Chapter 13

Pito-one

Ngaiti was on deck waiting to board the ship"s boat that would take him ashore. This was the day he would be leaving the Tory and ending his employment with the New Zealand Company. He was saying goodbye to his best friends, Andrew, and a tearful Eleanor. Promises were made to remain in contact, to see each other frequently and not become strangers. Colonel Wakefield, Charles Heaphy, Jerningham Wakefield and Doctor Ernst Dieffenbach, the company"s naturalist, appeared on deck and began descending the ladder to the boat waiting below. Eleanor gave Ngaiti a final sisterly hug and said her emotional goodbyes. After shaking hands with Andrew, Ngaiti hoisted his canvas sack to his shoulder and with a wave climbed over the side.

Andrew and Eleanor watched as the ship"s boat made its way towards the northern shore of Port Nicholson.

"Do you think we shall ever see him again, Andy?"

"I"m sure we will. He knows that Colonel Wakefield intends to build a settlement here and that is where we will live, so he can find us easily enough."

"It is beautiful here, I can see us living happily in a cottage near the foreshore, taking evening walks," she said wistfully. "We can get some animals. And I want us to have pigs, too. I want to cook lovely pork dinners for you. Once we are settled, can we get pigs Andy?"

"Of course, Ellie," He was already salivating. "Do you think this climate will support growing apples?"

On reaching the shore, Te Wharepouri warmly greeted Ngaiti. He had been waiting patiently for the boat"s arrival. After saying farewell to everyone and politely thanking Colonel Wakefield, Ngaiti immediately walked west, around the bay, towards Te Wharepouri"s pa6 at Kaiwharawhara.

True to his word and accompanied by a single waka and warriors, Te Wharepouri guided the group on an extensive tour of the wide valley. They began by heading northwards up the river, then slowly worked their way back down making frequent stops to explore. They traipsed across the valley, from one side to the other, fording small streams and thankfully avoided climbing any hills. Charles Heaphy drew pictures and Jerningham Wakefield, the eighteen-year-old son of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and nephew to William continued to document the day"s activities into his journal. With exuberance, Doctor Dieffenbach enthusiastically studied the fauna and the unusual birds, and at every opportunity he peppered Te Wharepouri with questions about his observations while poor Dickie Barrett struggled to translate the complex inquiries to the doctor"s satisfaction.

Unused to physical exertions, Dickie was exhausted, his feet hurt, and he lost his jovial manner, complaining and grumbling as Te Wharepouri led the group along narrow paths, across grassy meadows and through heavy woods and swamp. They now waited back at the beach for the doctor, who was some distance away, engrossed in observing the antics of an unusual native bird.

Wakefield ambled slowly across the shell-dotted beach along the exposed northernmost shoreline of Port Nicholson, the one Te Wharepouri called Pito-one. His head swivelled this way and that as he marvelled at the beauty of the steep, wooded hills on either side of the valley. There was much to see -he could see the attraction of this rich and fertile land and he could easily imagine this place being inhabited by colonistsand eventually becoming a thriving town.

In England, The New Zealand Company had employed Samuel Cobham, a draughtsman, to prepare a map and design their first planned settlement. Aligned into a neat, orderly grid, the symmetrical streets and facilities of the new township were intended to remind the colonists of England, a perfect model of English society without its faults, or so the advertising brochures indicated. Never having visited New Zealand, Cobham assumed the land was flat and deep harbours were plentiful. It was this settlement that Wakefield was now imagining.

If he closed his eyes he could see gentlemen strolling casually along neat, tree-lined streets that ran parallel to the beach. He could hear the clip-clop of horses carrying merchandise on wagons and carts, competing with the delightful laughter and giggles of playing children. Wakefield turned to the ocean where the vivid image of ships tied to piers unloading goods became clear. He could see it all before him, the hustle of a busy port, so integral to the commercial success of a settlement. It was his intention to develop this thriving township so that it would become the capital city of this frontier land. This was what he and his brother Edward had dreamed of. This would become Britannia and the beginning of Systematic Colonisation.