J.A.F PRESENTS
THE HELL HOLE OF THE PACIFIC

Between the rolling green hills of Te Ika-a-Māui and the vast blue of the Pacific, lies a town with two names.

First came Kororāreka.

Long before European settlers, this was Ngāpuhi land. Fertile hills at their back, an abundant coastline to feed them and one of the best natural harbours in the north.

What came next was the busiest anchorage in the country and the first proper European settlement in Aotearoa.

With the ships at rest, the whalers, seafarers and escaped convicts came to shore and traded with Ngāpuhi, on Ngāpuhi terms. What the crews did once ashore was another story. In this lawless town, grogshops and brothels lined the foreshore and life in the tiny bay became rough, rowdy and sometimes violent.

Anarchy reigned. And with it, a second name: The Hell Hole of the Pacific.

The Hell Hole of the Pacific SS26. Shot by Matt Queree in Kororāreka (Russell), Bay of Islands.

Special thanks to
📸 Matt Queree ~ mattqueree.com