archaeology and history of human occupation - Auckland Regional ...

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Not all the hotel's stock, it seems, was strictly legitimate. One of John Darrach's
best customers for ships was Capt. Kenneth McKenzie, an accomplished smuggler,
who ran spirits from New Caledonia, always a step ahead of the excise men. It is
highly likely that he, or others like him, dropped a little off for the River.
Schooners from the French Islands would unload contraband at Whangarei Heads
under the very nose of the resident excise man, and cruise down the coast making
drops. Leslie Meiklejohn wrote: "Most people did a little smuggling in the old
days. The intercolonial vessels would come into Omaha Bay, just inside Takatu
Point, and put up a signal. The local boys would go out in whale boats and collect
the cargoes and bury it in the sand until it could be picked up." The Wade was a
favourite landing place. Horses "trotting through the dark" towards Lucas Creek,
were not unusual on this favoured back-door route into Auckland.
My eldest uncle, grandson of George Scott, told me that the Scotts indulged in a
little smuggling, and mentioned voyages to the Island. He claimed that they were
once fined 500 pounds and had a ship confiscated. This could have happened at
Mahurangi. There was in fact no need for hazardous voyages to coral seas.
Most of the nearer Islands were supplied with grog from Auckland bond stores.
Traders bound for the Islands could load out duty-free. Once out in the Gulf it
was a simple matter to off-load on to a cutter for delivery to a bush pub. James
Cowan related such a story of a rendezvous in the Gulf between a trader and two
cutters. Disturbed by the appearance of the excise cutter "Ruru", they made a run
for it.
The NZ Census of 1866 gives a measure of the thirst and preferences of drinkers
of the time. In that year imports into Auckland alone were: 71,000 gallons of
rum, 60,900 of brandy, 46,100 of wine, but only 6,500 of whiskey, 5,700 of gin
.,..,...., and 4,500 of Geneva (gin) ~-,~,.- — •-.•—•: -
Not all the liquor was imported. There were stills all over the Rodney County.
Les Meilklejohn, as a lad, sampled the product of one close to their home on
Omaha Creek. A cutter that had loaded there was boarded by an excise man.
When he had dozed off m the cabm from fatigue and generous rounds of the
product, the casks were extricated from beneath the manuka firewood, buoyed,
and dropped over. To his surprise the ship proved clean when unloaded in
Auckland. Moonshiners at the Wade went to prison for burning down Kelly's
Hotel to eliminate their competition. Two large stills were uncovered at Lucas
Creek one Sunday morning. A cousin assures me that there were a number of
,'•. • stills on the River. The south-east bay on Motuora was known as Still Bay in
memory of an early enterprise there. Terry Bond told of "a chap who trained
racehorses on the mudflats — and after he became a noted trainer they realised the
food he was bringing in for the race horses was being used for malting whiskey".
^ The fruit of the vine had flourished in NZ since the efforts of pioneer viticulturalist,
James Busby, and nowhere better than in Rodney. The principle activity of
settlers at Mangawhai in 1875 was growing vines, and in that year 1500 gallons of
wine were pressed. Such vintages were numerous elsewhere. Some were sold
illegally to bushmen, gumdiggers and seamen. No doubt some of it found its way
7 over local hotel bars.