THE WHITE ROSE

The Lammershagen was enroute for three monthes, with numerous storms which came up when they were at sea. Mette Marie was ill, the entire trip. Ten days away from New Zealand, as the ship was passing near Tasmania, the infant they were expecting, a son, was born prematurely aboard ship, weighing 3 lbs or less. He had to be carried around on a pillow. George (Georgie) Detric/Dietrich was born on July 1, 1875. His place of birth is listed as "Tasmania," giving rise to the theory that the ship must have come around the tip of Africa enroute to New Zealand.

FOOD RATIONS FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING IN STEERAGE

Preserved Meats.........................Two
pound...........................1pound
Soup & Bouilli.............................half pound.............................-
York Ham......................................half pound.............................-
Fish................................................quarter pound.......................-
Prime India Beef.........................one pound..............................One & a quarter pound
Irish Mess Pork...........................One & a half pound..............One pound
Biscuit...........................................Four & a quarter pound......Three & a half pound
Flour..............................................Four & a quarter pound......Three pound
Rice................................................One pound.............................Half pound
Barley............................................Half pound..............................-
Peas...............................................Half pint...................................Half pint
Oatmeal.........................................Half pint...................................One pint
Sugar, raw....................................One pound..............................One pound
Lime Juice....................................Six ounces..............................Six ounces
Tea..................................................One & a half ounces............One & a half ounces
Coffee.............................................Three ounces........................Two ounces
Butter..............................................Half pound..............................Six ounces
Cheese...........................................Quarter pound.........................-
Currants.........................................Quarter pound.........................-
Raisins, Valencia..........................Half pound..............................Half pound
Suet..................................................Six ounces..............................Six ounces
Pickles.............................................Quarter pint............................Quarter pint
Mustard...........................................Half ounce...............................Half ounce
Pepper.............................................Quarter ounce........................Quarter ounce
Salt...................................................Two ounces............................Two ounces
Potatoes fresh..............................Three & a half pounds..........Two pounds
Potatoes preserved.....................Half pound................................Half pound
Water...............................................21 quarts...................................21 quarts

Chief Cabin Passengers supplied with an unlimited table, including livestock.

For children (all)an equivalent quantity of sago, flour, rice, raisins, suet & sugar will be substituted for salt meat if required.

Enough provisions for 22 weeks are put aboard, together with medical supplies etc.

Back in Denmark, Anders and Mette Marie had worked for a childess married couple by the last name of Deitrich, that owned an estate in Taps, called Foslegor. When the Dietrich's learned of the expected baby, the husband requested that the child be named after him, since he had no children of his own. Anders and Mette Marie thought this was a splendid idea, since they had enjoyed an long-term relationship with these people, and thought highly of them.

There was a typhoid fever outbreak on board, and the Christen's saw at least one passenger's child buried at sea. But nevertheless, by the providence of God, the family arrived safely at their destination, which was Wellington, in July 1875.

A Surgeon Superintendent (usually a fully qualified doctor) was appointed to attend the emigrants and other passengers on each voyage. While the Captain was responsible for his ship and its crew, the Surgeon held governance over the conduct, morals, behaviour, nutrition and health of hundreds of souls. To aid him in this awsome responsibility the Surgeon appointed a Matron to govern the single women and two or three Constables to keep order, distribute food and other supplies and to ensure that all on board were equally provided for. At the end of the voyage, on the consideration that all duties had been performed adequately, gratuitues were apportioned out. It ws here too that the greater responsibilities of the Surgeon were recognised. While the Captain, First Officer, Constables and Matron each received some compensation for service, the Surgeon was often given a fixed amount (determined at the time he was hired) plus an added bonus for each and every healthy immigrant landed safely.

Travelers were informed that upon the ship's arrival in port at Wellington, the New Zealand authorities would board the ship, together with a Medical Officer who would be notified by the ships captain of any passengers who died on board during the voyage. The officer would take note of infants born on board, and cases of typhoid fever, and other infectious diseases, ordering a quarantine of the ship, till further notice. Only when the quarantine was lifted, would passengers be allowed to disembark.

ARRIVAL IN THREE MILE BUSH IN THE YEAR OF 1875

The term "bush" carries the connotation of that of isolated, heavily forested countryside, as opposed to the open coastal plains and tussock-covered high country. Bush always refers to areas of native trees rather than exotic forests.

The New Zealand usage of "bush" probably comes from the word "bosch," used by Dutch settlers in South Africa, where it meant uncultivated country.

In the North Island, the largest areas of bush cover the main ranges stretching north-northeast from Wellington towards East Cape, notably including the Urewera Ranges, and the catchment of the Whanganui River. Significant stands remain in Northland and the ranges running south from the Coromandel Peninsula towards Ruapehu, and isolated remnants cap various volcanoes in Taranaki, the Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and the Hauraki Gulf.

The Three Mile Bush lies in the center of the Wairarapa Valley in the Tararu District of New Zealand. The Taararu Range forms the western boundary. The district's Northeast boundary runs along the top of the Ruahine Range, with the southeastern boundary as the Pacific Ocean.

The Three Mile Bush was established in 1857 to house the workers who built the road from Greytown (to the South) to Masterton (to the North). When the road was finished, workers turned to bush cutting. The cleared land was converted to dairying and cropping. Along with timber milling, these provided Carterton economic base. In 1887 the town was made a borough. By 1900 it was Wairarapa's second largest town.

Later renamed "Carterton," the town was named after Charles Rooking Carter, a generous benefactor and ambassador to the town. Carter was involved in various projects such as assisting in the establishment of the first public school and building Black Bridge over the Waiohine River. He also gave money to build a home for men who had come to the end of their working lives and had nowhere to live.

In 1875 the procedure for immigrant ships was as follows. Upon arrival the ship would signal and the Immigration Officer would be placed at notice. The Immigration Officer together with the Health Officer would go down to the vessel and if necessary tow the vessel up to anchorage. The Immigration and Health officers would proceed aboard in the ship's life boat. The officers would be greeted with cheers and as the tow rope was run out, satisfaction beamed on every face, and salutations such as "Thank goodness we shall soon be ashore." Those who died envoyage were frequently children of a tender young age and this was reported. A farewell lecture was given passengers telling them to dischange their duties faithfully toward God and manand if this were done, they would be both happy and successful in the land of their adoption.

Each Sunday throughout the voyage, a religious service would be conducted, the service read two to three times in each compartment. There would be a great portion of agricultural laborers and miners, a moderate share of carpenters, fitters, machinists, single women, most of whom were domestics and well adapted for life in the colony. The immigrants would unite in testifying to the kindness of the ships captain and the surgeon superintendant, returning grateful thanks and best wishes and trusting that God would reward him for his zeal in promoting their happiness both morally and physically during the voyage.

In 1875 the ships records state concerning the voyage of the vessel SS Lammershagen, that the Anders Christensen family arrived in Wellington, New Zealand after stopping off at the intermediate port of Tongatabu. The name given to this place by explorer Abel Tasman was Amsterdam Island. He came here as the first European to visit the island on 21 January 1643. Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga. Carterton is a small town in the Wellington region of New Zealand, it lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. Carterton has traditionally been a stopping off place.

THE BEAMS & RAFTERS OF PARADISE

Originally known as Three Mile Bush, the town now known as Carterton was founded in 1857 to house men working on the road between Greytown and Masterton. Sheltered from the prevaling westerly winds by the Rimutaka and Tararua ranges in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, the Wairarapa region has a warm dry climate. It was one of the first areas that the settlers of Wellington explored for farmland. Carterton, known as Three Mile Bush, is located in the very center of the Wairarapa Valley. The Three Mile Bush District stretches from the Tararua Range. The Wairarapa River separates Three Mile Bush, (Now Carterton) from the Masterton District.

Wairarapa, which takes its name from Lake Wairarapa ("glistening waters"), the eye in the fish that is the North Island, according to Maori legend. In the south, the Waiohene River forms part of the boundary with South Wairarapa. The district has craggy mountains, tumbling rivers with dramatic gorges rollinghills, lush forests, coastal plain and a long sweeping coastline. Wairarapa's open country was soon being grazed by an ever-increasing number of flocks and by 1847 there were said to be 15 different sheep runs, mainly in the south. There were 13,000 sheep and 1300 cattle in Wairarapa - and about 90 pakeha involved in farming them.

The dagger-shaped North Island is 680 miles long from Cape Reinga, in the far north, to Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, at the southern tip. By the 1850s there was an increasing call for land to be made available to more people to establish themselves as small farm owners.

The immigrant ship carrying the Christensen family landed at Wellington, on May 14, 1875, which was the Christensen toddler, Annie Marie Margarethe's second birthday. The 2 year old was so ill with Typhoid Fever that she had to be carried in arms from the ship. By God's providence, the infant born envoyage had also survived. The family was taken to a government owned housing project, where they lived in 2 rooms, while working to earn money to purchase their own land. It was a humble dwelling, without closets, or shelves. Cooking was done outdoors.

Wellington was the first official settlement set up by The New Zealand Company for recently arrived immigrants. Most of those first settlers who arrived were timber workers, bullock drivers, shopkeepers, rope makers and artisans. This posed a problem as Wellington was an agricultural settlement but there were few people with the skills to farm the land. It was clear that neither the occupational or social composition of this early settlement was varied and as a result this assisted in giving Wellington a shaky beginning as a developing settlement.

The following is an example of the type of advertisement colonists such as Anders and Mette Marie Christensen may have read, prior to purchasing land of their own. The New Zealander published the following land allottments for immigrants on January 8, 1859.

"Each capitalist immigrant is entitled to 40 acres of land for each over 18 year old member of his family and for each servant or laborer he may take out. Children between five years and 18 years count as a half and receive 20 acres each. Extra land can be purchased, in addition to the above, at 10/-an acre. The above is conditional upon residents residing within the province of Auckland for four out of five years after their arrival in New Zealand.

The immigrant families would build a slab hut, called a "whare," and camp was set up, using a "camp oven" consisting of a large 3 legged pot for cooking. Daily there was fire wood to collect, and clothing to wash for the large family. These conditions lasted till land was cleared and they could build their home, on their own land, but with no roads, logs had to be hauled from tremendous distances, and clearing land, which was densely forested or swampy, was extremely dangerous work. Bringing supplies in was equally difficult.

THE GREAT TREES

• KAURI

  Kauri reaches 30-60 metres tall, has a massive girth, and can live as long as 2,000 years. Tane Mahuta in Waipoua Forest is the largest living specimen. Kauri grows naturally in the north of the North Island, its southern limit crossing the country from Raglan harbour, through Hamilton to just south of Tauranga. The timber was ideal for canoe hulls. The replica double-hulled canoe Te Aurere, made by Hekenukumai Busby of Muriwhenua, has kauri hulls.

  The Coromandel Peninsula is a stronghold of kauri. The size of lost kauri giants can be seen above the Kauaeranga Valley east of Thames. A number of massive stumps, preserved by the durability of kauri, are 6 metres (20 ft) across.

  The largest kauri was measured in 1850 at Mill Creek, Mercury Bay on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. It had a girth of 23.4 metres (77 ft), which is a diameter of 7.45 metres (24.5 ft). The first branches were 22 metres above the ground.

• RIMU

  Rimu had a number of uses. The red cap that holds the seed is edible. The inner bark and leaves were pulped and applied to burns and other wounds. The resinous heartwood was split into slivers and tied in bundles for torches. Kahikatea

  New Zealand's tallest tree, kahikatea, grows up to 60 metres. It bears edible berries, known as koroī.

• MATAI AND MIRO

  The matai, or black pine, tree (Prumnopitys taxifolia) is found in both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand; it grows up to 30 meters in height and has a wide trunk. The matai tree has thick, gray colored bark, long, yellow spikes of both male and female flowers and flat leaves. Miro produce fruit all year round, and were a favourite of wood pigeons brown parrots in autumn and winter. Snares were set to catch the birds.

• MANUKA AND KANUKA

  is in the myrtle family of botanical plants. The oil comes from New Zealand where it has had a long history of use by the Maori people. The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from the leaves of the plant. Manuka plants are bushy shrubs that grow wild. The best Manuka oil comes from plants growing at high altitudes. Manuka is one of three tea trees indigenous to both Australia and New Zealand. Manuka essential oil is from The East Cape region of New Zealand and has been confirmed as having the highest antimicrobial activity. There is evidence indicating that it is up to 20 times more potent than Australian tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia). Traditionally the Maori used manuka for bronchitis, rheumatism and similar conditions.

  Manuka and kannuka were versatile. Their bark provided a waterproof layer for roofs. Poles were used as battens and rafters, and for spears or paddle shafts. The leaves were used to scent hair oil, and flexible saplings and new branches were made into snares and traps.

• TOTARA

  The totara tree (Podocarpus totara) is of particular importance to the Maori people of New Zealand; the Maori use it to make war canoes due to its soft wood. The totara tree lives for up to 1000 years or more; it produces both male and female cones (on separate trees) and long, pointy leaves.

  Found throughout New Zealand and growing up to 40 metres high, their strong, straight trunks were ideal for building waka taua (war canoes). The bark was used to make roofs, splints for broken limbs, and food and water containers called papa totara.

  The largest known living totara, the Pouakani Tree, near Pureora in the central north island is over 35 meters tall and nearly 4 meters in trunk diameter at breast height. Other large trees are known in this area, while Whirinaki forest, to the East, but also on deep recent volcanc soils, has groves of very tall totora (40m in height).

  The saying "kua hinga te tottaraï" (a totara has fallen) described the death of an important person or chief.

• BEECH TREES

  Beech trees were known as tawhai or tawai. They grew mainly on the Volcanic Plateau and along the mountain chains of the North and South islands. Three varieties were recognised: tawhai (silver beech), tawhairauriki (black beech and mountain beech) and tawhairaunui (red beech and hard beech).

LIVING OFF THE LAND IN THE EARLY YEARS

Maori and later Captain Cook originated the traditional wild food of New Zealand when they released pigs into New Zealand. Settlers later brought deer, goats, trout, salmon, rabbits, hares and game birds. Maori also ate the roots of ferns, which they pulverised with wooden pounders. Other food included various berries and puha (a spinach-like vegetable). New Zealand spinich was made famous by Captain Cook's when he discovered it on the coasts of New Zealand. It was cooked and eaten against scurvy. The well-known plant explorer Joseph Banks considered it a good salad green and took seeds to Kew Gardens in London. By the 1880's New Zealand spinach was promoted in seed catalogues and it spread to Europe and the North America. 'Ulu or breadfruit was also eaten. This new plant must be moved with great care to the hole into which it is to be planted. If pulled out of the earth and the roots freed from soil it will die. Breadfruit trees thrive in dark or red soil, never in sand or cinders.

The banana plant (mai'a) a local fruit tree grows from underground root stalks (mole) to heights of 20 feet or more in some varieties. Each plant bears one stalk of fruit.
The meat from the coconut is also eaten and the coconut used for various purposes.

Maori also chewed gum resin from the giant kauri tree. Woven flax baskets and bags were used to carry food, which was often stored in a pataka, a storehouse raised on stilts.

The Maori had an ingenious way of cooking food, still in use today! The hangi, or umu, is an earth oven built in a large pit. Special stones are placed over a fire of wooden sticks. A layer of green flax is laid above the stones, and then layers of meat and vegetables are placed between more layers of flax. A mat covers the oven. Water is then placed on the hot stones, which steams the food. Slow cooking makes the food extremely tender, while the wood and the flax infuse the food with a beautiful delicate and smoky flavour.

Settlers learned a great deal about eating off the land. Puha (Watercress) grew on the edge of fresh water rivers and creeks around New Zealand and was eaten raw or cooked. The taste was slightly like that of mustard. The following is a recipe for Watercress Soup.

1 tablespoon butter 3 leeks (white part only), chopped 1 1/2 pound zucchini, peeled and diced 4 cups chicken stock 1 bunch of watercress, tough stems removed 1/3 cup heavy cream (it says optional, but I don't see why you couldn't substitute milk for a lower fat version) salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the leeks and cook until softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the zucchini, increase the heat to moderately hight and saute for 2 minutes without browning. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moverate and simmer until the zucchini is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the watercress and simmer for 1 minutes longer.

Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup, in batches, until smooth. Add the cream, if desired and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Korengo is seaweed which is either used in its raw state or dried and used to season various dishes. Shellfish such as Koura were also utilized as food. These fresh water crayfish which are approximately the size a prawn. In addition to many traditional foods that Scandinavian settlers might recognize, they were also able to incorporate into their diets the foods eaten by the Maori who were expert hunters and fishermen. In the late 1800s temperatures in the area were more extreme. The sweltering heat of summer was intense while in winter the rivers were known to have chunks of ice floating down them, or they would freeze over. As mostly coastal dwellers, fishing was vitally important to them. It also played a part in their mythology - the god, Maui, was believed to have 'fished up' the North Island. Maori wove fishing nets from harakeke (flax), and carved fishhooks from bone and stone. Maori considered whales as kaitiaki (guardians), and used their flesh for food and their hard, strong bones for weapons. A Maori tradition that remains today is to throw back the first fish caught. This is a way of thanking Tangaroa, god of the sea, for his bounty.

Maori hunted native birds, including moa, the world's largest bird, with a range of ingenious traps and snares. The moa is an extinct New Zealand bird. There were about ten species of moa. The smallest was about the size of a turkey, while the largest, Dinornis maximus, was up to three metres in height. The giant moa must have been one of the most spectacular sights in early Aotearoa.

From the time of the first Maori settlements, the moa provided a plentiful supply of food. But excessive exploitation led to the birds extinction. Recent research suggests that all moa were exterminated by Mori within about fifty years of their colonisation of New Zealand.

Many different species of bird, including kereru and tui, were eaten. However, the now-extinct huia was considered tapu (sacred) and was never eaten; though its feathers were highly prized, and worn in the heads of rangatira (chiefs). Penguins and seals were hunted and used as food by Maori, especially in the South Island. Mutton birds were popular in the far south of the country, and are still a prized food today. They were stored in large bags of bull kelp, and could be preserved for many months.

Maori ate native vegetables including the kumara (sweet potato). "This sweet potato was of tropical origin, a member of the plant family Convolvulaceae, which was the major cultivated food crop of the pre-European Maori. The kumara grew successfully only on sheltered north-facing gardens in the north of the North Island. Some of the varieties grown today are believed to have been introduced by 19th century whalers and sealers, but Maori tradition claims the origin of the kumara as Hawaiki, the legendary homeland. The Kumara is most certainly a Central American plant. Vegetables were planted and harvested with a variety of tools. Maori also ate the roots of ferns, which they pulverised with wooden pounders. Other food included various berries and puha (a spinach-like vegetable). They chewed gum - resin from the giant kauri tree. Weaved flax basket and bags were used to carry food, which was often stored in a pataka - a storehouse raised on stilts.

THE CHALLENGE OF LEARNING THE MAORI LANGUAGE

Into the 1870s, missionaries and European settlers and their children learned to speak Maori, with the children becoming more fluent than the adults. This all began to change, however, as the twentieth century approached. Maori quickly became less used, and indigenous people were taught English. By the early twentieth century, speaking Maori was a punishable offense.

Maori parents encouraged their children to learn English, as it was fast becoming the language of New Zealand industry. In order to succeed in an increasingly Euro-centric society, Maori children needed to be fluent in English. However, at home, the people continued to speak their native tongue. Maori remained the first language of Maori children, and the language was used exclusively in religious ceremonies.

THE MAORI TA MOKO OR FACIAL TATTOO

The practice of Ta Moko or tatooing is the permanent body and face marking of the indigenous Maori people. While Polynesian tatoos were used primarily for denotation of communal and family rank, the Maori escalated this practice to a fine art. Traditional ta moko is distinct from tattoo because the skin is carved using uhi or chisels rather than punctured with needles, leaving the skin with grooves rather than a smooth surface. Originally tohunga-ta-moko (moko specialists) used a range of uhi made from albatross bone which were grafted onto a handle, and struck with a mallet.

Pigments were made from the awheto (vegetable caterpillar) for the body colour, and ngarehu (burnt timbers) for the black face colour.

Soot from burnt kauri gum was mixed with fat to make pigment which was stored in ornate vessels named oko, often buried when not in use. Oko were handed on to successive generations.

In 1910 noted moko historian James Cowan wrote the term for a face devoid of moko is papa-tea, which may be interpreted as bare-boards, In other words a face with no decoration. Westerners have been aware of the importance of moko to the Maori culture since first recorded by Sydney Parkinson, artist for James Cook on his first voyage in 1769. Parkinson brought back no less than three recorded examples of moko tatooing. These examples extolled both linear, and curvilinear elements.

Tattooing was practiced in nearly all Pacific Island cultures. The origin may go back as far as the initial migration and colonization of the Pacific. Although tattooing is as old and widely distributed as any other Pacific decorative art, it has gone largely unrecognized as a fine art. In traditional Polynesian cultures, the tattoo flourished over any other means of body modification or decoration, including clothing. The warmth of the tropics was the perfect climate for the development of the art of tattoo. In cooler climates, where protection from the elements was necessary, mode of dress was often the marker of status, age or gender. In Polynesia, elaborate tattoos served this purpose. Tattooing was a natural part of life in Polynesia; islanders had the time, the temperament and the skill to bring it to a high degree of perfection.

THE MAORI KING

The desire of the Maori to elect a king was a response to the increasing threat to the Maori land. In 1857 several tribes of the Waikato area of North Island elected as king Te Wherowhero, who reigned as Potatau I. In addition to electing a king, they established a council of state, a judicial system, and a police organization, all of which were intended to support Maori resolve to retain their land and to stop the intertribal warfare over the issue. Not all Maori accepted the authority of the king, but the majority shared with the King Movement the resolve not to sell the land.

Potatau I, Maori King (Potatau Te Wherowhero) (circa 1800 - June 25, 1860) was a Maori warrior, leader of the Waikato tribes, the first Maori King and founder of the Te Wherowhero royal dynasty. He was first known as simply Te Wherowhero and later took the name Potatau, becoming known as Potatau I after he became king.

THE CORONATATION

Potatau Te Wherowhero was selected as King by a meeting of chiefs of the Maori tribes held at Pakawa on the south-eastern shore of Lake Taupo in 1857. Potatau, in his old age, expressed initial reluctance but accepted at the wish of his own tribe Ngati Maniapoto. He was 'erected' as king at Pakawa in 1857 and installed as king during elaborate ceremonies held at his marae in Ngaruawahia in 1858.

General Cameron crossed the Mangatwhiri stream on 12 July 1863, effectively declaring war on the King Movement. As this document shows his 4000 imperial soldiers were not enough to counter the effective guerilla offensive launched against the British by the King Movement. A specialist unit formed out of colonial volunteers was thus formed to take the war to the Maori in the bush.

Te Wherowhero refused to sign the Treaty of Waitangi, but he did deal with the colonial government. He sold land to the Crown and, in 1849, signed an agreement to provide military protection for Auckland. He advised Governor George Grey and Governor Thomas Gore Browne, but he also strongly protested against a British Colonial Office plan to put all uncultivated land into Crown ownership.

Potatau himself wished to continue to work in co-operation with the British Government but many of his followers adopted a much more independent position. Gradually the two sides polarised and grew apart, culminating some five years later in warfare (see Invasion of the Waikato and New Zealand Land Wars)

THE PASSING OF POTATAU

Potatau died in Ngaruawahia on June 25, 1860. He is buried on Mount Taupiri, a mountain close to his royal residence in Ngaruawahia. His son, Matutaera Tawhiao, succeeded him.

Until 1860 the Maori still owned most of the land of North Island, but a large increase in the number of immigrants in the 1850s led to demands for greatly increased land purchase by the government. Many Maori were determined not to sell. In 1859 Te Teira, a Maori of the Taranaki area, sold his Waitara River land to the colonial government without the consent of his tribe, precipitating the First Taranaki War (1860). Only the extremist wing of the King Movement joined in the First Taranaki War.

Prior to the Europeans arrival in New Zealand, the Maori did not think of themselves as one nation but as members of various tribes. After they arrived they began to refer to themselves as normal or Maori and the newcomers as Pakeha. They also noticed that the Europeans, mainly the British and French because they were the main settlers, were ruled by a King or Queen. This seemed to give them unity and Maori developed the idea that they should also have a king.

A meeting was called at Ngaruawahia in June 1858, in order to elect a Maori king. Te Wherowhero was invited to return to the Waikato and become the first Maori king. He took the name Potatau. At the meeting he was crowned king. The King was supported by the tribes of the central North island, Waikato, Ngati Haua and Ngati Maniapoto, the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe from Taupo and later the Taranaki tribes and some East Coast tribes. King Potatau had his own councilors, soldiers, constables, a surveyor and a magistrate. The movement also had a newspaper called Te Hokioi and a code of laws drawn up.

The European settlers and the Governor resented the King movement because they regarded it as disloyal to the British Queen. It was also a serious set back for further land purchases. Eventually Governor Grey ordered General Cameron to invade the Waikato area in 1863 to break the power of the Maori King.

THE HAKA: THE MAORI WAR DANCE

The "Haka" is a Maori war dance, in which the words are chanted in a loud and menacing way, accompanied by arm actions and foot stamping.

Haka incorporates both hand gestures and foot stamping, originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. It's a symphony in which the different parts of the body represent the many instruments. The hands, arm, legs, feet, mouth or voice, tongue, eyes, and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy, or whatever feelings are relevant to the occasion.

War haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. New Zealand's war dance, the haka, was composed by the Maori tribe Ngati Toa's warrior chief Te Rauparaha in the early 19th century to celebrate the fiery warrior's escape from death in battle.

The Maori culture is deeply rooted in a tribal system in which the protection of land and other resources is paramount. Historically, groups were on constant alert for potential invaders. Dances are considered by many Maori to be ancestral treasures that carry the mana or couragious spirit of the ancestors.

From earliest times, the haka has inspired and energised generations of Maori in both peace and war. The haka war dance was part of the Maori warrior's conditioning for war and battle. There are many types of haka however some were specifically intended for battle. Today the haka is an aspect of the Maori culture of New Zealand that has become very much a national expression of New Zealand identity.

The word haka is made up two parts: ha-ka. Ha which means “Breath” and Ka, which means “To ignite, to energise”. The haka is simply a way to ignite the breath, energise the body and inspire the spirit.

The haka is an energised form of movement that can improve neuromuscular efficiency. The strong use of the diaphragm, the strong isometric contractions and the vocalisation of sound can create tremendous energy buildup. The movements can performed fast or slow depending on the intention of the performer. When performed with high intensity, the haka becomes an anaerobic activity which soon puts the body into oxygen debt. Hence the need for excellent physical conditioning when performed repetitively. The haka was seen by the Maori as a complete form of physical exercise and warrior conditioning.

The various types of haka include whakatu waewae, tutu ngarahu and peruperu. The peruperu is characterised by leaps during which the legs are pressed under the body. In former times, the peruperu was performed before a battle in order to invoke the god of war and to discourage and frighten the enemy. The strong movements, facial contortions, the glaring pukana eyes of a performer with weapon waving served to distract or intimidate. If the haka was not performed in total unison, this was regarded as a bad omen for the battle.

This warrior prowess can be attributed to the influence of Tu, the Maori God of War. His harsh teachings and disciplines shaped the mind and body of the Maori warrior from birth for war and battle. The Maori word Tu has over 12 meanings however root meanings refer to growth, an upright spine and combat.

NGA PAKANGA NU NUI O AOTEARAOA:
THE NEW ZEALAND LAND WARS: 1845-1881

The Anders Christensen family lived on the North Island of Aotearoa during the last 6 years or so of the Maori Wars, which were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1881. The wars were fought over a number of issues, the most prominent concerning Maori land being sold to the settler (white) population.

Until 1860 the Maori still owned most of the land of North Island, but a large increase in the number of immigrants in the 1850s led to demands for greatly increased land purchase by the government. Many Maori were determined not to sell. In 1859 Te Teira, a Maori of the Taranaki area, sold his Waitara River land to the colonial government without the consent of his tribe, precipitating the First Taranaki War (1860-61). Only the extremist wing of the King Movement joined in the First Taranaki War.

There had been a great deal of speculation in land sales, and many Maori were beginning to realise that the land was being sold for as much as 20 times what they had been paid for it. There was an election of a Maori "king" by tribes in the centre of the North Island in 1858. Never had such a title been conferred upon a Maori leader among the people, who owned their allegiance to a tribe or sub-tribe, but it was hoped that the mana of a king, uniting many tribes, would help protect their land against purchase by the Pakehas. Sadly this did not occur. To the west of the king's domain, the Taranaki, another group of tribes rose up against the government in June 1860 following the fraudulent purchase of land by the colonial administration. British regular troops, hastily assembling to meet the insurrection, were virtually annihilated south of Waitara.

Resolution of the conflict did not quickly occur and the North Island clashes between Maori and Pakeha continued for many years. The "Second Maori War," as military historians term it (remembering the outbreaks in 1840), was marked by extraordinary courage on both sides. the conflicts were frequently indecisive, but they were bloody when they occurred. On the Pakeha side, the brunt of the early fighting, until 1865, was borne by British regular troops, 14 of whom received Britain's highest battle honour, the Victoria Cross. Between 1865 and 1872 (which was the "official" end of the war, though there was sporadic fighting until the formal surrender of the Maori king in 1881), locally raised militia and constabulary forces played an important role - assisted, perhaps surprisingly, by a large role - assisted, perhaps surprisingly by a large number of Maori tribes that had decided not to join the king's confederation. A little known sidelight of the New Zealand Wars was the institution of the New Zealand Cross, a unique and extremely rare medal awarded for gallantry.

Under the terms of the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863 the government confiscated 1.2 million acres (486,000 hectares) of Maori land in late 1864. This included most of the lower Waikato district, including some of the lands of neutral tribes and a third of the lands of Ngati Haua. Maori called this the Raupatu.

Despite war, the prospects of the country continued to improve. The discovery of gold in the South island led to a new influx of migrants in the early 1860s; the capital was moved from Auckland to Wellington in 1865; and the pursuit of pasture was opening up vast tracts of the country.

It was not until 1881 that King Tawhaio (the successor of Te Wherowhero) formally made peace and began to open up the area to settlers. There were also deep divisions between the tribes, some of whom had remained neutral or fought on the Pakeha side. In many ways the land wars were civil wars between Maori tribes and much of the rivalry and bitterness remained long after the battles were over.

THE DANISH WORK ETHIC

The Danes were noted for their strong work ethic. Kauri is the most famous of New Zealand native trees and one of the largest trees found anywhere in the world. This magnificent tree native only to New Zealand, once covered much of the area of North Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula.

The largest Kauri on record, known as the "Father of the Forests", grew at Mill Creek, Mercury Bay. It's height was 72ft to the first branch, with a girth of 77ft. Tane Mahuta, the famous tree in Waipoua Forest, Northland, is 167ft high, with a girth of 55ft, and has been calculated to be over 2,100 years old.

Settlers that arrived in New Zealand with some cash became more quickly established. Anders worked for others at first, eventually clearing land for a home and family farm. After the necessary trees were cut down, the flax, numerous species of ferns, and a poisonous shrub called "toot," which was poisonous for sheep and cattle, was set fire to, in clearing the land. Anders was a hard worker, who taught his family to work. A visitor to New Zealand once noted that the Scandinavians who cleared the Bush were noted for their strong work ethic. Residents lit fires so they could work all night. They would eat dinner standing up and within a quarter of an hour were back at work. Norwegians and Swedes were skilled at clearing forests, but the Danes were not, and could be seen doggedly working on with hands wrapped in blood stained bandanges.

In New Zealand although there were no convicts, most settlement from 1840 on was organised by various colonizing companies. Having seen propaganda pictures circulated by the companies, the settlers arrived believing their land was already surveyed and allotted and expecting a minimum of hardship. If they were too poor to buy land, they thought there would be ample paid work.

But in the North Island things were not at all like this. It was soon discovered that most of the land the New Zealand Company claimed to have bought from The Maoris had not been bought at all, and if it had, the Maoris did not understand that they had sold it and refused to accept white occupation. Settlers and their wives had a difficult 30 years.

The settlers had been sent to New Zealand, to colonize "the Wairarapa," at the southern end of North Island. Immigration conditions required settlers to work 4 days per week on government road construction. Danish immigrants found the language barrier difficult. Wages paid for road building barely covered the costs of day to day living. When the government required settlers to repay their fares prior to purchasing their own land, many settlers became deeply discouraged, and left and returned to Denmark, or sailed to North America.

SETTLERS SCHOOL

In the beginning, before public education was available, families taught their own children, lessons in spelling, math, and geography. In time, school was provided for the children of settlers, although many left school to help on the family farm, when they were 12-14. A man named Thomas Wakelin built the first school house for 40 pounds. A single teacher school was erected in 1902 which was a one room school with wood burning stove. Grades were first to eighth grade and the lessons were taught by one teacher in 10 minute increments. Children, no matter how poor, did not attend school barefoot, and it was considered inappropriate to allow ones children to go about without shoes and stockings. Girls wore long dark dresses with a white pinafore. Boys wore trousers. By age 18, young ladies were expected to dress their hair on top of their head and to wear long skirts. Children were discouraged from speaking in their native tongue in school.

THE CHRISTENSEN DAIRY FARM ON BELVEDERE ROAD

The cattle brought to New Zealand by the early European settlers seem to have included many Shorthorns, originating in England, but some came through Australia. They were probably of mixed strains, some more suited to milk production, others to beef, and others intermediate. The developing trade in dairy produce demanded specialised dairy breeds; and the numbers of Ayrshires, Friesians, and Jerseys increased. Most of the change in the dairy cattle which occurred was brought about by using purebred bulls of the dairy breeds as sires in commercial herds. Their progeny were reared and used as replacements until, at the present time, many of the non-purebred cattle differ very little from those of one or other of the pure breeds.

Within 12 years of arriving in Aoteara, nders and Mette Marie were able to buy a farm on Belvedere Road. With the purchase of this farm in Wairarapa, there were cows to herd, and cows all had to be milked by hand, and milk to hauled in their wooden cart to sell six miles away. There was butter to churn, and cheese to make and sell. Extracting the milk from animals was one all done by hand, a time-consuming process that usually saw milk used by the families that owned the cows and sometimes sold if a farmer was looking to make extra money. This method was used until the late 1800s, when milking machines were developed. The traditional variety of milk is produced by female mammals for their young, however many humans in western society continue to drink it well into adulthood.

A cow is capable of producing as much as 9000 kilograms of milk when lactating for as long as 305 days. Since calves need about 1000 kilograms of the fluid to grow properly, the remainder can be extracted. The peak time for milk production is two to three months after birthing calves, when a cow's milk can yield up to 40 to 50 liters of milk each day. Once this peak period is reach, a cow is often inseminated again. Two months prior to birthing again, a cow is "dried off" - that is, no milk is taken during this time to prepare the cow for the next birth and to prepare the udder for the next milking cycle. While every species is different, milk typically contains saturated fat, protein, calcium and vitamin C. While the type of animal milk consumed by humans usually comes from a cow, milk from species such as goats and sheep are also used.

Prior to the opening of the first factory, thought to be in the latter end of 1891, butter was churned on the farms and sold to the storekeepers for about three or four cents per pound, the settler apparently being supposed to take it out in goods not cash. There were no cream separators, nor refrigerators for women settlers. Work was extremely heavy and the women's hands were almost as callused as the men's.

During the years that the Christensen's resided in Wairarapa, and Carterton where they owned their own dairy farm, several of the children were born. The family farmed for several years, with the children attending school in Belvedere, and the family attending the Weslayan Church.

Like many Danish women, Mette Marie was well trained in various domestic arts. Her skills of weaving and sewing were an invaluable resource, both for employment in the new land, as well as for producing the clothing needed for her entire family. In addition to this, she taught her daughters these basic skills, including tatting, crocheting, and knitting, which were used to embellish clothing and create warm and useful garments, for her family to wear.

Anders and Mette Marie Christensen's daughter, Boelleta, (Aunt Lettie) Christensen, was born on December 23, 1877, after the family moved to New Zealand. She was born at Greytown, Wairarpa West. An hour from Wellington on the other side of the Rimutaka Hills is the small town of Greytown.

Greytown owes its existence to the energy and initiative of early settlers in Wellington who were looking for small affordable portions of land to farm and to the assistance of the Governor, Sir George Grey. This was acknowledged by the settlers who named the town Greytown in his honour. The Small Farms Association was set up in 1853.

Boelleta (Aunt Lettie) married Joseph Jeppe Larsen on October 18, 1900 in Logan, Utah. He was the son of Christian Hansen Larsen and Mary Ann Jorgensen. Joseph Jeppe Larsen was born September 27, 1873. (He died: 2 April 1967, Newton, Utah) Boelleta Christensen Larsen died: July 5, 1968.

THE BIRTH OF EMMA AMELIA CHRISTENSEN

Amy, (Emma Amelia) Christensen the fair haired daughter of Anders and Mette Marie Christensen, was the Christensen's eight child. She was born on April 24, 1880 at Wairarapa, on the North Island of New Zealand's archipelago in the South Pacific. Her parents had resided in the new land for five years at this time. The Wairarapa was named "Glistening Waters" by the Maori explorer Huanui who first saw it's rivers and lake from mountains to the west. Wairarapa, pronounced "Why-ra-rap-a," occupies the south-eastern corner of North Island, at the foot of the rugged Tararua Range. It's located east of Wellington, and south of Hawkes Bay. A large volcanic plateau forms the center of North Island. Small shrubs called manuka,grow in the plateau's volcanic soil.

New Zealand is considered part of the group of islands belonging to Polynesia, and Taratahi, in the region where Amy Christensen was born is today a rural community to the east and north east of Carterton. Some record simply list Amy Christensen's place of birth as "The South Pacific." Today, Taratahi, named for Chief Taratahi, is an olive and grape growing region.

THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT TARAWERA-A VOLCANO ON NORTH ISLAND

Eleven years after the Anders Christensen family arrived in the bush, Mount Tarawera-a erupted, spewing an ash cloud over the North Island.

Mount Tarawera lies in the middle of the volcanic belt stretching from White Island off the Coast of the Bay of Plenty to Ruapehu and Ngaruhoe in the center of North Island. The Maori called it's three peaks Wahanga (which means: bursting open) Ruawahia (the split cave or hole) and Tarawera (meaning: burnt cliffs) At the foot of Tarawera were two lakes, Tarawera-a and Rotomahana, with pink and white terraces formed The terraces were formed as water containing silica flowed from the boiling geysers at the top down the hillside. The water cooled and crystallised into the terraces and pools, forming giant staircases or waterfalls.

Te Tarata, the White Terraces, fell 30 metres from a geyser that produced the white silica of the terraces.

The water in the pools was a clear blue.

These terraces were similar to the terraces found at Pamukkale in Turkey. The Pink and White Terraces, considered by many to be the Eighth Wonder of the World, had been completely destroyed, broken or buried under tons of lava. When the lake filled up again seven years later, the lost and lamented Pink and White Terraces lay 150 meters below the surface.

The eruption occurred shortly after midnight on the morning of 10 June 1886, when a series of more than 30 increasingly strong earthquakes were felt in the Rotorua area and an unusual sheet lightning display was observed from the direction of Tarawera-a.

THE LEGEND OF THE PHANTOM WAR CANOE

The colours of the Pink and White Terraces were both subtle and brilliant. The unique result of the silica and minerals from within the volcanic earth hardened into the main pools were at the top of the slope, some 30 or so metres above the lake level - with various pools which were used for bathing and more traditionally by the Maori peoples for cooking and heating foods. The terraces covered an area of about 12 acres, with the White staircases having the slightly larger area.

By the 1880s the Round Trip tour to the Pink and White Terraces was a portion of the tour of the Rotorua region. Tourists would travel by coach from Ohinemutu on the shores of Lake Rotorua to Te Wairoa on Lake Tarawera, where they would spend the night at McRae's Rotomahana Hotel or Humphreys's and Minnett's Terrace Hotel.

In the morning they would travel by whaleboat to Te Ariki at the southern end of Lake Tarawera, walk across to Rotomahana and a canoe which would take them to the Terraces.

Prior to the eruption of Mount Tarawera-a there were a number of signs or omens. A reknowned Maori guide named Sophia had observed disturbing signs of increased thermal activity around Rotomahana and there had been a slight increase in the number of earthquakes which frequently shook the area. On 1886 May 31st a party of tourists embarking on Lake Tarawera for the Terraces, with the guide Sophia, were startled by rapid surges in the water of the lake, and another tourist heard an explosive booming sound. The tourist group included Sophia, 3 other Maori women, 6 Maori rowers, a Dr. Ralph, a Father Kelleher a priest from Auckland, a Mr Quick also from Auckland, and Mr and Mrs Sise of Dunedin and their daughter. At the Pink Terrace, Sophia expressed disquiet about the very vigorous boiling of the water at the fountainhead of the Pink Terrace.

Then there was the strange sighting of an ancient Maori war canoe of a type not previously seen on Lake Tarawera. The tourist boat was approached by the other larger waka, manned entirely by Maori in the traditional capes and feather clothing of war. While some stood in their vessels, proud and erect with heads bowed, others paddled silently - no audible sounds were heard by the tourist craft at all. When the strangers were hailed by those in the guided canoes, no acknowledgement was made, spoken or physically. There was not so much as a glance in their direction. The tourists in the boat, and their Maori crew, were much surprised to see so vividly the tall war canoe silently moving parallel to them a half mile to the north but ignoring signals from the tourist boat. Those aboard the tourist boat crossing the lake to visit the Pink and White Terraces who saw the phantom war canoe were both Maoris and Europeans.

Generally speaking, Waka taua (war canoes) are large canoes manned by up to 80 paddlers and are up to 40 metres in length. Many are single-hulled vessels made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. Large waka, which are usually elaborately carved and decorated, may consist of several jointed pieces lashed together.

History records the account of the Phantom War Canoe seen prior to the eruption of Mount Tarawera-a. The words from a letter of one of the female tourists, a Mrs Sise, who wrote of the experience to the couple's son R.G Sise in Dunedin are as follows: "After sailing for some time we saw in the distance a large boat, looking glorious in the mist and the sunlight. It was full of Maoris, some standing up, and it was near enough for me to see the sun glittering on the paddles. The boat was hailed but returned no answer."

When the villagers reported the strange happenings and the sighting of the phantom canoe to Tuhoto Ariki, the village tohunga (medicine man or wise man), he told them Tuhoto, a tohunga reputedly 104 years old, was said to have put a curse on the region several days before because the younger Maoris were disrespectful and giving up the old ways. With the tourist trade had also come alcohol and issues which were having a negative impact on the Maori people. The old priest declared that the war canow sighted was an omen of evil indicating that the entire region would be overwhelmed, for this was a waka-wairau, a death canoe, that indicated many would die. They had angered the powerful fire spirit that lived inside Mount Tarawera by neglecting the old traditions to go after money from the tourists. The vision was interpreted by this village priest as a sign of impending doom or disaster. Eleven days later the mountain erupted destroying the terraces and burying the village of Te Wairoa. Four days after the eruption, the 100 year old priest was dug out still alive. He died in the hospital a few days later.

COLUMNS OF FIRE, ASH & SMOKE

At around 2:00 am a larger earthquake was felt and followed by the sound of an explosion. By 2:30 am Mount Tarawera-a's three peaks had erupted, blasting three distinct columns of smoke and ash thousands of metres into the sky. At around 3.30 the largest phase of the eruption commenced with a large quantity of ejecta from Rotomahana, in the form of a pyroclastic surge obliterating the Pink and White Terraces and several villages within a 6 kilometre radius.

The eruption was heard clearly as far away as Blenheim and the effects of the ash in the air were observed as far south as Christchurch, over 800 km south. In Auckland the sound of the eruption and the flashing sky was thought by some to be an attack by Russian warships.

Although the official contemporary death toll was 153, exhaustive research by physicist Ron Keam only identified 108 people killed by the eruption (including seven Europeans). Much of the discrepancy was due to misspelt names and other duplications. Allowing for some unnamed and unknown victims, he estimated that the true death toll was 120 at most. Some people claim that many more people died. The eruption also destroyed the world famous Pink and White Terraces and buried many Maori villages, including Te Wairoa. Approximately 2 cubic kilometres of tephra was erupted, more than Mount St. Helens ejected in 1980. Many of the lakes surrounding the mountain had their shapes and areas dramatically altered, especially the eventual enlargement of Lake Rotomahana, the largest crater involved in the eruption, as it re-filled with water. The rift created during the eruption extends 17 km across the mountain, Lake Rotomahana and through the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley.

In 1150 AD, in the middle of the North Island, Mount Tarawera-a exploded, spewing volcanic ash over the entire North Island - it was a huge explosion. In the explosion seven hundred years earlier, which was like the 1886 one, it is estimated that ash settled down over most of the North Island forming a mantle that was subsequently slowly covered by ensuing centuries of growth and decay.

When the mountain erupted in 1886, ash was thrown into the atmosphere, only this time human beings recorded the effects. Villages were buried in the ash. A steamer 122 miles off the coast was covered in ash. Over an area of 82 square miles it was three feet deep, and an estimate put the volume of ash spewed forth as 200 million cubic feet.

THE EFFECTS OF TARAWERA-A VOLCANIC ASH-AGRICULTURE & LIVESTOCK & WEATHER

Support came from within the community, to arrange housing and emergency accommodation at nearby homes, maraes and mission houses, but a lack of financial aid meant that the destroyed crops and livestock affected the entire region. There were food shortages, job cuts, declining tourism income and sickness.

The volcanic ash which rained down on pastureland at the time of the Mt Tarawera-a eruption would have destroyed pastures, and livestock would have had to receive other types of feed in order to survive. This supply of dry feed must be maintained until the livestock are either evacuated or slaughtered, or pasture is re-established.

Even very slight ash falls that do not destroy existing pastures, necessitate animals being provided with uncontaminated feed. Ash can contains a high level of fluorine adsorbed onto the tiny particles and when livestock consume both ash and fluorine, there is a risk of fluorosis.

Sheep and lamb deathes occureed after eating ash-contaminated pasture. The first sheep deaths began nine days after 1-3 mmof ash fall, and continued for 7-10 more days.

Where there is a significant ash fall, clean water is in short supply. Natural water sources and man-made ponds can be temporarily contaminated by ash, and water-pumping equipment can be damaged by the abrasive rock particles. Restoring animals with quality water supplies is a high priority when livestock remain on land affected by ash fall.

In the case of the Tarawera-a eruption, large quantities of ash fell on the valleys, killing the crops and food became scarce. The weather was abnormal during the decade following the eruption and was associated with barren landscape which no longer provided shelter from frost or protected against erosion, rising water and mud slips. In 1892 and 1904, major floods wiped out the newly established crops and stock. Extremely cold frosts in 1897, 1898, and 1900 destroyed crops - soon followed by famine, sickness, and death.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: THE NEW DREAM

Sometime around the mid 1880's, as the children grew the Christensen's thought of the prospect of emigrating to America, as a dream for a happy future for their family. In 1862 in America, the Homestead Act was passed, enabling a settler to receive 160 acres of land, simply by living on it and farming it. From the early 1800's, Danes living in America wrote to family members outside the U.S.A, described their new lives in America, and providing them with glowing reports of this land of opportunity. Anders and Mette Marie received such a letter from her sister-in-law (Uncle Chris mother) stating Mette Marie's sister had gone to America with her husband and children.

Railroads sent representatives to countries to recruit emigrants to purchase land given by the government to the railroads. Opportunity to travel by steamships, which were developed in the 1860's, also dramatically shortened the journey, from that of a conventional sailing ship, though more expensive.

A LOVING LETTER FROM MAMA METTE MARIE IN NEW ZEALAND-TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH LANGUAGE

Three and a half weeks before she died, Mette Marie Christensen wrote to her loved ones residing in America. Here's a copy of the letter written by Mette Marie Christensen from their family farm in New Zealand. It has been translated from the Danish language.

November 3, 1883

Dear Daughter:

I'm writing today. I gave my promise when I left that I would write. I miss you so much you dear children. Your father and I pray each day to the Lord that he will help to sustain you. We are praying each day to the Lord that he will help to keep you from all that is bad in this world.

It was a happy day when we read your letter so we could see that you are well and satisfied over there. We are happy you have a good place to live with good people and we are always happy to hear from you, and hope they are good people. We got a letter from Nels. He sent us a portrait and it was very good. We were happy to see it. He was in good health and in the same place. We could hear in his letter that he doesn't feel as satisfied as you. The land is not good there where he is. There isn't hardly any grass. We have also had a letter from Oleson and he has been sick for some time. He may come back again because he is not with good health.

At home we are all right. We have churned 30 pounds of butter in a week and have made three cheese, and we have milk enough to feed the calves and also the swine. Little Annie is a good little girl to help me. She is going to be a good little helper with the work in the house and Christian (Johnie) is good to help also. The climate is mild and there is an early spring. There will be lots of flowers, and vegetables are coming.

We would also like to have your portrait so we can see you and at least have that. We hope with the Lord's help that we can soon come over to see you and that will be a happy day when we can be together as a family with friends, where the Lord has planned for his children to be, where they can adhere to his Gospel. God bless you dear children.

Love from all

P.S. I am sending your letter to Hansen (Or I am sending you Hansen's letter)

(Translation of a poem in Danish among the Danish papers.)

A VERSE OF MEMORY

Old Mother, most honourable woman
Thanks for all your pure love
In our heart you have established a memory
Which will continue the last of lives way.
Not at all could we ever forget the lovely words
Spoken from your lips.
And now the thanks and tears
We now are weaving our memory till you at your .

Karen Marie Bonnesen

METTE MARIE'S DEATH & ANDERS MARRIAGE TO MARY McCABE, AN IRISH WIDOW

Pioneer life was extremely hard work, with long days and extremely heavy lifting. One day, when Mette Marie was 49, she became extremely ill, with terrible stomach pain. They called the doctor, who diagnosed the illness as a hernia. In spite of treatment, she died after three days of suffering. The date was November 29, 1883.

Mette Marie Bertelseen Grundahl Nielsen Christensen was buried in the Taratahi Cemetery, also known as the Clareville Cemetery or Old Settlers Cemetery. My grandmother, Amy Christensen, was just 4 years old at the time of her mothers death.

All these having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. God having provided some better thing, that they without us, should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40)

Just two days after his 51st birthday, and two years after Mette Marie's tragic death, Anders married a petite Irish woman named Mary Taft. Mary had become a widow 10 years earlier when her 26 year old husband, Stephen Taft, died suddenly on 04 May 1875.

The wedding of Anders Christensen to Mary Taft took place on December 24th. His wife Mary Taft's maiden name was Mary McCabe. Mary was the daughter of Thomas McCabe who was born in about 1826 in Scotland and who died in Dublin, Ireland. Her mother was Mary O'Connor who was born about 1813 in Dublin, Ireland. Mary was the widow of Stephen Taft, who was born in Dublin on September 29, 1852. Three sons had been born during the marriage to Stephen Taft. The children's names were: Kenneth Taft, born about 1869 in Dublin and died in childhood, an infant son that perhaps died in infancy and Lawrence Taft born Dec 3, 1867 and died at about age 8 in 1875 in Dublin, Ireland. As the father Stephen Taft and his 8 year old son Lawrence died in the same year, perhaps this was due to one event or disaster that took both of their lives.

The immigrant Irish comprised one fifth of the settlers that had taken advantage of assisted passage in those years. The following sons and daughters were born to Anders and Mary Christensen:

• Albert Christensen born: 1884, New Zealand. He died in infancy in New Zealand.
• Anders Peter Christensen born: Feb. 25, 1886 in Carterton, Wellington. Died in America on 15 April 1969 at Salt Lake City, Utah, and was buried: West Jordan, Salt Lake City. Utah.
• Gladys Mable Christensen born: Apr. 15, 1887, at Belvedere Rd. Carterton, Wellington. Died: July 4, 1968, Newport Beach, Orange, California.
• Ferdinand Emile Christensen born: May 31, 1888 at Belvedere Rd, Carterton, Wellington. Died: Bear River, Cache Junction,Cache, Utah in 1897.
• Hugh Christensen born: May 31, 1889 at Belvedere Rd. Carterton, Wellington. He's buried in Taratahi, New Zealand.
• David Laurence Christensen born: Sept. 24, 1890 at Carterton, Wellington. Is buried in Taratahi Cemetery, New Zealand.

There are a number of varient spellings of Anders second wife, Mary McCabe's name and these are as follows: Mary McCabe, McKay Taft, Taffee) Sources say that she and Stephen Taft had 3 sons in Ireland. Some of the family members had a difficult time adjusting to the new stepmother. But in time, they came to love her. Mary had a parrot that rode around on her shoulder. She was called "Grannie," by the daughters. She was an intellectual and well read individual. Mary said of her husband Anders Christensen: That's the best man that ever lived. Mary (Taft) Christensen died: February 14, 1929 in Newton, Utah and is buried in Newton Cemetery, Newton, Utah.

The family of Anders and Mette Marie said of Christian Jensen (Johnie) or Christian Johanne Christensen, one of their sons who was born in Denmark, remained single his life-long and never learned to read nor write. His interests were more suited to physical labor. Christian's usual residence was Tekiri, New Zealand. He was of a sturdy build, and he carved out a farm at 40 mile Bush.

EKETAHUNA: THE 70 MILE BUSH

The Maori name for the 70 Mile Bush region stretching from the Wairarapa to Hawkes Bay, is Tapere-nni-a Whatonga.

The name Eketahuna, is a Maori word which means to run around on a sandbank (this name originated because Maori canoes could not paddle beyond this part of the Makakahi River). The Pukahai (Maori name for the area) Mount Bruce forest was once part of a much greater forest, stretching from Masterton to Norsewood, called the Seventy Mile Bush (and often as the 40 Mile Bush). The maori name for this forest is Te Tapere Nui o Whatonga. This forest was a huge green cloak with many species of trees including towering rimu, totara, northern rata as well as many ferns, shrubs, climbers and herbs, all living under the mantle of Tane Atua of the forest.