The Brigantine Victoria and Ensign Abel Best, 1842

Early Sailing Vessels and Visitors to Tauranga

Part XII. The Brigantine Victoria and Ensign Abel Best, 1842

In 1842, the colonial vessel Victoria entered Tauranga Harbour after sailing from New Zealand’s new fledgling capital of Auckland. On board were colonial officials and British Imperial troops, intent on ending an intertribal war between Tauranga’s Ngai Te Rangi and the Te Arawa people at Maketu. The acting governor Thomas Shortland’s pretext for intervening was a report that each tribe had seized a vessel belonging to one of their enemy’s resident traders, for use as warrior transports.

Built at Deptford, N.S.W. in 1840 for Governor Hobson’s new colonial administration, the 200 ton square-rigged Victoria was well prepared for any conflict with Maori. Armed with two 18 pound carronades and a four pound cannon, there were 226 round shot and 175 rounds of grape shot and canister on board. The vessel also carried 40 soldiers of the 40th Regiment led by Major Thomas Bunbury (who had taken a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi around New Zealand for Maori to sign in 1840), and some seamen and marines from HMS Tortoise, for whom 7,100 musket ball cartridges had been loaded.

The colonial brig Victoria
Image courtesy of Keith Snow, New Zealand marine artist

Shortland established his headquarters at Maketu and began peace negotiations, but the leading rangatira at Tauranga and Maketu objected to the right of the British to interfere in their wars. Shortland managed to effect a temporary peace and the return of the cutter Nimble, seized by Te Arawa from the traders Charles Joy and Peter Lowrie. Conscious of the escalating cost of the expedition, the limited size of his military force and the intransigence of the opposing rangatira, Shortland withdrew his troops and returned to Auckland. This was the first of several occasions where British army and naval troops were called out to settle an intertribal dispute and to recover European property during the 1840s.

On board the Victoria during the initial voyage to Tauranga was Ensign Abel Dottin Best. A talented officer of the 80th regiment, Best had served on a convict ship in New South Wales and Norfolk Island. In New Zealand he was given special instructions by Bunbury to take detailed notes on the defences of all Maori pa he visited. Posted to India in 1843, Captain Best was killed in battle in 1845, not yet 30 years old. He kept a journal however, which casts further light on some of the residents, locations and vistas at Tauranga during July-August, 1842.

"July 13th Running down the coast passed close to the Islands Hausey Mercury Aldermans Mayor &c - and at Night shortened sail at times laying to.

14th The harbour of Tauronga is so remarkable that it cannot by any possibillity be mistaken. At its immediate entrance the S. E. head rises into a conical hill with a flat top of a very considerable elevation all the coast to the N. W. being low for at least 15 miles and about 12 miles off lies the island of Kawera.

Sighting Mounganui, the hill mentioned at daylight we beat in with close reefed Topsails against a strong Gale having the flood tide in our favour at half tide carrying in four fathoms. As the harbour was little known when inside Capt Richards let go his anchor in 10 fathoms. We had not long been anchored when a Canoe boarded us containing some of the people who had escaped from Taraia two of whom had been wounded one of them severely in the hand and thigh. The Canoe one of the best constructed I ever saw came down in capital style against a powerful tide her crew twenty in number keeping time to the waving of a battle axe dressed with feathers."

Captain Abel Best 1816-1845
Photo courtesy of Don Armitage, Voyages of the Colonial Brig "Victoria" 1842-3

"Shortly after Mr Browns (the resident Missionary) six oared boat arrived & we all went on shore  & were speedily introduced to Mr Brown & Miss Baker. Mr Brown having told us off to our respective Quarters Sd & Mr Clarke being allotted rooms in his house & Ed & I having the old dwelling of Mr Stack assigned to us we went to dinner and then amused ourselves untill tea wandering about. I observed that the Maories had adopted a system of imperfect Intrenchment as their system of Fortification probably owing to the nature of the ground & the deficiency of timber fit for Stockades.

In the afternoon the Brig worked in and let go her anchor opposite Otu Maitai. The Country round Tauronga for a distance of at least Ten miles is devoid of wood the first forest occurring on the road to Rotorua in which valuable timber abounds. I am of opinion that the whole of the Plains around Tauronga were once wooded but that the trees gave way to agriculture in the days when Tribes inhabiting the Bay of Plenty were in their glory. The whole appearance of the country the size of its remaining Pa's the ruins of Native forts all bespeak a time when Tauronga swarmed with thousands of Warriors and when its people were among the great of the land."

The Victoria’s master, Jeremiah William Nagle
Photo courtesy of Geoff Lloyd and Findagrave.com

"17th Sunday. Breakfast over Ed Sd Mr Clarke & I visited Otu Maitai, the main stronghold of the People of Tauronga it is situated on the Katikati about 1 1/2 miles from the Mission house. Part of the Pa is on the sea beach and part on the top of a cliff or steep bank 40 feet high. By its position naturally strong it is rendered more secure by a strong palisade and on the land side & flanks it is further protected by a deep and wide Ditch having a Stockade on its exterior side. Moreover the level of the exterior plain is somewhat lower than that of the Pa. Where it well defended its intricacy alone would render it formidable but at present there are not men in it to defend one fifth of its great extent. Nowhere have I seen so great a number of fine Canoes the care with which they preserve their fishing nets was also worthy of remark every net being placed on a little elevated platform and then securely thatched over.

18th Up at 1/2 past six and at nine shoved off in the Brigs boat for Mounga Nui which we ascended in about 20 minutes. The day was remarkably clear and the view we obtained from the summit highly interesting & extensive. To the S. W. the sacred mountain of Tarawera was distinctly visible though at a distance of at least fifty miles. Looking along the coast we distinctly saw Cape Runaway on one side and the high land near Cape Colvil on the other. Extensive plains extended some 20 miles up and down the coast running back to the hills towards Rotorua but the most striking object was White Island, enveloped in a cloud of smoke or vapour.

August 18th Taking leave of Mr Brown & his family we walked to our boat & shoved off amidst loud cries of Go to your friend the Governor at Auckland to which we replied we will go to our friend the Governor of all of us which repartee (for so it was when expressed in Maori) occasioned a hearty laugh & gave much satisfaction to this singular people who three days before would not have heard it without visible displeasure.

About 4 P.M. weighed with a light breeze and the ebb tide carrying four fathoms over the outside flat the water gradually deepening to 15 fathoms at three miles from shore.

19th Little or no wind crept up as far as the Mercury Islands inside which we passed without seeing the sunken rock reported to lie in that Passage. The water was perfectly alive with shoals of Porpoises darting about in every direction no doubt rejoicing in the fineness of the weather.

20th Found ourselves inside Cape Colvil little wind all day at night anchored off Wai Heke.

21st Weighed at dawn. Wind foul tried to make Taraias but the weather became so thick and threatening that with much reluctance Mr Shd ordered the vessel to be put about and at 3 P.M. in a heavy Gale we reached Auckland."

Sources

Armitage, Don, Voyages of the Colonial brig 'Victoria' 1842-3, sites.google.com › Home › great-barrier-island-history
Best, Ensign Abel, The Journal of Ensign Best, 1837- 1843. Nancy M. Taylor (ed.), Wellington: Government Printer, 1966.
Bunbury, Thomas, Reminiscences of a Veteran, Vol III, Charles Skeet, London, 1861.
Collinson, T. B., Remarks on the Military Operations in New Zealand, Vol III, John Weale, London, 1853: 48.