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the site and name of which is unknown. In the Westport Times of 14th September, 1867, Messrs. G. Haskins & Co., of Westport, advertised the sailing of the cutter Flora McDonald for Constant Bay; mentioning that it was “the first vessel for Pakihi.”

The first gold gathered about the Buller was in 1859, at the “Old Diggings,” twenty miles or so up the river. This locality was later known as “Berlin’s,” that being the name given to its Post Office which was conducted by John Berlin in his “Old Diggings” Hotel. Rochfort noticed gold in the Buller in 1859, and some was seen at Waimangaroa in 1862, but none in quantity was found around the Buller until 1866. The goldfield, as such, was as short-lived as others on the Coast, and the returns faded as rapidly.

The real wealth of Westport lay in its coal measures, the first found being by Rochfort in 1859, near to the mountain that bears his name. In 1861, Julius Haast, later Sir Julius, made a geological survey around the Rochfort plateau, and found a seam of coal at Coalbrookdale. In 1867, coal was found to be in plenty there. In 1881 the Westport Coal Company was formed (or reorganised) and the first coal was brought to the port in 1882.

Westport is to-day the largest coal-port of the Dominion, and up to the end of 1939 over thirty millions of tons of coal had been shipped from there. As before stated, the first hotel was the Kawatiri Hotel opened by John Martin in September, 1860, but in 1863 there were also the Queen’s Arms Hotel on “the Esplanade” and kept by Reuben Waite; and another (site and name unknown) kept by Isaac Blake.

The dates of some of the “first events” are:

First regatta, probably 1867.

Large barbecue, supervised by Maoris, a bullock being roasted, 1867. Another barbecue was held in 1874 to celebrate the turning of the first sod of the Mount Rochfort Railway by Sir George Grey. Mr. Rathbone was in charge of the proceedings.

First race-meeting, January, 1869, in Gibson’s paddock on Orawaiti Beach Road. The Jockey Club was formed in August of that year.