

Wellington has a long and colourful history. Maori legends date back as far as 950 AD when Kupe first discovered Wellington.
In the 1840s european settlers began to arrive and colonise the region.
Later the seat of government of New Zealand would move from Auckland to Wellington, to become the capital city as it remains today.
The harbour that surrounds Wellington city, and the greater Wellington region, have been known by several names throughout history. Maori legends name the greater Wellington region as "Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui" or "the Head of Maui's fish".
Kupe is believed to be the first Polynesian explorer to come to Wellington in 950 AD. He was followed by Tara, who named the area "Whanganui-a-Tara" or "the great harbour of Tara".
In 1773 Captain Cook sighted Wellington harbour, but never entered or named it. The harbour was later charted in 1826 by Captain Herd who named it Port Nicholson, in honour of John Nicholson, a harbour-master of Port Jackson, New South Wales.
In 1840 the directors of the New Zealand Company settled on the name Wellington. The name was chosen in order to express their gratitude to the Duke of Wellington, a supporter of the company in England.
On August 17 1839, the sailing ship Tory dropped anchor in Queen Charlotte Sound, to pick up fresh water, food and wood before proceeding to Port Nicholson (Wellington Harbour). On board were representatives of the New Zealand Company, sent to smooth the way for organised settlement.
Their objectives were threefold: purchase land, acquire information about the country, and prepare settlements for the emigrants the Company was recruiting.
The party was led by Colonel William Wakefield, brother of the Company’s leading figure, Edward Gibbon Wakefield. He was joined by his brother’s son, Edward Jerningham Wakefield, naturalist Ernst Dieffenbach, draughtsman Charles Heaphy and interpreter Nahiti, a young Māori who had been conned by a whaling captain into working his passage to France. Dr John Dorset had the title Colonial Surgeon and Captain E.M. Chaffers was the ship’s master. Passengers brought over from Queen Charlotte Sound included Richard (Dickey) Barrett, his wife and children. On September 20 1839 the 'Tory' arrived at Port Nicholson and was piloted to Pito-one (Petone) by Dicky Barrett. The survey ship 'Cuba' arrived on January 3 1840, followed by 148 settlers on the Aurora on January 22 1840.
During the year a further ten ships arrived with settlers and supplies :
Wakefield originally planned for the Wellington settlement to be where Petone is now situated. However when the Hutt River burst its banks and flooded the area, the site was shifted to its current location. The Settlers were allocated two property lots: an acre in the township, and a back-country block worth £1 per acre.
Plan of the Town of Wellington, 1840 (Archives New Zealand)
In 1865 the seat of government in New Zealand was moved from Auckland to Wellington, largely on the basis of Wellington's central geographical position. This gave the city a secure future.
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