Beez Neez now Chy Whella - Taiaroa History

Taiaroa History

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Wed 30 Jul 2014 22:47

Taiaroa Head History

The Māori settlement at Otakou in 1840, depicted in an early watercolour by Le Breton.

Pukekura – Taiaroa Head, was originally a defensive Pa site for Moari. From Illustrated New Zealander 1867.

L Battery, formed on the 14th of June 1879 from Port Chalmers Artillery Volunteers.

In 1870 New Zealand became responsible for its own coastal defence. In 1872, the Russians had begun to build their first naval base at Vladivostok for a Pacific Ocean Navy, and it sent a wave of alarm around Britain’s colonial territories. In 1880, at New Zealand’s request, Colonel Scratchley, a British defence engineer, proposed fixed defences at the four major ports. Little was achieved until Governor Jervois spoke in their favour in 1884. The Government, prodded by mounting public pressure, sent Major H. Cautley to inspect existing defences. As a result coastal defences were constructed during the next five years.

The Vestnik watched by the Japanese training ship Tsukuba.

British and Russian expansion caused many of the war scares of the nineteenth century. Russian war and merchant ships paid numerous visits to the South Pacific. In 1885 Britain and Russia faced each other in Afghanistan focusing attention on defence issues. Prominent Dunedin citizens alarmed at “Our defenceless state”, appealed to senior politicians to provide adequate defences. The Russian warship Vestnik called at Wellington Harbour on the 24th of May 1886. It was armed with three six-inch guns, four eight pounders, seven Hotchkiss guns and a torpedo boat. This one ship had more firepower than the entire colony’s coastal defences at that time. Its armament was vastly superior to New Zealand’s coastal muzzle loading guns.

A further consequence of the “Russian Scares” was the ordering of spar torpedo boats for each of New Zealand’s four main ports. Their basic weapon was armed with an explosive device at the tip and projected well forward over the bow. The intention was for the boat to proceed at high speed toward the side of an intruding warship. They were unable to operate in rough seas and an attack was invariably hazardous – as much for the crew as the target.

One spar torpedo boat was based in Otago Harbour crewed by the Port Chalmers Torpedo Corps.

Lt.-Gen. Sir William Jervis, 1821-1897, military engineer, was responsible for the greater part of the coastal defences of Britain and her colonies between 1862 and 1874. In 1877 he was appointed defence advisor to Australasia and in 1882, twelfth Governor of New Zealand. He urged the development of coastal defence in writing and lectures and witnessed the installation of the first coastal defences before he left in 1889.

The Headland in May 1889. The buildings - Back row from left: Prison Officer, Boatman, Post Office and Richdale residence. Front row from left: Prison Barracks, Boatman, Signal Master, Boatman, Teacher’s House, School and Pilot. On the very top of the hill toward the right is the Harbour Signal Station. Down at the bottom is the Stationary Engine Shed – notice the six inch Disappearing Gun protruding from the left hand side, this was at the head of the tramline from the Pilots Beach jetty. All supplies came from Port Chalmers by boat to this jetty, and were pilled up the tramline. This was a busy time with signalmen, lighthouse keepers, and the main harbour crew all servicing the needs of the many ships using Otago Harbour. Manning the five gun batteries on Taiaroa Head were twenty two artillerymen. Twenty eight prisoners were housed in the prison barracks. The musketry parapet was built by prison labour in 1888 with only one stonemason directing the work. This defensive position was to provide cover for the infantrymen to defend the headland against land attack from the rear.

Taiaroa Head was established as a fortress, complete with its outer wall from one side of the headland to the other. A network of underground tunnels was put in to contain the ‘disappearing gun’ with crew quarters and supplies. The gun was installed in 1886, and is still in good order beneath the Albatross Colony. The army unit comprised twelve men, trained to fire the disappearing gun and man the nearby guns at the heads. Their quarters were along the south side. A family house for the non-commissioned officer in charge was on the terrace above. A wooden staircase was set into the rock beside the jail to give him access. Children went to school along the road inside the fortress wall and the single teacher school had ten to fifteen pupils. There were no albatross here at that time. After we had watched the chicks in the observation hut we followed Chris on our tour.

This stone jail is the only surviving part of the barracks and prison buildings that occupied this flat area cut out of the rock in the 1880’s.

Prisoners were housed in a long building on the western side, containing beds and dining tables. A batch of about twenty were housed there, sent from Dunedin court, to serve periods of hard labour around Taiaroa Head. When a prisoner proved particularly difficult, he was punished by a spell in solitary confinement in one of these small stone cells. The jail had no lights and even the barred window in the doors could be tightly closed, to leave the prisoner in complete darkness. On the left od the cell was a built-in bed, on the right was a narrow bench that acted as a table and a stool.

At the turn of the century this flat area was occupied by a quadrangle of buildings, with a small, open exercise space in the centre. During WWI and II, larger army units were based here at Taiaroa Head, in barracks beside Pilot’s Beach and McGrouther’s Road which winds across the hill to the south. Gun and searchlight encampments were added, but the disappearing gun still served and was test-fired.

We followed Chris up a steep path and we headed in through a door and saw the plan of the hill tunnels.

Chris told us a little about the Māori chief Karetai.

We followed Chris through the maze of tunnels and up various levels.

Saw the world’s only and incredible Disappearing Gun – had to have its own blog.

Up to the lookout. Chris said how shocked he was, when leading a tour group, the head of a fur seal pup popped up behind the glass. All this way up.....

The placement of guns on Taiaroa.

The munitions stores.

We found ourselves in a large area, a first for us being in an underground ‘museum’. There was a diorama of how life would be for the soldiers. A day in their life would be as follows - 06:00 Reveille sounded by the bugler. Huts prepared for inspection followed by breakfast. 08:30 Parade. Form up o the parade ground for rifle and bayonet drill, gun drill, fitness training and camp maintenance. 17:00 Dinner. Evenings were spent at ease washing and mending clothes, reading, writing letters to loved ones or visiting the YMCA to play cards and buy cigarettes from the canteen. 21:30 Tattoo sounded by the bugler to return to barracks. 22:00 Lights out.

We looked at the rest of the bits and pieces on show. Then we went back to the centre to look at the gallery of pictures.

Pre-1902. Port Chalmers Naval Artillery and Instructor: Naval volunteer corps were responsible for maintaining torpedo boat and steam launch at Deborah Bay. Four of the men wear a badge on their sleeve awarded for proficency in gunnery.

1906-1908. Port Chalmers Navals. Champion 64-pounder gun detachment, the rangefinder is seen in the centre.

Territorials in camp at Taiaroa circa 1910. Off duty, Syd keeps them in order.

Artillery and Infantry Officers at annual camp, circa 1914.

Parade at annual camp, circa 1914.

Garrison Artillery Company Number 2, 1918.

82nd Heavy Battery NZ Artillery 1943. The 176 personnel in the photograph manned the coast defences at Taiaroa Head and at adjacent Rerewahine & Harrington Point gun emplacements housing the two 6-inch Mark 7 guns; the 6 & 12-pounder Quick firing anti-motor-torpedo guns. Plus the searchlights and the secret Radar Station. There are 67 Womens Auxiliary Army Corps serving mainly as vehicle drivers and manning radar and communications.