GLANCING BACK

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1923, Page 13

GLANCING BACK

A HUNDRED YEARS

TIMES OF HOBBS AND KIRK

STORIES OF EARLY AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON.

At the meeting of the Wellington Early Settlers' Association on Wednesday evening last, a most interesting address was given by Mr. R, Clement Kirk, solicitor, Wellington, in which he brought to light much new material connected with the early history of Auckland and Wellington. The centenary of the Rev. John Hobbs, one of the pioneer Wesleyan missionaries in New Zealand, occurred on the 3rd instant, and on that day a number of the descendants of the Eev. John Hobbs met at his burial place in the Symonds street cemetery Auckland, and reverently placed a wreath of spring flowers upon his grave. In paying this tribute of their affectionate honour, the descendants present acted also on behalf of absent members of the family now' living at a distance from Auckland. Mr. Kirk began his address by reading the following appreciation of the Bey. John Hobbs, written, in- the "New Zea» land Herald" by "E.C.K." :— A PIONEER OP 1823. "Of all the kindly deeds done by that broad-minded churchman, the Bey. Samuel Marsden, few have had more beneficial results in New Zealand than his granting of a passage to this country to the young missionary enthusiast, John Hobbs, who joined_ the Wesleyan Mission to help the missionaries in any capacity: The party, arrived in the ship Brampton on 3rd August; 1823, but it was' two days later that John Hobbs began his work at Whangaroa. "His ardent spirit,, courteous manner, musical gifts, and jnagic fingers' made him a welcome visitor in any lonely homestead or struggling settlement. With his bundle of cuttings he would graft the fruit trees. Wererthe family clocks out of commission, with patient industry they would be repaired, even to the casting of a new key. "Far into the'night the visitor would discuss the latest scientific discoveries, tune all the musical instruments, and conduct a concert with the young people. Meanwhile, the heart of the house-mo-ther would.be made glad by the gift of a recipe for waterproofing . the family boots.' The sick having been comforted and prescribed for, the little Testament made its appearance, arid the household was commended to the' care of the AllFather. Was it a visit to the Church of England mission station at the Kerikeri or Paihia that was contemplated, in the boat built by his own hands, and sailed with a skill:equal to that of "any nautical gentleman of my acquaintance.' the trip would be made and the 'beloved brother John! warmly received into the charmed circle. • "For the Natives he composed or translated many of their favourite hymns, and his version of the Book of Job had travelled far before that translated by Dr. Maunsell had been published. It is still considered a classic of the Maori language; "A loyal servant of the Queen, it is not: generally realised how greatly his influence assisted in gaining the signatures of the chiefs to the Treaty of Waitangi. His daughter has recalled the long hours spent by Tamati Waka Nene day after day at the mission house while her father patiently- set forth the advantages that would accrue to the Maori people if they placed themselves under the protection .of the "Great White Queen." "To Patuone'the Wesleyan Mission party owed its deliverance when driven out of Whangaroa, and it was to- his station on the banks, of the Waihou"that the Brev. John Hobbs was appointed upon his return to New Zealand after his marriage and ordination in 1827. Later, he was transferred to Mangungu, where several useful years were spent. With the company of neighbours such as Judge Manning, the Webster brothers, and others, and the entertainment of Lady \Franklin and many other notable visitors, the mission house was far from dull. . . ' "For, many years before his death,'the 'old gentleman with the horn' was a well-known figure in Auckland streets. His children have gone, but shall not we, of the third and fourth generation, pause a moment, at the passing of , the century, to lay our tribute of love and reverence upon, the grave of this good man. It lies in the spot chosen by himself, in the old cemetery by the Grafton Bridge. There he' rests peacefully amid the friends of his generation, yet surrounded by all the busy activities of the city, he loved. There is something very suggestive in the situation, typical of the eager mind, the busy hands, the loving heart, the all-conquering faith." PURCHASE OF TE ARO FLAT. Mr. Kirk mentioned that the writer of the article was his sister, and that the reverend gentleman of whom she was writing was the speaker's grandfather, who arrived in New Zealand in a small vessel with those two distinguished Church misfifionaries, the late .Bishop and Archdeacon. Williams, whose centenary the Anglican Church is also celebrating. The two missions were worked in closo concord, with very beneficial results to the Maoris. Mr. Kirk mentioned that his mother was the eldest daughter of this pioneer missionary, having been born near Hokianga in 1828, being one of the first white women bom in the colony; He mentioned that apart from Mr. Hobbs's work in the North, his influence could be felt in connection with the history of Wellington, for in the year 183 ahe chartered a. schooner, sailed down to Wellington, got together the most powerful representative Maori chiefs, and negotiated successfully for the purchase of the whole of Te Aro Flat, on behalf of the New Zealand Mission. He got the conveyance duly Bigned, and paid over the consideration thereon, in blankets and other useful commodities. He then sailed to' the Marlborough Sounds, and after seeing the Maoris there returned to Wellington. He left the schooner at Wellington, got • the necessary Maori guides, and started on his long tramp back to Auckland, via the West Coast, calling at all important Maori* centres en route, and preaching to' the Maoris. The speaker was under the impression that the journey took about three weeks. His daughter, then a girl of eleven years, wrote a letter to her father addressed: . "Rev. John Hobbs, Down South, to be called for at ——," a settlement^ somewhere near Baglan, at which it was known her father wpuld call. This letter wag. taken by a gentleman who had been staying at the mission station at Hokianga and her father got the letter on his journey back to Hokianga. The letter and the original envelope still remain in Miss dirk's possession. It was needless" to say that no stamps were necessary in those early days. ARRIVAL OF THE BEY. W. KIRK. In 1848 the speakers father, the Bey. William Kirk, arrived at Hokianga, and married Emma Hobbs, the missionary's eldest daughter. It' had been decided that they should begin a new mission on the Wanganui River. lit! Hobbs therefore chartered a ismall

cutter of under 20 tons, and started with the young couple on their honeymoon trip from the Bay of Islands down to Wanganui. The journey was an anxious one, and took three weeks to accomplish. The stores ran short, but fortunately Mr. Hobbs had some wheat on board and a small handmill; and he ground up enough meal flour each day to make scones for the support of the party. The captain arrived at the bar of the Wanganui Biver one evening at dusk, and he thought he would wait until daylight before attempting to sail across. During the night a storm arose, and it became necessary to again put to sea. He ran north towards Cape Egmont, and then turned en his return tack.. - . ■ ' MISSION STATION AT PIPIBIKI. During the night hours the storm seemed suddenly to cease, and there was an extraordinary jobble on ,the water. It was afterwards found that this event was coincident with the happening of the great earthquake of 1848, which did so much damage in the Wellington district. Before daybreak the little craft, after a cry of "Breakers ahead," ran aground. Mrs. Kirk was hurried to the forepart of the ship,-and was protected with tarpaulins from the breaking waves and spray. -When daylight broke, it was found that the little vessel was high and dry just outside the spit to the bar of the Wanganui Biver, where they had started from the night before. Captain Watt, who was then in charge of a large number of soldiers in Wanganui, hearing of the plight of the party, came down with canoes, and the party and their belongings were transferred across the sand, and embarked in the canoes up the Wanganui Biver. There Mrs. Kirk was left with friends, while Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Kirk, and some Maoris canoed up to Pipiriki with the main outfit and built a Maori, whare on the site decided upon for the mission. They returned in a week and took the bride to her first home, a whare, with earthen floor. The article which appealed most to the Maori in that time,, in return for services rendered, was tobacco, and, realising this, Mr. <Hobbs had provided a large supply. The young couple desired to enclose a small piece of land for a garden, in which fruit trees could be planted; and a- fence became necessary. It was arranged that the Maori who brought five pungas (tree-ferns), placed the stems in position, and laced them together with supplejack, should, in return, receive a plug o£ tobacco: The whole fence enclosing the quarteracre of land was soon completed, but serious inroads were made in the cask of tobacco in payment for services rendered: Peach trees and other fruit trees were planted, and flourished for very many years afterwards. INCIDENTS OF MISSION LIFE. It became necessary for Mr. Kirk on more than one occasion to leave his young wife in the "care of a Native woman of some rank, who was devoted to her pakeha mistress. Mr. Kirk canoed up the Wanganui Biver on two occasions to what is now Taumarunui, at the junction of the Wanganui and Ongarue Rivers. From there he walked oh one occasion on the Waiouru side to Taupo, and on the other occasion on the westward fcide of Tongariro, passing there very shortly after the fatal landslide which occurred at Tongariro, when so many Natives, including the grandfather of the late Te Heuheu, were all buried. ;. \ There was no other white woman within 40 miles of Mrs. Kirk, but she suffered no molestation from the Maoris during these absences of her husband— the" only inconvenience arising from the fact that a Maori thought that so long "as he delivered a kit of potatoes to the pakeha he was entitled in return to a fig of tobacco. When Mr. Kirk returned he generally found the inside of the whare 1 lined with kits of potatoes. For some years the mission was conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Kirk—Mrs. Kirk being o f great, assistance to her missionary husband, because though he had learned to speak Maori fairly well, she naturally could not only Bpeak ] the language fluently, but could think in Maori, and could follow the working | of the Native mind. Their subsequent work in the mission field and in ■charge of ordinary circuits took' them to all parts of New Zealand from Waikouaiti in the South up to the Bay of Islands. The speaker said that when to-day he I saw and read of maternity homes established for the benefit of women in this country, he was forcibly reminded of the circumstances which he learned attended his own birth. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk left the Bay of Islands in 1863, desiring to get nearer civilisation, in view of the approaohing birth of a child. They were cominp- down the coast in a small cutter, and were opposite Whangaroa Harbour, when it was evident that it would not be safe for his mother to go any further. Whangaroa is a beautiful harbour, not easy to. navigate in a sailing craft in daylight, yet the captain successfully beat into the harbour in the dark, andlaunchinx the dinghj, the captain* and Mr. Kirk assisted Mrs. Kirk ashore, with the view of reaching ,the house of Mr. Shepherd, a well-known and hospitable gentleman, who lived on a high hill overlooking the harbour. By short stages, being assisted, and resting so long as necessary from time to time on a convenient rock, the expectant mother arrived at the house of Mr. Shepherd ! just in time for the speaker to be born. Surely it said a great deal for the heroic endurance of the pioneer women of the older days to see the difficulties they successfully overcame. EARLY WELLINGTON. The speaker said he could not, of course, claim to be an old identity, having, ,as mentioned, been born at Whangaroa just over 60 years aeo; but he was brought over from Nelson tb Wellington when four years and three months old, and just remembered arriving at the parsonage, which was situated at the corner of Manners street, just about where Scott's pie shop now stands, the whole corner then being a garden. He remembered spending a good deal .of bJa time on a ngaio tree, which overtopped the fence at the actual corner, and there he watched with interest the ■cattle being sold in the saleyards. which were situated at the corner where the Te Aro branch of the Bank of New Zealand now stands. Barney Bhodes's place occupied the corner where Winder'a building now stands, and a little wharf ran out behind it.Referring to the fact that the Wellington Eary Settlers' Association was meeting in a building uoon the site originally purchased by the Bey. John Hobbs from the Maoris, it was. interesting to note that almost immediately afterwards Colonel Wakefield before' laying out Wellington called for claims by all •persons who' could show any prior title. The Bey. John Aldred, at that time represented the Wesleyan Mission in. Wellington, and he ,was persuaded by the colonel into compromising the claim properly secured by. deed to the whole of Te Aro Flat, and taking three acres of land at the corner where the Royal Oak now stands; and this. section, by subsequent negotiations, was exchanged for the opposite corner, where the successive churches and parsonage stood for many years. The last of these churches 'had been built tinder the Rev. W. Kirk's (supervision in ISS7 or 1863, and stood until

the same clergyman returned to Wellington in 1879. In that year a fixe occurred at the theatre opposite, and the fire destroyed all the buildings, including the church in the block extending to DLxon street. Although the site of the. original ohurch has been sold, the freehold of the actual corner, formerly the parsonage ground, is still vested in the Methodist Church trustees.