Family History 4.20

Robinson story

from Robinsons of Rotherhithe by Joanne Robinson

 

 

Landing in Auckland

 

Joshua

Joanne Robinson continues: 

The gentleman Joshua mentions as having drowned at the Manukau Heads was Captain William Cornwallis Symonds. Mrs Hamlin, the missionary’s wife in Waiuku, had asked for a surgeon. As there was none, Captain Symonds set off in a boat from the ship Brilliant accompanied by Mr Adam, two seamen and a Maori. The boat overturned, watched helplessly by those on the Brilliant. Symonds was an excellent and powerful swimmer and put up an excellent fight. He was in the water for an hour and twenty minutes. He was nearly to the shore in a very strong current when he tried to remove his coat and disappeared.

 

 

Joshua continues: 

I have a little outrun my story, but to go back after the anchor dropped and the salute was fired, we expected to have some intimation what we were to do but no-one came to speak to us. Most of the people had gone onshore with their belongings, so I went ashore in the ship’s boat, had a look around. I thought it a miserable looking place, a perfect slough of mud.  The rainy season had just set in, there were houses of all sorts and sizes, a few brick, weatherboard, raupo, nikau, canvas. 

The founding of Auckland

 

The cooking seemed to be done out of doors. The people were a motley lot and but a few women. The people were from Hobart and Sydney, most of them who had come down to the first land sales. The storekeeper seemed the most respectable and government officers.  

As my object in going ashore was not so much to look at the place, as to see the person I was engaged to and to know where I was to take up my quarters and come ashore with my family. After wading through the mud and mire and rain I found the gentleman who received me courteously, and kindly asked what I thought of the place. I told him I felt much disappointed. I then asked him when we were to land. He told me owing to the death of one of the partners and other circumstances, there would be some delay in carrying out their plans, and for the present he could do nothing for me, he could do nothing for himself. 

You may be sure I was terribly disappointed and expressed myself strongly. 

He told me I was in a better position than he was. I had a good trade and would do well. He would speak to the Governor about me. 

I reminded him I had seen some handbill of the Government offering  2s and 2s 6d per day [20-25 cents]. 

 That was for labourers he said, tried to make me believe that I would ultimately be satisfied and be better off than if their project had succeeded.

 

There therefore was nothing for it, being thrown on my own resources but to do the best I could. I succeeded in getting a two roomed weatherboard house, not lined, at 1 pound [$2] per week, one of four houses. You could hear the conversations going on. The petitions were only lined up to the eaves of the roof so that by standing on a chair you could see through the whole range as well as hear.