Tales of Banks Peninsula/Chapter 7

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In Pigeon Bay there resided a family named Sinclair, who owned the property now held by the Holmes in Pigeon Bay. In the early days this family and the Hays came from Wellington about ​the same time. Mr. Sinclair, on his first arrival built a vessel, and went on a voyage with his son-in-law. We have not been enabled to ascertain their proposed destination, but they never were heard of again. Mrs. Sinclair was therefore left with two sons and three daughters, and with these she worked on and made a good living. She was an exceedingly hospitable, kind old lady, and gave many a night’s lodging to a traveller in those early days, who would otherwise have had to spend the night amongst the bush. One daughter married a Captain Gay, who was commander and owner of a vessel. After a certain time had elapsed, the family sold out to Mr. George Holmes, and started a regular family ship, and went to British Columbia. Not liking that place when they arrived there, they went to Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands, where they bought an island for themselves. They prospered there exceedingly, and are now owners of one island and a half. Some of the family have bought land in the North Island. Frank Sinclair occasionally pays New Zealand a visit, to take away the best bulls, rams, and entire horses he can get, to improve the stock in his island home. The family are now rich, and are shearing from 80,000 to 100,000 sheep. A description of this island was written by Miss Bird, and a few extracts may prove entertaining. She says:—

“I must now say a little about my hosts, and try to give you some idea of them. I heard their history from Mr. Damon, and thought it too strange to be altogether true, until it was confirmed by themselves. The venerable lady at the head of the house emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand many years ago, where her husband was unfortunately drowned, and she being left to bring up a large family, and manage a large property, was equally successful with both. Her great ambition was to keep her family together, something on the old patriarchal system; ​and when her children grew up, and it seemed as if even their very extensive New Zealand property was not large enough for them, she sold it, and, embarking her family and moveable possessions on board a clipper ship, owned and commanded by one of her sons-in-law, they sailed through the Pacific in search of a home where they could remain together.

“They were strongly tempted by Tahiti, but some reasons having decided them against it they sailed northwards and put into Honolulu. Mr. Damon, who was seamen’s chaplain, on going down to the wharf one day, was surprised to find a trim barque, with this immense family party on board, with a beautiful and brilliant old lady at its head, books, pictures, work, and all that could add refinement to a floating home, about them, and cattle and sheep of valuable breeds in pens on deck. They then sailed for British Columbia, but were much disappointed with it, and in three months they reappeared at Honolulu, much at a loss regarding their future prospects.

“The island of Niihau was then for sale, and in a very short time they purchased it of Kamehameha V. for a ridiculously low price, and, taking their wooden houses with them, established themselves for seven years. It is truly isolated, both by a heavy surf and a disagreeable sea passage, and they afterwards bought this beautiful and extensive property, made a road, and built the house. Only the second son and his wife live now on Niihau, where they are the only white residents among 350 natives. It has an area of 75,000 acres, and could sustain a far larger number of sheep than the 20,000 now upon it. It is said that the transfer of the island involves some hardships, owing to a number of the natives having neglected to legalise their claims to their kuleanas, but the present possessors have made themselves thoroughly acquainted with the language, and take ​the warmest interest in the island population. Niihau is famous for its very fine mats, and for its necklaces of shell six yards long, as well as for the extreme beauty and variety of the shells which are found there.

“The household here consists, first and foremost, of its head, Mrs Sinclair, a lady of the old Scotch type, very talented, bright, humorous, charming, with a definite character which impresses its force upon everybody; beautiful in her old age, disdaining that servile conformity to prevailing fashion which makes many old people at once ugly and contemptible; speaking English with a slight old-fashioned, refined Scotch accent, which gives naïvetè to everything she says; up to the latest novelty in theology and politics; devoted to her children and grandchildren, the life of the family, and, though upwards of seventy, the first to rise and the last to retire in the house. She was away when I came, but some days afterwards rode up on horseback, in a large drawn silk bonnet, which she rarely lays aside, as light in her figure and step as a young girl, looking as if she had walked out of an old picture, or one of Dean Ramsay’s books.

“Then there are her elder son, a bachelor; two widowed daughters with six children between them; and a tutor, a young Prussian officer, who was on Maximilian’s staff up to the time of the Queretaro disaster, and is still suffering from Mexican barbarities. The remaining daughter is married to a Norwegian gentleman, who owns and resides on the next property. So the family is together, and the property is large enough to give scope to the grandchildren as they require it.

“They are thoroughly Hawaiianised. The young people all speak Hawaiian as easily as English, and the three young men, who are superb young fellows, about six feet high, not only emulate the natives in ​feats of horsemanship, such as throwing the lasso, and picking up a coin while going at full gallop, but are surf-board riders, an art which it has been said to be impossible tor foreigners to acquire.

“The natives on Niihau and in this part of Kauai call Mrs. Sinclair ‘Mamma.’ Their rent seems to consist in giving one or more days’ service in a month, so it is a revival of the old feudality. In order to patronise native labor, my hosts dispensed with a Chinese, and employ a native cook, and native women come in and profess to do some of the house-work, but it is a very troublesome arrangement, and ends in the ladies doing all the finer cooking, and superintending the coarser, setting the table, trimming the lamps, cutting out and ‘fixing’ all the needlework, besides planning the indoor and outdoor work which the natives are supposed to do. Having related their proficiency in domestic duties, I must add they are splendid horsewomen, one of them an excellent shot, and the other has enough practical knowledge of seamanship, as well as navigation, to enable her to take a ship round the world! It is a busy life, owing to the large number of natives daily employed, and the necessity of looking after the lunas, or overseers. Dr. Smith, at Koloa, twenty-two miles off, is the only doctor on the island, and the natives resort to this house in great numbers for advice and medicine in their many ailments. It is much such a life as people lead at Raasay, Applecross, or some other remote Highland place, only that people who come to visit here, unless they ride twenty-two miles, must come to the coast in the Jenny, instead of being conveyed by one of David Hutcheson’s luxurious steamers. If the Clansman were ‘put on,’ probably the great house would not contain the strangers who would arrive.”