A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions/Volume 2/Appendix 5
APPENDIX, No. V.
Referred to p. 115., Vol. II.
Chatham Island, placed to the east of 180° upon old charts, and to the west of the same meridian upon the directory of Captain Dumont D'Urville, compiled in 1835, is situated in 43° 52′ south latitude, and 179° 14′ west longitude (from Paris), and is, so far as we could judge, about eighty to ninety miles in circumference. It has a good bay, of eleven miles in length, and of about the same depth, open to the south-west winds. At the bottom of this bay, on the right, towards the east, behind a red point, there is a cove, where three or four ships may find shelter by anchoring very close to the shore, in six or seven fathoms water, upon a good holding ground of sand, so as to have the red point to bear W. ¼ S.W. or even west, if the draught of water of the vessel will admit. Further in, towards the south, is a bank of rocks covered with floating seaweed, near which there are three and a
half fathoms of water; beyond the weed there is another bank of rocks, exposed at low water. A small vessel may anchor within these reefs, where there is a depth of from eleven to thirteen feet, and always smooth water.
This creek is called Wai Tangui, which signifies noise of waters, or sounding waters. It is upon its banks or shores that the tribe of Eitouna was established.
At a mile and a quarter to the north of the red point is a bank, upon which there are only six or seven fathoms water; the sea breaks upon it in strong winds, and it abounds with fish.
At 40 W. (true) from Red Point, at a distance of nine miles and a third, is a fine little cove, called Wangaroa (Anse d'Ubraye). It is open to the south-east, and the sea is always tranquil. The entrance is rather more than half a mile in breadth, and a mile in depth. To the right and left, in entering, are some rocks under water, which extend a small distance from the shore, and upon which the sea almost always breaks. There is no occasion to avoid a large bank of floating sea-weed which lies in the middle of the passage, a little within the cove; there are eleven fathoms water upon it. But it is necessary to avoid getting amongst the sea-weed further in upon the southwest side, because there are amongst it some points of rocks on which there are only twelve or thirteen feet of water. The north-east side is also lined with sea-weed. The anchorage is between two small indentations, opposite to each other, and one third of a mile from the end of the cove, in eight fathoms water, which forms a kind of basin. The principal Pah of Eimaré is built upon the north-east side of this cove.
At Wangaroa, as at Wai Tangui, wood and water may be had at the end of the cove. W. 30° S. of the Wangaroa cove, at a distance of four miles, is that of Jean Bart, a little larger than the former; its direction is S.S.E. and N.N.W. It is less protected from winds between S.W. ¼ S. and S.E. ¼ S.
Between Jean Bart cove and the point of this name, which is three miles and a half W. 30° S., is a rock. It is placed half way between the cove and the point, and lies off the coast about half a mile.
W. 35° S. from Jean Bart Point, which forms the left head of the great bay of Chatham Island, is a reef of rocks, called the Zealanders; they extend in this same direction to five miles from Jean Bart Point, but there is a good passage between them and the point.
At about twelve miles S.E. from Jean Bart Point, is the Point of Traffic (called by us Point Durham), which forms the south cape of the great bay (called by us Petre Bay); some small rocks, upon which the sea always breaks, extend about two-thirds of a mile from the point: they are called Jenny's Reef in the Admiralty chart.
At S. 11° E. from Point Durham, and about five and a half miles distance, is the south-west cape; near to this cape, to the northward of it, is a mountain with two peaks, which presents the form of a bishop's cap—hence the name of the cape, evêque.
At five miles S. 20° E. from Cape Evêque, is a rock under water, called the Solitary, upon which the sea breaks.
At fourteen miles E. 20° S. from Cape Evêque is Pitt Island, which does not exceed seven miles in length, north and south, nor three miles across, from east to west. This isle is thickly wooded; it is inhabited by a party of the aborigines of Chatham Island, and appears to be accessible only on the eastern side, in a narrow channel formed by the Attente Islet, to which it is very near.
Three rocks of remarkable form, which run about S. W. and N. E., lie to the westward of the south point.
A round rock, at about four miles S. 11° E. from the south point of Pitt Island, and E. 42° S. from Cape Evêque, has all the appearance of a bell.
At four miles N. 32° E. from the Bell Rock is a danger near the water's edge, upon which the sea breaks.
At eighteen miles east from the Bell Rock are three rocks, whose position is doubtful.
At seventeen miles E. 29° N. from the Bell Rock is a reef, whose position is not less doubtful (Star Quay Reef).
At twelve miles N. 28° E. from the Bell Rock is Round Islet. It is about three miles and a quarter from the north point of Pitt Island. There are some dangers between Round Islet and the point; but there may be, nevertheless, a passage between them.
There are many small sunken rocks to the south of Pitt Island, and four above water. The rocks are not above two and a half miles from the island.
About fourteen miles west of Chatham Island are the Bertier rocks. These are, one large and four small rocks, lying in a straight line east and west.