The effects of the war were felt in Auckland in various ways. At first there was confusion and consternation among the inhabitants, which feelings were allayed by the arrival of troops and the passing of the danger of invasion. Notwithstanding the business and commerce of the city continued to increase. At the conclusion of the war a reaction set in, and distress through unemployment became acute, especially among newly-arrived immigrants. The population of the city at the census taken in December, 1861, was 7989 persons, and three years later had grown to 12,423, a very large increase in so short a time. The rush to the Otago goldfields, however, began to draw numbers of the population south, and the removal of the seat of Government, in 1865, was responsible for the loss of the Government officers and civil servants. During the two following years, 1866 and 1867, most of the Imperial regiments which had taken part in the Maori wars returned to England, taking with them their wives and families, further reducing the population. The last of the troops to leave Auckland was the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment, which departed at the beginning of 1870. The survivors of this regiment hold a reunion annually in Auckland on July 4th, the anniversary of their arrival in New Zealand. By 1867 the inhabitants had decreased to 11,153. Auckland was passing through a bad period, while its rival on the Cook Straits, and Dunedin and Christchurch were progressing rapidly.
The record of the banks which opened business in this period shows clearly the progress which the city was making. In 1861 two new banks began operations. The Bank of New South Wales was opened in Shortland Street on 11th June, and continued to carry on the business of the branch of the Oriental Bank Corporation, which had been established in the city some years previously. On February 21st, 1884, the building in Queen Street was opened, where the business is still carried on. The architects were Messrs. Armson, Collins and Lloyd, of Christchurch, and the contractor Mr. Philcox, of Auckland. The building cost £11,500. The Bank of New Zealand, an entirely local concern, commenced business on 16th October. A contemporary newspaper emphasised this aspect, and stated that the business was being conducted “with colonial capital, with colonial shareholders ... and with colonial customers in every city and province of New Zealand vitally interested in its success.” The initial capital was £500,000. Mr. A. Kennedy, formerly manager of the New Zealand Banking Company and of the Union Bank of Australia, was its first manager. The original premises were in Queen Street, near Durham Street East, formerly occupied by T. S. Forsaith. The building now used was opened towards the end of 1867, and ranks as one of the finest examples of architecture in the city. The architect was Mr. Leonard Terry, of Melbourne, and the builder was Mr. R. Dickson. Mr. Richard Keals was supervising architect. The first twenty-five years of the bank’s history were years of prosperity. A strained situation was revealed in 1887, and for the next seven years the bank underwent a series of reverses, ending in the loss of the whole of the capital and reserves and one-third of the reserve liability. In 1894 the Government came to the rescue of the bank, and since then its progress has been well maintained, and it now occupies an assured position. The head office is now in Wellington; there is, of course, a London office, and, in addition to branches everywhere in New Zealand, there are offices in Australia, Fiji and Samoa. Three years later, 1864, two other banks made their advent. One of them, the Bank of Auckland, was another local undertaking, which did not meet with the success that the Bank of New Zealand was to experience. It was opened for business in the premises formerly occupied by the Union Bank in Shortland Street, but collapsed at the end of March, 1867. The other was an Australian company, the Bank of Australasia, which opened its head branch in New Zealand here, occupying premises in Shortland Street adjoining the Post Office. Later it removed to Queen Street, where it still carries on business.
Another indication of the growing business prosperity of Auckland was shown in the establishment of the New Zealand Fire and Marine Insurance Company, which came into existence on May 26th, 1859, as the result of the enterprise of some of Auckland’s leading business men. The original capital was £100,000, which was guaranteed by the first shareholders, in sums of from £2000 to £5000. To detail the history of this concern, which has grown to world-wide dimensions, would necessitate more space than could be afforded; but it is worth relating that its first office was located at the corner of Shortland and Queen Streets in premises known as Fraser’s Buildings. From 1871 till 1915 the business of the company was carried on in a two-storeyed building, over which was erected a clock tower, which became quite a feature of Queen Street. In the latter year this building was demolished, and upon its site was erected the present handsome edifice of seven storeys. Mr. W. H. Gummer, A.R.I.B.A., was the architect, and Messrs. Grevatt and Sons the contractors. The building cost £110,000.
The shipbuilding industry of Auckland appears to have commenced somewhere in the late ’forties, but the records of this interesting subject are either negligible or non-existent. Amongst the earliest boatbuilders mention must be made of Messrs. Henry Niccol, Holmes Bros., Alex. Duthie, Wm. J. Brown, Captain McCoy, and Mr. Stone, whose yards seem to have been kept busy. To the latter belongs the credit of building the first steamboat in New Zealand, which was launched at Freeman’s Bay on December 24th, 1851. She was named (contrary to her sex) Governor Wynyard. Her dimensions were as follows: Length over all, 60 feet; beam, 13 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 6 feet; burthen, 43 tons; draught of water with engines and fuel, 2 feet 6 inches. She was propelled by two steeple engines of 4 horse-power each. The designers were Messrs. Stone and Gardiner, the engine being constructed by Mr. Bourne. The steamer made her first trip to Panmure on January 19th, 1852, in very trying weather, and acquitted herself satisfactorily to all concerned. She developed a speed of eight knots. From a commercial point of view the boat was not a success, and was sold later in that year to a Melbourne firm. On the Yarra she proved a great “moneymaker,” as she earned as much as £80 in a day.
Auckland, 1876
Showing Fort Britomart in course of demolition
W. C. Wilson, delt.
At what date Mr. Niccol commenced his business the writer has not been able to find out, but he was engaged on shipbuilding in the ’fifties, during which period he built a vessel named the Moa. He also constructed a number of vessels for Australian owners and for the proprietors of the Circular Saw Line. One of the boats belonging to the latter, of which we have knowledge, was the barque Novelty, which was launched from Mr. Niccol’s yard, Mechanics Bay, on 11th October, 1862. She was the largest vessel built in Auckland up to that time—a record which still holds in local shipbuilding, as far as the writer’s knowledge obtains. Her dimensions were: Length over all, 147 feet; beam, 27 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 14 feet 9 inches; registered tonnage, 376 tons. The christening of the vessel was performed by Miss Macfarlane, daughter of one of the owners, in traditional fashion, and the event, as befitted its importance, was celebrated by a banquet. The Novelty was a well-designed and faithfully-built vessel, and did good service for her owners. She did the voyage from Auckland to Sydney in five days.
No sketch of Auckland’s shipping history would be complete without some reference, however brief, to the Circular Saw Line, which was established by Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, two of Auckland’s pioneers. Mr. Henderson arrived in New Zealand in 1842, and some years later he was joined by Mr. Macfarlane. About 1846 they established a timber business at Henderson, and later erected a mill there. Among the places to which they exported kauri was Mauritius, the vessels which took the timber returning with cargoes of sugar. It may have been this enterprise which encouraged them to establish the fleet some time in the ’fifties. Commencing with the brig Spenser, Mr. Henderson made the first trip to Melbourne. While there he purchased the schooner Will o’ the Wisp, and established the inter-colonial trade. The brigs (of which class of vessel he owned six) and barques (of which no fewer than fifteen flew the flag of this line) were employed in the inter-colonial and ’Frisco services. The schooners, numbering fourteen, did the Island trade. Before the dissolution of the line in 1875, four steamers were added to the fleet, which were bought from the Panama Company. These vessels were placed in the New Zealand coastal service, plying from Onehunga.
In the ’fifties and ’sixties there were a number of cutters and schooners, owned and manned by Maoris, which traded between Auckland and various ports on the East Coast, sailing as far south as the Bay of Plenty. White traders also participated in the coastal trade, amongst whom was Mr. H. J. Wadham, stevedore, of Auckland, who owned a number of fine vessels, drawings of which have recently been presented to the Old Colonists’ Museum.
During the first two or three decades of the port’s history, most of the shipping was by sail, and as the movements of these sailers were erratic, a continuous record is a rather difficult matter. With the advent of steam in the ’fifties, and its development in the following years, a more satisfactory account is possible.