Page:Reminiscences of Earliest Canterbury 1915.pdf/164

 and Rhodes. The last-named purchased a fine barque, the Eleanor, and buying fifty head of cattle, including two bulls, at £16 a head, from Mr. Rust, at the Hunter River, New South Wales, he landed these at Takapuneke, or Red House Bay, Akaroa Harbour, early in November, 1839. These were the first cattle landed in Canterbury, and he left one William Green in charge of them at the Bay. Green had had charge of the stock on the boat, and settled at Red House with his wife and little boy, two years of age. In 1842 W. B. Rhodes was joined by his brother Joseph, but he left Akaroa soon after 1843, and settled first in Wellington, but soon afterwards in Napier, where he acquired a fine property. W. B. Rhodes also made his home in Wellington, and he was there when George Rhodes arrived in Akaroa in December, 1843, having left London by the Mandarin in June of that year, coming to New Zealand via van Dieman’s Land. George Rhodes was brought up as an English farmer, and, on arriving at Akaroa, he took charge of the cattle station. A brother, Peter, accompanied him, but he, not liking New Zealand, returned to England, and carried on farming there. In May, 1847, W. B. Rhodes and