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Story: Southland region

Message on slate

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Message on slate

This piece of slate was found among seal remains at Preservation Inlet (Rakituma) in Fiordland. The first message, from 1823, reads in part, ‘master beware of natives plenty at Preservation’. The second message reads in part, ‘Brig Elizabeth … called at this place the 23rd December’, and probably dates from 1824.

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Southland Museum and Art Gallery

Reference: 83.1125

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How to cite this page

David Grant, Southland region – Early settlement, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/20101/message-on-slate (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by David Grant, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.