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The stone cottage at Maunganui in the North-west of Chatham Island
was built by Johann Bauke and Johannes Engst between 1866 and 1868 as
an outpost of the Moravian Mission.
Built of local timber and stone from the spectacular 178m high
adjacent volcanic peak of Manguanui, the cottage is in surprisiningly
good condition.
The cottage is on private land and permission must be obtained from
the owner. A small charge may be made to assist with the restoration
of the cottage.
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Morovian Mission
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In 1827 the brigantine Glory struck a reef off Pitt Island and was run
ashore in the bay now named after her. Overlooking the bay is the
historic Glory cottage, built around the 1860's as a shearers cottage
by William Jacobs. Glory cottage is the oldest building on the Chatham Islands and has provided
accommodation to shearers and musterers until recent times.
Glory
Cottage is now on a Historic Reserve managed by the Departmenmt of
Conservation and over recent years DOC and skilled volunteers have
undertaken major restoration works.
Before restoration work started the building was in poor condition and was starting to deteriorate rapidly.
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Glory cottage
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Read more...
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At the end of the road at Manukau Point, not far past Owenga and
about 10 km from Waitangi is a life-size statue of Tommy Solomon. A
larger-than life character, Tommy was a prominent Chatham Island figure
and successful farmer of the Manukau Point area.
Tommy, whose real name was Tame Horomona Rehe is believed by most to have been the last true (full-blooded) Moriori.
Tommy was born at Waikaripi in the Chatham Islands and raised on the
Moriori Reserve at Manukau. His mother died in 1903. Tommy was married
in 1903 to Ada Fowler of the Kai Tahu iwi and began learning the trade
of sheep farmer first on leased land and then on the family holding
which gradually increased in size. When his father and his wife died in
1915 Tommy was running 7000 sheep and a herd of cattle on the family
farm. Tommy remarried in 1916 to Whakarawa, the niece of his first wife
and subsequently had five children.
During the 1920s Tommy became known as one of the most successful
farmers in the Chatham Islands. He took an active part in the social
and political life of the Chatham Islands and was widely respected for
his generosity and his conciliatory nature; it was as the "last
full-blooded Moriori" however that he was best known.
Tame Horomona Rehe died of pneumonia and heart failure in 1933.
Whati Tuuta, the son of his friend George Tuuta, built his coffin for
the 22 stone figure. The statue at Manakau was made to commemorate his
life in 1986.
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Tommy Solomon memorial
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One of only two national historic reserves in New Zealand, the J.M.
Barker (Hapupu) National Historic Reserve protects Moriori rakau momori
(tree carvings). There is a 10-minute bush walk through part of the
reserve. The forest comprises mature kopi forest with a dense
understorey of mahoe saplings. Rakau momori have been carved on the
trunks of many kopi trees, some of which can be seen on the bush walk.
Permission must be obtained in advance if photographs of the tree
carvings are to be used for any public or commercial purpose. Contact
the Department of Conservation, Chatham Island, for further
information.
To get there, head north from Waitangi on the
North Road, turn right at the signposted turn-off 6 km from Kaingaroa.
The reserve is at the end of the road adjacent to the old Hapupu
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Rakau momori
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