NORTHLAND
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Matter of faith for intrepid explorers Gruelling journeys bushwhacking through near-impenetrable forests while living off meagre rations of berries and fern roots may not be everybody’s idea of living their best life. Yet for many missionaries, who were some of the first Pākehā to settle in Aotearoa New Zealand, marching off the map was all part of a very wide-ranging job description. Besides preaching Rongo Pai – the Good News – to Māori, part of their mission was to seek out new territory with a view to expanding their presence around the country.
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heritage.org.nz
“This group of people were not averse to a bit of hardship,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager, Bill Edwards. “Inspired by their deep convictions, the missionaries were willing to upend normal lives in England to spend six months travelling on a sailing ship to the other side of the world, and endure frontier conditions in a cultural landscape that would have been completely alien to them. A bit of privation was all part of the package.” Once Christian missions had been established in Northland at Rangihoua, Kerikeri, Te Waimate, Māngungu and Kororāreka Russell, it was only a matter of time before missionaries turned their attention to pastures new. “In fact, missionaries to New Zealand had long recognised the potential of the country before the Northland missions were even established,” says Bill. The Rev Samuel Marsden set a cracking pace for exploration. Days after preaching his famous
Christmas Day sermon at Rangihoua in 1814, Marsden accepted Hongi Hika’s invitation to visit his inland pā. Travelling by waka – and then walking overland – the party reached Okuratope Pā at Waimate North, making Marsden the first European to travel that far inland. Impressed, Marsden recorded seeing majestic kauri forests and – among other things – excellent spuds: “I have never seen finer potatoes under the best culture,” he waxed. During the trek, Marsden also visited Kororipo – the site where the Kerikeri Mission House and Stone Store would be built – pre-Treaty buildings that have survived for almost two centuries. “New South Wales Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, had instructed Marsden to explore as much of the coast and the interior of New Zealand as time would permit, so Marsden eagerly accepted Hongi’s invitation,” says Bill. “After seeing the potential of the land at Waimate North, Marsden then spent the next six weeks travelling south on the Active as far
