Gottfried Lindauer’s painting of Wharepapa as a young man
Source: http://www.lindaueronline.co.nz/maori-portraits/kamariera-te-hau-takiri-wharepapa
As a young girl my Grandfather used to tell us the story of our great, great, great Grandfather Kamariera Te Hau Takiri Wharepapa, the Maori Chief who went to England to meet Queen Victoria and married an English girl. A copy of the painting by Lindauer took pride of place on the wall of my grandparents living room, as children we used to argue over who would get the painting once my grandparents passed away, little did we know that copies would become easy to purchase in the years to come.
A young Wharepapa
Source: National Library of Australia
Tutapuiti Hariata (wife of Pomare), Wharepapa and Pomare
Kamariera Wharepapa was born in 1823 and was one of fourteen Maori who sailed to England on the Ida Ziegler in 1863 to meet Queen Victoria, the trip was organised by William Jenkins, a preacher and former interpreter for the Nelson provincial government (source: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1p21/1). In addition to meeting the Queen, the group of Maori also met the Prince and Princess of Wales and were used by Jenkins to demostrate songs and dances while wearing traditional garments and ornaments. While in England, Wharepapa met and married Elizabeth Ann Reid in St Anne’s Parish Church, Limehouse, London on March 31st, 1864. There are many paintings, illustrations and photographs of their experience in England including a copy of a letter that Wharepapa sent to family and friends in New Zealand.
Kamariera Te Hautakiri Wharepapa (right) and Kihirini Te Tuahu (with tewhatewha) during their trip to London, 1863-1864. Photograph taken by Vernon Heath.
Source: Heath, Vernon, 1819?-1895. Kamariera Te Hautakiri Wharepapa and Kihirini Te Tuahu. Parsons, Patrick :Maori portraits. Ref: 1/2-058458-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://beta.natlib.govt.nz/records/23031417
Illustrated London news (Newspaper). Illustrated London news :Native chiefs from New Zealand. Mr W Jenkins, interpreter; Horomana Te Atua; Hapimana Ngapiko; Wharepapa; Pomare; Paratene Te Manu; Kihirini Te Tuahu; Takerie Ngawaka; Tere Te Iringa; Hariata Pomare, Reihana Taukawau; Hirini Pakia; Ngahuia; Wiremu Pou. [London, 1863]. Ref: PUBL-0033-1863-68. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://beta.natlib.govt.nz/records/22896479
The New Zealand chiefs in Wesley’s House, 1863
Source: http://digital.otago.ac.nz/print.php?arguement=a11561&focus=Record&submit=GO
Letter from Wharepapa during his visit to England
Source: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori-overseas/1/3
The letter reads (Source: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori-overseas/1/3):
‘We are losing health & strength. In my opinion, if we stay long, we must find out some devices for ourselves for these days. That is all, the trouble of this expedition can not be enumerated. You are the sister of the Bishop who loves New Zealand so well & you will declare to him our sentiments. Your goodness to the Maories who have visited you gives us light and gladness in our hearts & makes us bold to speak out the burden that is laid on us thro’ this our ill considered visit to England.’
The group of Maori who visited England in 1863
Wharepapa and Elizabeth returned to New Zealand in 1864, the first of five daughters was born on the return trip, Mary Faith Wharepapa and the remaining daughters were born in Mangakahia where Wharepapa and Elizabeth settled upon their return. The other daughters were: Edith Harriet, Hora Eliza Anne (my great, great grandmother), Maria Josephine Hope and Huhana. Elizabeth tired of the lifestyle and eventually left and married Charkes Samuel Lakey.
Charles Fredrick Goldie is known for his portraits of New Zealand Maori chiefs (ariki) and women of rank (kuia). He painted two portraits of the aging Wharepapa and took several photographs of Wharepapa in his studio. Many believed that the Maori were a doomed race at that time and the tradition of chiseled ta moko and facial tattooing had ceased (source: http://www.nzterritory.com/famous/goldie.html). Critics of his work dismissed his paintings as documentation rather than art and objected to the way he depicted the Maori, however, many Maori see Goldie’s works as taonga (treasured thing) representing irreplaceable ancestral images of koroua (elderly man) and kuia (elderly woman) which, for Maori have special significance (source: http://tpo.tepapa.govt.nz/ViewTopicExhibitDetail.asp?TopicFileID=0x000a3dd1).
Painting of Kamariera Te Hau Takiri Wharepapa by Charles Fredrick Goldie
Kamariera Te Hau Takiri Wharepapa painted 1907
Wharepapa with Goldie in his studio
Source: http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/the-collection/browse-artwork/15449/goldie-with-kamariera-te-wharepapa
Kamariera Te Wharepapa with a visitor to Goldie’s studio
Source: http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/the-collection/browse-artwork/15453/%5Bkamariera-te-wharepapa-with-a-visitor-to-goldie-s-studio-1-%5D
Wharepapa with Goldie holding patu
Source: http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/the-collection/browse-artwork/15445/%5Bgoldie-holding-patu-%5D
Kamariera Te Wharepapa with a visitor to Goldie’s studio, possibly the actress Grace Palotta.
Source: http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/the-collection/browse-artwork/15456/kamariera-te-wharepapa-with-a-visitor-to-goldie-s-studio,-possibly-the-actress-grace-palotta
My first (and only) Wharepapa family reunion was held in the early 80s at a marae in Titoki, my Grandmother not being one for such events, left us with our Grandfather to spend two days and a night with hundreds of relations that we had never met before. I remember lots of food, there was plenty of traditional singing, dancing and storytelling and we met all of my Grandfather’s brothers and sisters, he was one of eleven. At that time you had to rely on the written word, family photographs and museum or gallery collections to understand our family history and writing a family tree (for a teenager) was a tedious job. The internet has made life so much easier, my Mum is amazed at the range of images that I have been able to gather and share with her, she bought a copy of Lindauer’s painting when we were kids and now she has much more.
What an unbelievably fascinating family history you have and how wonderful that there are so many documents, photographs and pictures to reflect it. Thank you for sharing – it’s been a very, very interesting read.
Thank you, it was especially fascinating to a young child and I still love discovering new images and stories. So happy you found my story interesting, thank you for stopping by
What a wonderful story. It sure does show you the power of the Internet, but also the fact that someone has taken time and care to post it there is wonderful, making it so much easier for you and your family to understand your heritage! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. The power of the internet when it comes to connecting family is a truly beautiful thing.
What a rich and wonderful history! And so lucky to know so much of it.
Thank you, it has been a fascinating journey and I am sure that there is still more to uncover
How amazing to have this as part of your family history, Sam! A beautiful share.
Thank you Jo, it was wonderful to be able to piece the stories together in a way that it was worth sharing.
Hey 2BD – thanks for sharing some of your family history. How amazing! And, what a gift to be able to have attended such a reunion with your Grandfather.
You’re most welcome! It was an amazing experience and I met plenty of relatives from all over New Zealand and from all branches of the family tree
Wonderful post and you must be so happy you can get these pictures and learn more about family history! Thank you for writing about it
Thank you Meg, every time I find an old photo or illustration that I haven’t seen before it makes me smile and I’m learning alot in the process.
What a wonderful family history, and the documents and photos are so interesting.
So happy that you liked them, thank you for stopping by
How wonderful to have this man for your great, great, great grandfather. I really like the Lindauer painting. Thanks for sharing.
You are most welcome, thank you for the kind words. The Lindauer is definitely my favourite and beautifully executed.
Very interesting! I loved the photographs and paintings, too. My family has also spent years searching records, collecting photos, etc. It’s so interestng to find out how many people we’re related to! My mother’s side has Native American blood, but it’s hard to trace on record due to the stigma of being an Indian in the 19th century.
Looking into your family history is such an amazing journey, each layer reveals itself over time and you learn more and more about where you came from and what life was luck for the people who came before you. So happy that you found it interesting.
My husband’s Mum recently got confirmation that there is an indigenous connection way back in her family tree, like the Native American and the Maori, having Australian Aborigine blood had (and sadly still does) much stigma attached.
Tena koe thank you for this – my whanau are descendants of Huhana and Ruwhiu – this is amazing and I have passed it onto my whanau – your research is awesome -
You are most welcome, there is quite a bit of information available now thanks to the Internet. A cousin of mine has actually written a book, but copies were limited so I wasn’t able to get one and it may have only been about our branch of the family. Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a great comment, keep in touch
Hey there, wow that was great to read
. I’m also a mokopuna we just had a recent family reunion in 2012. Sadly not many of the whanau turned up. I am decendant of the first daughter. My pops still lives on the land owned by Wharepapa in Pakotai.
cheers
Well nice read up
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it and always nice to ‘meet’ a relative
, you’re a descendant of Maria Josephine Hope? I haven’t been to a family reunion since I was in school although there have been several since then, I remember my grandfather making us copy all branches of the family tree and it was long before digital cameras etc so we had to do it all by hand. The internet really has made research easier, I even managed to make contact with a descendant of Elizabeth Ann Reid from her second marriage – it’s a small world. Thanks again for stopping by and I’m always happy to learn of new information if ever you come across it. Cheers 
Fascinating – and such amazing photos!
It is really fascinating to look into family history, you never quite know what to expect and with the internet making the search for information and photos so much easier I’m sure more will surface as time goes by.
Wow! This is really fascinating! What a rich heritage you have. I am so impressed with the images and information you have been able to collect. We loved New Zealand, and were intrigued by the colorful history and culture of the Maori. From what I understood after a long talk with the Maori gentleman who owned the hostel where we stayed, they have maintained an unusually strong presence in New Zealand. When we were there, they had their own government representative, composed 20% of the population, had their own television station, and the language was still being taught. I hope this is still the case.
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed reading about my family history and it really is quite amazing that finding information and images from the past has become so much easier, there was alot less available 10 years ago. New Zealand is an awesome place to explore and the Maori culture is entrenched in daily life thanks to the good work of many, Maori is taught at school and you can also study the culture, history and language at University. I’ve always found the Maori culture to be more evident on the North Island, not sure whether it is related to climate or access but the further south you head on the South Island the more European it gets.