Weathering the storms

WORDS: John O’Hare IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

February 6th: “...at sunset the sky assumed an extraordinary fiery appearance.” February 7th: “...In the morning the clouds in the west were very heavy but were soon dispersed with a ferocious wind.” So wrote Richard Davis, a lay preacher based at Te Waimate Mission in Northland, jotting his observations in his weather journal in 1839.

Though judging by his account, he could almost have been describing the La Niña summer of 2023. “It wasn’t a wild cyclone Davis recorded, but it’s fair to say that the weather gods have been keeping us on our toes for nearly two centuries here,” says Alex Bell, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Manager Hokianga Properties.

Except for a tree being levelled –thankfully well clear of the mission house – and power outages, Cyclone Gabrielle and other tempests associated with summer 2023 left Te Waimate Mission relatively unscathed.

At the Kerikeri Mission Station, however, staff raced to put measures in place to prevent damage to Kemp House, the Stone Store and valuable collection items in anticipation of the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle.

An assessment before the cyclone’s onset identified several pressure points –including the impact of wind driving rain against the sides of both buildings.

“Kemp House is 200 years old, and –while certainly robust – is not rated for cyclones. We were concerned about the possibility of rain being driven into the house through gaps in the wooden joinery and other vulnerable parts of the building,” says Kerikeri Mission Station Property Lead Liz Bigwood.

“We also had similar concerns with the Stone Store. Our amazing team moved valuable collection items away from vulnerable areas of the house and packed them in waterproof wrapping. We also had towels ready to mop up any effects of the storm in both buildings. We had a plan and carried it out following tikanga and museum protocols,” she says.

“The team were fantastic and drawn from across the site – staff who usually deliver guided tours, run the Store, and make and serve food and coffee in the Honey House Café came together and worked tirelessly to stave off the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.”

Northland office staff also pitched in placing sandbags around vulnerable areas of the two buildings, while Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation staff in the Kororipo Basin stood by in case their help was needed.

The planning paid off. “We learned a lot through our interventions and we’re all very thankful that – compared with other parts of the country – we got off fairly lightly,” says Liz.

“Going forward, we need to be aware of the impact of changing rainfall and flood patterns, as well as other factors like wind strength and direction as well as storm surge effects on tides. We need to be vigilant when significant weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle arrive.” n https://unescomow.nz/inscription/ richard-davis-meteorologicalrecords-1839-1851

Richard Davis’ weather recordings of 1839-1851 form part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Register and are available online for the weather curious.