Gannet Safari – Map 1971

the
Gannet Safari
HISTORICAL MAP OF THE FACT & FABLE SERIES
Compiled by Lt: Col. R.M. Bell M.B.E, E.D.
10th OCT. 1971.
Scale 1″ = 1 Mile.

CAPT. JAMES COOK
FIRST OFF NAPIER,
15TH OCT. 1769

HAWKE BAY (PROCLAIMED PROVINCE OF HAWKE’S BAY, 1 NOV. 1858)
NAMED BY CAPT. COOK IN HONOUR OF SIR EDWARD HAWKE
FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY 1766-1771

THE THREE GANNETRIES ARE AT THE CAPE, THE PLATEAU AND THE BLACK REEF.

THESE ARE THE ONLY MAINLAND GANNETRIES IN THE WORLD, AND TOTAL APPROX. 3,600 PAIRS IN 1963. THE BIRDS COMMENCE TO ARRIVE AFTER THE FULL MOON IN JULY, NESTING STARTS ABOUT MID AUGUST. THE NESTS ARE IN COLONIES FOR MUTUAL PROTECTION, BUT INDIVIDUAL NESTS ARE SITED PECKING DISTANCE APART.

OLDER BIRDS APPEAR TO NEST IN THE CENTRE, WITH YOUNGER BIRDS ON THE PERIMETER. A SINGLE EGG IS LAID IN SEPT. TO OCT. AND IS, AT FIRST, A PALE GREEN CHALKY COLOUR TURNING LATER TO BROWN. BOTH BIRDS TAKE TURNS TO INCUBATE THE EGG.

FIRST CHICKS APPEAR IN DECEMBER AND MAY BE SEEN IN ALL STAGES TO LATE FEB. FROM MARCH TO APRIL THEY LEARN TO FLY AND LEAVE THE GANNETRY.

RESEARCH IN 1950 INDICATED THEY USUALLY FLY NORTH ALONG THE EAST COAST AND AROUND NORTH CAPE BEFORE CROSSING THE TASMAN, 1,700 MILES TO AUSTRALIA.

ONE OF THE FASTEST CROSSINGS RECORDED 1,700 MILES IN 7 DAYS, AN AVERAGE OF 240 MILES A DAY, BUT EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE TIME.

THE BIRDS REMAIN OVERSEAS, UNTIL ABOUT THREE YEARS OLD AND THEN RETURN TO THESE GANNETRIES. CASUALTY RATES ARE PROBABLY VERY HIGH TO SURVIVE TWO CROSSINGS OF THE TASMAN.

THE GANNET (SULA BASSANA SERRATOR) OR AUSTRALIAN GANNET.

THE GANNET IS A MEMBER OF THE BOOBY FAMILY. IT WEIGHS 5-6 LBS, IS ABOUT THREE FEET LONG, WITH A WING SPAN OF SIX FEET.

IT IS WHITE IN COLOUR, WITH A HEAD AND NECK OF BUFF GOLD.

REAR WING AND CENTRAL TAIL FEATHERS ARE BLACK, THE BILL IS GREYISH-BLUE.

IT FEEDS ON SHOALING FISH, SUCH AS MACKEREL, MULLET, GARFISH OR SQUID.

DIVING FROM ABOUT 60 FT., IT HITS THE WATER AT ABOUT 90 mph, GOING DOWN SOME 10-15 FT TO CATCH ITS FISH AND OFTEN EATS IT UNDER WATER.

THE AVERAGE LIFE SPAN APPEARS TO BE ABOUT 16 YRS, ALTHOUGH CONSIDERABLY OLDER BIRDS HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

THE BLACK BACKED GULLS (LARUS DOMINICANUS) PREDATOR OF THE GANNETRIES.

THESE GULLS PATROL THE NESTING AREAS, FEEDING ON GANNET REGURGITATIONS AND TAKING EGGS FROM UNATTENDED NESTS, EVEN REMOVING THE EGGS FROM STANDING GANNETS DURING THE GREETING CEREMONY. PATROLLING BY TWO TO TWENTY GULLS IS AT A PEAK AT DAWN AND DUSK.

THERE ARE FOUR MAJOR BLACK BACKED GULL COLONIES WITHIN A RADIUS OF 30 MILES.

AT AHURIRI LAGOON, NGARURORO RIVER, BARE AND KARAMEA ISLANDS. ESTIMATED IN 1963 AS APPROXIMATELY 1,800 PAIRS.

AS YET THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A DEPRESSING EFFECT ON THE GANNETRIES.

CAPE KIDNAPPERS – TE MATAU-A-MAUI.

THIS WAS THE “FISHHOOK OF MAUI” AND WAS THE JAWBONE OF HIS GRANDMOTHER MURIRANGI WHENUA WITH WHICH HE PULLED UP THE NORTH ISLAND OUT OF THE SEA.

NAMED CAPE KIDNAPPERS BY CAPT. COOK, WHEN ON 15 OCT. 1769 – AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE BY LOCAL MAORIS TRADING FROM CANOES TO CAPTURE, TAYETO, SHIPS BOY AND INTERPRETER ON THE ENDEAVOUR.

KAIAERO MEANS “TONGUE FOOD” A LEGEND OF MAORI REVENGE
ALSO SUCCULENT PIPIS FOUND HERE

BAY VIEW PREVIOUSLY PETANE (BETHANY)

KAHUNGUNU AND HIS FATHER TAMATEA (THE GREAT NAVIGATOR) STAYED HERE ABOUT 1450.

ROTO-O-KURI IHO-O-TE REI
OLD MOUTH OF THE TUTAEKURI RIVER

QUARANTINE ISLAND 1850-60’S

PARA PA RA (QUARRY)

KETE KETE RAU “THE PLACE OF SURPRISES” WHERE TARA (SON OF WHATONGA) HEARD HIS PUTORINO (WAR BUGLE) BEING SOUNDED AT WAIROA ABOUT 1200 A.D.

TE WHANGANUI-O-ROTO
AHURIRI LAGOON

MEANS A “FIERCE RUSHING OF WATER”, ALSO NAME OF CHIEF TU AHURIRI WHO DUG OUT THE KETE KETE RAU CHANNEL AND RELEASED THE FLOODED WATERS AROUND THE INNER HARBOUR ABOUT 16-1700 A.D.

FIRST CHARTED BY LIEUT. MCDONNELL R.N. 1834
J S POLACK TRADED HERE 1836
CAPT TRENT SURVEYED HARBOUR 1837

TAPUTERANGI
THE WATCHMAN
GOAT ISLAND

KAHUNGUNU AND TAMATEA STAYED HERE ABOUT 1450 A.D.

TRADE TO WELLINGTON COMMENCED 1841- INNER HARBOUR – IRON POT USED TILL ABOUT 1885

THE IRON POT NAME GIVEN BY TASMANIAN WHALERS

WAIROA 42 SEA MILES

GISBORNE 100 SEA MILES

BREAKWATER HARBOUR COMMENCED 25 JAN 1887
EARTHQUAKE 3 FEB, 1931 RAISED HARBOUR BED 8FT
1971 – 6 BERTHS FOR OVERSEAS SHIPPING DREDGED TO 30FT.
FACILITIES FOR ROLL ON, ROLL OFF AND CONTAINERS BEING CONSTRUCTED.

TE PAKEKE
FAMOUS ISLAND FORT SUCCESSFULLY ATTACKED BY 1,000 WAIKATO WAR PARTY 1824
CHIEFS TE HAPUKA, TE MOANANUI AND TE MATENGA TAKEN PRISONER.

BATTERY POINT

PANDORA POINT

NAPIER –  KNOWN TO THE MAORI AS MATARUAHOU

FIRST KNOWN AS SCINDE ISLAND, NAMED AFTER SIR CHARLES NAPIER
VICTOR OF BATTLE OF MEEANEE, IN SCINDE, INDIA, 17 FEB. 1843
TOWN LAID OUT BY COMMISSIONER OF CROWN LANDS, ALFRED DOMETT 1855
GARRISONED BY BRITISH TROOPS (65th – 14th – 70th & 12th REGTS) 1858-67

ROUTE OF THE GANNET SAFARI
INITIATED BY HAWKE’S BAY MOTOR CO. LTD
OCTOBER 1968
DISTANCE 25 MILES FROM NAPIER

UPOKO POITO (THE SEA OF BOBBING HEADS)
THE PLACE WHERE TE WHATUIAPITI DEFEATED A SUPERIOR FLEET OF HIS ENEMIES WITH THE AID OF SUPERNATURAL POWER FROM KAHURANAKI

TE AUMIHI.   AN EERIE WEIRD LIKE WAIL COMING ACROSS THE SEA FROM THE NORTH AND DYING AWAY TOWARDS CAPE KIDNAPPERS. HEARD AT NIGHT AND GREATLY FEARED BY THE OLD MAORIS AS PORTENDING SUDDEN DEATH, POSSIBLY CAUSED BY A DIAGONAL WAVE.

TUTAEKURI RIVER (MEEANEE RIVER)

SITE OF AWATOTO FAMOUS FIGHTING PA
ITS STONE WALLS WITHSTOOD MANY SEIGES
ON ONE OCCASION ATTACKING PARTY ERECTED FOUR SWINGS TO SWING THEMSELVES OVER THE WALLS, BUT EACH WARRIOR WAS KILLED BEFORE HIS COMPANION COULD GET IN AND THE PA WAS SUCCESSFULLY HELD.

SITE OF TE AWAPUNI – MAORI PA

SITE OF WAITANGI MISSION STATION
ESTABLISHED BY REV. WILLIAM COLENSO
30 DEC. 1844 ON 10 ACRES OF LAND

WAIPUREKU TRADING POST SET UP HERE
ALEXANDER & BURTON 1850 AND FOR AWHILE NEARLY AS IMPORTANT AS NAPIER BECAUSE WOOL BROUGHT DOWN THE RIVER WAS LOADED HERE
FERRY REPLACED BY BRIDGE IN 1867
AFTER GREAT FLOODS OF 1893 & 1897 – 10 MEN DROWNED – CLIVE LOST ITS IMPORTANCE

H.M.S. HERALD ANCHORED HERE 23 JUNE 1840
OBTAINING SIGNATURES FOR THE TREATY OF WAITANGI (SIGNED 6 FEB 1840)

CLIVE
SITE OF FORT LAMBERT ARMED CONSTABULARY DEPOT AT FRESH WATER SPRING 1860-70’s

NGARURORO (PLASSEY RIVER)
MAORI MEANING “THE RIVER RIPPLING WITH SHOALS OF FISH” (KAHAWHAI) [KAHAWAI]

WHAKATU

PAKIAKA BUSH
LAST MAORI INTER TRIBAL FIGHT BETWEEN TE HAPUKA AND TE MOANANUI 18 AUG 1857

HAUMOANA – “SEA BREEZE”

TE AWANGA SITE OF OLD WHALING STATION OF BURDON FAMILY
IN 1840 WHALE OIL FETCHED £40 TON AND WHALE BONE £280 TON

TE AWANGA WANGA A TE HAWEA
“THE PLACE WHERE HAWEA RECOVERED FROM HIS WOUNDS.”

TUKI TUKI RIVER
(RIVER ALMA)
THE TUKI TUKI RIVER WAS THE PRINCIPAL INLAND ROUTE INTO CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY AND WAS USED BY INVADING WAR PARTIES UNDER FAMOUS WARRIORS SUCH AS – PAREIHE.

IT WAS USED EXTENSIVELY BY EARLY SETTLERS 1839-60’s IN 1853 COST OF FREIGHT BY CANOE OF 12CWT. WAS s14 FROM CLIVE TO WAIPUKURAU AND COULD TAKE UP TO THREE WEEKS. WOOL SENT DOWNSTREAM FROM WAUTUKAI, NEAR PATANGATA CONSISTED OF FOUR POCKETS OF WOOL FOR A CANOE LOAD.

AT THE INVASION OF HAWKE’S BAY BY TARAIA ABOUT 1500AD ALL THIS COUNTRY AND TO THE SOUTH WAS GIVEN TO TE AOMATARAHI TO CONQUER.

WILD PIGEONS IN VALLEYS.

TWO COLONIES OF BLACK BACKED GULLS ON CLIFFS.

WHITE FRONTED TERN NESTS HERE

THE BLACK REEF GANNETRY
APPROX. 900 PAIRS IN 1963

THE ORIGINAL CAPE GANNETRY
COMMENCED ABOUT 1850, HENRY HILL REPORTED UNDER 50 BIRDS IN 1879
1970 APPROX. 2,300 PAIRS.

LIGHTHOUSE

THE PLATEAU GANNETRY
460 PAIRS IN 1963

SUMMERLEE STATION 5,300 ACRES
PURCHASED BY COLONEL W. NEILSON IN 1925

RANGAIIKA WHALING STATION
OWNED BY MORRIS IN 1848 WITH THREE BOATS AND 20 MEN

CLIFTON STATION
ORGINALLY 13,500 ACRES TAKEN UP BY J.G. GORDON IN 1861 – STOCKED WITH MERINO SHEEP – LINCOLN SHEEP INTRODUCED IN 1881 – ROMNEY SHEEP IN 1890

MARAETOTARA STREAM TROUT FISHING

749’   WHAKAPAU
SITE OF OLD FIGHTING PA

864’   MATARAU
EVIDENCE THAT MOA HUNTERS LIVED HERE IN 10TH CENTURY
DECENDENTS OF TOI HERE ABOUT 1150 A.D.

Copyright © R.M. Bell.   HF