The Harriet Incident - South Taranaki
In December 2017 I trekked over farmland in Southern Taranaki to the mouth of the Kapuni Stream - the site of the twin pa of Orangi-Tuapeka and Ngateko (collectively Waimate) and of one of the most infamous incidents in early New Zealand history: the rescue of Elizabeth Guard and her children after the wreck of the barque “Harriet” in 1834.
Background: Before the Treaty was signed in 1840 a considerable number of ships were wrecked on New Zealand coasts. In many cases the wrecks were pillaged by Maori and sometimes the crew were murdered and eaten. As a result of these incidents New Zealand became known as “the cannibal coast” - a reputation fuelled most spectacularly in 1809 by the burning of the “Boyd”, the massacre of those aboard and the large cannibal feast which followed.
In other instances surviving crew members and other whites were captured and ransomed - a barrel of gunpowder often the price of their freedom: muskets were a desireable commodity.
The Story: In his book “Captured by Maori - White Female Captives, Sex and Racism on the 19th Century New Zealand Frontier”
(now there’s a title!) Trevor Bentley documents nine cases of European women who were captured by Maori and held for varying amounts of time.
Bentley discusses the case of 19-year old Elizabeth Guard who was held captive by Maori after the wreck of the barque Harriet at Okahu Beach south of Cape Egmont on 29 April 1834. Wife of Captain Guard, she and her very young daughter and son were held at several pa on the Southern Taranaki coast for five months, before being rescued in the aftermath of a treacherous and ferocious attack by HMS Alligator.
The Harriet was owned by Tory Channel-based whaler and ex-convict ‘Jacky’ Guard. When she was
wrecked, all those aboard made it ashore - the Guard family of four along with 26 seamen. For several days they lived on the beach recovering stores and equipment from the wreck.
However, on 10 May the group was attacked by a group of some 200 Ngati Ruanui of whom some 150 were armed with muskets: “they struck down one of the crew on the head with a tomahawk and then cut him right in two”.
Twelve sailors were killed, while the spirited resistance from the remainder of the crew cut down twenty or so attackers. Mrs Guard and her two children were captured. Mrs Guard was tomahawked on the head, but the blow hit her heavy tortoise-shell comb - which saved her life.
Unfortunately the blow drove several of the teeth permanently into her skull.
At this point a group of Taranaki Maori arrived, rescued Mrs Guard, her children and twelve of the sailors, and took them to Te Namu Pa (at Opunaki) under the leadership of Chief Oaoiti.
Meanwhile, the rest of the ship’s party were eventually overcome after running out of ammunition, and were also made captive.
Jacky Guard promised to ransom his wife and children in return for a barrel of gunpowder, so the Maori let him and six of the crew set off in one of the ship’s boats. They made it to Wellington from where they sailed to Sydney.
Guard had previously experienced problems with Maori attacks on his whaling business - his ship “Waterloo” had been pillaged when it went ashore on Waikanae beach the previous year, and a Ngati Tahu war party had attacked, plundered and burned his Kakapo Bay station then killed and eaten three of his Maori workers. Hence his mind was on vengance rather than negotiations.
In Sydney he was able to persuade the authorities to send the warship HMS Alligator as well as the armed schooner “Isabella” with a detachment of redcoats from the 50th Regiment to rescue his family.
This rescue-party took some time to arrange, so did not arrive until 28 September.
Whilst Mrs Guard and her children survived the ordeal (indeed it is suspected that she and Chief Oaoiti had cause of much titillation at the time), the twelve sailors captured with them met a grisly fate: one-by-one they were executed, cooked and eaten.
Evidently Mrs Guard later reported that she was offered human portions of the feasts - but declined.
At the end of September the situation deteriorated badly for Maori with the arrival of the ships at Te Namu pa. Events are confused and reports vary, but it appears that Oaoiti approached the ships’ boats in the surf to negotiate for the previously agreed barrel of gunpowder. The Europeans had no intentions of upholding the bargain, and instead greviously wounded him before taking him to the Alligator.
The Maori promptly fled with their captives 30km south to Waimate pa.
The British followed after torching Te Namu.
The next day Oaoiti was taken ashore and exchanged for Mrs Guard and her daughter, however her son John remained a captive.
At this point the British became frustrated and exercised the tremendous fire-power of the Alligator - bombarding Waimate Pa with a series of devastating broadsides. 118 redcoats were then landed on the beach. Realizing that they were on the loosing end of a serious attack the Maori abandoned both pa, and a group of chiefs brought the young John Guard to the seashore to surrender him. Tempers were running hot by now on the British side - resulting in the troops shooting most of the Maori escort dead in cold blood after seizing the boy.
The situation worsened even further when the Alligator opened up with grapeshot on the massed Maori on the beach - occasioning great slaughter.
The severity and injustice of the violence of this rescue was later harshly criticized in official quarters - leading to a House of Commons inquiry into the matter, which strongly castigated all of those involved in the affray. Sadly this condemnation would have provided no succor to the Maori survivors 12,000 miles away.
Today the pa are long-gone, but the steep hillocks on which they are situated remain on either side of the mouth of the Kapuni River on the rugged South Taranaki coast.
A cannonball from the bombardment may be seen at the Tawhiti Museum north of Hawera, while I believe that the anchor from the Harriet rests at Rahotu.
Mrs Guard’s hair-comb was preserved by her descendants and is today at Puke Ariki Museum (New Plymouth), along with other items from the incident.
Footnote: as Belich and other commentators have pointed out, sex was a valuable trading commodity between the races at his time.
Despite most missionaries concerns re miscegenation (cross-breeding of races) it would appear that other players entertained no such qualms; and there is no reason to infer or suspect that the sex trade was purely one way - ie: solely that of Maori females trading sex for goods with European males.
Indeed, accounts from the period suggest that white females were made sexually available to appropriate Maori - in return for an acceptable exchange of trade goods.
As to male-to-male sex: homosexuality was at the time a severe crime, and therefore documented cases of the practice in this manner (or any other shape or form) are rare, and even these are couched in equivocal terms.
A video of my visit follows soon.
In other instances surviving crew members and other whites were captured and ransomed - a barrel of gunpowder often the price of their freedom: muskets were a desireable commodity.
The Story: In his book “Captured by Maori - White Female Captives, Sex and Racism on the 19th Century New Zealand Frontier”
(now there’s a title!) Trevor Bentley documents nine cases of European women who were captured by Maori and held for varying amounts of time.
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| The Harriet Incident |
The Harriet was owned by Tory Channel-based whaler and ex-convict ‘Jacky’ Guard. When she was
wrecked, all those aboard made it ashore - the Guard family of four along with 26 seamen. For several days they lived on the beach recovering stores and equipment from the wreck.
However, on 10 May the group was attacked by a group of some 200 Ngati Ruanui of whom some 150 were armed with muskets: “they struck down one of the crew on the head with a tomahawk and then cut him right in two”.
Twelve sailors were killed, while the spirited resistance from the remainder of the crew cut down twenty or so attackers. Mrs Guard and her two children were captured. Mrs Guard was tomahawked on the head, but the blow hit her heavy tortoise-shell comb - which saved her life.
 |
| Type of comb worn by Mrs Guard |
Unfortunately the blow drove several of the teeth permanently into her skull.
At this point a group of Taranaki Maori arrived, rescued Mrs Guard, her children and twelve of the sailors, and took them to Te Namu Pa (at Opunaki) under the leadership of Chief Oaoiti.
Meanwhile, the rest of the ship’s party were eventually overcome after running out of ammunition, and were also made captive.
Jacky Guard promised to ransom his wife and children in return for a barrel of gunpowder, so the Maori let him and six of the crew set off in one of the ship’s boats. They made it to Wellington from where they sailed to Sydney.
Guard had previously experienced problems with Maori attacks on his whaling business - his ship “Waterloo” had been pillaged when it went ashore on Waikanae beach the previous year, and a Ngati Tahu war party had attacked, plundered and burned his Kakapo Bay station then killed and eaten three of his Maori workers. Hence his mind was on vengance rather than negotiations.
In Sydney he was able to persuade the authorities to send the warship HMS Alligator as well as the armed schooner “Isabella” with a detachment of redcoats from the 50th Regiment to rescue his family.
This rescue-party took some time to arrange, so did not arrive until 28 September.
Whilst Mrs Guard and her children survived the ordeal (indeed it is suspected that she and Chief Oaoiti had cause of much titillation at the time), the twelve sailors captured with them met a grisly fate: one-by-one they were executed, cooked and eaten.
Evidently Mrs Guard later reported that she was offered human portions of the feasts - but declined.
At the end of September the situation deteriorated badly for Maori with the arrival of the ships at Te Namu pa. Events are confused and reports vary, but it appears that Oaoiti approached the ships’ boats in the surf to negotiate for the previously agreed barrel of gunpowder. The Europeans had no intentions of upholding the bargain, and instead greviously wounded him before taking him to the Alligator.
The Maori promptly fled with their captives 30km south to Waimate pa.
The British followed after torching Te Namu.
The next day Oaoiti was taken ashore and exchanged for Mrs Guard and her daughter, however her son John remained a captive.
At this point the British became frustrated and exercised the tremendous fire-power of the Alligator - bombarding Waimate Pa with a series of devastating broadsides. 118 redcoats were then landed on the beach. Realizing that they were on the loosing end of a serious attack the Maori abandoned both pa, and a group of chiefs brought the young John Guard to the seashore to surrender him. Tempers were running hot by now on the British side - resulting in the troops shooting most of the Maori escort dead in cold blood after seizing the boy.
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| Waimate Pa |
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| HMS Alligator's boats at the time of the rescue |
Today the pa are long-gone, but the steep hillocks on which they are situated remain on either side of the mouth of the Kapuni River on the rugged South Taranaki coast.
 |
| Looking NW |
Mrs Guard’s hair-comb was preserved by her descendants and is today at Puke Ariki Museum (New Plymouth), along with other items from the incident.
Footnote: as Belich and other commentators have pointed out, sex was a valuable trading commodity between the races at his time.
Despite most missionaries concerns re miscegenation (cross-breeding of races) it would appear that other players entertained no such qualms; and there is no reason to infer or suspect that the sex trade was purely one way - ie: solely that of Maori females trading sex for goods with European males.
Indeed, accounts from the period suggest that white females were made sexually available to appropriate Maori - in return for an acceptable exchange of trade goods.
As to male-to-male sex: homosexuality was at the time a severe crime, and therefore documented cases of the practice in this manner (or any other shape or form) are rare, and even these are couched in equivocal terms.
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| Onsite December 2017 |
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| Site of Waimate Pa |
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