PORT NICHOLSON

also called Wellington Harbour, inlet of Cook Strait indenting southern North Island, New Zealand. The almost circular bay measures 7 miles (11 km) by 6 miles and covers a total of 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares). With at least 60 feet (18 m) of water over most of its extent, the bay is one of the world's finest natural harbours. The Hutt River enters it from the north; and to the south, a deep passageway, 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, joins it with Cook Strait. Entered by Captain James Cook in 1773, the inlet was named after Captain John Nicholson, harbourmaster at Sydney (1826), Australia. The port, first used by sealers and whalers, was chosen in 1839 to be the site of the initial New Zealand Company settlement. European settlers arrived in 1840 and established Britannia at the mouth of the Hutt but later moved southwest to Lambton Harbour, around which the city of Wellington has grown.