September, 2026

On September 18, 1840, Apihai Te Kawau, chief of Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei, negotiated with Governor William Hobson the purchase of a 3,000-acre block of central Auckland to the British Crown. The Deed of purchase was signed, and in March the following year, Hobson moved New Zealand’s capital to Auckland.

Witnessing the events was the British trader and businessman, Charles Terry, who arrived in New Zealand in 1840.

In 1842, Terry published one of the earliest books on the nascent colony, New Zealand, Its Advantages and Prospects as a British Colony...  which is notable for both its descriptions of Auckland and the surrounding area, and for some of the first sketches of the settlement, along with a hand-coloured map. We have for sale an excellent complete copy of this important work.

Ten years later, you can see how the town had developed in a fold-out panorama of Auckland harbour, in William Swainson’s  book of 1853, Auckland, the Capital of New Zealand, and the Country Adjacent. Swainson was the second Attorney General of the colony, from 1841 until 1856. We have for sale a near fine copy of his book, in original cloth.

September is spring in Auckland, and each September we can remember it is the month signalling the start and development of our great city.