The Town and Harbour of Nelson in 1842. (About Twelve Months After its First Foundation.)

Panoramic view of the town and part of the harbour of Nelson originally published in 1842 in Illustrations to Adventure in New Zealand published by Edward Wakefield.

The scene shows early settlers surveying and building homes. Nelson, the second colony for the New Zealand Company, was ideally suited for settlement with its abundant flat land, nearby forests providing timber and safe harbour for shipping. Images such as this served to advertise the New Zealand colony back in Europe. However, within two years the settlers’ demand for land led to the New Zealand Company dispatching surveyors to the nearby Wairau Plains with plans to settle the area. After the surveyors were evicted by local Ngati Toa chiefs, including Te Rauparaha, a group of armed settler militia were sent to arrest the chiefs. The resulting conflict left twenty-two Europeans and four Maori dead.