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History

Pelorus.

Just over 100 years ago Havelock was a boom town. It lay about midway between the goldfields of the Wakamarina and Cullen Creek and at one time boasted twenty three hotels catering to hundreds of thirsty miners. When the gold fever cooled, Havelock gradually reverted to being a sleepy little fishing village. Now, however, it is waking from that slumber and beginning to boom again.

Once again people are leaving Havelock richer. Nowadays they’re not rich with gold, but with holiday experiences. Havelock is the gateway to Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds, an area steeped in Maori and European history. Maori canoes first breasted these waters 1000 years ago. In 1642 Abel Tasman sailed past d’Urville Island; French and Russian explorers followed; and in the 1770s Captain James Cook arrived.Within a century the area was being settled by farmers, fishermen, whalers, miners and sawmillers. Today visitors can still find traces of many of these early activities.