On 17 June 1843, John Deans arrived at Port Cooper from New South Wales by the ship "Princess Royal" after the passage of 21 days from Newcastle. He landed at Rapaki 61 head of cattle, three mares, two sows, 43 sheep — the first sheep in Canterbury. What Ebenezer Hay, the owner of "Richmond", saw of Banks Peninsula and the plains, during this voyage with William Deans convinced him that he could not do better than follow his example. Captain Sinclair was of the same mind and so both families began preparations to move from the Hutt Valley to Pigeon Bay on Banks Peninsula. The schooner later sailed back and took a further group of settlers from New South Wales. These were the Greenwood brothers who settled at Purau.