The problem with history us that evidence, even of relatively recent things, tends to disappear. Out there, somewhere, we think there may be evidence of the farm of George Hunter which became the basis of the ‘Island Bay Estate’. His farm flourished in the 1860s, before the racecourse, before the regular fishing industry and only 10 years after the earthquake of 1855 altered the landscape. 

I was looking at a story the Wellington Independent newspaper on 24 April 1866 described a long walk south to ‘Mr Hunter’s farm’. It’s one of the earliest accounts from a Pākehā source we have of our area. But it’s hard to place the descriptions on our modern map.

Below, we publish the account of the pseudonymous ‘Wanderer’ of his(?) ‘Walks Around Wellington. Before reprinting this we attempt to locsate the buildings that made up George Hunter’s farmstead and give some information about his (then) famous family:

The name George Hunter appears on many of the early maps and plans for Island Bay. This George Hunter (1821-1880) was the oldest son of another George Hunter, (1787-1843) the first mayor of Wellington. The Hunter family of six girls and four boys came from Banffshire, Scotland, and arrived in Wellington on the Duke of Roxburgh in January 1840, the third New Zealand Company immigrant ship to Wellington.

George (Senior ) quickly partnered with Kenneth Bethune to form a business as shipping agent and general merchant. The family lived in Willis Street. George Hunter (Senior’s) term as Mayor was brief: he died suddenly in 1843. George (Junior), then aged 21, took his father’s place in the business, and when Kenneth Bethune died in 1855, he became the sole owner. Unlike others in his family he may have been a little camera-shy. His portrait has so far eluded us. Like other information – it is out there somewhere, we hope.

He acquired land in Island Bay in the early 1840s. Hunter was the principal owner of the Island Bay Estate, consisting of the northern part of Island Bay, by the town belt, and possibly more. He also had a farm in Te Aro in the Dixon Street area, with his house. He later bought a huge farm at Porangahau in Hawkes Bay, which his brothers David and William managed and farmed, until his son, also called, inevitably, George took over in 1877, soon joined by younger brother Paul. This third George Hunter became Reform Party M.P. for Waipawa electorate for 22 years. In 1848 Hunter Junior, the Island Bay landowner, was appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of Munster, which became the Wellington Provincial Council in 1857, and he maintained a position in provincial government until 1879, when he was defeated. Hunter was a keen stock breeder – horses, sheep and cattle. There are many posts advertising his sales of various breeds, of course auctioned by his company.

Hunter appointed Mr James Riddell (1831- 1919) as manager and shepherd of Island Bay Estate, considered a “model farm”, in 1859. Riddell worked for Hunter for 14 years before purchasing his own property at Waitotara.