History: Tasman’s valuable Rabbit Island - Part 1

From the early days of settlement Rabbit Island became a playground for Nelsonians.

Excursions to the island via steamer boats were a regular occurrence, and in the summer months public could catch a boat leaving from Government Wharf at 9.30 am and return on the last run at 6pm.

In the 1850’s regular horse racing days were held with Henry Redwood being instrumental in the organisation of the events.

In later years he erected stables there and trained his horses along the beach.

A sensational event in May 1865 occurred with the loss of the Barque ‘Success’ which founded on the beach.   The barque from Newcastle, New South Wales, was bound for Wellington laden with coal. Severe weather made any sightings of land difficult.

On the Wednesday morning Cape Farewell was seen but by evening there was no land in sight. Plotting a course for Wellington the Captain was unable to ascertain his position and ran into Blind Bay with a heavy gale.  The vessel was labouring and ran aground with seas breaking over it, so the barque was abandoned with the loss of everything.

In late 1866 the island was proclaimed a quarantine ground for cattle.

Due to a shortage of meat, cattle from Australia were imported and quarantine was required to protect against pluero pneumonia disease.

There were a small number of people who lived on the island, one being Mr Grosse, a fisherman who, in October 1885, lost his home with everything in it to a fire.

A very unpopular move by the Government in early 1886 was to lease the grounds for 14 years.  The lessee then advertised that no one was to trespass, making locals very unhappy with holidays just around the corner.

By 1905 the island had passed into the ownership of the Lands Department, and with the possibility of them letting or selling the land a drive began to prevent this from happening.

A resolution was put forward that an application be made to the Nelson Land Board to secure Rabbit Island as a public health resort and recreation reserve and to have it placed in the hands of the Tourist Department.

In February 1910 the Commissioner of Crown Lands informed Waimea County Council that the whole of Rabbit Island had been made a reserve and would be proclaimed as a public domain to be placed under the control of a Domain Board consisting of the Mayors of Richmond and Nelson, the Chairmans of the Nelson Harbour Board and Waimea Road Board and the President of the A and P Association, together with Messrs Best, Challies, O’Connor and Allport.

A major shift in how the land could be used came in March 1919 when Mayor W. Wilkes appeared before the Industries Committee with a proposal that the property of 2600 acres be used for growing pinus signis.  

Trees planted previously were now 30 feet high and a foot in diameter at ground level. Timber supplies were short in Nelson and planting was seen as necessary to ensure timber for fruit cases.

A recommendation was made to plant the island with pine which could be ready for fruit cases at 10 to 12 years. Estimates for the fruit industry, within 10 years, were expected to treble or quadruple and timber for fruit cases was currently coming from the West Coast.

A campaign followed to have Rabbit Island vested in Waimea County Council for the purpose of developing a plantation.  

By November of 1920 this was achieved with the reservation over Rabbit Island being altered to reservation for plantation.