I was working on the proof of a poem all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again – Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

 

Ian Wedde and others at the Millennium Art Gallery, Blenheim

Salmon Farm decision, Marlborough Sounds

Ship Cove trip, Outer Queen Charlotte Sound

 NZ Poet Laureate Ian Wedde and others

Around 100 people (!) turned up at the Millennium Art Gallery in Blenheim on Friday night to hear NZ Poet Laureate Ian Wedde, John Newton, Cliff Fell (Nelson), and Dinah Hawken talk about their concept of 'Home' and to read from their own work on the subject. Later they each read a poem by a poet of their own choosing. The event was organised by the gallery and the National Library of NZ as part of the poet laureate’s programme. Both Ian Wedde and John Newton were born in Blenheim and shared several poems set around Marlborough. Ian Wedde told a great story about how he dropped a watch belonging to his father, an ivory bracelet which belonged to his mother and a scarf  into the sea off Dieffenbach Point in Queen Charlotte Sound, a fitting place he thought for these personal items to rest. Charlene and Peter Scott from Blenheim Bookworld had poetry books for sale and we were spoilt with Seresin Wine (organic).

Salmon Farm decision

   NZ King Salmon has won approval to build four new salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds. The farms are Ngamahau in Tory Channel, Waitata and Richmond in Pelorus Sound and Papatua in Port Gore. Kaitapeha in Queen Charlotte Sound, Ruaomoko in Tory Channel and Kaitira and Tapipi in Pelorus Sound were turned down. The company expects to have fish in the water by the end of 2015. Appeals can be made by concerned parties, the deadline is 21 March [Marlborough Express 1 March 2013. Also see the comments on p.5, all very diverse and at variance.] Steffan Browning from the Green Party says: ‘The decision sets a dangerous precedent’.

And of course we all know that the Marlborough District Council had these areas off limits in its Sounds Resource Management plan.

Ship Cove Memorial boat trip

   On 10 February I went on a Captain Cook Memorial trip to Ship Cove. It was 100 years since the concrete obelisk memorial was unveiled by Lord Liverpool before a crowd of 2000 on 11 February 1913. This date is recorded on the back of the memorial and in the newspapers of the time. We were a party of 90 and you can’t help wondering where everyone else was on this historic occasion. I had expected a small flotilla of recreational boats as well.

   We left Picton at 8:30am on the Beachcomber. Marlborough historian John Orchard provided commentary accompanied by pictorial images and supplied books from his own collection for passengers to read. Environmental information was given by Robin Cox and Roy Grose from the Department of Conservation.

   Cook spent three months in Tahiti observing the Transit of Venus and later, under secret orders to search for ‘the great southern continent’, he discovered New Zealand. Cook spent between 100-105 days at Ship Cove in total on three separate voyages so this is an important part of New Zealand's maritime history. The Maori name for Ship Cove was Meretoto. Cook found it the ideal place to careen and reprovision his ships and allow the crew to rest, and above all Maori were friendly.

   The first site we visited, Hippa Island is attached to Motuara Island by a narrow stretch of rocks. Cook and his scientists set up an observatory on Hippa Island and there is a marker in place on the island. When Cook arrived in the Endeavour in 1769 he found Maori living on this island as it provided an ideal fortress retreat. We could see Long Island on the starboard side of the boat and further out the Brothers. Cook nearly damaged the Endeavour when he sailed close to the Brothers (and of course it was badly damaged off the northern coast of Australia on the Great Barrier Reef on the way back to England necessitating Cook to find another ship, Resolution, for the next two voyages).

   On the first Voyage Cook spent nearly a month at Ship Cove repairing and provisioning his ship Endeavour and exploring the area in small boats. The scientists collected plants and other information and the artists sketched plants and local Maori.

   Roy Grose informed us that Motuara Island which is now a bird sanctuary was cleared of rats in 1992. It took about three months using bait stations. Now they drop bait from helicopters which takes around three hours. Birds that can be seen on Motuara Island are: Saddleback, kiwi (originally from the West Coast), yellow crowned parakeets and you can  hear bellbirds and tui. Along the path to the summit there are numerous small wooden boxes for housing penguins where they can breed in safety. Though we were told that most had already fledged at that time the group I was with did see one huddled inside a box near the wharf. Radio transmitters attached to young kiwi show how they had grown twice the size in one year. Motuara Island had been burnt off in the past for farming but now the bush is regenerating.

   At the summit of Motuara there is a cairn erected by the then existing Captain Cook Memorial committee. There is also a plaque at the base of the viewing platform. From the top of this there are panoramic views of places visited by Cook. Just before Cook left Motuara he set up a post on the topmost part of Motuara Island and ‘took formal possession of it and the adjacent lands in the name of his Majesty’ (George III). Cook named the sound Queen Charlotte’s Sound after the King’s wife. It is now known as Queen Charlotte Sound. Maori knew it as Totaranui.

   Then we went over to Cannibal Cove (viewed from the water by boat), where Joseph Banks reported in his journal on evidence of cannibalism. Cook was not entirely convinced about this but it troubled his crew.

   Around 1pm we arrived at Ship Cove where passengers were to spend an hour exploring the area, reading the interpretation panels and having lunch but first there was a formal occasion. There were speeches including one by a representative of the Captain Cook Society. He laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Captain Cook in Hawaii on 14 February 1779.  Peter Jerram from the Marlborough District Council made a plea for more attention to be given to the importance of Ship Cove in relation to Cook’s visits. This appeal was followed up later in the Council pages of the Marlborough Express.

    Over 2000 people took part in the ceremony on 11 February 1913 (correct date). Many came by small steamer, some from Wellington including Lord Liverpool who unveiled the monument and others arrived in private recreational boats. A photograph was taken of the original ceremony and a
re-enactment of that photograph was taken and is available now at Langwoods Photo Centre in Blenheim. [(03) 578 8887.]

   We then boarded the Beachcomber and headed over to Arapawa Island. John pointed out Bald Hill and other features of interest. He also provided details about scurvy caused by a lack of Vitamin C and outlined Cook's attempts to solve this problem by collecting greens from the area and brewing beer from rimu leaves, the standard issue to crew was 'a gallon a day'. Some of his solutions were successful, others not but Cook had a very good record for keeping his crew healthy on these long sea voyages.

   On Cook’s Second Voyage 10 crew from the Adventure were killed on 17 December 1773 and their cutter disappeared without trace. The ships of Cook and Furneaux had become separated in a storm. Many people feel the incident would not have taken place if Cook had been there. When the boat crew did not return Lieutenant Burney went the next day with several marines to investigate. They found gruesome evidence of the men’s death. Details can be found in Burney’s log included in the Journals of Captain Cook edited by Beaglehole and probably on the Internet. We disembarked at the wharf at Wharehunga Bay. At the northern end of this bay there is now a campsite.  John Orchard displayed weapons used by Maori at that time, among these were both a greenstone and bone patu, an axe head made of iron with a whalebone handle and John also fired a musket demonstrating the time consuming process of loading this weapon. Others were also invited to fire the musket to the amusement of onlookers.

     It was pointed out that the Sounds Restoration Trust is poisoning pines around the Sounds and dead and dying trees can be seen. We passed Amerikawhiti Island and Kiwi Ranch, once a retreat for airmen who had been badly scarred during WW2 and now a well-used and popular camp.

   We arrived back in Picton at 6pm. I highly recommend this historic trip to everyone. Some of the tourism operators offer a short visit to Ship Cove (half an hour ashore), but there is so much to see and admire in terms of the development of the area and to appreciate the significance of standing where the great explorer Captain James Cook once stood that you really need much longer. Of course another option is to walk the Queen Charlotte Track. Ship Cove is the starting point (and end) of the walk. Ship Cove to Punga Cove is public land and Punga Cove to Anakiwa is a mixture of land tenure so track users need to pay to obtain a pass.

   Let’s hope that John Orchard is named as one of Marlborough’s Living Treasures soon*, and that in future Ship Cove, Motuara Island and other parts of the outer Queen Charlotte Sound will be given the recognition they deserve.

* already honoured in this way are Joy Cowley (author), and Duncan Whiting (Theatre Director). This is a kind of civic honour which we in Marlborough believe is a ‘first’ in New Zealand. 

News flash:

Sunday 17 March

Opening Day for Kaipupu Point Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary, Picton.
Hon Nick Smith, Minister of Conservation will open the Sanctuary. It’s taken seven years to achieve this. Access to the Sanctuary is by boat only and is probably by invitation only. I’ve got mine.

15 March

Sea Shanty evening at the Edwin Fox, Picton. Bookings essential.