The New Zealand Sealing Industry - Department of Conservation

and the other two appear to have been ship-based sealing in the vicinity in
1829–30. Boultbee’s boat-based gang also visited there in 1826.
Three specific localities are alluded to in the historical record. The location of
huts used by at least one of the shore-based gangs is shown on de Blosseville’s
chart at the head of Lee Bay, Southport (Begg & Begg 1973: 119, 135).
Boultbee’s boat-based gang stayed in a large dry cave ‘at the head of the
harbour’ (Starke 1986: 54), which Begg & Begg (1979: 165) also place at
Southport. Another probable base was in a large cave on the outer shore of
Cape Providence, the northern entrance to the inlet. Boultbee referred to the
cape as ‘Cave Point’ (Starke 1986: 54), suggesting that it was well known to the
sealers; and in 1905 a piece of slate (Fig. 17) was found there, inscribed with
messages by crew or gangs from two separate vessels, probably in late 1823
(Begg & Begg 1973: 110–111, 121). Boultbee also mentioned a safe harbour at
Chalky Island, and here, at Sealers Bay (Begg & Begg 1979: 165), it is said that ‘a
few sealers lived at one time, cultivating the soil for vegetables’ (Begg & Begg
1973: 102).
Figure 17. Piece of slate
found in Grono’s Cave by
Harry Roderique in 1905
bearing two messages
inscribed in 1822 or 1823.
The first, by the master of
the Samuel, is incomplete
and reads ‘Lon…/Richard
Jones Esq. Owner/John
Dawson master/ Beware of
the Natives plentey at/
Preservation’. The second,
by Grono or one of his
crew, reads ‘Brig Elizabeth/
John Grono Mas/called at
this place/the 23 rd
December/Brooks/Edward
Norton’. Photo courtesy of
Southland Museum and
Art Gallery
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