Expect tall sail tales from trust founder
Lodge bails out waka ama competitors
On April 10, a special guest will be on board the R. Tucker Thompson, the gaffrigged schooner that makes its base in pua. Russell Harris will share a few tall ship tales with those on board.
The R. Tucker Thompson was originally owned in partnership with Tod Thompson, Greta Simmonds and Harris until 1992 when Harris purchased the shares owned by the other two. Thompson is now the owner’s representative and sailing captain onboard Sea Eagle II, the largest aluminium yacht in the world.
When he reached retirement age, Harris wanted to protect the future of the ship and he transferred it into a trust in 2006, for the benefit of the people of Te Taitokerau. Along with seven others, he remains involved on the board.
The building of the hull was started in Little Munro Bay, Whangārei Heads. It was then moved to Mangawhai where it was launched off the beach in 1985 with full Māori and Pākehā tradition. Its design is based on the Halibut schooners of the Northwest American Coast.
The ship has a full sail wardrobe of nine sails but, unlike sails on modern yachts which are made of Dacron, the sails on the ‘Tucker’ are made of Oceania canvas. There are flashes of brass work that make it look as it should, a working ship of the 19th century.
The interior is a mixture of Oregon and Kwila with two double cabins and 11 single berths. The galley is designed to cater for 16 crew with a gas stove and boiling water on demand. There is a hot shower and two hand basins.
Sailing with the former owner, the builder of the ship, will no doubt mean not just tall tales, but true tales to tell.
Saviour steps in for waka ama paddlers
The three Russell waka ama paddlers who have qualified for the Va’a World Sprint Championships in Hawai’i in August can now relax in their fundraising efforts.
A saviour in the form of the Masonic Lodge Kororāreka has given Rhonda Williams, Henrietta Sakey and Richard Fergusson $10,000 to make the trip. Lodge Master Alastair Mitchell said he was approached by a small group of people to fund part of the cost of getting three people to Hawai’i.
“We looked at the cost and thought we could fund the lot and the Lodge approved the grant from the Kororāreka Charitable Trust.”
It’s not the only Russell organisation to benefit from the Lodge’s largesse. Project Islands Song received $70,000 to have graphics painted on a car and a boat. The Russell Medical Centre has received a grant, individuals who need help for whatever reason have received
grants and the Russell Sports Club received $30,000 for new and additional equipment.
Sports club members were asked to a meeting with Lodge members and, after a general discussion, the Lodge gained five new members which is crucial to its survival.
“The Lodge has been here for nearly 100 years but membership is falling and if we don’t get new members there is $1 million sitting in the fund which would be lost to the community,” Mitchell said.
One organisation in danger of missing out on a grant is Haratu Marae. It was allocated $70,000 to install state-of-the-art security equipment but the Lodge is still waiting to hear back from anyone.
“The contractors earmarked to do the work have now fallen by the wayside and if it had gone ahead we would have had Lodge hierarchy up here to visit for the first time ever and we have given them until June 30 to respond.”
A planned fundraising event went ahead on Easter Sunday and $5000 was raised which will, in part, fund the T-shirts for the Hawai’i event.
The first Christian service in New Zealand
It is widely accepted that the first Christian service in New Zealand was conducted by Samuel Marsden to a largely Māori gathering at Hohi (Oihi) Beach in the Bay of Islands on Christmas Day, 1814.
He came ashore from the ship HMS Active. Ngāpuhi rangitira, Ruatara,
translated Marsden’s sermon and assumed the role of protector and patron.
But was it the first service? Fast forward to 2023 and conservation architects Adam and Emma Wild have been documenting a preservation plan for Christ Church in Russell. During their research they discovered that while the first Christmas service was conducted at Hohi Beach, another Christian service had preceded it.
Tim Stevenson, a heritage consultant for the Wilds’ company Archifact, said a section in the Conservation Plan refers to a “Christian service” held by Thomas Kendall on the brig Active on June 19, 1814.
“Further research confirms Kendall wrote in a 6th September 1814 letter that he held a ‘ Divine Service’ on 19th June 1814. A footnote referenced Marie King’s book Port in
the North,” he said.
King quotes from a letter from Thomas Kendall in which he said: “The invitation to make the Bay their anchorage was accepted and on 19th June, 1814, many of the people of Kororāreka heard their first Christian service. The Union Jack was hoisted on board the Active and on shore Tara, the hereditary chief of the southern part of the Bay of Islands, displayed his colours in honour of the visitors’ holy day…”
Stevenson said he’s not sure it’s a new “finding” since the information was already available in others’ research and publications about the local history.
“All we’ve done is confirm the veracity of the comment with a reference back to the primary source,” he said.
From earth to Sky
Sky Gundry (Te Rarawa), from Tapuaetahi Beach near Kerikeri, was last month awarded the 2023 Blake Young Leader award at a dinner in Auckland.
This follows her success with a third place in the Young Enterprise Scheme award at Kerikeri High School the year before. She was nominated for the Blake award by the Young Enterprise Scheme.
The Blake awards were established in honour of champion sailor and environmentalist Sir Peter Blake and Sky’s award recognised the business she launched when she was just 16.
Sky’s surf school reached up to 100 rangatahi a week across surf camps with weekly lessons and a weekly academy programme for international students.
She gained a scholarship to study business at Otago University in 2023 but, after much consideration, she opted to pursue the potential of her surf school.
“It was a hard decision because so many of my friends have gone to uni and I would have learnt a lot but it feels like the surf school’s growth is time-sensitive. We have momentum and I want to grab all the opportunities coming our way,” she said.
She has secured a continuous year-round contract with international student lessons, a development that has changed the game for the surf school and which has provided a solid base contract from which to build seasonal demand.
She runs summer camps in the Christmas school holidays from a rented bach in Taupo Bay with her family in support — her mother Kate, who is a high school outdoor education teacher, builder dad Mike and younger sister Grace provide live-in surf camp experience.
Her business is successful enough to allow her to visit schools in some of the world’s most famous surf locations, including Indonesia and Portugal. Her business mentor dad stepped in as caretaker boss while she was away.
She said the business has demonstrated to her that leadership is about community and understanding the impact of decisions.