Whaling in The Bay of Islands

---

Russell in the Bay Of Islands is now a nice little town but at the turn of the 19th century it was a shore station for whalers. Whaling was a greasy, smelly and dangerous occupation and when members of the crew got to shore they liked to drink, fight, and generally let off steam so Russell, or Kororareka as it was known then, gained a reputation as the Hell-hole of the Pacific.

Manganui lay further north. Captain Butler had run away to sea when he was 14, preferring a life at sea to following his reverend father's and grandfather's footsteps, and eventually he became the magistrate here. In 1838 he bought the 640-acre Paewhenua Island from its Maori owners for 47 pounds and 10 shillings and two years later came to live here.

Given the awful conditions aboard whaling ships, it's no surprise that men deserted, but this was a serious problem because it was a challenge for the captains to work the ships shorthanded. Butler strived to keep the whaling crews in order and apprehended deserters. Those from Portuguese ships were hanged in front of the remaining crew. The others were press-ganged as recruits for ships short of men if a suitable financial arrangement could be agreed upon. This was likely a lucrative perk of captain Butler's position as magistrate and he had a good thing going until he lost his balance on a greasy gangplank and fell between a ship and the wharf crushing three ribs. Infection set in and, after ten painful months, he died in 1875.

---

Photos

Russell
A quiet little place. Now