Page:Reminiscences of Earliest Canterbury 1915.pdf/195

 who had whalers on the New Zealand coast. They carried on trade with the Maoris.

Port Levy, called after Messrs. Cooper and Levy, merchants, of Sydney.

Big Bay, between Port Levy rock and Little Pigeon Bay, called so because it is the largest of many small bights.

Little Pigeon Bay, called after the larger bay of the same name.

Whisky Bay, a small inlet or cave on the west side of Pigeon Bay, about half-way out. This bay received its name from four men, Belgrave, Moses Barton, Ryan, and one Honewill. They built a small rough hut for smoking fish, but the real object was for making whisky. They had all the appliances. They made 500lbs. of sugar into whisky, got drunk, fell out, and split on each other. They were all fined or imprisoned. The surplus whisky was put into four or five glass demijohns buried in the shingle at the mouth of a cave. It has never been found, and is still there, Oct., 1913. A small landslip filled up the mouth of the cave.

Pigeon Bay, called by the old whalers in the ’thirties, owing to the great number of native pigeons which were procurable in the months of May, June, and July of each year.