The Hursthouse Outrage Diane McKoy

Te Kumi scene of the Hursthouse outrage, King Country

When I came across this Muir and Moodie card, I first thought that it was just an interesting early Maori village scene until I read the title. “Te Kumi, Scene of the Hursthouse Outrage, King Country.”

I wanted to know more. Who was Hursthouse? Why was he outraged or who had committed an outrage upon him?

Charles Wilson Hursthouse, a man in his early forties described as the perfect frontiersman - tall, lean, hard and muscular, with a glint in his eye and a long easy stride.

He already had more than twenty years of military and surveying experience. He was cool and diplomatic, with experience in the ways of the Maori and spoke their language.

He was the first choice of the Government when they required an intermediary in the disputes with Maori tribes over land for the railway in King Country and Taranaki.

In February 1883 C.W. Hursthouse was instructed to start an exploratory survey south from Te Awamutu to New Plymouth accompanied by an assistant surveyor, Mr Newsham. After being turned back by Maoris at Otorohanga, they set out again with Wetere Te Rerenga as a guide and a party of Ngati-Maniapoto, after being promised by several high chiefs that they would be able to carry out their mission.

At Te Uira near Te Kuiti they were confronted by Te Mahuki, a Maori prophet who was determined to stop all forms of Pakeha intrusion including all surveys, and were asked to turn back. Wetere replied that they would not and being out numbered, the surveyors were pulled off their horses, and their coats and haversacks with contents were taken from them. Mahuki had forbidden his men to carry fire-arms, otherwise someone may have been killed. The prisoners at Mahuki’s command were taken to Te Kumi, Mahuki’s village on the bank of the Manga-oweka stream, where they were placed in a cooking house, their hands tied behind their backs and their ankles secured by chains to the central post of the house.

They were left for two days and nights, starved, thirsty, most of their clothes removed and plagued by mosquitoes. At the end of that time some pigs’ potatoes were thrown in to them, but being tied up they were unable to reach the food.

During this time a Maori named Te Haerae (Te Here), one of the guide party, was forcibly thrown in the whare with the European prisoners. Hursthouse, who understood Maori could hear a discussion, through the thin walls on how they were to be killed, also the taunting by yelling and chanting around the whare.

Wetere, who had accompanied them to Te Kumi under the pretence of returning to Mokau, got permission to leave with one of his followers. He managed to reach Alexandra (now called Pirongia) and get a telegram sent to Hon. John Bryce the Native Affairs Minister who collected a party of about 150 men on the 23^rd March to rescue the Europeans.

But when they reached Otorohanga they were informed that Hursthouse and Newsham had been already rescued by Te Kooti, who on hearing of the capture, collected many of the Ngatimaniapoto tribe from his settlement to go to Te Kumi. He had met up with Wetere and his follower, who had under Wetere’s instruction, had gathered 30 men. Together they felt strong enough to effect a rescue. They made a sudden dash at Mahuki and his people and overpowered them. When the rescuers entered the cookhouse, they were shocked at the condition of Hursthouse and his companions who were bruised, weak and scarcely able to stand. They were taken to Te Kooti’s settlement and treated with kindness and supplied with clothes. All their property was returned and their clothes were found on some of the people that had assaulted them. The chains that bound Hursthouse were presented to him as a souvenir.

Whaaru (leader of Hursthouse rescue party) and wife at Wahanui’s House Alexandra

(I could not find any mention of this man in any of the many articles on this incident. So i feel he may have given his account of his part in the rescue to Alfred Burton personally)

The Native Minister had wanted Mahuki seized and the Ngatimaniapoto did not want to hand him over, but could not decide what to do with him. Then Mahuki and 20-30 of his followers decided to march in to Alexandra (Pirongia) where he said all their Pakeha enemies would fall down before them. They entered Alexandra in a threatening manner and were quickly surrounded by the Armed Constabulary and taken to Auckland where they were charged with assault on Messrs. Hursthouse and Newsham, also robbery. They were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

Rewi Tawhaha Taonui Wetere Te Rerenga

Te Rangituataka Te Naunau

GREAT CHIEFS AT WHARE-KOMITI, HAEREHUKA, KING COUNTRY

(Wetere Te Rerenga who played a large part in Hursthouse’s Rescue standing far right)

Two years later Alfred Henry Burton visited Te Kumi on his trip through the King Country and took photos of the village and several of the people involved in the incident, including Mahuki. Some of these were produced as Muir and Moodie Postcards. (I cannot find any postcard of Mahuki. Bill Main has told me that not all of Burton’s photos were made into postcards, especially if the person did not look commercially appealing).

Two months after photographing the Te Kumi village and the people involved, Alfred Burton, on his travels, actually met Charles Wilson Hursthouse at Alexandra and heard from him a first hand account of the “Outrage”.

References - King Country Journey Alfred Burton (Introduction by William Main), By Design by Rosslyn J. Noonan, NZ Electronic Text Centre, Papers Past.