The school establishment certainly did very useful work, and thus far was appreciated by the Maoris; but they could never forget that Gorst was a Government official.
W. Beattie, Photo.]
THE LAST CANOE VOYAGE
Sir John Gorst and party in the “Tangi-te-Kiwi” at Ngaruawahia, December 6th, 1906.
THE REV. B. Y. ASHWELL’S MISSION STATION, KAITOTEHE, WAIKATO RIVER
The site of this pre-war mission station was on the left bank of the Waikato, opposite Taupiri. This picture is a sketch made shortly before the war in 1863, by Lieut. (afterwards Colonel) H. S. Bates of the 65th Regiment, who was an A.D.C. to Sir George Grey and Staff Interpreter to General Cameron. Governor Grey’s camp, on one of his Waikato expeditions, is shown on the river bank (see Note in Appendices, p. 103).
It was presently decided by the Government that a native hospital should be erected on an area of Crown land about three-quarters [[26]]of a mile from Te Awamutu. The position of Medical Commissioner of the Waikato was offered to and accepted by the Rev. A. Purchas, of Onehunga. At the same time Sir George Grey sanctioned the establishment of a Maori newspaper to reply to the “Hokioi,” the Kingite print issued at Ngaruawahia. Mr E. J. von Dadelszen[1] (afterwards Registrar-General of New Zealand) was appointed printer; he had learned the trade on Bishop Selwyn’s printing-press in Auckland.
A press and type were bought in Sydney, and set up in Te Awamutu early in 1863. This was the beginning of the end for Mr Gorst’s establishment.