Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The first European settlers arrived in the New Zealand Company's ship
Aurora
on 22
January 1840, not long after Colonel William Wakefield arrived to buy land from the
Maori. However, Maori denied they had sold the land at Port Nicholson, or Poneke as
they called it, as it was founded on hasty and illegal purchasing by the New Zealand Com-
pany. As in many parts of NZ, land rights struggles ensued, and would plague the country
for years to come.
By 1850 Wellington was a thriving settlement of around 5500 people, despite a short-
age of flat land. Originally the waterfront was along Lambton Quay, but reclamation of
parts of the harbour began in 1852. In 1855 a significant earthquake raised many parts of
Wellington, including the lower Hutt Valley and the land on which the modern Hutt Rd
now runs.
In 1865 the seat of government was moved from Auckland to Wellington, although it
took until the turn of the century for the city to really flourish. In the early 1900s the port
prospered, while producer boards and banks sprung up in its surrounds. Other industries
developed, pushing urban sprawl further afield into the Hutt Valley, Porirua, and the Kap-
iti Coast.
In modern times, the capital remains a stronghold of the public service, despite ongoing
trims. It also boasts a good quotient of technology and creative industries.
