King of D’Urville Island

Seeking your fortune. It’s something that all migrants have done, moved to a new country, a new town, a new home in search of a better life. Charles Augustus Leopold Leov came to New Zealand from Pomerania in the early 1850s. He became a citizen, married and tried to settle down.

This is the story of some of his restless progeny who were pioneers with true grit. Seeking their fortunes on the gold fields, farming hostile landscapes and sometimes fishing in the ocean in the Nelson, Marlborough and Marlborough Sounds districts. Included in particular is some of the 20th century history of D’Urville Island farms Greville Harbour and Port Hardy.