Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, the great harbour of Tara, Wellington Harbour, Port Nicholson, Poneke.
Tara was a son of the Polynesian explorer Whatonga whose descendants lived in the area. Māori tradition tells that Kupe first discovered the harbour when he visited in the 10th century. There are a number of places within the harbour whose names commemorate Kupe; Te Tangihanga o Kupe or Te Raranga o Kupe (Barrett Reef) and Te Aroaro o Kupe or Te Ure of Kupe (Steeple Rock). Kupe also named the two islands within the harbour; Mākaro (Ward) and Matiu (Somes).
Legend tells that the harbour itself was once a lake in habited by
two taniwha (guardian spirits). Whātaitai and Ngake. Whātaitai lived in the
north of the lake where the harbour now is and the water was calmer, like his
nature. Ngake, lived further south and was a little more cantankerous. He didn’t
like being confined to the lake and could hear the waters of Raukawa Moana (Cook
Strait) pounding to the south. He decided he would escape to reach the tumultuous
sea. To gather speed he spun around at the north of the lake and headed off
rapidly to the south, where he crashed into and through the rocks at Te Turanga
o Kupe (Seatoun) and headed out in to the pounding sea. Whātaitai watched and
then tried to follow Ngake but instead of taking the same route he chose a
different path. The water was rushing out of the lake into the sea by this time
and Whātaitai hadn’t built up as much speed as Ngake. He got stuck on the sand
and stayed there for many generations until he was lifted high onto the land by
a great earthquake. His soul left in the form of a bird Te Keo and flew high
above the harbour and wept for the taniwha. Today the suburbs on the hills
immediately below Tangi Te Keo (Mt Victoria) is named Hataitai.
European settlement began in earnest in 1840. It was into this harbour that two branches of my family sailed after four months at sea, The Coopers in 1841 and the Barratts in 1842. We used to joke that they had got blown in the harbour by a good southerly and couldn’t get back out. Turns out it could have been true. In Jenny Robin Jones’ book “No Simple Passage”, the London, arriving in May 1842 with my Barratt ancestors on board was in sight of land but had to turn back and sail away to ride out or avoid a storm.
The New Zealand Company led by Edward Gibbon Wakefield bought from Te Atiawa chief Te Wharepouri around 160,000 acres. Known as the Port Nicholson Purchase. This was 90% of the land surrounding the harbour. The remaining 10% known as the Wellington Tenths was seat aside for Maori and today more than 4500 descendants of the original "tenths" owners have their interests in the land managed by the Wellington Tenths Trust. Settlers were allocated two properrty lots; an acre in the township and another back country block worth £1 per acre. Maybe this is why I have often found my ancestors on two electoral rolls at the same time - once against their "town" address and additionally at an address outside the outskists of the main part of town. Unsurprisingly many were not happy with their share, apportioned sight unseen - and if you know Wellington, most likely not flat or arable !
Samuel Cooper was a tailor, his son John followed him into the same trade and had business premises on Lambton Quay next to the Eagle Tavern at one time. A couple of John's brothers ventured into the soda manufacturing business. Thomas reputedly was the first in Wellington to establish such a business. Another brother Frederick established a plant nursery and Cooper's Seeds. He was possibly assisted in this enterprise by his brother James who had a similar set up in Invercargill. Importing plants from Australia. DNA suggests this link, I have yet to confirm it. Their cousin Frederick Stagg ran a grocery business on Lambton Quay.
Wellington certainly gets some wicked weather and is the brunt of non-Wellingtonian’s jokes. I imagine my ancestors wondered on some days why they had chosen to come to such an inhospitable place. But then there are those great days, the harbour is like a millpond, the breeze just a gentle zephyr…You can’t beat Wellington on a good day.
Coolest little capital in the world.
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