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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

Parua Bay

Parua Bay.

Parua Bay. This district has been settled for many years. Its scenery is perhaps unequalled for peculiarity of features and ever changing beauties. This advantage and the wonderful climate which it enjoys must in time make it a seaside resort. Through its proximity to the ocean, it escapes both the severe frost of winter and the extreme heat of summer prevalent further inland. The bay abounds in fish, chiefly mullet and schnapper, There is little, if any, cultivation of grain for export, but maize, wheat, and oats are grown for home consumption for horse and fowl food. A beginning has lately been made to grow vines for wine making, and the soil and climate are favourable for semi-tropical fruits, lemons especially flourishing in sheltered situations. Ti-tri firewood is shipped to Auckland to a small extent. Gold prospects have been obtained in many places and in some parts quartz-reefs crop out, but nothing payable has been proved. Manganese was formerly obtained largely, but has not been worked for many years. Mr. P. B. Le Clerc has commenced ostrich farming at Patana, and the industry is likely to be taken up largely in the north.

Hoisting The Flag At Grahamtown School

Hoisting The Flag At Grahamtown School

The Parua No. 2 School , four and a half miles from Grahamtown school, was formerly worked at half-time with the Kirikiri school. It is one of the oldest schools in the district. The building has accemmodation for thirty scholars, and is situated on an acre of play-ground, planted with pine trees. The roll numbers sixteen with an upward tendency. Miss V. Kingsford is the teacher.

The Grahamtown Public School is situated at the top of Grahamtown Hill and about four and a half miles from Parua No. 2 school. It was erected in 1893, is a one-roomed building with porch, capable of holding thirty children, and is surrounded by a play-ground of two acres. There is also an education reserve of about twelve acres in connection with the school. The roll numbers twenty, with a steadily increasing attendance.

Miss Violet Kingsford, Teacher of the Grahamtown and Parua No. 2 schools, attends to them on alternate days. She took up her duties in July, 1897, and formerly had charge of the Owhiwa school.

The Settlers' Club was formed in October, 1895. The committee consists of five members, with Mr. D. Davidson as see retary. The object of the club is to meet monthly in the Parua Bay Public Hall to discuss matters of general interest, social, political, agricultural, etc., and to afford interchange of ideas on matters affecting the welfare of the settlers.

Davidson, Daniel, Settler, Kohinui, Parua Bay. Mr. Davidson's homestead has an area of fifty-four acres of freehold land fronting the bay. The soil is very suitable for the cultivation of oranges and lemons, the “St. Michael” variety of oranges doing best. Mr. Davidson also grazes a few cattle and horses. He was born in Sydney in 1862 and sent to Scotland at an early age to receive his education at Hamilton Academy. Mr. Davidson returned to Sydney in 1883 and was in business there for four years prior to coming to Auckland in 1887. He page 555 then purchased his present property. Mr. Davids actsas Government meterorological observer and is an amateur photographer.

Robinson, Thomas Edward, Settler, Walparera, Parua Bay. Mr. Robinson was born in Guernsey in 1862, and came out to Auckland in 1865, with his parents in the “Andrew Jackson.” The family went to Onehunga, but moved to Taiharuru in 1867. After spending over five years in that locality, they removed to Parua Bay and in 1894 took up their present property at Walparera. Mr. Robinson confines his energies in a great measure to poultry raising with a view to egg-production for the Auckland markets. The land being formerly a swamp but now thoroughly drained, the soil is very rich and well adapted for grape growing, Mr. Robinson is trying lemon culture, which also bids fair to succeed. He is a good artist in oils and an excellent amateur photographer.

Parua Bay.

Parua Bay.

Woodlands, Parua Bay, is a farm of some 500 acres situated In a pleasant valley. The homestead and other farm bullings are picturesquely placed near the main road. The present owner, Mr. H. L. Squires, purchased the property in 1895 from Mr. S. A. Miller, who removed to the Waikato. The land extends on both sides of the creek for nearly two miles and is partly sown in permanent grass. There is a good orchard, which has been recently extended. The schoolhouse site given by Mr. Miller is on the property.

Mr. Horace Lyne Squires, residing at “Woodlands,” is a native of Liverpool, Lanneashire, where he was born in 1840, and is the son of Dr. Richard Squires, M.B.,M.R.C.S. (Eng.). He came to Otago in 1861 and was engaged in farming and stock raising, first at Tokomairiro and later at Mataura. In 1870, he removed to Lawrence (Tuapeka), where he carried on business as a conveyaneer under the Land Transfer Act, accountant in bankruptey, land and insurance agent, and was also largely interested in mining pursuits. In 1878 Mr. Squires returned with his family to England to supervise an extensive estate in North Wales, the property of his uncle, Mr. Joseph Evans, J.P., D.L., on whose death subsequently, in 1889, the estates were sold. Mr. Squires then became a director of the colliery firm of Rich and Evans and Company. Ltd.—a large concern with an output of about 1,250,000 tons of coal per annum. In 1895, he retired from the board in favour of his elder brother, who had returned from Otago for this purpose. Mr. Squires' family accompanled him back to the Colony in 1895, and in December of the same year, he purchased his present home from Mr. S. A. Miller. He married in 1864 the eldest daughter of Mr. John Dewe, Resident Magistrate of Tokomairiro, Otago.

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Captain Donald MacLeod, who was well known in Auckland as a successful Islands trader, was born in Nova Seotia in 1844, and died at Noumea in 1894. His early life was spent assisting his father on his farm, in 1857, the family came to New Zealand per ship “Breadalbane,” arriving in Auckland. When quite a youth he took to a seafaring life and eventually had charge of the cufler “Rob Roy” for Messrs. Cruickshank and Co., of Auckland, and later sailed in the “Woodstock” to the New Hebcides, where he established himself in trade with the natives and had an immense area of land under cultivation in cocoanut, coffee, cotton, and maize. The natives from the first regarded him as a friend, and perfeet harmony reigned between them with the best results, Capt. Maeleod had several vessels trading with his produce to and from the New Hebrides. Besides these plantations he owned some valuable town sections in Noumea, his own private residence being situated in Havannah Harbour. After a most successful career of sixteen years, he sold his interest to the New Hebrides Company, and nine years later fell a victim to island fever. Referring to his visit to the New Hebrides, “Vagabond” in “The Australasian” of September, 1883, wrote:—“Captain Maeleod is a tall, powerful quiet-spoken man and impresses you with the idea that he is, above every thing, ‘level headed’: not one to be led away by impulse. He is a Nova Scotian by birth; for sixteen years he has been trading to the Islands on his own account, and is so well-known, and has acquired such interests and influence, that the first proceeding of the New Hebrides Company was to buy him out for a very handsome sum, and retain his services as resident manager. Captain Macleod, who for many years traded in labour to New Caledonia, is certainly a very good authority on the subject. He has always borne—and few men are better known in the Islands— a character for humanity, and it is said he would take the part of the natives against the whites in many eases of ill-usage. He strongly condemus the Queensland labour traffic, as having assumed such enormous dimensions that it cannot be kept under proper control.”

Thr Late Captain D. MacLeod.

Thr Late Captain D. MacLeod.

Residence of Captain D. MacLeod, Havannah Harbour, New Hebrides.

Residence of Captain D. MacLeod, Havannah Harbour, New Hebrides.

Mr. William James Macleod, Old Colonist, Taiharuru, Parua Bay. The late Mr. MacLeod, who was a farmer for twenty-eight years at Taiharuru, was born at Cape Breton, Nova Seotia, in 1830. With others of the family he came to New Zealand per ship “Breadalbane,” landing at Auckland in 1857. Having learnt the trade of a boat-builder he found it useful in Auckland, where he was for about ten years in the employ of Mr. Carr. About 1867, Mr. Macleod bought 323 acres at Taiharuru, which he farmed successfully till his death in November, 1895. At the same time he engaged in boat-building and sent several small craft to his brother in the South Sea Islands. Mr. Macleod was laid up for nearly five years with an internal complaint, the result of an accident, from which he never rallied.

The Late Mr. W. J. MacLeod.

The Late Mr. W. J. MacLeod.