Westland Explorer's Monument

 

In the nearby town of Hokitka (half an hour away) is the cemetery with this monument near the entranceway. It commemorates 4 men who lost their lives between 1863 and 1866 ;

• George Dobson - road engineer, murdered in 1866
• Charlton Howitt - explorer, drowned in Lake Brunner 1863
• Charles Townsend - drowned at Greymouth (probably in the Grey River) 1863
• Henry Whitcombe - surveyor, drowned in the Taramakau River in 1863

Construction of the memorial started 1868 and the railings were added in 1869.

Linking up with Mosaic Monday.

The Strongman Mining Disaster

In between Greymouth and Punakaiki is this monument on top of a hill next to the main highway. The Strongman Mine was an underground coal mine north of Greymouth of New Zealand's west coast of the South Island that operated from 1938 until 2003. 

On 19th January 1967 a gas explosion in the mine killed 19 miners. In 1994 the original mine was replaced by the Strongman 2 mine further up the Nine Mile Valley. This mine eventually closed in 2003.

The monument honours those who were killed in the disaster and acknowledges the 65 years of mining in the area.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday, All Seasons and Tom's Signs.

Pompallier Mission House

We were over in Russell last week on B's day off hoping to do a tour of the Pompallier Mission House but alas we were a bit late for the tour. History about this place is:  Built in 1842 it housed a printery where church texts were translated from Latin to te reo Māori, then printed and bound.  The property is just five minutes’ walk from the wharf at Russell, formerly known as Kororareka and infamous as the ‘hell-hole of the Pacific’ for its drunken and raucous behaviour. It was against this colourful backdrop that a group of French Marist Brothers – including Jean Baptiste Pompallier, after whom the property is named – arrived to set up a Catholic Mission in the settlement.

Unfortunately we were a bit late by the time we got there and B had an appointment that afternoon so it will have to wait until another time.

It looks very different to how it looks today (top photo) compared to this one taken in 1967. Edited to add: After searching for more information on the property I've found that the outside decking and rails seems to be removed because of structural issues the house has had over the years. 

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Tuesday Travel, My corner of the world, Wordless Wednesday.

Otamatea Marae

 One advantage of being back in the Kaipara region last year was that I got to go on road trips so I could take photos of places I hadn't seen in the 8 years I lived here.  Otamatea Marae is in the small country town of Maungaturoto and was established around 1946 as the ancestral marae for the Ngati Whatua people.

The wharanui (meeting house) was originally the whare runanga (assembly house) at Shelly Beach which opened in 1887. It was relocated to Tanoa to sit next to the Kakaraea Church in remembrance of the 1825 battle of Te Ika a Ranganui (the Musket Wars).

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Okaihau settlers memorial 1868

During Winter last year after we came out of our national lockdown before I started working I visited the nearby town of Okaihau. A tiny settlement, the name of "Okaihau" means "place of feast of the winds" and at the time of the 2018 census the population was 1,236 people. 

This memorial in front of the rugby club commemorates the first settlers to the area who arrived in 1868 from Canada.  

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

The Waitangi Flagpole

See this flagpole? Looks kinda boring right? Well this flagpole has an important history to our country. Located in Paihia on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds it marks the spot where the treaty was first signed on 6th February 1840. The flags that fly today are the 3 official flags that we have had since 1834 - Te Kara (the flag of the United Tribes of NZ), the Union Flag (from 1840 to 1902) and the NZ Flag (from 1902 to present day).

The first flagstaff was gifted to James Busby by Ngapuhi chief Hone Heke Pokai. This was later shifted to Kororareka (Russell). In 1834 a flagstaff was erected by the Royal NZ Navy, replaced in 1947 and the Navy remains the caretaker of the current one to this day.

New Zealand's first flag was chosen at a meeting of chiefs at Waitangi on 20th March 1834 to ensure that ships built and owned by people in this country would be recognized by other nations.  British resident James Busby invited Maori leaders to choose 1 of 3 designs for the flag which later became known as the flag of the United Tribes of NZ (Te Kara of Te Whakaminenga o Nga Hapu o Niu Tireni). 

Britain's acceptance of this flag showed the country was now internationally regarded as an independant nation and started a drive from James Busby to form a government. The Declaration of Independance was created in 1835 followed by the Treaty in 1840.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Tuesday treasures, Through my lens, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the world.

Kaeo History

 

Another mural from Kaeo this week, this one is on the wall of the Farm and Fuel shop - I did try to find some background on it but apart from the artist being J. Marsden there was no further information, I'm assuming that it pays tribute to the town's farming history.

So a bit more about the town...at the 2018 census there was a population of 1,191 people so it's a very small settlement.  The town takes its name from the kāeo or New Zealand freshwater mussel, which is found in the nearby rivers. Kaeo is built on the flood plain of the Kaeo River and has experienced destructive flooding. It came to national attention in 2007 when it took the brunt of three major floods within the space of a few months - in February, March and July. Water flooded homes and shops and destroyed the primary school's pool complex. The local rugby clubrooms also suffered, and the club received support from the whole country as it raised funds to lift the clubrooms off the ground to minimise the risk of damage from further flooding.

Linking up with Mural Monday.

Samuel Marsden Memorial Church

When we first came up to the far north on holiday in April 2018 we drove through Matauri Bay and just before the road to the beach and campground there is this small church with a Maori urupa attached to it.

It's named after Samuel Marsden, the first missionary to New Zealand who came here in 1814 to minister to the Maori people. Accompanying Marsden were missionaries Thomas Kendall, William Hall and John King and their families; John Liddiard Nicholas (author of “Narrative of a Voyage to New Zealand”) and Ruatara, Hongi Hika, Korokoro, Te Nganga, Tui and Maui.

The great Ngapuhi war chief, Hongi Hika welcomed Marsden and his colleagues with haka (war dances), inviting them to a feast. They spent the night with Hongi Hika and his people at Putataua Bay before continuing to Rangihoua in the Bay of Islands to establish the first mission station.

The small Anglican church beside the road, some 400 metres before the beach, is the Samuel Marsden Memorial Church, named in honour of the missionary's arrival on these shores. The lettering above the gate to the churchyard and urupa (cemetery) reads “Te Tou O Taki”.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

The Rainbow Warrior Debacle

Yesterday the other half and I decided to travel the 15 minutes to nearby Matauri Bay so we could visit the Rainbow Warrior monument. We entered through the caravan park which had quite a few campers but still relatively quiet over Winter.

Past both sides of the beach around the coastline - the waves were very choppy. We were in 2 minds as to whether to go out on our boat or not but good that we didn't.

Walking up 2 quite steep paths to the top - I'm not the fittest person so I stopped a few times to catch my breath. You are probably wondering what's the story behind the monument. On 10th July 1985 the Greenpeace ship The Rainbow Warrior was moored in Auckland ready to confront French nuclear testing in the Morurua Atoll in the Pacific.

The captain and other crew members are fast asleep but a few others including the photographer were still up chatting with each other. Suddenly the lights went out, glass is broken along with a huge roar of water and 2 explosions heard.  Those who were already on deck managed to leap to safety onto the wharf but the photographer Fernando Pereira had been caught in a wave and drowned.

In an attempt to neutralise the ship ahead of it's planned protest French secret service agents in diving gear had attached 2 packets of plastic wrapped explosives to it, 1 to the propeller and 1 to the outer wall of the engine room. At first the French Government denied all knowledge of it but it soon became obvious that they were involved. Eventually Prime Minister Laurent Fabius appeared on the television and admitted that their secret service agents had sunk the boat and were acting upon orders. Shortly after the Defence Minister of France resigned.

The 2 agents stood trial, Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart had posed as Swiss tourists pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and wilful damage and were given sentences of 10 and 7 years but they were released with 2 years. A UN negotiated settlement meant they were transferred to Hao Atoll a French military base in French Polynesia.

The spy who infiltrated the Greenpeace NZ office ahead of the bombing Christine Cabon evaded arrest in Israel and hasn't been seen since. The whereabouts of the combat frogman with the alias Jean-Michel Berthelot - one of the 2 divers believed to have planted the bomb are unknown.

The Rainbow Warrior was named after a North American Cree Indian prophecy "When the world is sick and dying, the people will rise up like warriors of the rainbow".  On it's bow she carried the dove of peace carrying an olive branch and around the hull was painted the rainbow.

After the bombing the ship was given a resting place here at Matauri Bay where it became a living reef attracting marine life and recreational divers. Greenpeace replaced her with a new vessel and for 22 years the second Rainbow Warrior has campaigned for a safer future.  In 2011 the newest Rainbow Warrior the world's first purpose built environmental campaigning ship readied herself to carry on the original Rainbow Warrior's spirit.

I was a teenager when this happened, I was 14 and remember the huge public outcry of fellow kiwis as the 2 French agents got off their sentences with a slap on the wrist.   The memorial monument itself was the world of kiwi artist Chris Booth and was commissioned by Ngati Kura along with NZ China Clays.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World.

Dan Mills at MOTAT

Last Summer we visited MOTAT - the Museum of transport and technology in Auckland. You might remember previous posts I've written about this interesting place. Anyway one of the many murals  there are these ones. Painted by Dan Mills the above one is a tribute to the blacksmith, an occupation popular in the Victoria era (and older eras) but still around today here and there.

This one is a nod to New Zealand agriculture with a farmer holding a pig and a farmer's wife milking cows.  I can't remember which is where but one is on the back of the vintage tractor shed and the other is on the back of one of the tram sheds.

I hope you're keeping well wherever you are. We have another rainy wet weekend so we will be staying warm and keeping dry. Kia kaha.

Linking up with Mural Monday.

The Wedge - Rawene

Last time we were up in Rawene I took a photo of this unusual building on the corner of 2 streets while I admired the different bright colours.  Apparently it was built in the late 1940s to be used as a 2 storey joinery workshop and it's known as "the wedge" because of it's triangular design.

A few business have occupied different parts over the years including Prime Minister David Lange back when he was a young lawyer early in his career but nowadays it has a real estate at one end and a puzzle shop at the other.

But with a view like this why wouldn't you want to be in there?

Speaking of colour I've been out in the garden here again, I had ordered some little plants online which ended up being way less expensive than I would buy in a nursery. Because we have mostly native plants here I stuck with the theme and ordered some Hebes, some Cuphea and some Brachycome which are mostly low growing but will fill up some bare spots. When I'm out walking sometimes I pick some cuttings out of public gardens to taken home and root so when it rains I will put those out too.

We did get the go ahead from our landlord to remove a noxious plants that had self seeded everywhere, one of which is called Bear's Breeches which can grow up to 2 metres wide and high in the right places and with our garden being quite small it was taking over our lemon tree and flaxes. After digging half a dozen out there were 2 left that were stuck in corners I couldn't get to so I will wait for the other half to help when he has time.

Linking up with My Corner of the World and Wordless Wednesday.

Taumarumaru Scenic Reserve

A few days ago I posted about our visit to Rangikapiti Pa site in Mangonui, this one is also another of the same but instead it's been renamed "Taumarumaru Scenic Reserve" and it's located in Cooper's Beach (Doubtless Bay).

There were suppose to be terraces and storage pits but large areas of the land was covered in scrub and weeds so apart from the walking track and miles of long grass the only thing to see was the coastline, but we definitely weren't complaining about that.

This one was a bit more of a walk than the last one, several hills to climb but worth the views on the way up.  This reserve doesn't just have 1 pa site it apparently has 3 which had historical significance to the Ngai Awa and later Ngati Kahu people. 

 It is 22ha in size and was purchased by the Crown in 1984 for public enjoyment, people are allowed to bring their dogs as long as they are on a leash.  This was the view over the coastline from the top looking towards the Mangonui and Hihi Beach area.

Looking over the other side this is the view over Cooper's Beach and Taipa.

The top track lead either way to either straight down or another one here lead down to a pristine beach with golden sand.

Once we were down there it was nice to paddle in the cool water. We get fairly mild winters up here so you can still sit on a beach and enjoy the sun when it's out.  Since we visited here on a Monday we were pretty much the only ones around.

Stay safe where you are, kia kaha.

A visit to Rangikapiti Pa

Road trip time! Yesterday the other half and I drove out 45 minutes to Mangonui to visit 2 historical Maori Pa sites. This was one of them - Rangikapiti Pa which was a significant site for the Ngati Kahu tribe and their ancestor Moehuri who made land fall here in his canoe.

There are amazing views over the Mangonui Harbour, terraces which were used for gardening and housing with defensive ditches around the mountain. It was extremely windy when we were standing on top so it must've been very fortified with fences for protection.

This monument was placed here in 1880 and gives tribute to what once was as well as the longitude, latitude and sea level.

Apart from some pohutukawa, most of the reserve is covered in regenerating manuka while the rest is covered in grass. This was an easy walk up hill that took us about 10 minutes and from the other side of the pa we had views over Coopers Beach and Doubtless Bay.

Here's an idea of what it would've looked like. Stay safe - kia kaha.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World.

The old Wilson Cement Works

This is one historical spot in Warkworth, north of Auckland that I use to spend regular time at when my children are alot younger and the reason why is that in Autumn the colours on the trees is pretty special, we would wander through each ruin and sit in the sunshine. 

The old Wilson Cement works was once in use from around 1850 and the lake above was once where the ground was drilled, so deep that rain has since filled it up. At one point I believe there was an issue with contamination in the water but I have since heard that it has been cleared up as people swim in it during Summer.

So boats would come up the Mahurangi River (behind the property) and then the cement would then be shipped to Auckland to be used in the original Queen Street sewer system and other construction projects.

There are only ruins there but it is a popular place for photographers.  Apparently this was NZ's first cement manufacturing works and the founder was one Nathaniel Wilson (1836-1919) who emigrated from Glasgow with his family when he was 6 years old. He originally trained as a shoemaker but in 1864 he purchased a small block of land next to his parents block south of Warkworth village.

With lime deposits found on his land he built is own kiln in 1866 and decided to manufacture his own Roche lime used in plaster and mortar.  He first became interested in cement in 1883 and after experimenting by 1885 Nathaniel and his 2 brothers John and James began trading.  

Sadly by 1918 the company was voluntarily wound up and amalgamated with the NZ Portland Cement Company.  By 1926 the closure happened and the machinery was moved to Portland near Whangarei  and this cement works closed for good in 1929.  This whole site has since been recognized by Heritage NZ as a Category 1 historic place. The photo above was taken in 1910 by William price and shows coal smoke billowing from the chimneys.

There is more extensive information here.

Anzac Day 2020

Today April 25th every day is our country's national ANZAC day - meaning Australia New Zealand Army Corps.  The date specifically marks the anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915 but now it covers all of our loved ones who have fought and still fight in the military.

This photo, above was taken at Auckland Museum about 3 years ago and that's my daughter standing beside this particular exhibition (because she's horse mad). This one tells the story of the horses that were sent into both the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Approx 10,000 horses were sent into World War 1 to places such as German Samoa, the Middle East,  Gallipoli and the Western Front - just 4 made it home.

As we are all in lockdown here no one is able to get out this morning to their local ANZAC ceremonies so people and families have been showing decorations on their houses and in their front yards in some very creative ways. You can see some of their ideas here.

Just about every family here in NZ has their own ancestor who fought in a war and kiwis are extremely patriotic - this is one of our family heroes. This is my dad's uncle Neville Franks my dad is named the same after him - he fought in the 2nd World War and us buried in Monte Cassino Cemetery in Italy - I'd like to go there one day.

Who is your family hero?

Whangarei District War Memorial

With the Corona Virus still doing the rounds it looks like our annual ANZAC day has been cancelled. Today we heard that in total we now have 28 cases and mostly from people who have travelled back here from other countries, one person was tested in Australia and still chose to come here without waiting for the results - the way people think boggles my mind.

This District War Memorial in Whangarei was opened in 2015, pretty recent I know. It was relocated from another place in town and now incorporates 1st world war and 2nd world war veterans.  The wall is made of black marble inscribed with names of an additional 470 men who also died in the South African, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan wars.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

We have a property!

We heard yesterday that we have finally scored a property so we should be moving by the end of March - it's a big relief and we are looking forward to starting again.  Here's a piece of Kerikeri history...it's what remains of the old hydro-electric station which began to produce power to 17 customers on 11 July 1930 and it is stuck in the middle of the Rainbow Falls river walk.

A Mr George Alderton with a land developer and some of his customers were British civil servants that were wanting to settle in town. Alot of them were use to having a privileged life along with servants and maids etc, the wives were not impressed at having to do the manual work themselves which is why having electricity would be essential.  George set up his company so the settler's wives would be happy and want to buy the land.

He then employed Lloyd Mandeno to investigate the potential of a hydro station on the Kerikeri River. He said that it should supply at least 300 horsepower but because of low seasonal flooding the water should be diverted from the Puketotara River.

At the end of 1929 George Alderton's company began constructing the dam as well as the open water race for water diverted from the 2 rivers and in 1930 the power was turned on.  The surviving machinery of the powerhouse has been restored (above) and placed where it originally was so visitors can walk along the track and see inside.

Coates Memorial Church

On our last trip out to Matakohe just before we drove home again I talked the other half into walking down the drive next to the museum so I could have a look at this church.

The Coates Memorial Church opened in 1950 and the architect was Horace Lovell Massey (Massey is a well known name in the Kaipara region).

Inside it's very clean, tidy and well maintained. Mr Massey was also part of a firm named Massey, Morgan, Hyland and Phillips who also designed the nurses home at Napier Hospital (1925) and the Fallen Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Hastings (also 1925). From the research I've read he also designed many other churches, crematoriums and fine houses.

Matakohe is a farming area which was first settled around 1860 by farmers and labourers from England, there were no roads or trails - the only link with the outside world was the sea right through the Kaipara inlet.

A big Kauri gum industry developed here around 1867-1870 by the settlers and from memory the earliers grave we saw was from the 1880s. The name "Coates" as per the name of the church is another well known one for the area - in fact one of our last prime ministers was Gordon Coates who lived in nearby Maungaturoto.

Some information taken from the Maungaturoto - History of the Kaipara Facebook page.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.