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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 64

From Cape Maria to Cape Brett, East Coast

From Cape Maria to Cape Brett, East Coast.

From Cape Maria Van Diemen to North Cape, 22 miles E. by N. and W. by S. direction, there is no shelter. Coast nearly straight, bills rise 700 to 1000 feet, no danger, but strong tides and currents, give this part of coast a berth of 4 or 5 miles, soundings 30 to 40 fathoms.

Cape Maria Van Diemen, is N.W. extreme of North Island, is 420 feet high, and from seaward appears like an island, N.W. of it is a double islet, no channel between.

Pandora Bank lies 6 miles from Cape M.V.D., its centre bearing from it S.S.W. ½ W. It has 5 fathoms least water—sea generally breaks-to seaward 20 fathoms, to W. and between the bank and the cape 15 fathoms.

Cape Reinga, N. by E. 4 miles from Cape M.V.D. Columbia Reef extends W. 2 miles, always breaking. From Cape Reinga to Hooper Point coast trends E. by N. ¼ N. 10 miles, coast first 6 miles steep and cliffy, 800 to 900 feet, ending in sandy beach called Spirits' Bay Hooper Point is cliffy, rocky islets off it; land 1,000 feet high. Tom Bowline Bay, 6 miles further E., is N. beach of sandy neck connecting N. cape with mainland. Temporary anchorage here'.

North Cape, (light) bold cliffy table land; and small peaked islet lies off its E. extremity, connected by a ledge of rocks; foul ground N.E. by E. 1/3 mile with rocks at extreme. This N. extreme of the island is a peninsula, connected by a sandy neck 30 miles long and 6 wide, with white sand hills 100 to 300 feet all the way. The bays within N. Cape offer anchorage in 5 to 12 fathoms in moderate W. winds, but back swell rounding N. Cape makes anchorage bad.

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Parenga-renga Harbour, from N. Cape islet coast trends S. 6 miles to Coal Point outer N. head P. harbour, which bears N.E. from inner N. point of river, this is a bar harbour and has a shoal sandy spit extending from either entrance point: N. spit extends from Coal Point S.E. 1 mile, with 9 feet water; S. spit runs from Fox Point E. by N. has less than 1 fathom. Channel lies between, nearly ¼ mile in width, with 15 feet at low water which deepens to 5 fathoms as the bar is passed: this bar generally breaks. For entering bring outer extreme of Coal Point to bear N.W., a little more than a mile distant, or two beacons red and white in one on the N. side extreme, depth will be 10 fathoms; steer W., or for inner N. entrance point until a low sandy point on S. side of river, 1½ mile inside Fox Point, is in line with Koti Kau, bearing W.S.W. H.W. 7h. 54m.

Great Exhibition Bay, a beach running S.S.E. 11 miles, from S. point Parenga-renga, soundings 12 to 16 fathoms, sandy bottom 2 miles off shore. From Paxton Point to Granville coast trends S.E. by E. 7 miles. S. of Granville Point is a sandy bay, with anchorage in 9 fathoms with off-shore winds.

Ohora Bay, clear of danger and good anchorage, where a vessel may ride out W. gale from N. to S. in 7 to 5 fathoms. If on reaching near North Cape from southward a vessel should meet with a N.W. gale, proceed at once to Ohora Bay; fresh water may be obtained and abundance of fish—Mount Camel, an excellent guide, is an isolated hill 820 feet, only height on coast for many miles. Ohora River S.W. 1 mile from Ohora Bay; vessels meeting a N.E. gale and Drawing only 15 feet might enter. Keep high land on N. shore on board within ½ cable on W. course until a small islet 1½ miles inside is seen to the left of Tokoroa islet and bearing W.N.W. is the course in. Moor well over on N. shore, with the summit of mountain bearing N.W. From Ohora River a sandy beach trends E. by S. 7 miles to W. entrance of Rangaunu.

Cape Kara Kara is the eastern point of Rangaunu Bay, W. of it the Moturoa islets extend 3 miles, with rocks among them and several sunken rocks in the channel which only break occasionally. A flat-topped hill, Puheki, 300 feet is a guide to Awanui: it is 2¼ miles E. of its eastern entrance.

Rangaunu Bay extends 12 miles E. and W., is 6 miles in depth, across the entrance 20 to 25 fathoms, and 10 fathoms 1 mile off shore. Vessels entering the river should pass 2 cables outside Motu Tara Rocks, then steer S. by W. ½ W. (shoaling from 7 to 3½ fathoms) until about two-thirds across entrance, or until Te Kotia-tia Point bears E. ½ S., haul up S.E. by E. ½ E., passing 1 mile from it, when point shuts in Blackney, anchor in 5 to 7 fathoms ½ mile from point.

Matai Bay, S.E. of Cape Kara Kara, 5½ miles distant, is Knuckle Point, the W. entrance of Doubtless Bay—Matai is between the two. The W. bay has anchorage in 5 fathoms, sand bottom. The E. bay is full of rocks. Entering Matai Bay is a rock just covered at high water, 25 fathoms round it, and lies little more than 1 mile N.N.E. ½ E. from extreme of peninsula, no shelter with N.E. winds. Orurura Bay, just N.W. of Knuckle Point, with a rock in the entrance bearing N.N.W. little more than a mile from the point.

Doubtless Bay 5½ miles wide at its entrance 8 miles in depth; S.E. point, Flat Head, bears from Knuckle Point S.E. by E. ½ E. 6 miles. Mangonui Harbour is in S.E. corner. From Flat Head page 49 Islet nearly 5 miles between heads, depth 24 fathoms. Only dangers Albert Rocks and Fairway Reef, on E. side; former are two rocks nearly 2 cables apart, well out of water, with 10 fathoms between them, W. by S. ¾ S. 2¼ miles from Flat Head Islet. Fairway Reef is nearly ½ mile in extent, partly above water and partly awash; it lies S.W. ½ W. 4 miles from Flat Islet, and miles S.W. by S. from Albert Rocks; vessels bound to Mangonui from E. always pass inside them.

Mangonui Harbour, lat. 35° o′; long. 173° 33′, is 1½ cables wide at entrance; carries an average width of nearly 2 cables ¾ mile S.E. Least depth between heads—low water 4 fathoms, may be passed within 50 yards. On the hill over S. head is signal staff. Large vessels must anchor in centre of the stream, and moor; 4 fathoms will be found 3 cables within heads, water then shoals to 3 fathoms, and deepens again above some rocks above water off N. shore ½ mile inside N. head; these rocks narrow width of channel to cables; Drop anchor in 4½ fathoms after passing the rocks, and moor; two cables above, water shoals suddenly. Coasters may lie in 10 feet at low water abreast the wharf, White's Point. Good anchorage outside 6 and 7 fathoms, moderate weather. Taipa River, 3 miles W. of Mangonui, is navigable for large boats. Flat Head, S. point Doubtless Bay, coast trends E., 7 miles to W. head of Whangaroa Bay.

Whangaroa Harbour and Bay.—The entrance to the harbour lies from W. head of bay, S.E. by E. ½ E. 4½ miles. Stephenson Island lies in a N.W. and S.E. direction from harbour. The S.E. extreme bears from entrance of harbour N.N.E. miles. Anchorage in 9 and 11 fathoms anywhere between island and shore. Good shelter. Entrance to harbour is through narrow channel 1/3 mile in length in a N.E. and S.W. direction. Least width 250 yards. Shores high and steep on either side, and may be approached boldly, there being 9 and 10 fathoms close to the cliffs. Tide runs in entrance 2 to 3 Knots. Wind baffling, unless blowing in or out. This is an excellent harbour inside, H.W.F. and C. 8.15, range 7 feet; flood sets W., ebb E.—Flat Island, low and bare, nearly 4 miles E. by N. of Stephenson Island; it may be passed within 2 cables in 20 fathoms.

Cavalli Islands, 4 miles E. of Flat Island, is 5 miles N. to S. and 2 miles E. to W.—a group of 10 or 12 islets, extending N. from the main, 4 miles. There is a passage inside ½ mile wide—depth 17 feet—with a rock in the centre, nearly awash. Safe passage for small feels. A rock exists 1 mile E.N.E. of Cavalli.—Tako Bay, S. of Cavalli Group, is 8 miles wide. From here, coast trends S.E. round Tako Bay, 8 miles to Ngatoka Rarangui Point, which has a high hill rising over it, and 3 rocks, the Needles, lying a little off it; to W. of point nearly a mile is a small islet. There are no dangers in Tako Bay except a rock out of water 4 miles W. of point and ½ mile off shore; neither is there any sheltered anchorage. E.S.E. 3½ miles from Ngatoka Point is Cape Wiwiki, the W. Cape Bay of Islands.

Cape Wiwiki, entrance W. Bay of Islands is steep and bold, 843 feet. Off Wiwiki is an islet (Galakek), and off this islet a pinnacle rock with a passage 3 cables wide, 12 fathoms; this rock, the Nine Pin may be seen 12 miles.

Bay Of Islands, Cape Brett, lat. 35° 10′ S.; long. 174° 21′ E—Between Capes Wiwiki and Brett is 11 miles wide; a peninsula 3 miles in length, extending N.W. from centre of bay, divides it into two distinct portions. The only danger in entering from E. is the Whale page 50 Rock which breaks only at low water springs; there is a clear passage of 4 cables with 12 fathoms water between it and Red Head, from which it bears N.W. by W. ½ W. half a mile. Vessels from E. will always have a good guide for the bay in Poor Knights, bearing S.E. by E. ½ E. distant 28 miles from the Cape; coming from E. there is no fear of mistaking the Cape, as no land can be seen S. of it, which is not the case with any other part of the coast in running it down. Flagstaff seen in clear weather 16 to 18 miles. S. branch is navigable for large vessels for about 11 miles from Whale Rock, least water is on the flats opposite Paihia, 3½ fathoms low springs above and below from Tapeka up river 10 to 6 fathoms. Whale Rock to Tapeka, 5 miles, from 30 to 12 fathoms. There are no off-shore dangers: position of Whale Rock well laid down in new charts. Twins Rock 3 feet out of water, 1 mile N. of Deep Water Cove, from this cove to Percy Islet it is N.E. ½ N. 2½ miles.

Percy Islet (perforated) ¼ mile N.N.E. of Cape Brett with deep water between, has a small rock off its S.E. end. Bird Rock is 12 feet high at high water, lies W. by S. a mile from Percy Islet, has 40 fathoms close to.

Cape Brett, lat. 35° long 174° 21′, S. entrance Bay of Islands, is 1,220 feet high. Vessels from the Bay with fair wind and clear weather, may round Percy Islet within ½ mile in 40 fathoms, the course will then be W.S.W. 7 miles leading ¼ mile outside Bird Rock and nearly 1 mile outside Whale Rock. When the island channel between Red Head and the islands W. of it is open, Whale Rock is passed and a S.W. by S. course for 4½ miles will take a vessel between Motoroa and Tapeka Points. H.W. Kororareka 7.15, range 6 to 9.