

“ The lines running to the north and north-west carry us into an entirely new type of country, and before following them up we must look carefully at the build of the island on the other side of the mountain backbone. Here our experience of South Island will help us little. Instead of a gentle uniform slope to the ocean, we find a confused and bewildering structure. The mountain ranges in the long northern neck and in the Coromandel Peninsula, with its continuing islands, run from north-west to south-east, almost at right angles to our main dividing range. ”

“ To the eastward there are five islands, the largest of which from its resemblance to the Lion's Mount at the Cape of Good Hope I called Sir Roger Curtis's Island, who then commanded on that Station. It is high and inaccessible on the north-west side and covered with small bushes at the top. Two other islands like haycocks, only higher and more perpendicular, standing a considerable distance from each other, the largest of which bore us south-east 1/4 south distant 16 or 17 miles and the other south-east by east about 10 miles. ”

“ But as that falls out on the following day, I shall conclude this with a Discription of the Island, which is situated in the Latitude of 16 degrees 43 minutes South, and Longitude 150 degrees 52 minutes West from Greenwich and North 58 degrees West, distance, 31 leagues, from King George's Island, or Otaheite. It is about 7 Leagues in compass, and of a Hilly and uneven surface. It hath a safe and commodious Harbour, which lies on the West side, under the Northermost high land and within the North end of the Reef which lays along that side of the Island. ”

“ In approaching Norfolk Island there is no danger: Lieut. Ball anchored in nineteen fathoms, over a bottom of coarse sand and coral, the north-east end of the island bearing west south-west quarter west; the easternmost rocks east south-east, about a mile distant from the nearest shore: at this place Capt. Cook landed. Ships have anchored also at south end of the isle in twenty-two fathoms, the westernmost point of Phillip Isle south south-east, the body of Nepean's Isle east north-east half east, and the south point of Norfolk Isle north-east by east. ”

“ This island was resorted to by the Indians for the seals frequenting it.
I had observed lying above the landing on Star Island a queer-looking craft, which might with great propriety be called a shell. It consisted of a frame of slats neatly fitted together, over which a covering of tarred canvas had been stretched. I at first thought some Kanaka's canoe had found its way through the North-west Passage, and drifted in here; but Mr. Poor assured me it belonged on the islands, and was owned and sailed by Tom Leha, whose dwelling on Londoner's he pointed out. ”

“ The island lies between 26o 4-3/4' and 26o 52-1/2', north, and between 127o 34' and 128o 18' east, being very nearly sixty miles long in a north-east direction, and preserving a tolerably uniform breadth of about ten or twelve miles. The north end is high and bold, with wood on the top of the hills. The north-east coast is also abrupt, but quite barren. The south-east side is low, with very little appearance of cultivation. ”

“ The natives of this part use logs to convey them from and to the islands. A small sandy island, with a reef extending for two miles from its north-west end, and one mile and a half from its south-east end, lies off the south-west end of Enderby Island, and would serve as a good protection from the sea in a South-West wind, for the anchorage on the south side of Enderby Island. ”

“ The group lies between the south end of New Ireland and the north end of the great Bougainville Island in the Solomon Archipelago, and consists of six low, well-wooded and fertile islands, enclosed within a barrier reef, forming a noble atoll, almost circular in shape. All the islands are thickly populated at the present day by natives, who are peaceable enough, and engage in bêche-de-mer and pearl-shell fishing. ”

“ Under the north-west end of King's Island, near the New Year's Isles. Of this anchorage I know only, besides what is given in the chart, that the brig Harrington there rode out a gale from south-west, the heavy sea being broken off by the New Year's Isles; and the shelter from eastern winds must certainly be much more complete.
2nd. Port Phillip; anchoring just within the entrance, on the south side. When a fair wind comes, a ship can get out of the port by means of the strong tides. ”

“ And at daylight were eight miles from the islands. At nine o'clock, being calm, we anchored to the north of the group, which was named Sir Graham Moore's, in compliment to the gallant admiral then holding a seat at the Admiralty Board. The principal island is more elevated than the rest and has a flat tabular summit: it bore from the anchorage South 19 degrees East three miles and a half. ”

“ The coast is generally clean and sandy, the beach detached and broken into islands. Eastward from the North River lies Long Island, about forty leagues in length, forming a fine wide river, which falls at either end into the ocean, and affording a very convenient passage between the shores which is protected from the dangers of the sea by a great number of good bays and other places of anchorage, so that vessels even in winter can readily pass east and west. ”

“ At 4 we discover'd some low Islands and Rocks bearing West-North-West, which we stood directly for. At half Past 6 we Anchor'd on the North-East side of the Northermost, in 16 fathoms, distant from the Island one Mile. This Isle lay North-West 4 Leagues from Cape Grenville. On the Isles we saw a good many Birds, which occasioned my calling them Bird Isles. Before and at Sunset we could see the Main land, which appear'd all very low and sandy, Extends as far to the Northward as North-West by North, and some Shoals, Keys, and low sandy Isles away to the North-East of us. ”

“ But here again the eastern climate is much more favorable than the western. Although practically all of Newfoundland is south of England, the American island has only six inhabitants per square mile, while the European country has six hundred. To the east of the British Isles the North Sea, the Baltic, and Lakes Ladoga and Onega correspond in striking fashion to the Gulf of St. ”

“ At half-past 3 A.M. weighed in company with H.M.S. Investigator and made sail to northward. At 6 A.M. spoke the Commodore and received orders to keep ahead. A high island we passed this morning south by west distant 12 or 14 miles,* (* North Point Island.) a high short island under our lee north-west by west distant 10 or 11 miles. Long high land on our weather bow north-east by north distant 11 or 12 miles.* (* Percy Islands.) Latitude observed 21 degrees 52 minutes 41 seconds south. ”

“ On embarking to return we could perceive no sign of One Tree Island; and as we swept down towards the sea the leafy top of a tree seen in the clear water under the boat was the only evidence of its existence; though a few hours ago it had formed so prominent an object. ”

“ I do not think they would understand the Thing so well as the People in the Northern Island, but they might be brought to understand it. They are not void of Intelligence, but they are by far an inferior Race, in Appearance and Intelligence, to the Men of the Northern Island. Those Men in the Northern Island are a light Yellow Copper Colour, fine tall Race of Men, very intelligent; those on the South Island are darker and shorter. Are the Capabilities for a Colonization by Europeans as great as in the Northern Island? ”