Thursday, October 31st - Day 51 Visiting Russell - First settlement in NZ
We took the Opua Ferry just down the road from us (10 min) and drove to historic Russell, pop 1,000, a short distance away. On the east coast of the north island of New Zealand, the Bay of Islands would have been the first landfall for ships making the long trip across the Pacific. Along the way to the village, we passed through Kiwi territory where there were signs warning drivers to watch out for the birds on the road. Sure enough,... actually, this is a weki, not a kiwi. Like most New Zealanders, we never caught sight of a kiwi bird the entire time we were on the islands.
The Maori had lived in the Bay of Islands area for centuries and their settlement was known as Kororareka. The first encounter with Europeans occurred here and the safe anchorage and eager trading Maori (who wanted European firearms and gunpowder, alcohol, and manufactured goods), allowed the village to prosper. In the early 1800s Russell became a lawless trading center where whalers, sealers, and merchants, escaped convicts from Australlia, and the Maori drank the plentiful 'grog' and fraternized freely. The town became known as the 'hell-hole of the Pacific'. Russell (as the settlement was renamed in 1846, in honor of Lord John Russell, Secretary of State for the Colonies, briefly became the capital of British New Zealand - until it was moved to Auckland. In its heyday, Russell's population was three times its current size.
The French established a mission in Russell in 1841-42 which contained a printing press and book binding facilty that was used to produce religious texts in the Maori language (see below).
Flagstaff and the Flagstaff War
There were a number of conflicts among Maori tribes, and especially between Maori and Europeans (particularly the British) in the area, and in the mid-1840s many centered on the flagstaff that is on a hilltop near the village. In a series of struggles (aptly called the Flagstaff Wars) at least three or four times the Maori flag was raised, only to be replaced by the British with their own flag. Of course, the flag struggle was symbolic of larger and deeper conflicts and the cemetery of the Anglican church includes memorials for both Maori and British casualties.
Importantly, however, these disputes were managed in a way that is uncharacteristic of how settler/indigenous relations unfolded in other British colonies. It began with the British envoy (William Hobson) acknowledging the existence of a sovereign Maori polity that predated European settlement. A series of negotiations, which started in Russell and culminated across the bay in Waitangi, was the Treaty of Waitangi (1840) - which remains today a cornerstone document in the constitution of New Zealand. Among other things, it entitles Maori to enjoyment of the land and natural resources, and if that right was compromised, it provided that they should receive compensation. Of course, the agreement, being signed by both British and Maori representatives, leads some to argue that it implicitly acknowledges a form of Maori sovereignty and equality with the Europeans.
Rings true today!
Mission and Printery
The Printery
The oldest existing industrial building in New Zealand
From 1842, Pompallier Mission and Printery was the hub of the Catholic mission in Aotearoa New Zealand. Nearly 40,000 books were produced, and literacy developed fast.
Mission Garden
Museum - upper level
Hallowe'en! The kids and parents paraded up the main street (only one - several blocks) and stopped at the local grocery store for treats. Then off to the "Sausage Sizzle."
The Oldest Church in New Zealand - Anglican Christ Church and Cemetery - Services still held every Sunday. Built in 1835.
Beautiful needlepoint cushions in all the pews stitched by ladies in the congregation 1990.
Then home on the ferry and a lamb dinner. Yum!
