1899: Ranfurly Bay

March 30, 2021

By AHNZ

Today in history, 31 March, 1899, the Governor of New Zealand was in the midst of one of his tours.  Gov. Ranfurly really got around and evidently the Liberal government of the day was happy with the returns they got for bankrolling this at our expense. In this picture (left) Premier Seddon and Ranfurly dine sumptuously in a little bay of the Whangaroa.

The Liberals were having a little turn-of-the-century trouble being popular. Top Minister Joseph Ward had been caught out in his business dealings, bankrupt, and ejected from his seat. Seddon resurrected Ward and split the party in the process, creating a new Left-wing independent party. Another top Minister, William Larnach,  just 5 months before this photo, shot himself dead at parliament.  Yikes, guys, 1899 is an election year. You better turn this thing around!

The Dog Tax War of 1898 used a little too much force to quell a few Maoris with resistance to dog registrations. This episode makes more sense as a publicity exercise for the Government at a time when they needed one. So too, the Old Age Pensions scheme introduced that same year to help bail the Seddon’s Liberals out of their political disfavor.  And, in late 1899, just in time before election day, came the political blessing of a war to be involved in; The Boer War.

So, the scene above is part of that very successful political work of the government to remain in power. It worked out for them just fine, the Liberals increased their majority in 1899 and the opposition cratered into a smoking ruin. Ranfurly toured the country on the government steamship for weeks, appearing with Seddon and his Members. We must remember that, back then, nobility and high office holders were the celebrities of their day so the public were as swept away as if A-list movie stars were stopping by their little patches.

“The bay where lunch was served has no name, and the Governor approved of a suggestion made that it should be called henceforth Ranfurly Bay. The Premier said he would do what he could to acquire it from the Natives, and make it a reserve for the people.” – The Governor on Tour, Evening Star; Papers Past

Stopping off for a silver service lunch in Whangaroa, the gubernatorial party allegedly pondered the little bay they found themselves in having no name. “Well,” someone apparently said, “why don’t we just name it after the Governor?” Seddon, between sips and bites, said he’d make taxpayers buy the bay off the Maoris and have it named Ranfurly Bay. And so it was and so it is.

“Ranfurly Bay was named after the governor of that name, but its traditional name is Kohutupapa. It was the location of the “Mushroom Rocks” which have been eroded. These were a popular tourist attraction and in the early 1900’s there was a populous Maori village located here.”- Ranfurly Bay Scenic Reserve Historic Heritage Assessment, Melina Goddard, DOC (2011)

“Richard Seddon’s Government was now in the hotel business, having decided not only that the private owners were not up to running this alpine attraction but that no others could be either.” –1895: Mount Cook Hermitage Nationalised, AHNZ

It’s not clear that anyone had lived at Ranfurly Bay for many years past when its midden heaps were first laid. Certainly it had come to be appreciated by local Maoris for gathering food and for whalers but nearer Seddon’s picnic time it was beloved of tourists because of the amazing Mushroom Rocks. Sadly, the last of these came down in 1956 for reasons speculated upon here.

Acquiring the Bay for the Empire (and Seddon’s re-election) also makes sense, then, because the Liberals had embarked on a programme of nationalising tourism in New Zealand. They had kicked that off with The Hermitage on Mt Cook in 1886 and would go on to take over the lucrative Waitomo Caves from the Maori managers/owners too in 1904.

After this epic celebrity Governor’s tour of Auckland (ie Auckland and Northland as we know them today) the immediate next job for Ranfurly was in the Cook Islands. Here, in April 1899, he proceeded to warm up the Cook Islands for being annexed by Seddon’s Government. This came to fruition in 1901. By 1904, Ranfurly’s term was up but how to end it? You guessed it, another big national tour. Ranfurley’s Farewell Tour also involved a lot of positive public relations and publicity for the Liberals. They certainly got their money’s worth out of him.

—

Image ref. Auckland Weekly News, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections

Image ref. Mushroom Rock, E-Library NZ; Facebook

Like    Comment     Share