Kaikoura (from the Maori “kai,” food, and “koura,” crayfish) is the name of a well-known town and district in southern Marlborough. The district is noted for its pre-eminent advantages as a pastoral country, and the town is recognised as being one of the most picturesque and healthy spots in New Zealand. It is often referred to as the Scarborough of the colony. Kaikoura lies between the sea and the Seaward Kaikouras or Lookeron Mountains, and at the back of the town the peninsula rises abruptly for one hundred feet, and affords splendid sites for dwelling-houses. The mountains close to the township rise to a great height, and are covered with snow for about nine months in the year. The view on a fine day is worth going many miles to see, and but for the ocean in the foreground, the visitor might imagine he was sojourning in Switzerland. There is a bi-weekly coach service between Kaikoura and Blenheim, ninety-six miles north, and there is also a tri-weekly coach service between the township and Culverden, the terminus of the railway from Christchurch Owing to the treacherous nature of the bar, only small steamers can trade to Kaikoura from Lyttelton and Wellington, between which there is a weekly service. The township was once noted for its whaling industry, which is still (1905) carried on to some extent, chiefly by Maoris and half-castes; and the whaling station is situated in the south bay. The average haul of late years has been two whales a season. Kaikoura has a post, telegraph, and money order office, a bank, and a daily newspaper. The religious bodies represented are Church of England, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic, each with a resident minister. There are many lodges and societies, a racing club, and a mounted troop of volunteers. The chief industries of the district consist in wool growing farming, co-operative dairying, fishing, flaxmilling, wool scouring and sawmilling.

The Kaikoura County Council was constituted under the original Counties Act in the year 1876. The county has an area of 673 square miles with 524 holdings and 329 ratepayers, 227 miles of formed roads, and two miles of formed footpath in the township and suburbs. The rateable capital value of property is £481,651, and the improvements are valued at £127,257. The land under cultivation is estimated at over 100,000 acres. The county has borrowed £3,482 under the Loans to Local Bodies Act; the general rate is one penny in the £, a rate of one half-penny being levied within the boundaries of the river board district; and the total revenue is £2,500. There are four licensed houses, all in the township. The wharf at the township is vested in trustees, and is leased at a rental of £200 a year. At the census of 1901, the county had a population of 1,760.

Councillor Patrick Keenan was elected to the Kaikoura County Council in the year 1899. He is a native of Ulster, Ireland, came out to New Zealand in 1863, in the ship “Queen,” and landed in Auckland. Mr. Keenan settled in Kaikoura in 1867, and has since been engaged in farming.

Councillor Christopher Smith was first elected to the Kaikoura County Council in 1899. He is also a member of the committee of the Kaikoura Agricultural and Pasetoral Association.

Councillor Cumming Haswell was elected a member of the Kaikoura County Council in the year 1901, for the Peninsula riding. He was born in Oamaru in 1869, and is a son of the late Mr. Robert Haswell, sometime schoolmaster at Oamaru, Kaikoura, and other places. After leaving school, Mr. Haswell spent two years and six months in the Kaikoura telegraph office. He then left the public service to become clerk to his father, who had started an auctioneers' business in Kaikoura. Later, Mr. Haswell served an apprenticeship to the building trade, and subsequently acted as foreman builder for Mr. W. Cooke, Kaikoura, a position he held for seven years, during which he superintended the erection of the Church of England, and other important buildings. In 1903, Mr. Haswell started in business for himself, and has since done some important work in the township, including the erection of the Bank of New Zealand and the Town School, which is one of the largest buildings in Kaikoura. He is chairman of the committee formed for the purpose of establishing a Town Board, was for five years a member of the Town School committee, and has for many years been identified with all local sports and athletic meetings. Mr. Haswell is an Oddfellow of many years' standing, and has passed through all the chairs of his Lodge. He married a daughter of the Rev. J. Rapley, St. Albans, Christchurch, in November, 1899, and has one son and one daughter.

Councillor George H. B. Smith was elected in the year 1902 as one of the representatives of the Clarence riding of the Kaikoura County Council. He was born in the Awatere, Marlborough, in 1862, and is a son of Mr. W. J. Smith, an old settler of the province. Mr. Smith is engaged in sheepfarming, and has a run of 3000 acres at Puhi Puhi, where he depastures 1500 Merino and English Leicester crossbreds. He resides in Kaikoura, where he manages a freehold property of 140 acres for his mother. Mr. Smith has open for many years a member of the Kaikoura Racing Club, of which he has been a steward, is chairman of the Collie Dog Club, a member of the committee of the Kaikoura Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and a director of the local dairy company. As a Freemason he is a member of Lodge Kaikoura. No. 60, New Zealand Constitution, and he is also a member of the local Lodge of Oddfellows. Mr. Smith married Miss Sherry in the year 1882, and has two sons and four daughters.

Councillor Bernard Mackle was elected a member of the Kaikoura County Council in the year 1904. He was born in the North of Ireland, and arrived in New Zealand in 1876, in the ship “Leicester.” Mr. Mackle settled in Kaikoura in 1885, and is engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Councillor John McInnes was elected to the Kaikoura County Council in April, 1905. He has served for upwards of thirty years on the local school committee, and was one of the founders of the Kaikoura Public Library. Mr. McInnes, who is the oldest settler in Kaikoura, was born at Eaglesham. Renfrewshire, Scotland, on the 19th of July, 1824, and took up his residence in Kaikoura in 1859, just after arriving in New Zealand.

Councillor Edmund Oscar Palmer was elected a member of the Kaikoura County Council in April, 1905. He has always taken an active interest in the welfare of the district, and was one of the promoters of the local dairy factory.

Mr. J. C. McLaughlan was appointed Clerk of the Kaikoura County Council in December, 1902, and became inspector early in 1905. He is a native of Kaikoura, and a member of the local Mounted Rifles.

St. Paul's Presbyterian Church stands on the point midway between the Esplanade and the west end of Kaikoura. It commands an excellent view of the harbour, and the church, Sunday school and manse are all situated on an acre section. The church has seating accommodation for it congregation of 250 persons. It was opened on the 2nd of November, 1879, by the Rev. James Paterson, of Wellington. There are close on 400 adherents in the district, and services are attended by full congregations. The church is entirely free from debt, and the managers have paid for even the recent additions, which cost £277, and also for a pipe organ, constructed in Christchurch, at a cost of £156. The Sunday school is a most substantial concrete building, and was erected in 1892 at a cost of £500. It is fitted up to accommodate from 200 to 250 scholars, and there are close on 100 children in attendance. There is a second church at Kowai, four miles from Kaikoura, and services are held there on Sunday afternoon. It has seating accommodation for 150 persons.

The Church of the Sacred Heart , Kaikoura. The church building measures 73 feet by 30 feet, and is capable of seating from 300 to 400 worshippers. It was erected at a cost of £1000. The Roman Catholic denomination was one of the first to open a church at Kaikoura, and prior to that had a building at Kowai. The congregation numbers, about 340, men, women, and children, and the church district extends from the Clarence river on the north to the Conway in the south. A school, which has been established some years, is attended by sixty children. The Rev. Father John Golden has been parish priest since the year 1900.

The “Kaikoura Star” was established by Mr. George Renner in 1880. It is a daily evening paper and is the advertising medium for South Marlborough and North Canterbury, through which it circulates from Awatere in the north to Culverden and Cheviot in the south. Mr. W. B. Ingram is now (1905) the owner.

Mr. George Renner , Formerly the proprietor of the “Kaikoura Star,” was born in England, and arrived in Nelson in 1855. He was in the Post and Telegraph Department for years, and then took up journalism. In 1877, he was on the “Bruce Herald,” Otago, and subsequenty had charge of the “Mataura Ensign” from its first publication. Before settling at Kaikoura, Mr. Renner was associated as editor with the “Clutha Times,” and “Ellesmere Advertiser.” He took a hand in all public matters at Kaikoura; was one of the founders, and also chairman and secretary of the Kaikoura Settlers' Association: had been associated with the Ashley licensing committee from 1894: was chairman of the Town School committee, and prominently associated with racing, cricket and football. Mr. Renner is a Freemason of many years' standing. After leaving Kaikoura, he became proprietor of the “Pahiatua Era,” in the Wellington district.

McIver, Robert D., Barrister and Solicitor, West End, Kaikoura. Established 1891. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. McIver is the only solicitor in practice between Blenheim and Cheviot. He passed as a barrister in 1890, and was admitted to the Bar by Mr. Justice Edwards. Mr. McIver was born in the Wairau Valley, and educated at Renwick and at Nelson College. He was articled, first to Mr. Alfred Rogers, and afterwards to Messrs Sinclair and McCallum, with whom he remained seven years. Mr. McIver is secretary of the Kaikoura Rifle and Tennis Clubs.

The Kaikoura Co-Operative Dairy Company, Limited , Kaikoura. This company was registered in 1894 with a capital of 2000 shares of 20s each. The first issue of 1000 shares was nearly all taken up by the settlers of the district, and shares are fully paid up. The factory is situated in the centre of Kaikoura Suburban, and is about three miles from the township. Its plant is complete and up-to-date, and the total cost of buildings, plant, and machinery has been about £1000. For years shareholders have received dividends at the rate of six per cent, per annum, and the surplus of profits has been distributed to milk suppliers as bonuses, proportionate to the quantity supplied. The average price paid for milk is 3½d per gallon, and the average number of cows milked for the factory is about 300, owned by about thirty-five suppliers. The manufacture of cheese has been at the rate of about seventy tons per annum, and owing to its high standard of excellence, there is no difficulty in disposing of it; in fact, orders for double the quantity available are received. The factory's cheese always commands, and has commanded, top prices in the English and colonial markets, and took first prizes in 1895 at the Canterbury Metropolitan Show, and again in November. 1898, at the same exhibition. Mr. J. T. Graham, the manager, has established his reputation as a good cheesemaker, and gain-his experience at the Stirling factory under Mr. William Sawers. The secretary of the company is Mr. J. N. Flower.

Morris, William, Tailor, Clothier, and Outfitter, The Esplanade, Kaikoura. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This business which was the first of its kind in the district, page 450 was founded by the present proprietor in 1885. Four men are continually employed in the business, which is the leading one in Kaikoura. Mr. Morris does a very extensive trade, many of his patrons residing as far away as sixty or seventy miles. For style, fit and finish he maintains that he is second to none in the province of Marlborough. Owing to the expansion of trade Mr. Morris finds it necessary to build additions to his premises to give the necessary room. Mr. Morris followed his trade in London for several years, and arrived in New Zealand by the ship “Surat” on the 1st of January, 1874. Before going to Kaikoura he was at his trade at Christchurch and Leeston, and was for ten years at Invercargill. Mr. Morris is a strong supporter of prohibition, and attributes his success as a tradesman to his being a total abstainer.

Adelphi Hotel (S. Binney, proprietor), Beach Road, Kaikoura. The “Adelphi” is the only hotel at the west end of Kaikoura, and as it is the first house met by the traveller, he, as a rule, makes it his temporary abode. The house is two stories high, and contains twenty-four rooms, seventeen of which are bedrooms. The dining room is large and lofty, with seats for fifty persons; the five sitting

The late Mr. E. Idle.

rooms are cosy and convenient, and the billiard room contains one of Alcock's full-sized tables. There is also a large sample room. By reason of its good name, and the popularity of its host, the “Adelphi” commands a large share of patronage from the country settlers and travelling public.

Mrs M. Idle, widow of Mr. E. Idle, took over the “Adelphi” in 1895. Mr. and Mrs Idle conducted the Jollie's Pass Hotel, Hamner Plains, for six years, where they were well-known and highly respected. Mr. Idle died on the 25th of July, 1897. He was a personal friend of the late Mr. Warner, the well known Christchurch hotelkeeper, who was accidentally drowned at New Brighton. Mrs Idle who married again, has left the hotel, and is now (1905) the wife of Mr. L. J. Payne, farmer, Kaikoura.

Mr. A. J. Prior , formerly Proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, Kaikoura, was born in Norfolk, England, in 1859, and when an infant came to New Zealand by the ship “Monarch.” He subsequently spent some years in Australia, but returned to New Zealand, and took to station life near Southbridge, in Canterbury. In 1887, he became a resident of Marlborough, where he followed various pursuits. Mr. Prior was vice-president of the Kaikoura Football Club, and steward of the Racing Club. He died in the year 1903.

The late Mr. A. J. Prior.

Laugesen, Louis, Junior, Cycle Agent and Repairer, formerly of Kaikoura, but now (1905) of Cheviot, was born in Denmark, and came to Canterbury in the ship “Crusader,” in 1872: was in the Oxford and Amuri districts as a partner in the firm of Laugesen and Sons till 1808, when he joined Messrs Cooke and Co. as manager of their cycle business at Kaikoura. He is now (1905) in business at Cheviot.

See page451Mr. L. Laugesen, Junior.

Haswell, Douglas . Mr. Haswell formerly carried on business as a general storekeeper and produce merchant at the corner of the Esplanade and Brighton Street, Kaikoura. The business he owned had been established in the year 1883, and was taken over by him in 1896. It was carried on in a two-storied building, with extensive frontages to the Esplanade and Brighton Street. Mr. Haswell was born on the West Coast in 1874. His parents settled at Kaikoura nine years later, and he was for five years in the local post office. Mr. Haswell identified himself with athletic sports, and was associated with the Kaikoura Mutual Improvement Society. He is now (1905) a storekeeper at Feilding in the North Island.

Mr. D. Haswell.

Kaikoura Steam Flaxmills . (F. H. Flower, proprietor; J. G. Garratt, manager), Beach Road, Kaikoura. Established 1898. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This mill gives employment to twenty-five persons, eleven of whom are engaged in the mill. The weekly output is five tons of hemp, which is disposed of in Wellington. The fibre is classed “fair average quality.” A McLaren eight horse-power steam engine drives the plant, which is complete in every respect.

Mr. J. G. Garratt.

Laugesen and Sons (Louis Laugesen and William Laugesen), Sawmillers and Timber Merchants, Puhipuhi, Kaikoura. Established in 1892: removed to present site in 1898. Bankers. Bank of New Zealand. The machinery of the mill consists of twin circular saws and two others, including planing and moulding machines, and is driven by an eight horse-power portable steam engine, by Hornsby. The output runs from 2000 to 3000 feet per diem. Rimu, matai, and totara are the timbers cut, and the produce is shipped from Kaikoura to Lyttelton. From ten to twelve men are employed in connection with the mill. The firm has successfully carried on the industry for the past seventeen years at Amuri and Oxford.

The Clarence Estate —comprizing 130,000 acres, 16.000 of which are freehold, and the balance held under a twenty-one years' lease from the Government—is administered by the Assets Realisation Board. The homestead, known as “The Reserve,” is situated fifteen miles south of Kaikoura, on the Kaikoura-Wairau road. A considerable area of the estate is ploughable. The climate and soil of the Clarence valley is most suitable for fruit growing, and the quality of oats grown there cannot be surpassed in New Zealand. At present (1905) there are 23,000 sheep on the estate, which are all Merinos except 1000 half bred Leicester Merino breeding ewes; but it is capable of carrying from twenty-eight to thirty thousand Merinos in its present state. As the page 453 country takes English grass well, a great improvement can be made by surface sowing. There is a frontage to the Clarence river of thirty miles. The out station, known as “Quail Flat,” is sixteen miles distant from the homestead. There are comfortable whares for the employees at both places.

Greenburn Flat and Cator's Peaks Runs , Kaikoura; Napoleon Run, Kekerangu; Messrs Wiffen Brothers, proprietors. Greenburn Flat is about sixteen miles south of Kaikoura, on the main south road, and is a property of 380 acres, held under a lease-in-perpetuity from the Government. When properly cleared of manuka scrub and flax, the land will carry 1000 sheep. The land is flat and of first class quality, and is well adapted for the cultivation of all root crops and cereals. Oats have yielded as high as seventy-five bushels to the acre on the property. It is well watered by the Greenburn river and two creeks, and is entirely free from rabbits. A modern eight-roomed residence has been erected, and other buildings include a four-roomed cottage, a large stable and chaff house, and an L-shaped woolshed, which has accommodation for six shearers.

Cator's Peaks is situated at the head of the Spey river, five miles from Greenburn Flat, via Tukutukuiwi road. It is a Government property of 2836 acres, held on a twenty-one years' lease, with option of renewal. There were 475 applicants for this desirable property, which was drawn by ballot by Mr. H. A. Wiffen. The land, which is of sandstone formation, and of very fair quality, is well watered by the river Spey and its tributaries. The improvements include a two-roomed cottage and sheep yards, and several subdivision fences are in course of erection on the property. At the present time (1905) about 2000 halfbred sheep are depastured, but with the ploughing of about 700 acres, and further surface sowing, the property should be capable of carrying 3000 sheep.

Napoleon Run is situated about two miles from Kekerangu. and is a Government property held under a twenty-one years' lease, with option of renewal. It consists of 2000 acres of first class land of limestone formation, about 1400 acres of which is open country, the balance being light bush; and is well watered by the Kekerangu river and other streams. Its present carrying capacity is from 1200 to 1500 sheep. This run was drawn by ballot by Mr. A. E. A. Wiffen, on the 25th of September, 1905. There were 300 other applicants for the block.

Deadman's Creek.

Lynton Downs . This property consists of 5,000 acres of freehold and 12,000 acres of leasehold land, and is owned by Mr. Charles Wood, who took it over when the original Swyncombe estate was divided in 1887. The leasehold portion carries 2000 sheep, and the freehold about 6,500, and is stocked with the progeny of Merino ewes and English Leicester rams, aithough only Merino wethers are depastured on the back country. The run has been fenced and subdivided, twenty-four miles having been put up on the freehold and about nine miles of cross fencing on the leasehold. Of the freehold area, 3000 acres consist for the most part of rich agricultural land, which will grow anything. The country is open, with a few gullies, and there is no lack of water. Oats for feed and turnips for the winter months are grown. The station is well supplied with implements, including shearing machines, oil engine, steam chaffcutter, reaper and binder, drain digging and rotary disc ploughs, seed drills, etc. The two-storey residence originally erected on the property was considerably enlarged and fitted up on modern lines in May, 1898. A large orchard has been planted, and two gardens fully stocked with small fruits, which give phenomenal yields, afford convincing proof of the fertility of the soil.

Mr. Charles Wood , of Lynton Downs, settled at Swyncombe in 1882, and five years later took over Lynton Downs. He was born in Christchurch in 1863, and is a son of the late Mr. W. D. Wood. After spending two years and a half at Lincoln College, of which he was one of the first students, he devoted his attention to station outies. Mr. Wood has been chairman of the Kaikoura. Dairy Factory since its inception, and, in 1889, he was elected a member of the County Council, of which he was for some time chairman. Mrs Wood is a daughter of Mr. J. N. Flower, formerly of the Bank of New Zealand.

The Residence, Lynton Downs.

Mr. C. Wood.

Mount Fyffe Station was originally owned by Mr. George Fyffe, and was subsequently acquired by Messrs Inglis and Collyns, who disposed of it in the year 1892, to the present proprietor, Mr. Angus Kennedy. This property is bounded by the Hapuku and Kohai rivers, and comprises 2,500 acres of freehold land, and 12,000 acres held on a twenty-one years' lease from the Government. Two thousand five hundred half-and-cross-bred Leicester sheep are depastured, but the run is capable of carrying upwards of 4000 sheep. About 900 acres of the property are ploughable, and oats have averaged as high as sixty bushels to the acre. The homestead, “Rockwood,” is a freehold property of 100 acres, adjacent to the run. The dwelling-house is a handsome two-storied modern building, containing over twenty large rooms, and was erected by Mr. Collyns.

Snowflake Station , Kaikoura, is a leasehold property of 9,530 acres of mountainous land. The higher peaks are covered with snow nearly all the year round, and are of no use for grazing purposes. The run is capable of carrying about 1000 sheep, but is at present (1905) used only as a grazing ground for a mob of 200 cattle.

Mr. Samuel Andrew , of “Swyncombe,” Kaikoura, was born at Park Farm, Greenpark, Canterbury, in the year 1880, and is the son of Mr. W. B. Andrew, a well-known and successful farmer of that district. After serveral years spent in gaining experience in agriculture and sheepfarming at Greenpark, Mr. Andrew was placed by his father in charge of “Swyncombe.” He is a member of the Kaikoura Agricultural and Pastoral Association.

Standish and Preece, photo. Mr. S. Andrew.

Mr. Peter Trolove was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1864, and came New Zealand with his parents at an early age He was educated at Nelson College, and afterwards entered the office of Messrs Fell Brothers, Blenheim, and left their employment about twelve months later to reside at “Woodbank.” Mr. Trolove now (1905) resides in Hoon Hay road, Spreydon, Christchurch.

Mr. P. Trolove.

Dr. Shaw was born at Boston, Lineolnshire, England, and was brought up to the medical profession. During the last twenty years of his life, he travelled all over the world, and first visited New Zealand about the year 1860.

The Late Dr. Shaw.

Dr. Shaw was uncle of the late Mr. Frederick Trolove, who, when he came to the colony in 1857, was assisted by Dr. Shaw to take up land. Dr. Shaw revisited New Zealand on several occasions subsequent to 1860, and while in the Colony he generally spent most of his time in Nelson. Whenever it was posbible Dr. Shaw made his journeys on foot, as he was a devoted lover of walking, and a noteu pedestrian. He died in England about 1884.

Mr. Frederick William Trolove sometime of Woodbank,” Marlborough, was born in Lincolnshire, in 1832, and was brought up to farming. He landed in New Zealand about 1857, and first took up “Middlehurst” in the Awatere, a station of about 10,000 acres, but owing to the severity of the weather, soon relinquished it. Acting upon information supplied by an old whaler, named “Black Jack White,” that the country from the Ure river to the mouth of the Clarence was open for settlement, he went thither, but found that a shepherd was already in possession; he, therefore, moved onward, and eventually settled to the south of the Kekerangu river, where he took up land in conjunction with the late Dr. Shaw. The holding extended from Kekerangu to the Clarence, and included “Woodbank” and “The Shades.” About 1865, Mr. Trolove sold a portion of the present Kekerangu frontage to Mr. Tetley, and in 1869, when Mr. Trolove and Dr. Shaw dissolved partnership, the property was divided into two runs. Mr. Trolove, who held “Woodbank,” died at Nelson on the 14th of July, 1881. He was a member of the Marlborough Provincial Council, and took a leading part in questions affecting the welfare of the district and the Colony. Mr. Trolove left a family of one son and two daughters.

Mr. Alben Close , sometime of Kaikoura, came to Nelson with his parents in the ship “Mary Ann,” in the year 1842. He resided with his family at Wakapuaka till he was sixteen years of age, when he went to the Wairau, and remained there till early in 1868, when he removed to Kaikoura, and purchased the Travellers' Rest Hotel, then the oldest house in the district. Mr. Close erected the Adelphi Hotel in 1871, and carried it on till his death on the 8th of November, 1894. Besides his property he had a farm of 268 acres opposite the Kowai school, and a small farm of twenty acres and eleven town sections at Stratford. Mr. Close was instrumental with others in forming the first river board, and was a member of the Kaikoura County Council for many years. He was a Freemason and an Oddfellow. Mr. Close was survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters.

The late Mr. A. Close.

Mr. Freeborn Parsons was born in Dorsetshire, England, in 1854. He is a son of the late Mr. John Parsons, and was educated at Cleveland House school, Weymouth, and also at the Taunton Wesleyan College. Mr. Parsons landed at Lyttelton by the ship “Countess of Kintore,” in April, 1876. He settled first at Pelorus Valley, and removed to Kaikoura in 1881. In rifle shooting, he held the world's record at 700 yards, and was the first to put on the possible with the Martini-Henry at that distance.

Mr. F. Parsons.