The Maori Princess

This story is 18th to 20th century New Zealand history as seen through the eyes of two families as they grapple with colonisation of the new country. One family is an English missionary couple who settle amongst Maori in the Bay of Islands in 1814 to introduce Christianity to the so-called heathen Maori. The other family is Maori who live in Kaiapohia pa but have to flee for their lives when the pa is razed to the ground by Te Rauparaha in 1832. It is true there is murder, infidelity, a hanging, a poisoning, cannibalism, a three year stint in an asylum for the insane, a shipwreck, slaughter, Black Death, illegal gun running, and other historical skulduggery. But it is also a story about faith, sacrifice, courage and most of all love. The book may be of interest to those who descend from folk who lived at Kaiapohia pa in the 18th & 19th centuries. It is a gathering of stories from local history 1700 to 2000 and includes stories about the 1832 siege at Kaipohia pa, whaling around the east coast of Otago and Southland, and life in general in colonial New Zealand at that time, including the influences of the missionaries. The book may also be of interest to modern day Christians, or those interested in New Zealand’s religious history, as it reveals information that is quite different to what we New Zealanders may have been lead to believe about the more negative role missionaries played in colonisation of Maori. Evidence is presented that one missionary family at least was transformed by long term interaction with Maori and adopted some Maori practises, becoming less English and more Maori- Pakeha.