NEW ZEALAND. 
85 
NEW ZEALAND. 
Early on the 25th we sighted Cape Farewell, the north-western extremity of Middle 
Island. A south-easterly gale blowing through Cook Strait compelled us to run into Port 
Hardy on the west coast of D’Urville Island, where we remained during the next day. 
Surrounded by steep rocks and hills covered with a scant vegetation, the port has a desolate 
air, and there appeared no sign of habitation. Its most remarkable feature is a long line 
of rocks jutting out into the bay, apparently the remains of a dyke or wall of igneous rock. 
The island bears the name of an illustrious French navigator, the captain of the “ Astrolabe,” 
who, after having successfully braved the dangers of the sea and of the Antarctic Ice-barrier, 
perished in a burning railway train between Paris and Versailles. The names associated 
with the port are emphatically English. Looking out to sea, the point of land on the left 
is Trafalgar Point; the pyramidal rock which rises high out of the water off the point is 
Nelson’s Monument; the cape on the right is Cape Stephen ; and the huge triangular rock 
which terminates the dyke is styled Victory Island. 
On the 27th we entered Cook Strait. The gale was as fierce as ever, and we made little 
progress. We accordingly sought shelter in Queen Charlotte Sound, an inlet on the south side 
of the strait, as desolate and uninviting as the port we had just left. Sunday, the 28th, found 
us battling with the heaviest sea we encountered during the whole of the “ Challenger’s ” 
voyage ; yet the day was bright, and we caught glimpses of the snow-covered mountains of 
Middle Island, the summit of the Kaikora Range, 9700 feet above the sea, and of the 
Looker-on Range, 8700 feet. This day’s struggle against wind and waves between the 
rock-bound shores of Cook Strait cost the life of one of our sailors. When off Cape 
Terawiti, a heavy sea struck the ship, and a moment after, the ominous shout of “A man 
overboard ” summoned every one on deck. It appears the leadsman had got his line entangled 
on the anchor, and was in the act of clearing it when the ship canted over, and he was swept 
away by the furious sea. As soon as he was missed, the ship was put about, and a search 
made in all directions for an hour, but no trace of the man could be seen. Piobably he 
had been stunned by the shock, and had sunk at once, unconscious of his fate. Deeply 
concerned at the loss of one of the most promising of our young sailors, we proceeded 
towards Port -Nicholson—which we had vainly endeavoured to reach during the last three 
days—and at 5 p.m. we gladly dropped anchor in smooth water before Wellington, the present 
capital of New Zealand. 
The people who had gathered on the landing-stage to watch our arrival were dressed 
in neat and sober attire, and looked very home-like that is to say, rather commonplace, as a 
crowd is apt to look on a rainy Sunday. Our visit occurring in the mid-winter of the 
Antipodes, the state of the weather afforded little encouragement for excursions in the 
interior, and thus our recollections of New Zealand are not of the brightest. Moreover, there 
would not have been sufficient time for exploring the more famous districts, such as the 
