My $1 trip down the rabbit hole of New Zealand settler history
One of the things I hated in Hismother, Jane Strachan which enabled him to settle very interesting life in the Franklin resting place, after his loss in the my childhoodwas being Robertson, emigratedwith her disputes withMa¯ngere Ma¯ori. district, involving adultery, a fatal love trianglewith Tongariro and dragged along to secondfamily from Glasgow, aged 2, in James’ daughter Jane married bar fight, illegitimate children and Pı¯hanga. hand shops with my 1842 on the Duchess of Argyle, John Boles Godkin in Ma¯ngere in drunken car accidents. Our The Robertsons leave a visual mother. As an adult, an afternoon carrying the biggest group of 1868. John had arrived from Thomas married local girl legacy on the Auckland landscape: at the hokohoko shops (literally Pa¯keha¯ settlers to date. The family Ireland in 1855, aged 21, after a Madeline Corkill, raising a St Cuthbert’s private school has a ‘‘sold twice’’) is my happy place. lived in a raupo¯ whare in career as a sailor. An Auckland daughter, Ngaere, and a son, building named for James Jr, and
A couple of Saturdays ago I Mechanics Bay, Auckland, where paper claimed hewas the first Thomas John Robertson Godkin, Robertson Rd remains one of the found this beautiful little book James started a rope settler to fell bush to construct the before dying in 1934. key roads in Ma¯ngere today. Artist hidden amongst the usual seven manufacturing company, which Great South Road to prepare for the These sites of confrontation and Caroline Robinson recently copies of various volumes of the soon relocated to Carlaw Park, next invasion of the Waikato, although confiscation in Auckland, Waikato installed a sculpture inspired by Twilight trilogy found in every to what is now the Stanley St tennis this claim was retracted in his and Taranaki provided work, new James’ rope walk and the water secondhand store. It’s not in great stadium, rebranding as Donaghy’s obituary in 1927. John was, homes and income for both sides of wheels that powered the early condition, but has some gorgeous Rope and Twine Works. however, in charge of 100 men Thomas’ family. All of these places shipbuildingmachinery at colour plates and is signed in There, James constructed a tasked with building the road, had names and histories that preMechanics Bay over the Kumeu careful cursive by its original famous ‘‘rope walk’’, where huge armed to fend off Ma¯ori keen to date Thomas’ wha¯nau. motorway inwest Auckland. owner – ‘‘Thomas Godkin, Ngaire lengths of rope for shipping were relieve the Pa¯keha¯ of their Mechanics Bay is in the area Colonel Nixon was one of the School, 1893’’. I handed over my laid out in the process of combing, muskets. known by Nga¯tiWha¯tua as Te highest-ranked casualties of the dollar and added it to my pile of spinning and tarring flax. In 1849, The couple moved to Taranaki Toangaroa – named for the New Zealand Wars, dying of mismatched doilies and bone china he set up a banquet hall for 500 in 1880, farming and raising their dragging of awaka long distance. wounds received in the attack on plates. localMa¯ori on his rope walk, in family of six, including Thomas. Ma¯ngere was inhabited by many the village of Rangiaowhia in 1863,
Once home, I decided to see if I celebration of Queen Victoria’s John was at various times a iwi over the centuries, sitting in where unarmed women, children could find anything out about birthday. member of the New Plymouth the borderland between the and the elderly were killed. He is Thomas – and dived headfirst down James acquired land in county council, the cemetery Harbour Board and the Ha¯wera Tamaki isthmus and the Waikato. buried underneath themonument a rabbit hole of internet searches to Ma¯ngere, and sent his then 15-yearcommittee and as members of the County Council, and founded the Land was confiscated here in 1863 – featuring himmounted on ¯inOuncoverthefamilyhistoryofsomeoldson,JamesJr,tolivethereasta¯huhucavalryunderColonellocaldairyco-op.At85,onthethehistoricalbackdroptothehorseback ta¯huhu, at the of our nation’s first Pa¯keha¯ settlers. ‘‘the pioneer white settler’’, Marmaduke Nixon, who death of hiswife, he set out on a contemporary crisis at Ihuma¯tao. junction with the Great South Thanks to a certain pandemic, the according to the Auckland Star. On commanded a unit in defence of five-year world tour, before Ngaire was misnamed by Road, partly cleared by Thomas’ library system had opened up its selling the business, the rest of the South Auckland in the New retiring to Auckland, where he Pa¯keha¯ settlers, reverting to its grandfather John. genealogy website subscriptions family relocated to Ma¯ngere Zealand Wars. However, the papers died, aged 93. original Ngaere, meaning swamp, All of this for a dollar. for searches from home – and I Bridge, where James and his sons reported a good relationship Thomas leaves less of a public in 1909. Local iwi say it was named Descendants of Thomas are found that Thomas was born in were prominent settlers, serving on between the Robertsons and local record than his forebears, although for the tears shed by Taranaki welcome to contact me for the 1885 in Puniwhakau, Taranaki. the road board, school committee, iwi, with James Jr learning the reo, someone sharing his name led a maunga on his way to his current return of his schoolbook.