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Nelson Historical Society Journal, Volume 3, Issue 1, October 1974

Whites Bay

Whites Bay

This name dates from before the days of organised settlement. The Rev. Ironside mentions it in his reports and J. W. Barnicoat on his two journeys to survey the Tua Marina country early in 1843 went ashore in the bay and mentions it by name. The bay is named after an American negro slave boy who came ashore from an American whaling ship in 1828 and lived there for a number of years. Commonly called Black Jack White, after an adventurous life during the Maori War, for which he was granted a pension, he spent the last 20 years of his life as handyman for Captain Baillie at Para.

He died on 3rd July, 1894 just two days short of his 82nd birthday and his obituary notice (of 297 words) in the Picton paper ends with 'One who knew him well says he was a trustworthy and faithful old man, and those in the valley who knew him well have nothing but kind words to say of him.' It was also recorded that he had been '66 years in New Zealand' which dates his arrival to 1828.

Whites Bay is the site of the South Island end of the first telegraph cable laid across the Strait and brought into use on 26th August 1866. The original cable station building still stands and on 26th August 1966 a Centennial function was held and a little museum opened in which are on view photos of samples of the early cables that came ashore as well as a sample of the power cable. No cable comes ashore here now; the present shore end is at Blind River south of Seddon.

The bay is now a Reserve administered by a Reserve Board. The beach—the only sandy beach within easy reach of Blenheim —is very popular, but vandalism is the problem.

Over the last hill from which fine views of the Wairau Plain can be seen, with snow capped Mt Tapuaenuku in the distance, we arrive at Rarangi a seaside resort on the Cloudy Bay Beach. The beach front is vested in the Harbour Board and they have been letting sections on which some fine homes have been built.