TAUPO MISSION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1928, Page 6 (Supplement)

TAUPO MISSION.

A PIONEER'S LABOURS.

JOURNAL OF REV. T. S. GRACE.

VOLKNER TRAGEDY RECALLED.

(By T.C.)

New Zealand owes a tfreat deal to its missionaries. It was they who prepared the way for its colonisation by winning the trust of the Maori people. From first to last they have been the wisest and moat disinterested friends of the Maoris and have understood the native mind as 110 others have done. Had their advice, supported as it was by that of men like Sir William Martini been taken, the Maori War, with the bitterness which it left in its train, might have been avoided. The Rev. T. S. Grace, whose record is before us (*') in a book juat published, was not strictly a pioneer missionary in the sense that Marsden and liis immediate successors were. When Mr. Grace arrived in New Zealand in 1851) the way had been paved for the development, of missionary work in all parts of the country, and even to the remote districts, flying visits bv various members of the mission bodies had been made. U was no longer dangerous for a white man to go anywhere in New Zealand. Later, of course, a pakelia went into certain parts of the North Tsland carrying his life in his bands, but this was not due to the oldtime savagery of the native race, but to a new state of things brought obbut, it must be confessed with shame, chiefly by the actions of white men themselves. But though the way had been made beforehand it must be admitted that the early part of Mr. Grace's work was done in almost virgin sftil from a missionary point of view. After being two years in charge of the Poverty Bay district during the absence in England of that veteran missionary, Archdeacon William Williams, afterwards first Bishop of, Waiapu, Mr. Grace was sent to found a mission station on the shores of Lake Taupo. He chose a place named Pukawa, near the southern end of the lake, and settled there in 1853. Almost the first | thing Mr. Grace had to do was to make peace between two powerful chiefs. The first few years were years of struggle," not so much with men as with Nature, He lived in the heart of the island, where there were no roads, and often not even tracks, so all household goods and supplies had to be brought from the sea coast on the Bay of Plentv, and- were at first carried on men's backs. Later if becftmo possible to use paekhorse*. But the missionary and his family bore their trials uncomplainingly, even when, during their temporary absence, the mission station was burnt down and all their property destroyed. Arother trial was lack of money with which to bu'ld a. proper house and buildings for ttye schools which were started. All these trials and difficulties are noted in the journals.

The Volkner Tragedy. Slowly but surely, however, things improved, and success was in tight when disaster overtook > the station and destroyed all the work. The war which had, started in Taranaki in 1800 had spread to the Waikato, and the Taupo district was drawn in. To make mat-, tors worse, the protector of the mission station, To Heuheu, son of the great chief of that name, died ere the war commenced. The Graces were- forced to flee, uml the story of their journey through a hostile country down to the Hay of Plenty deserves to be read as a record of a miraculous escape from dungurs, both from men and from the forces of Nature.

The destruction of the Taupo mission was a turning-point in Mr. Grace's life, From now onward his work was carried on by means of long journeys from tho sea coast instead of a central mission station inland. Not for some years wus he able to visit the central districts, and in the meantime he helped to took utter some of the settled areas. But during tliip intervening period he took part in the supreme tragedy of New Zealand missionary work. He accompanied the Rev. C. IS. Volkner on his ill-fated .visit to Opotiki, where both were taken prisoners by fanatical Maoris who had come from Taranaki. Mr, Volkner was murdered, and Mr. Grace was kept a prisoner for some days, after which he was rescued by a Government party sent for tho purpose. Before leaving he had the satisfaction of reading the burial service over the place where hit friend was buried, and many years afterwards erected a stone over the grave just outside the church Volkner had built, which is now approprj* ately named the Church of St. Stephen tho Martyr.

When at length hostilities had sub' sided, Mr. Grace resumed his missionary journeys, at first making his headquartern at Auckland, but later moving to Tauranga. But the whole nature o*» the work had changed. The Maoris were now mostly flauhaus, and bitterly hostile to the Christian faith, and thfc missionary found discouragements such as he had never experienced before. The greatest difficulties were to be found in certain Ideas which the natives had, based on absolutely erroneous stories, about the actions of Bishop Selwyn and tho missionaries during the war. To combat these beliefs was nn almost impossible task, and they subsist to this day iu the Walkato, bot Mr. Grace did a 'little towards telling the natives the truth. In 1877 }ie was able to attend a large meeting of Hauhaus held at Waotu, where he met "Rewi, and did much to enlighten the mind of that chief. This was probably the first time a Christian minister had been allowed to attend such a meeting.

A Valuable Becord. From time to time Mr. Grace dif- J cuhsoh in his letters the problems affect* ing the Native Church, the necessity for the superintendent missionary to live j among his people and teach by example us well as precept, the appointment of Maori pastors, and last, but not least, the appointment of a Maori Bishop, which ho advocated strongly. It is remarkable that it was not. till last month that the Gonecal Synod of the Anglican Church authorised such an appointment. It is the record of a life unselfishly spent for the benefit of the Maori race and in everything he was helped, by hi* devoted wife, who took her. share, pf all the duties and dangers incident to the work. His children, editors of hi* journals, whojiave now published these extracts therefrom, have done their work well. It is to be hoped that others Fho hold possession of other private kept by persons who have lived in the earl y day* will '.'rLi till® example now set and publish either in whole or in part.

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