THE MUSEUMS OF NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 2, 15 August 1950, Page 185

THE MUSEUMS OF NEW ZEALAND

I 'HE nine previous articles in this series bp

Enid B. V. Phillips

have described different museums from Whangarei to Invercargill which range in size from the impressive metropolitan museum to the. small-town museum of parochial interest. In this article she deals with the museum of the place with the greatest historical significance in New Zealand—Waitangi. The Waitangi Museum WHEN the chiefs at Kerikeri petitioned William IV, praying that he should extend his protection to these islands, the King responded by appointing James Busby, an Australian colonist then visiting England and a man whose pen revealed him to be thoroughly au fait with Antipodean affairs, as British Resident in the Bay of Islands. (Busby, who had been thoroughly educated in the classics during his student days in Edinburgh and who was equally well versed in botany and geology, had supplemented his course of studies by travelling through France and Spain to acquaint himself with the most up-to-date methods of viticulture. The result was not only a most pleasingly written technical “Treatise on the Vine”, a Sydney publication dated 1825, but three collections of vines totalling more, than 1200 plants and including specimens from the Montpelier Botanic Gardens and the national garden at Luxembourg,. which completely filled two cabins aboard the Matilda, the vessel that transported them to Australia.) Busby’s house requirements in New Zealand were extremely modest, considering that the . proposed residence had to be of a style sufficiently impressive to uphold the prestige of the Crown and at the same time conform to the needs of a young man contemplating matrimony. Nevertheless, though the plans prepared by the Sydney architect J. Verge estimated the entire cost at a mere £592 15s. 4d. for.“a house in a frame”, the technical term was misconstrued to mean “the frame of a house”, and there was much altercation before the plans, considerably modified by a Mr. Hallen (presumably the Colonial Architect), were eventually approved. -Help from Missionaries In the meantime Busby, who had arrived in New Zealand in May, 1833, was pleased to avail himself of the hospitality of the missionaries, who, being as proficient in practical matters as they were in theology, gave him much help with the building of his house. The timber sections arrived from Australia for two rooms and a vestibule, all that the authorities would allow him. Commenting on this, the Waitangi historian T. Lindsay Buick says: “At no stage in his career was Mr. Busby embarrassed by official generosity!” The framing was of jarrah, the hair flooring of Australian , ironbark, the windows and doors of cedar, and the weather boards of jarrah and cedar. The foundations of the house were of boulders, and Sydney sandstone was used for the fireplace hearths and the flagstones paving the wide veranda.. Busby was soon comfortably settled in his new abode and it is recorded that on March 20 the next year, after taking part in the presentation of a national ' flag to the principal northern chiefs, he invited the officers of H.M.S. Alligator to the Residency, where they were regaled with “a cold collation”. (Incidentally, Busby had received high praise from Australian quarters the previous month. The Chief Justice and the Colonial Secretary, having completed their examination of the vines in . the New South Wales Botanic Garden which Busby had collected in France, advised His Excellency Major-General Richard Bourke that “the inhabitants of Australia are under great obligations to Mr. Busby for having transferred to these shores a national collection of vines such as was acquired in France after the Napoleonic Wars by the Minister of the Interior, having at his command the means and resources of the French Empire”.) Apparently naval nomenclature of the period favoured the more deadly species of reptiles as being symbolic of their death-dealing propensities in battle, for the vessel which brought Captain William Hobson, R.N., to these shores 3 years later was called H.M.S. Rattlesnake. Hobson's Delicate Mission As a result of his report to the Marquis of Normanby, the Colonial Secretary, Hobson was sent out again to New

Zealand, this time as British Consul, and entrusted with the delicate mission of persuading the "Maoris to cede the sovereignty of the country ; to. the British Queen. At Waitangi (Weeping Waters) on • February 5, 1840, he met the chiefs in a large marquee made from a framework of spars covered with sailcloth which had been erected on the sloping lawn of the Residency. Here, with the invaluable help of the Rev. Henry Williams, head of the Anglican Mission, as interpreter, he discussed the terms of the Treaty, being greatly aided in his negotiations by Busby. Next day, the signing of the Maori Magna Carta, as the venerable Arawa leader Mita Taupopoki termed it, took place, many of the chiefs attaching their moko (face tattoo mark) to the document in lieu of signature. And as the Union Jack was unfurled from the flagstaff at Waitangi and a salute of 21 guns sounded from the frigate which brought him to the Bay of Islands from Sydney Hobson summed up the true significance of the, event in the historic phrase: “He iwi tahi tatouwe are now one people.” In accordance . with Lord Normanby’s instructions Captain Hobson . was now entitled to become LieutenantGovernor of the colony, thus superseding Busby. However, this did not necessitate the former Resident’s leaving his home; as his family responsibilities increased the Residency had to be correspondingly enlarged and so a wing built of New Zealand timbers was added to the south side of the original building and another to the northwest. Busby had also purchased additional land from the Maoris and he continued to look after his estate with the utmost efficiency. The slopes of Waitangi are reputed to have been “festooned in vines” which produced grapes par excellence. He died ; while on a visit to England in 1871 and was buried in London. (Mrs. Busby’s grave and those of two of her children are in the old churchyard at Paihia.) Ultimately the whole property passed into the hands of strangers, and its prosperity gradually diminished.with the passing of the years until 1932, when the Governor-General, Viscount, Bledisloe, and his wife, who were touring the Bay of Islands at the time, decided to acquire the Treaty House and surrounding lands to the extent of < about 1000 acres and present them to the people of New Zealand. Restoration of Residence Under, the direction of the Waitangi National Trust Board’s honorary architects, W. H. Gummer, of Auckland, and W. M. Page, of Wellington, the work of restoring this gem of Georgian architecture, with its simple whitecolumned veranda and moss-grown grey roof of kauri

shingles in the colonial style, was faithfully carried out even to the furnishings. The grounds were likewise laid out in harmony with the period. At the express wish of Their Excellencies a museum was established in the southern wing, which was reconditioned and made fireproof for this purpose, and there was intense excitement when Busby’s diary was discovered in the attic by some workmen. A memorial tablet to Busby in the museum is inscribed: “He built this house and lived in it. Under difficult conditions he served both Pakeha and Maori with courage, impartiality and fidelity.” . The brass tablet in the hall commemorates the Maori chiefs who signed the Treaty. The Trust Board much appreciated the advice and help of Dr. Gilbert Archey, Director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Johannes C. Andersen, late Librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, and Vernon H. Reed, Honorary Secretary and Administrator, in setting up this museum. The front of the museum faces the 112 ft.-high flagstaff, erected by the Royal New Zealand Navy. At the top of the masthead is the treasured crown from the ensign staff of New Zealand’s first warship, H.M.N.Z.S. Philomel, and at the foot is a commemoration stone which reads: — On this spot on the sixth day of February 1840 was signed the Treaty of Waitangi under which New Zealand became part of the British Empire Pieces of the original flagstaff of Baltic pine, which was cut down time and again by Hone Heke, have been fashioned into an inkstand which is displayed in the museum.

Colourful Setting From the museum windows you look out upon the blue waters of the bay, dotted with tiny islands and encircled by green hills over which hover snowy drifts of cumulus clouds, and across to the township of Kororareka (Russell) in the distance. Hydrangeas thrust their rosy florets close to the white-

walled house, and hibiscus blaze with a myriad coral flames against the sombre background of the native bush. The Norfolk Island pines which Busby grew from seed sent him by his brother, a surgeon stationed at the island’s convict settlement, are tall trees now and the oaks and other English trees are picturesquely gnarled with age. There are numerous stories concerning the giant pohutukawa on the lawn. It shelters a large anchor which was lost in the Kawakawa River by the brig Pioneer in 1809, when the trader slipped anchor after word was received of the Boyd massacre, and sought safer waters. The cannon balls by the veranda came from Ruapekapeka Pa, Kawiti’s stronghold, which was the scene of the final battle between the British forces and the opposing Maoris in the Northern war, terminating on January 10, 1846. A dais was erected under an enormous elm for Lord and Lady Bledisloe when His Excellency laid the foundation stone of the whare-runanga, the carved house, presented by the Ngapuhi tribe. This national Maori centennial memorial has been built near the Treaty House of the pakeha, thereby symbolising the friendly relations of the two races. The opening ceremony was held on February 6, 1940, on the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The tuhu tuhu or kowhaiwhai (coloured scroll work) and the tukutuku (decorative reed panels) are admirable examples of Maori art, and the carvings, every piece of which has its particular meaning, are representative of all the tribes throughout New Zealand. The 11-long waka taua, the war canoe used in the centennial celebrations/ was made from kauri trees

from Puketi Bush and presented by the Tokerau tribes. It is now housed alongside the whare-runanga, and its 80 paddles, the blades pointing upward, are placed in groups of four between the uprights of the railing enclosing the shelter. The canoe holds 140 people. f . . . -r .i Qzitts from Maori I nbes . The puriri fence marking the boundary of the Waitangi estate for 4 miles was the gift of the Ngapuhi. The South Island Maoris sent a “coronation” chair carved from totara and having a woven reed back and a crimson leather seat, the chair resting on a block of tangiwai greenstone, and the Taranaki tribes contributed a naintinp' of fhp sipninp nf the Treatv “This TreJtv Fh£n rained unon y- the rain it has been e?uosed to "theVlast 01' the storm" ® the words are still clear, they cannot be obliterated”. Other valuable pictures were received from the Royal Society of Tasmania, Lady Pomare, and C. F. Goldie, the last named presenting his newly painted portrait of Tamata Waaka Nene, one of the principal supporters of .. the Treaty. In accordance with the museum’s policy of building up a pictorial record of New Zealand history up to 1842 the walls are panelled with portraits of persons who influenced the course of events leading to the founding of the colony and its cession to the Crown. Pictures of historic scenes are grouped in sequence and intermingle with those of the Empire builders. In most cases the elaborate gowns, and coiffures of the womenfolk are the epitome of elegance. Miss Agnes Busby, of Gisborne, one of the surviving granddaughters of the exResident, recently presented the museum with copies of miniatures of her

grandparents painted in Sydney in the 30’s of last century. Showcases contain relics of the early days along with many documents and letters, including Captain Hobson’s affectionately phrased letters to his we . These have a particular poignancy in view of the fact that he was seriously ailing at the time, and his death occurred only 2 years after the signing of the Treaty . One epistle sated k h J am nrosressing just as Thank r dU Xm 2nd 3 ?nr fin? thaf’serros me S two wav? first that se:rves metwo may be at ; thinking ot you who may be at sea and second in being enabled to take exercise m the open air. Anomer memento of the gallant captain is a beautiful green and gold plate belong tag to his Spode dinner set. c . . c . L i reminine roible There is a picture of Mrs. Hobson and her children among the portraits in the museum, likewise one of Mrs. Henry Williams, wife of the founder of the Paihia Mission station. Their first house is also pictured. Mrs. Williams is said to have dressed her children hpeom’ P n °J Slb l e e rf° t llttte X foible vet surefv more than foible, yet surel more than n c 'i’Jerbala nc<ed by her characteristi-c nnl wunp mw Mrs Busbv’s assistance when fhe need Mrs. Busby s assistance, when the need arose. Marianne Williams was also a superb cook, and the mountains of pies and plum puddings, the savoury boiled pork and potatoes, and the jams, jellies, and crisp-baked bread which she turned out in her tiny

portable kitchen were miracles of culinary perfection and must have had an appreciable effect on the morale of the little missionary community, whose menfolk often walked many miles a day in the course of their duties. Visitors, whether Maori or pakeha, were always made welcome and only a few weeks before the birth of her fourth baby she recorded in her journal the entertaining of the Rev. S. Marsden, the Rev. King, and the celebrated chief Hongi, who arrived unexpectedly at teatime one evening. Beds were made up in the sitting-room for the three guests, four Maori members of the ship’s . crew were accommodated in the adjacent room belonging to the other missionary family who shared the four-roomed hut with the Williamses, and five native girls slept in the entrance porch—“all these, in addition to the Fairburns, ourselves, and the children, in a rush dwelling 40ft. long x 15ft. broad. My company ate up my batch of bread, which happily held out; and the ship’s crew had enough also. ...” Among the Waitangi relics connected with Royalty are the musket and sword bayonet bestowed on the chief Waikato by William IV during Waikato’s visit to England with Hongi Hika in 1820 and a Coronation plate and an embroidered handkerchief which belonged to Queen Victoria, the touches of black in the very fine needlework being indicative of mourning. There is also a portrait of the Queen painted at the time of the Treaty. Popular Lectures The former curator, Miss Katherine V. Lloyd (an ex-schoolteacher and daughter of a historian), spent much of her time conducting visitors over the Treaty House, her explanatory lectures being a most popular feature of the tour. Within 6 years the number of visitors to Waitangi has increased from 6000 to 35,000 a year and it has now been found more practicable to present each one with a printed guide giving a brief history of Waitangi and listing in chronological order the pictures and portraits in the muniment room (a collection that has been considerably augmented of late and re-arranged accordingly), together with a short note concerning each exhibit. This interesting little booklet, which also explains the significance of the carvings and other ornamental work in the whare-runanga, has been compiled by the Honorary Administrator of the Waitangi National Trust, Vernon H. Reed. Parties of scholars from schools between Kaitaia and Taranaki have been in residence at Waitangi, the Education Department considering these visits of such benefit that they are permitted in term time and financial assistance is granted for travelling expenses; accommodation at Waitangi is free. Each visit lasts a week and arrangements are made for the conveyance of the school party by bus or launch to outlying places of historical interest. It is hoped that when the facilities for accommodation and board can be extended schools from more distant parts of New Zealand will b*> able to make the pilgrimage to thir important national museum.