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Tales of Banks Peninsula

Joseph Price

Joseph Price.

Among the most prominent of the early whalers on the Peninsula was the late Mr Joseph Price. Born at Newcastle on Tyne, England, in 1810, Mr. Price went to sea when only thirteen years of age in a trading vessel plying between England and France Six years later he came to the colonies, and was engaged in trading along the coast of New South Wales. Price came to New Zealand about 1831, and lived with the Maoris at Kaiapoi, having been left behind by his ship's boat, which had been sent ashore for provisions. He was always very reticent about his early life, but it is understood that he slept one night page 268in the famous Kaiapoi pah, Coya Pou, before it was destroyed by Te Rauparaha. He was connected with the shores whaling ot Ikoraki on the south side of the Peniasula up to the year 1852. He bought the try pots and other gear from Mr. Hempleman in 1839 40, and employed Jimmy Robinson Clough as his headsman at the whaling. Later he worked the two stations at Ikoraki and Oaghore in partnership with Paddy Woods, who acted as manager. He, in the meantime, set pit sawyers to work on the splendid timber ia the Little River bush, The Ikoraki fishery was carried on up to 1876, long after it was given up by Mr Price. He sold out the Ikoraki property, now part of Kinloch, to, Mr. Hugh Buchanan, and took up his residence on the estate, now known as Price's Valley, where he carried on dairying. His great difficulty was to get his produce away. He took it across Lake Ellesmere to Gebbie's Valley in a whaleboat, sledged it over the hill to Teddington, and then conveyed it by boat to Lyttelton. The lake at that time was controlled by the Maoris, who would only let it out once in three years, as they liked getting large quantities of eels. Occasionally, when the lake was very high, a strong north west wind caused it to burst its banks and empty into the sea. He had a family of twelve—six sons and six daughters—and lived up to 1901, reaching the age of 91. One curious thing about the late Mr. Price is the fact that, though he lived so near the scene of his whaling exploits, he never visited Ikoraki once after leaving it for Price's Valley,