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

Robin Hood Bay

Robin Hood Bay

Robin Hood Bay is the next bay, so named for its similarity to the bay of the same name in Yorkshire near Whitby where Captain Cook first went to sea. This bay is historic in that immediately after the fight at Tua Marina on 17th June 1843 the Maoris packed up their belongings, put Te Rongo's body in a canoe and paddled round to Robin Hood Bay, arriving there after dark, and that Te Rongo was buried on the flat above the beach.

The whalers and settlers in Port Underwood knew of the grave and soon after the incident Captain George Jackson of the schooner 'Shepherdess' (who was trading in the port at the time) settled in Robin Hood Bay, and kept the grave in order and did so until his death in 1884. Mr H. J. Stace the new owner of the property cared for the grave until he left the bay in 1918. Thus for over 70 years the grave was looked after but since then it has been neglected and I understand the new road goes over it.

For many years Mr Stace and family conducted a boarding school there for boys.

At the head of the land in the bay stands Mt Robertson, 3397 ft high, and visible from well out in the Strait, and the eastern cape at the entrance to the Port is Robertson Point. The reason for the names is unknown but they probably date from very early in the whaling days.

There are several hundred acres of very good land in Robin Hood and a small stand of good native timber trees at its head. The Deer Park that you saw this morning is named the 'Collins Deer Park' after two brothers of that name who were killed in the bush nearby.

Continuing on along a high road with wonderful views from its highest point it is possible to see in a north easterly direction a group of rocks beyond Robertson Point. These are the Coombe Rocks named after Captain Coombe, the captain of the Hope, a sailing ship which in June 1840 was sent over from Sydney by Unwin & Co. with a cargo of cattle and other equipment to found a settlement on the Wairau Plain. These rocks are interesting as they were used by early American whalers as a lookout to spot the movement of whales through the Strait. It has been suggested lately that the rocks should be examined as we have heard that there are ships' names and dates chiselled into the rock.

The story of the Hope and her crew is a most interesting one, but much too long to record here. But descendants of the party who were to start the settlement and were in charge of the cattle and cargo are very numerous in our district in all walks of life.

page 32

Around the turn of the century our M.P. the Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister of Marine was a resident of Pelorus Sound and he had bridle tracks formed to serve the settlers in most of the bays. Since leaving Waikawa Bay this morning the whole of the road we have travelled over has been just the old track widened out to road width. Such was the good engineering of the surveyors who laid them out originally. From now on down to Whites Bay and over to Rarangi the old line was not suitable and a completely new line was formed.