Chart of Port Pegasus (Stewart Island)
The HMS Herald arrived at Rakiura (Stewart Island) on 4 June, after bad weather prevented the ship from stopping at Otago Heads.
William Stewart, who had joined the crew to guide the ship into Port Pegasus, took over from Captain Joseph Nias and decided to play a trick on him. As Stewart steered toward the rocks, Nias became extremely concerned and yelled in alarm – not knowing Stewart was heading for an invisible passage through to calmer waters. The ship passed through the Broad Passage and anchored at what they called Sylvan Bay, which was near Shipbuilders Cove on the above chart (not to be confused with the more southern Sylvan Cove).
The Herald had arrived at an uninhabited part of Stewart Island, having bypassed the Māori settlements at Paterson Inlet and Ruapuke Island. It is unknown whether this was due to the weather, or because Thomas Bunbury wanted a reason to proclaim sovereignty over the area by right of ‘discovery’, which he did the next day (5 June).
This is a chart of Port Pegasus, which is located at the southern end of Stewart Island. It shows the Broad Passage the Herald entered through, and when the ship departed a few days later, the Narrow Passage it left through.
Archives Reference: ADOE 16621 MW676 Box 1/11B 2542
collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=R21488160
This record is part of #Waitangi175, celebrating 175 years since the signing of of te Tiriti o Waitangi. You can see other real time tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/ArchivesNZ), or explore the Waitangi 175 album here on Flickr.
Material from Archives New Zealand
Caption information from Claudia Orange, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’ and T.Lindsay Buick, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’
Chart of Port Pegasus (Stewart Island)
The HMS Herald arrived at Rakiura (Stewart Island) on 4 June, after bad weather prevented the ship from stopping at Otago Heads.
William Stewart, who had joined the crew to guide the ship into Port Pegasus, took over from Captain Joseph Nias and decided to play a trick on him. As Stewart steered toward the rocks, Nias became extremely concerned and yelled in alarm – not knowing Stewart was heading for an invisible passage through to calmer waters. The ship passed through the Broad Passage and anchored at what they called Sylvan Bay, which was near Shipbuilders Cove on the above chart (not to be confused with the more southern Sylvan Cove).
The Herald had arrived at an uninhabited part of Stewart Island, having bypassed the Māori settlements at Paterson Inlet and Ruapuke Island. It is unknown whether this was due to the weather, or because Thomas Bunbury wanted a reason to proclaim sovereignty over the area by right of ‘discovery’, which he did the next day (5 June).
This is a chart of Port Pegasus, which is located at the southern end of Stewart Island. It shows the Broad Passage the Herald entered through, and when the ship departed a few days later, the Narrow Passage it left through.
Archives Reference: ADOE 16621 MW676 Box 1/11B 2542
collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=R21488160
This record is part of #Waitangi175, celebrating 175 years since the signing of of te Tiriti o Waitangi. You can see other real time tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/ArchivesNZ), or explore the Waitangi 175 album here on Flickr.
Material from Archives New Zealand
Caption information from Claudia Orange, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’ and T.Lindsay Buick, ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’