Steam Arrives On The Manukau

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Below is an extract from "Wing Of The Manukau", by T.B. (Brian) Byrne, providing a detailed account of the arrival of the first steamship to sail on the Manukau Harbour.

SS "Nelson" sailed from London in November 1853 and arrived in Nelson on 5 March 1854 to commence a service between the main coastal ports.

The maiden voyage commenced in mid-May, "Nelson" crossing Cook Strait from her home port under the guidance of Captain Edward Martin to take on members of the

General Assembly, heading to Auckland to attend the opening of New Zealand's first Parliament. Among them was Henry Sewell, the Colonial Treasurer, whose

account commences as the ship sets sail from New Plymouth on 21 May 1854.

I have tried in vain to contact Brian Byrne, author and copyright holder of "Wing Of The Manukau", to secure permission to publish the below.

If there are any objections to it appearing here, please contact me (refer the home page) and I will remove the page soonest.

Up with our Anchor and off again for Manukau. Manukau, you must know, is a harbour on the West Coast with a very bad reputation, so bad that it is not generally used. It is close to Auckland, which lies on the East side of a narrow neck of land not six miles wide, Auckland Harbour being on the East and Manukau on the West. But Manukau is dangerous - till lately unknown.

Captain Drury of the "Pandora" has recently surveyed it and pronounces it perfectly accessible. We had a copy of his Chart with proper sailing directions, and the Captain resolved if possible to make it the first Steamer to enter it.

We started from Taranaki about half past ten - beautiful weather, smooth water and hardly any wind, so we got a night's rest. Morning came, bright warm sunshine.

We were off the Coast which stretched away on our right - successions of head lands amongst which we speculated as to the whereabouts of Manukau Heads. We expected the Pilot to be on the look out for us according to specific instructions, but none made his appearance.

About three in the afternoon (we) found ourselves off the Heads - a couple of bold headlands with a Channel opening into a wide basin, but all about were formidable reefs and bars over which the Sea broke alarmingly, even in such smooth water.

One could well account for the terrors of the place. Heaven protect the poor vessel caught on such a shore with a heavy westerly gale. One or two vessels have been wrecked there.

No pilot. We grow savage - we cannot venture in without, and we must lay all night off and on. The Captain will not venture to take her in himself with the light failing. What if a westerly gale should

spring up in the night?

But the night is calm, the water smooth, and we see no prognostications of change. So we go below to await the morning light when the Captain will go in by himself. A still, easy night - hardly a breath of air - the Sea goes down; nothing could be better so far as it went.

Morning came (Tuesday, 23 May) - a thick bank of fog was rolloing out of the mouth of the Harbour, obscuring everything and obliterating all points necessary for marking the course. We were obliged to wait till the fog cleared off about ten o'clock and then in we went, through an open channel about a mile wide between frightful reefs over which the Sea broke.

We were, however, perfectly safe; but we could well understand how it is the Harbour gets so bad a name. In truth, in fine weather, with an experienced Pilot, there is no danger, but an ignorant man in bad weather had better be anywhere else.

Nevertheless, Manukau will become an important place. It is at least three days nearer to Taranaki and Nelson, and two days nearer to Wellington than Auckland itself; and the terrors of the approach only exist so long as there is want of experience and good pilotage.

The opening of Manukau Harbour is not unlikely to affect Auckland slightly, carrying a good deal of the business over to the West Coast. To the Settlement in general it will be a great gain, shortening the distance between Auckland and the other Settlements wonderfully. This and Steam communication will make it moderately accessible.

The Channel through the headlands may be three or four miles in length - then we open a wide half harbour, half lagoon. Edging along the Northern

coast line is a deep channel, navigable nearly up to Onehunga, the head of the Harbour.

The scenery remarkable and novel - instead of the Mountains closing in and overhanging as in other New Zealand Harbours, it is all wide and open. Some high lands here and there and tops of distant Mountains, but the main feature is breadth and expanse.

The tide ran out as we steamed up and left a swamplike flat over which was a canopy of grey English-looking sky. Several remarkable hills - extinct volcanoes (which are characteristics of Auckland) were near about us, looking like natural pyramids.

Wanting the regular Pilot we took on board the Master of a small craft lying at Anchor. Several Maori boats were crossing at various points, indicating traffic, but in general the air of the Harbour was deserted. Steam will soon change its character.

The tide falling, we were obliged to drop Anchor a mile or so from the village of Onehunga (one of the Pensioner villages) at the head of the Harbour. No sign of boats or the smallest assistance was visible. Nothing but the Ships' boats to land us.

(We) started in the Captain's boat and made for land, but the water shallowed. We dodged about here and there for a landing place, and at last managed to get the boat within twenty yards of the shore. There was no help for it but to put off shoes and stockings and wade to land.

Poor Captain Rhodes, an old skipper, a Wellington man, large and elderly, saluted his Mother Earth before he came to dry land, and rose dripping and bemoaning himself.

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