Morrinsville is situated close to the west bank of the Piako River in the Waihou-Piako Valley. About 5 miles west of the town the valley floor becomes low-lying and swampy; to the south the land rises to the undulating and hilly watershed between the Waihou-Piako and mid-Waikato basins. Elsewhere the surrounding country slopes down gently to the north. The railway lines from Hamilton, Paeroa, and Rotorua meet at Morrinsville, and the Hamilton-Paeroa main highway passes through the town. By road Hamilton is 20 miles south-west (16 miles by rail), and Rotorua is 65 miles south-east (69 miles by rail). Te Aroha is 13 miles north-east, and Paeroa is 27 miles north-east by road or rail.

The main primary industries of the district, which is one of the most intensively farmed dairying districts in New Zealand, are dairy farming and fat-lamb production. Butter, cheese, casein, and dried milk powder are produced. There are dairy factories at Motumaoho (4 miles south-west), Tatuanui (4 miles north-east), and Waitoa (6½ miles north-east). A large fertiliser works is located 1 mile south of Morrinsville. Town industrial activities include the manufacture of butter, furniture and joinery, roofing tiles, concrete products, and hosiery. Sawmilling, general engineering, and motor-body building are also carried on. Morrinsville is important as a livestock market centre and has large saleyards.

Morrinsville was on or near to an old Maori route between the upper Waihou-Piako basin and the Ngaruawahia area. Some early European traders are believed to have traversed this route prior to 1834 when the Rev. J. Morgan travelled up the Piako River to near the future town site and crossed west to Horotiu, near Ngaruawahia. Thomas and Samuel Morrin and associates in 1874 acquired some 30,000 acres of land from the Maoris and subsequently named this property “Lockerbie”. In the same year a housing settlement for the station employees was established on the property. This village was called Morrinsville after the principal partners. During the late 1890s the “Lockerbie” or Morrinsville property was subdivided for closer settlement. The railway from Hamilton to Morrinsville was commenced in 1879 but was not opened for traffic to Morrinsville until October 1884. In the 1880s the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Co. began the construction of a line from Morrinsville to Rotorua, and this was opened for through traffic on 8 December 1894. The Thames branch line was opened from Morrinsville to Te Aroha on 1 March 1886, to Paeroa on 20 December 1895, and to Thames on 19 December 1898. On 9 November 1905 a branch from Paeroa was opened to Waihi, and on 18 June 1928 it was extended for traffic through to Tauranga. During the late 1920s a company was formed to develop the flax industry on the extensive low-lying areas west of Morrinsville. Several thousand acres were acquired for the planting and milling of flax, Phormium tenax (q.v.), but economic conditions then prevailing forced the early abandonment of the project. Extensive drainage of swamp land has made available large areas for dairy farming. Morrinsville was created a town district in 1908 and in 1921 was constituted a borough.

POPULATION: 1951 census, 2,824; 1956 census, 3,552; 1961 census, 4,111.

by Brian Newton Davis, M.A., Vicar, St. Philips, Karori West, Wellington and Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington.

(1899– ).

Historian.

A new biography of Morrell, William Parker appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

(Tawera spissa).

This fish has a small venus shell; it is very abundant on most open sandy beaches. It is easily recognised by its colour pattern of brown zigzag markings.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.

(1862–1925).

Trade unionist and feminist.

A new biography of Morison, Harriet Russell appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Harriet Russell Morison was born in Ireland in 1862, the daughter of Margaret (née Clarke) and James Morison, a master tailor. The family emigrated to Dunedin in 1867, where she later became a tailoress and began her lifetime work on behalf of women workers. In 1888 an outcry in Dunedin against the exploitation of women workers resulted in the formation of a tailoresses' union, the first women's trade union in the country, with Harriet Morison at its head. In the next 20 years her work for the union, both in Dunedin and throughout the country, was invaluable, as she invigorated the timorous union, organised recruitment meetings, and forced employers to accept the union's code. Her concern for women workers was continued after 1906, when she became the first woman inspector of factories and, from 1908 to 1921, when she was the head of the Women's Employment Bureau in Auckland. In a variety of other spheres Harriet Morison was a prominent figure. For 14 years she held the position of official visitor to the Seacliff Mental Hospital. One of the earliest women preachers in the country, she frequently preached in the Bible Christian Church, and later held the position of chairwoman of the Unitarian Church Committee. In the women's suffrage campaign she also played a prominent role, speaking for the cause throughout the country and, with Helen Nicol, founding the Dunedin Franchise League, of which she became a committee member. Harriet Morison died in Auckland on 19 August 1925.

The early success of the women's trade unions in imposing their desired reforms on employers and Parliament was due largely to the work of Harriet Morison, and her energy and evangelical fervour left a lasting imprint on the character of the unions. In the nascent feminist movement her example was cited repeatedly to show that women could organise and administer with as much ability as men. For the early success of the suffrage movement in particular her influence was invaluable, mainly because her union activity enabled her to enlist the support of thousands of working-class women who might otherwise have remained outside the largely middle-class campaign.

by Patricia Ann Grimshaw, M.A., Auckland.

• New Zealand Herald, 20 Aug 1925 (Obit).

(c. 1807–65).

Pioneer missionary.

Little is known of Morgan's parentage or early years. He and his wife arrived at Paihia in the Prince of Denmark on 21 May 1833 to join the Church Missionary Society's establishment. For the greater part of his life he was a lay missionary and did not take Holy Orders until 1849. In October 1833 he accompanied Henry Williams to the eastern Waikato where Te Waharoa had asked for a mission to be opened. On 24 December 1833 he settled at the new mission at Te Puriri (near Thames). In 1834, with William Williams and A. N. Brown, he visited the Waikato and Bay of Plenty districts to select sites for missions at Mangapouri, Matamata, Ohinemutu, and Tauranga. He took charge of the new mission at Mangapouri and remained there until 1837, when the station was abandoned. In the following year, when mission work was resumed, he accompanied Chapman to Ohinemutu.

In 1841 Morgan took over Ashwell's station at Otawhao (Te Awamutu), where he came under Rewi Maniapoto's protection. He proved a tremendous success and, for the next 20 years, continued there as religious mentor, counsellor, and technical instructor to his Maori flock. Because he himself was deeply interested in agriculture, he imported wheat and English fruit trees and taught the Maoris agricultural husbandry. The mission wheatfields flourished and so did crops of potatoes, pumpkins, maize, barley, and fruit. Pigs were fattened on the surplus crops. The Maoris obtained seed from the mission and most of the villages in the area took up agriculture. Morgan also taught them the rudiments of town planning and soon the district presented a picture of neat, European-type villages set amid orchards and immense wheatfields. Sir George Grey visited the mission in 1849 and reported that the Maoris had constructed two steel flourmills at their own expense; further, that at one place alone, 1,000 acres of wheat had been planted. Soon an impressive trade with Auckland sprang into being. During the two or three years following Grey's visit, Te Awamutu flour was exported to the Californian goldfields where it fetched high prices.

In the 1850s, when the “King” movement was growing, Morgan opposed it strenuously and kept Governor Sir Thomas Gore Browne fully informed about all the political moves. His attitude towards Maori nationalism alienated many chiefs, including Wiremu Tamihana, and Morgan became known as the Governor's “watchman on the Waikato”. When Hawke's Bay was opened for settlement in the late 1850s, Morgan organised an overland mail route between Auckland and Napier. In May 1859 Hochstetter visited the mission and, in September 1861, Gorst arrived to take up the post of Resident Magistrate. Because of the explosive political situation in the Waikato, Morgan and his family left Te Awamutu in 1862. After this much of his work was destroyed when Cameron invaded the district and laid waste the cultivated areas in an effort to deprive the Maori rebels of their food supplies. When the war ended Morgan was anxious to return to his station; however, the Government advised against it. Morgan died suddenly at Mangere on 8 June 1865.

Morgan has gone down in local history as the man “who civilised the Waikato”. It is probable, however, that because of his success at Te Awamutu the eventual pacification of the Waikato tribes was made more difficult. The significance of his work, in Maori eyes at least, lay in the fact that, given instruction and guidance, Maoris could make a success of European agricultural methods. This realisation made the Government's policy of land confiscation a particularly bitter pill for him to swallow.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• The Maori King, Gorst, J. E. (1959)
• Armed Settlers – 1864–74, Norris, H. C. M. (1956)
• The Old Frontier – Te Awamutu, Cowan, J. (1922).

(Ninox novaeseelandiae).

This is the most widely distributed and abundant of the three species of owl in New Zealand. The other two species are the laughing owl (another native), which is extinct in the North Island and very close to extinction in the South, and the introduced little owl (often incorrectly called German owl), which occurs only in the South Island. Other races of morepork are found beyond New Zealand. In Australia the bird is frequently known as the boobook. This name, like the common New Zealand one, is based on the bird's usual call as, too, is the Maori name, ruru.

The morepork is one of a number of native species that have to some extent, at least, adapted themselves to environments that have been greatly changed since settlement. Predominantly birds of the native forests, they may now frequent some city parks and even exotic pine forests. Though usually active only when dusk has fallen or before daylight, moreporks may sometimes appear in the forest during the day and then run the risk of being noisily mobbed by any songbirds in the vicinity. In colour a rich spotted or streaky brown, moreporks have a brown face and golden eyes, though the latter are seen only at their best in bright light when the pupil is fully contracted. Food is mainly insects, but bats, small birds, and even rats, mice, and lizards will be taken when opportunity permits. Undigested material is disgorged in the form of pellets. In common with other owls, moreporks have excellent and accurate hearing and an almost silent flight.

Between October and December a nest is made in a tree hole or in a thick clump of the perching astelia or kiekie. In most instances two eggs are laid; incubation takes about a month and the young leave the nest some five weeks later.

As well as the familiar call, which has some resemblance to that of the European cuckoo, another is heard during the breeding season. This is “kree”, given with a rising inflection. The beak is rapidly snapped as an alarm or warning note.

A morepork motif appears in the wide staring eyes of certain Maori carvings.

by Gordon Roy Williams, B.SC.(HONS.)(SYDNEY), Lecturer in Agricultural Zoology, Lincoln Agricultural College.

(c. 1760–1834).

Ngapuhi chief.

Te Morenga was the principal chief of the Urikapana hapu of the Ngapuhi tribe and had his pa at Tai-a-mai, which lay inland from Kerikeri. Very little is known of his life in pre-missionary times except that he was approaching the zenith of his power when Marsden arrived and ranked him with Hongi Hika and Pomare-nui among the Ngapuhi chiefs. Until about 1823 Te Morenga's attitude was deeply influenced by a feud which arose from the Venus incident in 1806. His niece, Tawaputa, had been abducted by the convict crew and was later killed and eaten by the Ngaiterangi tribe of Tauranga, while his sister suffered a similar fate shortly afterwards at the hands of the Ngati Porou at East Cape. According to Maori custom, and in conformity with his father's deathbed wish, it became Te Morenga's duty to exact utu for these killings. After the incident Te Morenga sent spies disguised as traders into the districts in question and these brought him back information about the women's fate; however, it was to be many years before he could put this to use. In 1807 he is said to have distinguished himself at the battle of Moremonui, and he also took part in the tribal feuds in the years following.

Marsden first met Te Morenga when he arrived in New Zealand in 1814 and the chief soon became his firmest Maori friend. In January 1815, when Marsden visited Te Haupa at Thames, Te Morenga accompanied him and acted as his interpreter. After this he and Te Pehi travelled to Parramatta, N.S.W., in the Active and stayed for some time as Marsden's guests. There the two chiefs became familiar with the “arts and institutions of the pakeha” and paid special attention to European methods of agriculture. Te Morenga later put what he learned on this journey to good use in New Zealand. The chief was deeply impressed by the benefits which might be obtained from European civilisation, but asked the missionaries only to teach these things to chiefs and chiefs' sons – because the lower caste people could not improve their position in any way and their education would be wasted. For some years Te Morenga pressed Marsden “for a man who could preach, teach little children to read and write, administer medicine to them when they were sick, and show them how to cultivate their land”. Accordingly, in 1820, Marsden sent James Shepherd to New Zealand to live with the Urikapana hapu at Tai-a-mai.

In the meantime Te Morenga had found time to prosecute his feud against the Ngaiterangi and Ngati Porou. In January 1818 he sailed for the East Cape district with 400 men. They landed at Motiti Island, but found that Te Waru, his principal enemy, was absent on the mainland. He then proceeded to East Cape, where he under-took a long campaign against the Ngati Porou. The party returned to the Bay of Islands some time in November 1818. In January 1820 Te Morenga led a further expedition against Te Waru. There was a brief skirmish near Tauranga in which the Ngapuhi killed two chiefs and put their enemies to flight. Te Morenga was satisfied that sufficient utu had been obtained, but his allies insisted that the enemy must be pursued. Te Waru's forces counter-attacked and there was a fierce engagement on the beach, where 400 of his men were killed. After this reverse Te Waru made peace. The victors remained on the field for three days longer – feasting on those slain – and then returned to the Bay of Islands with all Te Waru's canoes, 200 prisoners of war, and several chiefs' heads. On 22 July 1820, just three months after this campaign, Te Morenga accompanied Marsden to Tauranga where the latter acted as intermediary in making a more lasting peace between the two tribes. During this visit to New Zealand Marsden spent much of his time journeying about to make peace between various warring chiefs and, in all of this, Te Morenga acted as his companion, assistant, and interpreter.

Although Te Morenga and Hongi were exceedingly jealous of each other, and relations between them were seldom cordial, their tribal ties proved stronger than their differences. Late in 1820 Te Morenga attacked Mauinaina pa, but was repulsed. In the following year he accompanied Hongi's party, which reduced it. He was also present at the siege of Te Totara during the same campaign and was one of the party who negotiated the treacherous peace with its defenders. Te Morenga supported Hongi on his Rotorua expedition and, in the next year, joined Pomarenui on his second invasion of the Urewera. He did not accompany Pomare to Ruatahuna, but led a smaller raiding party up the Waiotehe and Waioeka Rivers instead. About this time a further dispute with Hongi, at the Bay of Islands, led to a fracas between their respective hapus in the streets of the mission settlement. Nevertheless, the two chiefs were able to compose their differences sufficiently for Te Morenga to take part in the campaign against the Ngati Whatua, which in 1825 culminated in the battle at Te Ika-a-ranga-nui.

After this battle Te Morenga appears to have held aloof from tribal quarrels for the next few years and confined his activities to promoting agriculture. In 1830 he was involved in the “Girls' War” because two of the girls were relatives of his and he was more or less bound to defend their “honour”. He signed the petition to William IV in 1831 begging for British protection. Apparently he joined Titore's expedition to attack Maungatapu pa, near Tauranga, in January 1833. By this time, however, his health was failing. Henry Williams, who visited him many times in the following year, reported the growing seriousness of his malady. On 3 December 1834 Te Morenga visited Waitangi for a change of air and Williams mentions that he “appeared obstinately intent on going to Waima”. This is the last reference in Williams's Journal to Te Morenga and, presumably, the chief died a few days afterwards.

Marsden once wrote, “Te Morenga's distinction is outstanding even among his great contemporaries”. S. Percy Smith characterised him as probably the greatest Maori chief in the early part of the nineteenth century. J. R. Elder described him as Marsden's “fidus Achates, his companion in many journeys”, and added that it was from Te Morenga's lips “he learned much that he wrote with regard to Maori traditions and customs and to whom, therefore, are due in great measure the comments of Marsden upon Ethnological matters that give his Journals their unique value”.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• Marsden, Letters and Journals, Elder, J. R. (ed.) (1932)
• The Early Journals of Henry Williams, 1826–40, Rogers, L. M. (1961)
• Tuhoe, Best, E. (1925).

(1823–95).

Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin.

A new biography of Moran, Patrick appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Patrick Moran was born on 24 May 1823 at Rathdrum, County Wicklow, Ireland, the son of Simon Moran, a gentleman farmer, and of Ann, née Doyle. He received his early education from a private tutor, and in 1836 attended the Vincentian Fathers' Day School in Dublin before going on to St. Peter's College, Wexford, and the College of Castleknock. From 1840 until 1847 he was at Maynooth, including three years which he spent at the Dunboyne establishment, specialising in theology and philosophy. Moran was ordained in 1847, spent the following year as curate of Boaterstown Parish, and in 1849 moved to St. Mary's Church, Haddington Road, Dublin, where he promoted a Christian Doctrine and Literary Society. In 1856 Pope Pius IX designated him Vicar-Apostolic to the Eastern Province of Cape Colony and Moran was consecrated Bishop of Dardania in partibus, in Carlow Cathedral, on Low Sunday. In South Africa he became friendly with the then Governor, Sir George Grey. He took a deep and active interest in educational matters, while his broad sympathies made him extremely popular with the three races. In 1869 Moran attended the Oecumenical Council in Rome and, while there, was designated Bishop of the new see of Dunedin. On 18 February 1871 he arrived at Port Chalmers, accompanied by a number of clergy – including nine Dominican nuns – to organise the affairs of the new diocese. For a short time after the death of Bishop Viard he administered the Wellington Diocese in addition to his own.

In New Zealand Moran continued his interest in education and soon became the acknowledged champion of Catholic aspirations in this field. He opposed bitterly the “godless” public education system created by the Education Act of 1877. In January 1883, in a parliamentary by-election, he contested the Peninsula electorate in the interests of State aid to denominational schools and, although he won on the preliminary “show of hands” vote taken at the nomination meeting, he was defeated by Larnach at the poll. Despite this setback Moran continued his advocacy of State aid, and proved very energetic in building and endowing schools for his diocese. In 1881–82 and 1889 he visited Europe and, on the former occasion, called at Cape Town where he received a tremendous welcome. He founded, established, and, in its literary department, directed the New Zealand Tablet, regularly contributing to its leading columns. Moran died at Rattray Street, Dunedin, on 22 May 1895.

Bishop Moran was an able administrator and left his diocese in a very sound financial condition. A fiery preacher and public speaker, he is best remembered for his championship of denominational schools. His pertinacity in this campaign earned him the respect of his strongest opponents.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• Sons of France, Goulter, M. C. (1957)
• New Zealand Tablet, 12 Jan 1883, 31 May 1895 (Obit).

(1825–81).

Canterbury pioneer.

A new biography of Moorhouse, William Sefton appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Moorhouse was born at Knottingley House, Yorkshire, the eldest son of William Moorhouse, a Magistrate of the county. He received a good education and then decided to go to sea. He once said, in a speech, that he had been second mate in a vessel which called at Hobart in 1843. When he returned to England he turned to the study of law and became a member of the Middle Temple, being called to the Bar in 1849, and he practised on the Northern Circuit. With his two brothers, Ben and Tom, Moorhouse sailed in the Cornwall and arrived at Lyttelton on 10 December 1851; among the passengers were the Bealey brothers. He went to Wellington and was admitted as barrister and solicitor on 21 January 1852.

At the first election for the Superintendency of Canterbury in 1853, he nominated Colonel Campbell, a rather farcical candidate whose chief plank was cheap land; in later years he looked back, he said, “to his shame” on this incident. So it need not be taken too seriously. In that same year he was elected for Akaroa to the General Assembly, being the first member elected. He and his brothers decided to go to the Victorian goldfields but while they were waiting at Wellington for a ship, there arrived, by the ship Northfleet, the girl to whom he was engaged to be married. She was Jane Anne Collins, the daughter of an official in the Prisons Department whom he had met when she was governess to his sisters. They were married immediately and the party left for Port Phillip in the Tory. Mrs Moorhouse's first home was a tent on the Yan Yean where the Moorhouse brothers took a contract to construct waterworks. She has left a fragmentary diary, rather a pathetic document, which is in the Turnbull Library, Wellington. She had spent four or five years in Paris and had a good knowledge of French, and the diary, under stress, lapses into French. She catalogues the 10 different homes in which they lived during the first 14 years of their married life. She always refers to Moorhouse as “Mon Mari” and never blames him nor complains. Once, when particularly harassed, she bursts out, “God alone knows where will be our next resting place. Oh! Dieu! Dirige moi”.

For a time Moorhouse owned the brig Gratitude and made speculative shipments of horses. On one disastrous trip which took 58 days and on which he had 70 horses and 27 men on board, all except three of the horses were either thrown overboard or eaten by the passengers. On his way back from Australia Moorhouse stopped at Auckland and attended the first meeting of the General Assembly. In 1857 he stood for Superintendent against Joseph Brittan and received more than twice as many votes as his opponent. His policy was to improve communications, so that Canterbury could make the most of those products for which it was so well adapted. His tunnel scheme, which also included widespread building of railways, was incredibly daring and for a time did not gain much support in Canterbury from men of weight. FitzGerald thought he was a dangerous man, to be opposed in every way possible, and founded the Press for that purpose.

The history of Canterbury for the next few years was influenced not a little by the antagonism and lack of understanding between these two men. They were the two leading figures of the time in provincial politics but were separated by no essential differences in political opinions. FitzGerald was a man of family, of university education, and of intelligence which would have made him a man of mark anywhere; and his personality was so strong that he was almost automatically elected the first Superintendent, whereas Moorhouse had graduated through the tough school of the Merchant Navy and the goldfields and, although a qualified lawyer, was rather better known for his skill with his fists than for his forensic gifts. Moorhouse's enterprise and daring were inclined to deteriorate into recklessness. His methods were at times questionable and laid him wide open to attack by the Press; he might have been called an adventurer but that his carelessness over money never led to personal gain. FitzGerald was probably jealous of him for he had two qualities which FitzGerald conspicuously lacked. He was able to win and retain the continuing affection of his numerous friends; and he could address a mixed audience from the hustings and convince working men that he had their true interests at heart. Two of the most distinguished men of the time in Canterbury, Samuel Butler and Joshua Strange Williams, gave evidence long after of their continuing regard and admiration for him. His friend Marshman said that during the depths of his bankruptcy he offered his unsecured creditors, to whom he owed £19,000, a shilling in the pound. “And where are you going to get it?” they asked. “Oh! I shall borrow it,” he jauntily replied. He told Marshman he had spent £10,000 in “buying popularity”. C. O. Torlesse has left a thumbnail sketch of him. “The ‘Super’, as he is known, in rough shooting coat, hat on head, pipe in mouth; his conversation, when warm on his subject, Yankee in style while walking up and down the room at a fast pace”. When the English firm, Smith and Knight, which had undertaken the tunnel contract, met with hard volcanic rock, they abandoned the project. Moorhouse immediately left for Australia and returned with a contract with the firm of Holmes and Richardson in his pocket. They completed the work without further misadventure. The Lyttelton tunnel was opened for traffic on 9 December 1867.

Moorhouse was extremely lucky in that the early sixties were prosperous times. Otherwise his project must have dragged on for years as did two other great Canterbury works, the Christchurch Cathedral, and the West Coast railway. He won the contest for the Superintendency in 1866, easily defeating J. D. Lance, but times of depression did not suit his particular gifts and he resigned in April 1868. He accepted the position of Secretary of Lands (later, Registrar-General of Lands) and went to live in Wellington. He was elected Mayor of Wellington in 1874, defeating Dransfield, a strong candidate, by 400 votes. Typically, he declined the honorarium of £200.

He contested various elections unsuccessfully but at the time of his death at Molesworth Street, Wellington, on 1 September 1881, he was member for Ashley. He had so neglected the interests of his constituency that they requested C. C. Bowen to look after their affairs.

by George Ranald Macdonald, Retired Farmer, Kaiapoi R.D.

• H. S. Selfe Letters (MSS), Hocken Library, Dunedin
• C. O. Torlesse Journal (MSS), Canterbury Museum, Christchurch.

(c. 1829–84).

Explorer, prospector, and storekeeper.

A new biography of Moonlight, George Fairweather appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

George Fairweather Moonlight was born between 1829 and 1832 in Scotland, presumably in one of the small fishing villages near the English (North Sea) border, and was in all likelihood the son of a herring fisherman. His real name was probably Fairweather, “Moonlight” being a nickname given him by the Australian diggers because of his habit – acquired on the Californian goldfields – of travelling by night. By his own admission he received no schooling. He was left homeless at nine years of age and tramped from York to London where he shipped as a cabin boy to South Africa. From there he went to America where he spent several years as a sailor before the mast. In 1848 he followed the rush to the California goldfields. Later, with some friends he joined the Australian rushes to Ballarat and Bendigo, prospecting on the Bunyong (1854) and Fiery Creek (1855). After a further period at sea he was attracted to Gabriel's Gully, Tuapeka, Otago, and late in 1861 made a strike at Moonlight, nearby. It was not long before he was on the move again, for early in 1863 he was working a sluice claim at Collingwood, Nelson. Between May and September of that year he prospected the district of the Mangles, Matakitaki, Tutaki, and Maruia Rivers finding payable gold in several places. More important, however, he found a new route from Nelson to the Central Grey area. John Rochfort informed the Provincial Government that Moonlight's route was the best so far discovered.

On 28 February 1865 Moonlight married Elizabeth Gaukrodger and settled at Richmond, Nelson, where they kept the White Hart Hotel. Early in 1866 he returned to the West Coast and prospected the north side of the Grey River and was principally responsible for discovering Moonlight Gully, now Atarau. Shortly after this Moonlight opened a store in the Maruia Valley and, later, also at Glenhope and Hampden Village, now Murchison. Between 1866 and 1882 Moonlight carried on a brisk business as storekeeper and hotelier on the Murchison goldfields, and also transported bullion to the Nelson banks. At the same time he was the unofficial judge and law enforcement officer on the goldfields where his methods were very much those of an American sheriff of “the Wild West”. After his wife died (13 May 1882), Moonlight failed in business and in 1884 returned to prospecting. Early in July 1884 Moonlight and Jack Bailie set out to prospect the area between Station Creek and Glenhope. On 15 July Moonlight went missing and his body was not discovered until 26 September. He was buried in Nelson Cemetery where a monument, erected by public subscription, commemorates him.

According to contemporary accounts Moonlight stood about 6 ft tall and possessed a splendid physique. In appearance he was a typical Californian miner and always affected American accent and dress. For the latter he favoured “crimson shirt, knee-breeches, wellington boots and a maroon sash”. For all his flamboyance, Moonlight was a popular figure on the West Coast goldfields and enjoyed a reputation for having a keen eye for gold-bearing country. He has no claim to the title of “captain”.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• The Golden Bush, Sutherland, T. (1953)
• Murchison, Grigg, J. R. (1947)
• Nelson Evening Mail, 24 Sep 1884.