Forthcoming Talk, Sunday 7th April by Tim Walker - Horatio Robley, Tauranga and New Zealand

‘Maori War-Canoe at Tauranga, New Zealand’
Watercolour painting by Horatio Gordon Robley, c. 1865
Collection of MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri, Ref. 33528

Mark your calendars now. On 7^th April Tim Walker will talk to the Society about Horatio Robley’s relationship with Tauranga and New Zealand, and our changing relationship with him.

Tim Walker is an Auckland-based arts & culture consultant. Previously he worked in art galleries and museums for three decades – at the Waikato Museum of Art and History, National Art Gallery and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Dowse Art Museum and Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum.

Tim is chair of Te Kura Toi Whakaari; NZ Drama School. He has a MA (Hons) in Art History from the University of Auckland and was awarded an Honorary Degree in Creative Technologies by the Wellington Institute of Technology for his work at The Dowse.

Tim wrote his Art History Master’s thesis on Horatio Gordon Robley. He has maintained an interest in the subject since, including friendships with Robley’s descendants in the Bay of Plenty and Whanganui. He is currently writing a book centred on Robley’s extraordinary life.

Erratum - In an earlier version of this article, the title incorrectly showed Tim's talk for 4th April, although the date within the body of the article was correctly shown as Sunday 7th April. Apologies for any confusion.

Potted history of Seabird Studies on Mauao

Many thanks to Paul Cuming for his fascinating account on Sunday (21 January) of the work that goes on at nighttime on our maunga, and the history of the avian study of which many of us are possibly unaware.

Paul and Ōi on Mauao

Perhaps the longest-running seabird study on the mainland of Aotearoa is also one of innovation, as the population of ōi (grey-faced petrel) has been part of a wider experiment to translate chicks from one site to another.

Transferred oi chick returned as adult

In 2000, thirty ōi chicks were shifted from Motuotau to Mauao to help Department of Conservation staff fine-tune translocation skills for similar work with rarer species, namely the Chatham Island Petrel. Six individuals were successful in returning to their ‘new’ homes – one is pictured here with a red leg band. Artificial burrows were placed on the Northern slopes of Mauao. The experiment was deemed a success - thirty was quite a low number to garner such outcomes as six returning, with the expected mortality of youngsters. As with many seabird species, recruitment of young inexperienced potential breeders is a significant issue. Chatham Petrels are now successfully breeding on Pitt Island in a pest free sanctuary. All thanks in part to the ōi of Mauao.

Monmouth Redoubt Historic Reserve Consultation

View north from Monmouth Redoubt, Undated, Postcard by unidentified photograoher
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection, Hardy Collection

Tauranga City Council has commissioned a consultant to prepare a conservation plan for the Monmouth Redoubt Historic Reserve. A conservation plan is a "document that explains the significance of a site, identifies how that significance is vulnerable and sets out polices for retaining the significance in any new use, management regime or alteration." (Kate Clark)

Monmouth Redoubt and southern bank, pre-WW1, Postcard by unidentified photographer
The road that once connected The Strand to Cliff Road is seen clearly in this photograph.
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection, Gifford Collection

On 24 July 2018, Tauranga Historical Society President Julie Green attended a workshop for stakeholders to discuss the plan, and the following day an open session gave the public an opportunity to discuss issues and concerns regarding the site. The conservation plan will be completed by the end of November.

In the mean time, if you are interested in contributing to the discussion, Tauranga City Council will shortly be adding a link to their ‘Have your say’ webpage at
https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/community/have-your-say/open-consultations-and-engagements

A further public consultation session will be held at the BOP Vintage Car Club Hall on Cliff Road, Tauranga between 11am and 1pm on Wednesday 19 September. All who have interest in the Redoubt are welcome to attend.

Publish and Be Damned, a talk by Debbie McCauley (3 May 2015)

Tauranga author and librarian Debbie McCauley talked about the three books she has published under the name ‘Mauao Publishing’. One is a family history and the other two are children’s narrative non-fiction, one on the Battle of Gate and the other on the Rena Disaster.

Both children’s book have been nominated in the LIANZA Book Awards for the Elsie Locke non-fiction award. Debbie outlined her journey towards publishing, and then gave some information about how the process was undertaken, and some of the pitfalls to look out for.

Copies of the books may be ordered directly from Debbie McCauley on  (07) 577 7174

Three Tauranga books are Children's Book Awards Finalists (2015)

Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill: A Story from the Rena Disaster (2014) by Debbie McCauley

Taratoa and the Code of Conduct: A Story from the Battle of Gate Pā (2014) by Debbie McCauley

The McCauley Family of Katikati, New Zealand: 1876-2012

McCauley Family Reunion (2012) by Debbie McCauley

Author gifts books to Tauranga children, New Zealand Herald

Central TV

Katikati Cemetery Restoration

The Te Puke Flax Mills, a talk by Richard Hart (5 April 2015)

Aerial view of Paroa Flax Mill, Kaituna, c.1930s

Working as a landscape architect piqued my interest in the flax milling history of the lower Kaituna River, and this interest then spread to the associated flax mills of Te Puke.

The scow Victory and a flax launch at Paroa

This presentation covers four main areas; the reasons for writing about flax mills, the research journey based largely on the letters Alister and Ian Matheson, the process of flax milling from growing and harvest to flax stripping and scutching including human stories, and finally explores the Paroa flax mill in greater depth.

Remains of the Paroa Flax Mill today

Remnants of the Paroa Mill remain today with two rusty iron buildings on private land west of the river, and a flax tramway alignment across the river in the Kaituna wetlands.

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Te Kopua Flax Mill

Richard is preparing a book based on Alister Mathesons work on the Te Puke Flax Mills.  It will be richly illustrated with historic photographs.

Mr Jim Paterson after a fire at the Paroa Flax Mill, c.1912

His presentation to the Tauranga Historic Society was to share his story so far, and to seek leads to fill in the gaps about where the machinery went and to uncover local stories.  Please email Richard (richard@richardhart.co.nz) if you have any information or photographs to share.

Block M2 after side leafing, 27/1/30, Te Puke

March Meeting - Flax Milling in the Te Puke District

On 5 April (Easter Sunday) at 2.p.m. Richard Hart will speak on:

Flax Milling in the Te Puke District

at the hall at the rear of the Brain Watkins House, 233 Cameron Road Tauranga. Visitors are welcome.

July Meeting - Captain AD Blair & the Q ships in World War 1 presented by Harley Couper

AD Blair with Clan Line
Image courtesy of Harley Couper

Harley described the life of Otago born Andrew Dougall Blair, born 1872 into a thriving and growing Dunedin but becoming a merchant seaman after 4 years of indentured service. AD Blair was already a captain in his late 20s when he saw the Lusitania launched and by the outbreak of the first world war was already captaining ships in the middle east. Caught up in regional conflicts he was one of the last to be awarded the Fourth Order of Medjidie in 1912  for assisting the Ottomon Empire to put down a rebellion. That same year he was caught by the Italians running guns for the Ottomans after the collapse of their Navy.

Helgoland Q17
Image courtesy of Harley Couper

With the outbreak of war in 1914 Blair joined the Royal Naval Reserves and was commissioned as Lieutenant. He was placed in charge of fleet of trawlers hunting submarines for 18 months before being transferred into Special Service and trained to command of an experimental approach to submarines – the  Q-ship. Blair’s first command was supported by sub-lieutenant W.E. Sanders who later won the VC  and the two men corresponded by letter before Sanders was killed in action. Blair and Sanders engaged three submarines while becalmed and without steerage, an account recounted in detail.

AD Blair during WW1
Image courtesy of Harley Couper

After the War Blair worked as Naval Transport Officer in Cologne during the occupation of the Rhineland before returning to the Merchant Service in the Middle East. He lived an interesting life, meeting Arab Sultans and owning a pet lion. He died in March 1955.

Many thanks to Harley Couper for giving us a fascinating and extremely well presented account of his research, a much fuller version of which is presented on the Tauranga Memories kete.

June Meeting - Hannibal Marks by Vivien Edwards

Hannibal Marks
Image courtesy of John Marks

At the Mission Cemetery in Tauranga lies Hannibal Marks, harbourmaster and pilot at Tauranga from 1874-1879 who drowned in Tauranga Harbour on 16 August 1879 along with his son, also named Hannibal. The BOP Times story is that Marks went to help two young men racing yachts singlehanded in foul weather. One yacht hit the pilot boat and damaged its rudder, resulting in losing control of the vessel. A sudden squall hitting the sail capsized it. Marks’ other son Pascoe and his brother-in-law survived.

It was the final tragedy in a life coloured with both triumphs and disappointments. Marks arrived in New Zealand in 1841 when the ship Regina was wrecked at New Plymouth. He married Mary Jane Vercoe. Not all their 12 children survived.

Marks honed his seafaring skills in coastal traders on the North Island’s west coast. At Manukau he was mate and coxswain on the Government cutter Maori, which provided a ferry service between Onehunga and Waiuku, but arguments over the vessel’s maintenance led to dismissal due to ‘insolence and insubordination.’ His time as first pilot in Manukau Harbour was cut short after a few months. The Provincial Government delayed deciding how much to spend on buoys and beacons and a pilot boat, and there were expectations a small boat could safely escort ships over Manukau bar.

However, Marks seamanship skills were recognised, and his career highlight was as commander of the gunboats Caroline and Sandfly. During the Maori war he delivered despatches between the British men o’ war ships and Governor Grey; embarked and disembarked troops and marines and enforced naval blockades in the Firth of Thames, then at Tauranga. He was highly praised by Sir George Grey and newspapers of the day, but just before the Battle of Gate Pa while transporting soldiers and marines to Tauranga Marks had a fatal accident on board the Sandfly. A William Todman rolled off his baggage and fell through the decklight on to the engine. He was buried on Mercury Island.

Marks’ gunboat career ended after the Australian explorer Francis Cadell, in charge of steam service on the Waikato River, asserted his authority over Mark’s crew and eventually dismissed Marks. A Commission of Inquiry later found Marks should not have lost his command, but by then the Government had sold the Sandfly.

There were 41 signatures of recommendation attached to Marks’ application to become harbourmaster and pilot at Tauranga. The Rowena was already operating between Auckland and Tauranga, and during Marks’ time the Staffa started a service to Opotiki. A steam service was started up to Katikati (some time after Vesey Stewarts’ first settlers arrived), and Union Steamship Company ships from down south began calling. With a large number of small vessels also using the port, Tauranga Wharf had to be extended and Victoria Wharf was built. After the Nellie hit Astrolabe Reef it was wrecked on Motiti Island. The Taranaki was wrecked on Karewa Island and the Taupo ran aground on Stoney Point Reef. There were several drownings in the harbour.

The grave of Hannibal Marks
Photo courtesy of Viven Edwards

Marks was criticised several times by E.M. Edgcumbe, chairman of the Town Board and BOP Times editor, for laziness in staking the harbour and rivers. Edgcumbe challenged Marks’ competence in supplying Sir John Coode, who inspected the harbour, with data he required and there were issues over buoy placement after the Taupo ran aground. Following accusations of procrastination and persistent idleness, Marks’ son Pascoe physically assaulted Edgcumbe on Tauranga Wharf.

After the drowning, Marks’ funeral was held in the Tauranga Hotel. The BOP Times reported the cortege as very large, including nearly all the town’s residents. Pallbearers wore full Masonic regalia and Marks’ Masonic apron draped his coffin. Marks’ son Hannibal’s body was recovered two weeks later.

Many thanks to Vivien Edwards who gave this talk at our June meeting.

Sunday 6 April - Talk by Brigid Gallagher

April Meeting

Sunday 6 April 2014 - 2.00 pm

Talk by Brigid Gallagher - Digging the Mole

Tauranga Hotel's gone, and a great big slab of new building is going up, but we can still learn about what used to be there.

Don't miss internationally-known archaeologist Brigid Gallagher talking about what she found on the 'Grumpy Mole' - a.k.a. Tauranga Hotel - site. Come to the Society's monthly meeting in the hall, 233 Cameron Road, at 2 pm on Sunday 6 April. New members and guests especially welcome.

Brigid Gallagher is a local archaeologist who is a specialist in heritage and artefact conservation.  After leaving NZ and the Auckland Museum in 1998 she worked in archaeology across the British Isles and parts of Europe.  Following a number of years in the field assessing, evaluating and excavating 5,000 years of history she went back to University in Cardiff to specialise in Conservation for archaeology and museums.  This culminated in roles at the Catal hoyuk research project in Turkey and a position with the 'Time Team'.

Before heading back to NZ in 2008 she was conservation manager for a large archaeological consultancy and responsible for artefact care and conservation from excavations across the Republic of Ireland.

Since the return to NZ, she and her partner Raysan have set up a heritage and production company, MishMish, with have projects that cover archaeological assessment and excavation, analysis and conservation of archaeological and historic sites and artefacts, and interpretation and visualisation projects, the latest of which can be seen at www.ruapekapeka.co.nz.

Since excavating the Tauranga Hotel site she has been excavating at Bethlehem and Katikati.

September Meeting: Cameron, Grey, and the Invasion of the Waikato, by Dr Peter Vickers

Peter Vickers, who recently completed a Bachelor of Defence Studies at Massey University, gave a very interesting talk on “Cameron, Grey, and the Invasion of the Waikato” on Sunday 1st September.

The two key figures in the Waikato campaign were the Governor, Sir George Grey, and General Cameron.

Governor Grey

Grey had had  a series of failures in his previous appointments yet he was sent for a second time  to New Zealand as Governor. Peter described him as a “yes” man and a “hit man” for the British Government, who wanted to withdraw their troops as soon as possible to save money.

General Cameron

Cameron, on the other hand, had had a distinguished career in the army before his appointment in 1861 as commander in New Zealand. It is said that he had discovered a plot by the Waikato Kingites who were planning to attack Auckland. He began the subjugation of the Waikato in 1863 by ordering troops to cross the Mangatawhiri River.

Prior to that the Great South Road had been built to reach the seat of war and great use was made of armoured steamers on the river.  The Maori were to be punished by the loss of their land.

Peter explained that there were different interpretations of what happened in the Waikato campaign. He believed that Belich gave a revisionist view of the wars and would question some of his claims.e.g. that the Maori were the first to develop a deep, complex system of trenches.

August Meeting: A Few of My Favourite Things by Stephanie Smith

On Sunday afternoon Stephanie gave us an entertaining and visually delightful introduction to ten of her favourite items from the archives and rare books collections of Tauranga City Libraries.

The items range from the gorgeous and glamorous (Volume I of Buller's lavish History of the Birds of New Zealand, 1888, in gold-stamped green leather) to the deceptively drab (a tiny battered diary that accompanied its owner through the hardships of army life in the Middle East in 1919).

Image © and courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries Ref. 05-294

They are not all books, either. Horatio Gordon Robley's lively watercolour of a waka race on Tauranga Harbour on Boxing Day 1865 shows the people of Tauranga out enjoying themselves, after the tense times of the land wars.

The contents of one box came as a surprise to some in the audience, as you might not expect to find a collection of embroidered tablecloths in an archive which looks after the documentary heritage of the Bay of Plenty. However, it all depends on context: the tablecloths form part of a donation from the Tauranga South Women's Institute, which went into recess a few years ago and recently gave the linen, along with other material, to Research Collections.

July Meeting: Oliver Macey Quintal by Vivien Edwards

Many thanks to Vivien Edwards who spoke at our July meeting. On seeing Oliver Macey Quintal listed as a Pitcairner on Norfolk Island she recognised the name. In 1878 he was a Tauranga barrister, at the inquiry of the ship Nellie, which hit Astrolabe Reef then foundered on Motiti Island. Soon after he was a passenger on the Taranaki wrecked on Karewa Island.

Finding Quintal’s name at Norfolk raised the question of how a Pitcairner, isolated from the rest of the world except for passing ships, could become a New Zealand barrister?

Macey (as he was called), was born in 1842 to William Quintal and Maria Christian. He was great grandson of both Matthew Quintal and Fletcher Christian. When the Pitcairners relocated to Norfolk Island in 1856 he was 14 years old.

Given to Bishop Selwyn by his family, Macey was to be trained for missionary work in the tropics, but instead he was articled to Outhwaites’ law firm. In 1868 he passed his examination for admission as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court. In 1871 Quintal and Outhwaite handled the estate of Reverend Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, after his murder in the Solomon Islands.

Quintal played cricket and football. He participated in Auckland society, joining various committees, which included organising citizen’s balls for visiting Governors.

Bay of Plenty Times, 8 July 1876

He set up in Tauranga in 1876. Vesey Stewart’s first settlers were in Katikati. The Tauranga/ Taupo road was open; there was a regular steam service to Auckland on the Rowena, and the Staffa had started a service to Opotiki. Quintal practised with W.B. Hawkins in the old BNZ building in Harington Street, later shifting to McLean then Willow Streets.

Bay of Plenty Times, 1 August 1877

He played for Tauranga Cricket Club: was vestryman for Holy Trinity and secretary for the parishioners’ annual meeting; he served on committees for the 1879 Regatta, the Mechanics’ Institute, the Choral Society, and to form a brass band. He helped welcome the Governor and participated in deputations, promoting Tauranga’s interests to Ministers.

Bay of Plenty Times, 29 September 1877

His court cases included cushions and a sofa stuffed with flax instead of horse hair, and injury to a horse used to erect the Taupo telegraph line. He defended Mrs. Ogden, who strung washing across Anson Street and was hit with her clothes prop by a neighbor. He unsuccessfully defended Mrs. Anne Robertson whose ownership of Ohinemutu Lakes Hotel was challenged by Robert Graham after she purchased the lease from Isaac Wilson. Local Maori forcibly evicted her.

Quintal faced the law himself, charged by William Shaw from ‘Woodlands’ Katikati, with forging and uttering a certain bill of sale with intent to defraud. He had tried to help Shaw and the case was dismissed.

In 1883 he returned to Auckland, but came back to Tauranga periodically to handle land deals. He married Jemima Buffet from Norfolk Island in 1889. They had two children; Laurie Ida and Oliver. Quintal and his family returned to Norfolk Island in 1893 where he chaired the Executive Council and participated in the island’s affairs. He died there 23 February 1922.

[Newspaper images courtesy of Papers Past]