Oriental Bay – Buy
George Duppa first arrived in Port Nicholson on the ship The Oriental in early 1840. Born near Maidstone, Kent, England in 1819, George was the youngest son of Baldwin and Mary Duppa. Upon arrival in Aotearoa he spent time clearing land on the west bank of the Hutt River until he eventually moved to the area now known as Oriental Bay. Once in the bay, he erected a prefabricated house that he had shipped out from England.
At the time, the area was called Duppa because of its one and only resident. In fact, the bay was so remote that it was also used for quarantine purposes. It only became known as Oriental bay after George Duppa named the area after the ship he originally arrived on.
George Duppa had a life plan to earn himself a fortune. He returned after 23 years to Kent, England a rich man. He married and had several children but towards the end of his life in 1888 he found that two of “his’ children christened as Duppa – were not his!
Just finished researching George Duppa for the magazine Bygone Kent. It will be published soon.
One of the lovely places in Wellington great photo thanks for the details very interesting