Pilot Bay in the 1800s
On 26th June 2026 the Karuwhā Trust held three events here in Tauranga Moana to commemorate CMS missionary Henry Williams’ first visit. 200 years ago, he arrived on the Herald, a 55-ton schooner captained by Gilbert Mair (senior) [1]. The two of them had helped construct the ship, launched in January 1826, on the beach at Paihia and the prime purpose for its voyage south was to obtain a better food supply for their fellow workers in the north.
Over the next two years Henry and others made at least four
visits to Tauranga in the Herald, trading for potatoes. While here, they were able to broker some
peace and bring the good news of the Gospel to this area. They promised to send
others to establish a mission station, which did come about in 1835. There were
also other voyages undertaken to the Bay of Plenty in the 1830s, but these were
in other vessels, as the Herald was unfortunately wrecked (but without
loss of life) on the Hokianga bar in 1828.
Dr Samuel Carpenter giving his Karuwhā Trust Lecture 26 June 2026.
Image: Karuwhā Trust
The three events held in June 2026 were very well attended. The venue for the afternoon lecture by Dr
Samuel Carpenter was relocated from the Elms Chapel to the nearby Vintage Car
Club rooms to accommodate the demand for ticket sales. This was followed by a
short walk to the old mission station and a guided tour for those who were
interested in the Te Papa Mission site and its story.
Earlier in the day there had been a mihimihi and karakia at
the Mission and Military Cemetery (formerly Otamataha Pā). In the evening approximately 500 people
attended the symposium presided over by Dr Joe Williams at Holy Trinity, where
Dr Alistair Reece and others spoke.
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Karuwhā Trust Symposium at Holy Trinity, 26 June
2026.
Image: Karuwhā Trust
There have been several previous articles on this website [2]
dealing with Henry Williams and his various voyages. Here I record a few other aspects of his life
that I picked up from Dr Carpenter’s lecture and a podcast of an interview with
Dr Alistair Reece.
Henry was born in Gosport, Hampshire, in the United Kingdom
in 1792 and rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic
Wars. Following this he became an ordained priest and married Marianne Coldham.
In 1823 they were shoulder-tapped by the Church Mission Society to come and
help lead the fledgling mission in NZ. They were quite strong and assertive in
leadership and the CMS in Pahia began to make headway with the first
conversions and baptism of two local Māori in 1830. Henry was strong on the
learning of te reo by missionaries and their wives and was very involved in the
preparation and signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. He and his brother
William were largely responsible for the translation of the New Testament.
Henry Williams and te
Kawenata Hou
Left image: Frontispiece,
The Early Journals of Henry Williams. Pegasus Press Christchurch. Right image:
Title page, first edition New Testament | Kawenata Hou. https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/1st-Edition-New-Testament-Maori-1837/32152870474/bd
Henry and Marianne had 11 children. One son established Te
Aute College, another was a parliamentarian, and a third was appointed a
magistrate in the Native Land Court. Two daughters married other missionaries —
Octavius Hadfield of Kapiti and Christopher Pearson Davies. The latter was another connection with The
Elms Te Papa. C. P. Davies and his family lived and worked there for seven
years.
Notes
[1] The shipwright, not the soldier. See https://wdc.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/4929
https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-karere-messenger-and-paihia.html
https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-active-and-rev-henry-williams-1832.html
https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2021/09/arama-karaka-pi-and-taeopa.html
https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2019/04/during-morning-walks-over-mount.html
https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2019/06/early-european-vessels-and-visitors-to.html
https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-schooner-trent-and-major-thomas.html
Sources
Dr Samuel Carpenter: I am Henry, lecture and article, 26/6/2026
Dr Alistair Reese podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3mu9FvxYCQRMc5ZECo66a4
Voyages of the Herald: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_(1826_ship)
Wendy Davies, descendant of Henry William and Christopher Pearson Davies
