Captain William Russell

 

Photo taken at Old Napier Cemetery 5 years ago

Last time we visited Napier in the north island of New Zealand we stopped by the old cemetery to meet my mum's Scottish grandparents who lived there during the 1800s. I'm one of those people who likes to take photos of old things especially cemeteries and this headstone that fallen over near the entrance caught my eye.

This one belongs to a Captain William Russell, born 12th November 1838 in Berkshire, England to parents Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Hamilton Russell and Elizabeth Howlett. He married Harriet Hodgskin on 7th July 1867 and they had 10 children; William, Harold, George, Cara, Charles, Lionel, Hugh, Walter, Violet and Marjorie. 

Apparently he was a well known politician in the area but passed away after an unsuccessful operation on 24th September 1913.

btw I'm interested to know if anyone out there knows of any Norwegian/Swedish or Danish bloggers, if so please leave a comment. 😃

Linking up with Tuesday Treasures, Happy Tuesdays and Wordless Wednesday.

Napier's art deco sound shell

Napier has alot of really strong art deco architecture mostly because the city was flattened during the massive earthquake they had in 1931. When we were there in April 2021 I took advantage of all of the beautiful buildings by taking loads of photos. This structure is known as the Soundshell which is these days available for organisations to hire as a stage setup and performance area.

It was built in 1935 and designed by Napier architect J.T. Watson. The art deco sound shell was the first to be built in the country and it trumpeted the city's intention not just to rise from the rubble and ashes of the earthquake and fires but to reinvent itself in the process. Information from the city council website.

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Pania of the reef

In Napier along the waterfront and promenade is this iconic statue sitting amongst the flower beds. Named "Pania", according to mythology she was a beautiful maiden who lived on the east coast of New Zealand and by day she swam around about with creatures of the reef world  but after sunset she would go to a stream that ran into a bay where Napier now exists.

Karitoki, the handsome son of a Maori chief quenched his thirst every evening at the stream where Pania rested. He was unaware she was observing him for many weeks until one night she whispered a faint spell which carried on the wind to him when he turned around to see her emerge from her hiding place.

They fell in love and pledged their lives to each other and were secretly married. Pania and Karitoke went to his house (Whare) but because it was dark no one saw them enter. In the morning she was preparing to leave but he tried to stop her. She explained that as a creature of the ocean, when the sirens of the sea called her each morning she could not survive if she did not go to them. She promised to return every evening and their marriage continued on that basis.

Karitoki boasted to his friends about his beautiful wife, but no one believed him because they had never seen her. Frustrated by this, Karitoki consulted a wise elder (Kaumatua) in the village who believed Karitoki as he knew ocean maidens did exist. The kaumatua told Karitoki that being a sea creature, Pania would not be allowed to return to the sea if she swallowed cooked food.

That night, as Pania slept, Karitoki took a morsel of cooked food and put it in Pania's mouth. As he did so, Ruru the Morepork/Owl called a loud warning and Pania was startled from her sleep. Horrified that Karitoki had put her life in jeopardy, Pania fled and ran to the sea. Her people came to the surface and drew her down into the depths as Karitoki swam frantically about the ocean looking for her. He never saw her again.

When people now look deep into the water over the reef, some say they can see Pania with arms outstretched, appealing to her former lover. It is unknown whether she is imploring him to explain his treachery, or expressing her continuing love.

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