Port Underwood History

New Zealand is a young country in its geology makeup. The Marlborough area is significant as it is where the Pacific and Indo Australian plates ride over each other. Cook Strait has very deep chasms, and the Marlborough Sounds are formed as sunken river valleys, while the Wellington coast is rising. Land forms rise steeply from the water, and are subject to rapid sculpturing. Port Underwood is formed as sunken valleys with two distinct arms. Landforms rise steeply from the calm water.
From the late 1820's to 1847 whaling took over Port Underwood. Shore based whaling stations were set up in a number of the Bays. Many a ship anchored in the Port for shelter before crossing the notorious Cook Strait to Wellington, or making their passage to Sydney with cargo of seal pelts, flax and whale product. All that remains of the whaling days are the tri-pots that can be seen in Kakapo and Ocean Bays. Whaling ceased in New Zealand in 1964 and all species are now protected in New Zealand waters. There is an original cob cottage in Robinhood Bay and the private Guard family cemetery in Kakapo Bay.
On 17th June 1840, the South Island signing of the Treaty of Waitangi took place on Horahora Kakahu, a little island across the bay from Kakapo Bay. This treaty and raising of the flag made New Zealand a British Colony.
The first white child born in the South Island, John Guard junior was born 1st October, 1831 to Jacky and Betty Guard (the first white woman in the South Island) at Te Awaiti, Tory Channel, in one of his fathers whaling camps. The family later set up permanent residence at another shore whaling station in Kakapo Bay, Port Underwood, where today descendants John & Narelle Guard still live today. John Guard junior grew up in Kakapo Bay, where he learnt the whaling ropes the hard way. There were no opportunities for schooling in the bay community, crowded with renegade whites and a large number of Maoris. John liked the farming life and spent most of his adult life fishing and farming at Oyster Bay; he married a Maori woman, Maria. The original homestead has been built over by the current farmhouse at Oyster Bay. Maria is buried in the grounds there and John is buried at Kakapo Bay, where he died in 1918 at age 87.
Now, farming, forestry, fishing and aquaculture have taken over in the Sound. There are no stores or restaurants once you leave Picton. Mail delivery for local residents is at the Picton Post Office.
In 1908 the telephone line was erected throughout this part of the Marlborough Sounds.
Road communication is quite a recent happening in Port Underwood. The County Council, subsidised by the residents 5-1, put through a road from Whatamonga to Oyster Bay in 1956. In 1958 State Hydro put a road through from Oyster Bay to Rarangi and then Hakahaka Bay to Fighting Bay. This then enabled the power cables to be taken to Fighting Bay, then by marine cable under Cook Strait to Wellington.

Today many mussel farms can be seen throughout the Port. Many commercial fishermen moor their boats in Oyster Bay, and you will see several a day coming and going from the bay. Recreational fishing is very good, with butterfish, tarakihi, blue cod, moki and kahawai being the most abundant species caught.
From the deck view Mt Rahotia (611metres) to the north. To the south of Port Underwood is Cloudy bay, Cape Campbell and the inland Kaikoura mountain range. The highest peak visible is Mt Tapuaenuku (2885metres) the 3rd highest peak in New Zealand, often snow-capped and picturesque. Cloudy bay named for the cloudy waters of the bay created by the outflow of three glacial rivers, Wairau, Taylor and Opawa.