The Wreck of the Steamer Tararua One of New Zealand’s worst

shipping disasters of the 19th Century.

Two curious graves in Dunedin’s Northern CemeteryRecorded on this

granite obelisk is the following…

Alexander Livingston drowned in the S.S.

Tararua 29 April 1881.

Recorded on this damaged granite headstone is the following…

In loving memory of

John Oliver EvaDunedin

Who was lost in the steamship Tararua

At Otara Reef NZ29th April 1881Aged 39 years

Both these headstones were about the same event. What happened?

Location of graves in Dunedin’s Northern Cemetery

1

1

2

2

Alexander Livingston was a member of the crew on the Tararua and John Eva was a passenger.

John Eva Block 101 Plot3

Alexander Livingston Block 2 Plot 16

Map of Dunedin’s Northern Cemetery sourced from: http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/25464/cemplot_northernphoto.pdf

Another grave at Barbadoes Street Cemetery in Christchurch

Recorded on this large marble headstone is the

following… Francis George Garrard

Master of the S.S.Tararua

Who perished at the wreck of his vessel on

the Otara reef30th April 1881Aged 29 years.

The headstone can be seen just inside the lych gate of the cemetery.

There are many personal tragedies recounted in the newspapers of the times. Captain Garrard was aged 29 and on his way to Melbourne to marry his fiancé when the accident occurred. It is reported that his fiancé was so distressed at the news she became quite ill. Captain Garrard was ultimately found accountable for the accident.

Another personal story was recounted about a young infant, Elizabeth Hill. She was pulled from the water by the rescue ship, Hawera, and one of the few survivors of the wreck was asked if he might identify her. He fell to the deck weeping because he was looking at his own daughter. Little Elizabeth Hill is buried in an unmarked grave in the Old Port Chalmers Cemetery near Dunedin. (Otago Daily Times. (2 May 1881). Wreck and Total Loss of the S.S.Tararua. P2)

Personal Stories

Summary of what happened 1 The S S Tararua sailed from Port Chalmers at 5pm on April 28,1881 bound for Melbourne via Bluff. The night was dark but clear and at 4am the vessel was off the southern most point of the South Island. Before dawn on the 29th April the vessel struck the Otara reef at Waipapa point about ¾ of a mile from shore. The ship began to fill with water. A boat made it to shore and passenger swam ashore to call for help at a house ½ a mile away. Mr Charles Gibb then rode 35 miles by horseback to the nearest telegraph office at Wyndham to raise the alarm. The alarm was also raised from Bluff when the Tararua had not arrived when expected.By noon the ship was being washed by heavy seas. Various attempts were made by passengers and crew to rescue themselves and others. Strong swimmers attempted to swim to shore. Some survived but many did not. Ships boats were washed out of their davits.An attempt was made to land on the reef but again several strong swimmers and several were drowned.

Where did this happen?

North Island

South Island

Christchurch

Port Chalmers

Waipapa Point Otara Reef

Dunedin

The distance travelled by the S. S. Tararua

Invercargill

Map of New Zealand showing the location of Port Chalmers, Otara Reef, Waipapa Point and Fortrose.

Fortrose

Summary of what happened 2 The second mate had earlier made it to shore. He tried to return the life- boat to the Tararua but the waves were too strong and he waited out at sea to intercept any passing vessels coming to aid the Tararua. The chief officer tried to get a line to shore but the boat capsized. Anguished onlookers watched, unable to help in the worsening conditions. Only a few people had made it to shore.By 2 p.m. the Tararua began to break up. Heavy seas washed overboard and swept about 20 people to their deaths. The chief cook reached the shore. By evening the survivors had only the rigging to cling to and by 2.30am on the 30th April the last screams were heard from the Tararua. By the time help arrived by daylight on the 30th only the bowsprit and the mizzen mast could be seen above water.

Of 151 persons on board, 131 lost their lives. Only 20 men survived, 12 members of the crew and 8 steerage passengers. 105 men, 12 women and 14 children lost their lives in New Zealand’s second worst shipping disaster. (Otago Witness. (7 May 1881), Wreck and Total Loss of the S.S. Tararua. Page 9. Papers Past http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/)

Part Poem – The Wreck of the Tararua

Otago Witness 7 May 1881. Papers Past athttp://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/

Looking towards Waipapa Point from about where the Taraua was wrecked

The Tararua Acre Cemetery Although several of those drowned

were identified and claimed by relatives many victims could not be identified.

Ground for a cemetery was allocated behind the sand hills beyond the beach where the Tararua came aground.

Above: View of the cemetery from the sand hills.

Below: Approach across the paddocks.

The Tararua Acre Cemetery 2 Only one individual headstone remains.

The headstone belongs to William Bell…In Loving remembrance of

William Bell of AucklandLost on the S.S.Tararua

29th April 1891In his 29th year

Above: A cairn was set over the largest plot in 1967. The cairn was funded by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The Tararua Acre Cemetery 3

The children of Fortrose and surrounding district schools raised money for a marble headstone to commemorate the victims who were unmarked except for wooden picket fence grave surrounds. The memorial inscriptions reads…

Erected by the children of

Fortrose SchoolAssisted by other district schools In

memory of those who perished by the wreck

of the S.S.Tararua29th April 1881The collections for the headstones must

have gone on for many years. Many older folk even in the1970s remembered taking their threepenny contributions to the school.(MacIntosh, 1970).

The Fortrose Cemetery The Fortrose cemetery also contains a memorial placed over the site of a smaller number of victims, that was paid for by the children of the school and surrounding districts.

For many years the children assembled on the anniversary of the wreck and laid flowers on the graves. The older boys kept the small plot in the cemetery neat and tidy. One visitor was so impressed by the boys care that he sent them a round football.

When the football became shabby Mr Miilard the headmaster suggested it was time to work at the cemetery. As long as Mr Millard worked at the school a new football arrived every year for the boys. (MacIntosh, 1970)The inscription is the same as

the memorial at the Tararua Acre.

The Waipapa Point Lighthouse The memorial for the Tararua victims is not the only shipwreck recorded at Fortrose.

In a neighbouring grave is a headstone for David Lindsay who was drowned when the ‘William Ackers’ was wrecked on Waipapa Point in 1876. The reef was a well known point of danger in the area. A warning system was needed. The lighthouse was erected in

1885

Find out! Do you have shipwreck victims memorialised in your local cemetery? If so record the name and date on the epitaph and investigate.

Who are they? If you have more than one memorial you may like to create a shipwreck trail in your cemetery. In Dunedin’s Northern Cemetery there are at least 4 different shipwrecks to be found.

What happened? Find out more about the shipwreck this person or family was involved in. Look up the papers past website and find out about any personal tragedies.

It is quite likely if you live near a larger coastal town or city there will be ship wreck victims recorded in the local cemeteries. Shipwreck was a quite common tragedy in 19th century New Zealand. Find out why?

What other shipwrecks can you find out about?

To present your findings you can create posters, the front page of a newspaper, brochures, pamphlets or a PowerPoint.

Resources BooksBelmer R.(1973) Around the Southern Coast. Times printing service. Invercargill

MacIntosh, J. (1970) The wreck of the Tararua. Reed

MacIntosh J. (1975), History of Fortrose Times Printing Service, Invercargill.

MacIntosh, J. (1985) From waste land to wealth : the history of Otara, Southland. Otara Centennial Book Committee (Further information about the history of the Tararua Acre) Cemetery pp 125 - 128. Also what remains of the vessel and the status and protection of the wreck pp 128 – 132

Websites• Te Ara – Encyclopedia of New Zealand http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/shipwrecks/2/6 Also available from this link is an extract from the Illustrated New Zealand Herald of 16 June 1881, which includes some tragic and interesting accounts. See also Perils of the sea: 19th Century http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/shipwrecks/2 for some of the reasons for so many shipwreck memorials in NZ cemeteries.• Roots web http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzbound/tararua.htm• Christchurch Library http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Kids/NZDisasters/SSTararua.asp• KiwiWiki http://www.kiwicelts.com/mediawiki/index.php/Tararua_Acre_T01.20 brief background to the tragic events and photo of the Tararua Acre.• Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Tararua• Papers Past: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ ( Note; Some of the eyewitness accounts of the tragedy are fairly confused and harrowing. Teachers are advised to review newspaper content before recommending articles.)

• Poem by Francis A Joseph The Loss of the Tararua. Otago Witness, 14 May 1881, Page 24.• And another poem by RB Otago Witness 7 May 1881.

Special thanks is extended to Mr. Steven McLachlan, Shades Arcade Stamp Centre, Christchurch, for use of the image of the S.S.Tararua and Captain Garrard. Postcards commemorating ship wrecks were popular in the late 19th century. See the postcards available on the Timeframes Website for the Wreck of the S.S.Wairarapa.

The Northern Cemetery map was sourced from Dunedin City Council: Location of Dunedin’s cemeteries http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/location-pdfs