hotels played a significant part in the financing of land for development in South Westland. Borrowing in these times was often done privately in the absence of bank lending.
Development of the land from bush-covered to land suitable for grazing cattle involved many years of hard manual work by the Sullivans and Williams’s. Sacks of grass seed were purchased in great quantities, as were turnip seed. Forward planning was necessary to ensure these were on hand when needed, ordered well in advance with no doubt prayers being uttered that the weather would remain fine so the sacks could be transported, be it by ship or dray, without damage.
It is on record that Fred Williams sons grown to manhood cut about 300 acres a year, some being virgin bush and some second growth. Virgin bush was still being felled until the mid 1930s.
Over the decades the first small herds were gradually increased with income from sales being ploughed back into further land development and eventually better housing. Michael Sullivan and his brother John, would, on marriage, eventually build themselves substantial houses. Both were no longer young men when they married. They had worked hard to carve out a living for themselves so had little time for courtship in their twenties and early thirties.
Cattle brought in from down south or up north in the early years were simply put over the side of vessels and left to swim ashore. At Okarito, vessels entered the inland lagoon across a tidal bar making entry tricky with the result that a harbourmaster was appointed early on to assist incoming vessels. For areas lacking a port, heavy seas often made it difficult to securely anchor a vessel off-shore. Landing stores at Bruce Bay was difficult and it wasn’t until 1923 that a landing jetty was constructed there. Winches were used to bring heavy items ashore. A few years later settlers would form their own small shipping Company using the Gael to service the communities south of Hokitika in an attempt to get a better service.
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