Lord Worsley Runs Into Troubled Times

High winds and rain have lashed Taranaki and the south of the region was really thumped. Muddy river water swirled through Waitotara's houses and school and the community had to chip in to keep people safe.

This week's story begins on another wild and windy Taranaki night. It's 1860 and the good ship Lord Worsley has smashed on to rocks near Opunake. Survivors struggling ashore have another problem. They're in enemy territory and relying on others to keep them safe.

Rewind to the 1800s and the sail and steamship days

True or false? What do you think?

1. By 1828 whalers are regularly sailing in Taranaki waters.

2. Immigrants on board a sailing ship take no more than two months to get from Britain to New Zealand.

3. The early British settlers see fishing waka at sea or pulled up above the high tide mark.

4. New Plymouth has Taranaki's only port.

5. By the end of this century over forty ships have been wrecked in Taranaki's coastal waters.

Sailing ancestors?

Find out if an ancestor of yours was a passenger aboard a Taranaki bound ship. Go to the database on the site below. Type in your family name and click search. You might find an ancestor and the ship they sailed to Taranaki in. Click here.

Tricky sailing

This week's action happened near Opunake. The Lord Worsley struck rocks but went ashore on almost the only part of the coast where she would not have been dashed to pieces. Decide where the ship came to rest. Pinpoint the site on this map.

Lord Worsley the steamer

The Lord Worsley was an iron ship powered by steam and sail. She was nearly 60 metres long and 7 metres at her widest point. Her draught, (the part under water) with a full load was between 3 and 4 metres. She could steam along at 10 knots and had enough berths for 80 passengers. The Lord Worsley was quite a fast ship. She had sailed from Auckland to New Plymouth in 13 hours and was sailing from Nelson to New Plymouth when she struck the rocks. The Lord Worsley carried the Royal Mail.

Would these things be a help or a hindrance when sailing off the rough New Zealand coastline? Decide with a classmate.

1. Being made of iron rather than timber.

2. Her size.

3. Her draught.

4. Her speed.

Word wise?

All these words can be found in this week's story. Decide whether the best meaning is (a) or (b) and then check your answers as you read the story.

1. perilous (a) secure or (b) risky

2. visible (a) clearly seen or (b) hidden

3. doomed (a) ill-fated or (b) lucky

4. consigned (a) being delivered or (b) being stolen from

5. stricken vessel (a) a ship that strikes rocks or (b) a ship in trouble

6. wretched (a) pitiful or (b) ugly

7. threatening (a) wild or (b)  grim

8. korero (a) talk or (b) meal

9. whare (a) houses or huts or (b) cooking utensils

10. stashed (a) bury or (b) hide

Read on!

Read this story down to "Enemy territory." Find out which of these details are in the story and which ones must have come from the book "Shipwrecks on and off the Taranaki Coast."

1. The Lord Worsley's destination was Sydney, Australia.

2. There was a strong on shore wind and it was raining heavily when the ship struck the rocks.

3. The captain tried to "back up" when the ship ran aground but that just broke the ship's propeller right off.

4. The ship lay in about 60 centimetres of water at low tide.

5. The ship carried 66 people.

6. The cargo included gold dust, deck planks, bales of wool and 180 tons of coal.

What will I do?

Miss Briggs has a problem. She has to leave the ship and move into what she has been told is enemy territory. Miss Briggs has a large amount of jewellery and gold plate with her. What would you tell Miss Briggs to do if you were her personal assistant? Work out some possible solutions and compare your ideas with a classmate.

Fair enough or unfair?

Read from "Enemy territory", through to "Te Whiti steps in", and decide if these things are fair enough or unfair.

1. The men at the Te Ikaroa-a-Maui hui decide to declare war if the roadmaking continues.

2. Passengers are allowed to make use of any houses in the kainga (village).

3. The Te Namu people are allowed to keep the remains of the ship if they help the crew and passengers get to New Plymouth.

4. The shipwrecked people might not be allowed through the King's gate.

5. The shipwrecked people are handed an account for the use of six whare for two days.

6. Captain Hall agrees to pay for the use of the whare but only after everyone gets safely to New Plymouth.

For and against

Read through to the end of the story and then try this activity.

Te Whiti was the leader that really decided if the shipwrecked people should be allowed through to New Plymouth.  He told Captain Butler that Maori were being badly treated by the Governor so convincing the large gathering of Maori that the crew and passengers should be allowed to leave, must have been a difficult thing to do.

Do this with a classmate. Make up a T chart like the one in the cartoon. On one side list some reasons Te Whiti might have had for letting the shipwrecked people go. On the other side list some reasons Te Whiti must have thought about that were against letting them go.

Two sides to every story

New Plymouth people knew the shipwrecked crew and passengers were trapped in "enemy country" so this story would have been big news for the Taranaki Herald. A well written news story is always balanced. That means reporters talk to people from both sides to get all the different facts and opinions they can. What if the Taranaki Herald reporter was able to talk to whoever he liked? List the people he would contact for a fair and balanced story about the Lord Worsley shipwreck.

Dodgy deals

Remember the deal? Chief Wiremu Kingi te Matakatea agreed to help the crew, passengers and their luggage get safely to New Plymouth if the remains of the ship was left to the people of Te Namu.

Decide what each of these people's opinions would have been about the actions listed below. Think, pair and then share your ideas with a classmate.

People: A Lord Worsley crew member, the chief of the Te Namu village, Miss Briggs.

Actions: The first is from the story and the others are from the book, "Shipwrecks on and off the Taranaki Coast".

Powder kegs were thrown overboard and a rifle and sword were hidden.

The shipwrecked people all had to pay charges at the toll gate on the way to New Plymouth. They paid five shillings, (50 cents) each and one shilling (10 cents) for each cart.

The owners of the Lord Worsley sold the wreck to a Captain Strapp. A Mr McKechney bought the cargo from the ship as well as a small whaleboat.

The coal on board was removed by Maori and later sold to Europeans.

Some of the passengers' clothing and jewellery was found on board and later worn by the people of Te Namu.

In the headlines!

Each of the headlines below only shows one side's point of view. Work out which side that is and write a matching headline from the other side. The headlines below are made up but history shows that headlines haven't always told the true story.

GOOD SHOW! WET GUNPOWDER CAN'T BE USED FOR WAR

SHIPWRECKED PEOPLE PAY VERY FAIR TOLL CHARGES

YOU CAN'T SELL THAT WRECK! IT BELONGS TO US

STOLEN COAL SOLD BACK TO US!

CLOTHES ARE DRIED AND PUT TO GOOD USE

The end of the Lord Worsley

The heavy seas pounded the Lord Worsley for nearly four years but the sturdy iron frame refused to fall. It broke up in May 1864 after a series of gales and the engines, hull and other iron work was scattered among the rocks.

In 1885 two men were seen collecting the old iron to sell as scrap metal. They worked with a crane and blew up the boilers with dynamite. A ten pounder gun from the wreck was found in 1891 and given to the town of Opunake. In 1909 Opunake was shaken awake by a huge boom. Some "hoodlums" had loaded gunpowder into the old cannon and fired it off with a long fuse. The big gun was blown to bits and that was the end of the good ship Lord Worsley.

Fast forward to 2004

Click here to see photos from the recent floods. There are more photos here from the Manawatu region.

The February floods are said to be New Zealand's worst natural disaster since the Napier earthquake in 1931. People have returned to homes that stink of mud, filthy water and rotten meat in freezers. Carpets and floors are rotting and septic tanks have flooded.

Waitotara has more than 40 houses that can't be lived in. Some will have will have to be pulled down and others will need major structural repairs.

The South Taranaki District Council chartered a helicopter to regularly fly into the valley with food supplies and other necessities. Besides money Taranaki people have donated clothing, bedding children's toys and furnishings. Students and staff at the Waitotara School had to move to the neighbouring Kai Iwi School. The only clean water around Waitotara School was in the swimming pool.

The storms cut telephones and power across Taranaki, Wanganui and Manawatu. All 50 houses in the settlement of Scott's Ferry were hit by flood waters when the river rose. Scott's Ferry is at the mouth of the Rangitiki River and residents only had time to grab a few belongings and flee.

Many farmers were unable to milk their cows and others have had heavy stock losses.  In places crops have been virtually wiped out and thick silt covers paddocks. Bridges have been washed away and slips have closed roads. This disaster is huge.

Priorities?

Civil Defence recovery teams now have to decide which problems to tackle first. Do this in a group of four. List the three things the teams will have to work on first and put them in a priority order. When you have your list, one stay and three stray to three other groups to compare ideas.