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.
