The mysterious Army Indian Scout motorcycle.

May 23

MEDIA RELEASE

The world’s daftest Indian?

Was it an accidental wrong turn? Was it an ill-timed twist of the throttle? Was it the result of a night’s inebriation that may have led to a Court Martial? Nobody knows.

But one man would certainly like to find out.

Jack Kemp – a volunteer researcher for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga – is keen to learn more about how this Army Indian Scout motorcycle (pictured) wound up in a swamp near Kerikeri.

“The army motorcycle had been retrieved from the swamp some years ago, and is now being cared for by members of the Vintage Car Club in Whangarei,” says Jack.

“People believe the motorbike found its way into the swamp during World War II, but nobody knows the circumstances in which the bike disappeared.”

Jack is appealing to anybody who may know – or may have heard stories, perhaps from family members in the past, about how the classic army motorcycle ended up in a bog.

“As part of carrying out research for Heritage New Zealand’s heritage inventory of war sites in Northland I have been involved in a number of oral history interviews, including people sharing mementoes and photographs from the war,” says Jack.

“We’ve discovered pictures of mysterious American float planes landing in Mangonui and a mine sweeper clearing sea mines from the Bay of Islands – and when we’ve put them out in the public domain it’s been amazing how much more information people have been able to share about them. We’re hoping we can pull it off again with our formerly submerged Indian.”

The Army Indian is made by the same company that made the Indian Scout motorcycle that was suped up by Invercargill speed king Bert Munro in his successful bid to break the motorcycle under-1000cc world record at Bonneville in August 1967. His epic run was later made famous in the movie The World’s Fastest Indian.

Although much loved by Munro, the Indian was not an easy motorcycle to drive as Heritage New Zealand’s Northland Manager Bill Edwards can attest.

“When I was younger I owned, briefly, an Army Indian Scout 741B. It was only 500cc, and was a very difficult bike to drive, with the right hand throttle set for ‘advance’ or ‘retard’ to line up the pistons properly for ignition. It also had a gear stick and a foot clutch. The throttle was operated by the left hand grip, and oddly enough you had to take your hand off the throttle to change gears,” Bill says.

“Presented with such a complex sequence of operation I can see how a driver could lose control of the bike quite easily during a tricky manoeuvre – or even encountering something a bit unexpected on the open road.”

Whether the complexity of operation was a contributing factor to the motorcycle ending up in the clag, or whether other factors came into play, the mystery of the misdirected Indian is worth following up according to Jack.

“Our research has touched on the daily lives of men and women in military service, volunteers and civilians, all of whom have shared some wonderful stories with us,” says Jack.

“We’d really love to hear the story of how the driver of this military motorbike may have taken the thrill of off-roading just a bit too far.”

Do you know what happened to the Army Indian motorcycle? Contact Bill Edwards on Ph 09-407-0471 or email bedwards@heritage.org.nz 

March 18

MEDIA RELEASE

Sharing of knowledge leads to ‘rediscovery’ of mission building

An important early building associated with the Wesleyan Mission in Waima has been ‘rediscovered’.

Waikaramihi, the historic church originally associated with the Hokianga mission, has been noted at its ‘new’ home – Tuhirangi Marae – over 30 years after it was relocated.

“Built in 1853, the church has been shifted twice in its history,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager, Bill Edwards.

“The church originally served the community at the Waima mission located up the Taheke River. The church was then moved closer to the Waima settlement in 1893, before its second relocation to the marae in 1988. We now know that the mission included the church building and school building, making the site more complex than what was depicted in early paintings.”

Knowledge of the church’s background came to light at the recent Te Tiriti o Waitangi celebrations at Mangungu Mission, commemorating the 179^thanniversary of the third and largest Treaty signings that took place at the other main Wesleyan mission in the Hokianga based at Horeke.

Descendants of missionary Thomas Skinner who was stationed at Waima – a settlement that would eventually grow into a thriving economy based on farming and forestry – shared information about the church building with Heritage New Zealand staff at the event. They also talked about their discovery of a memorial stone celebrating the old oak which missionary John Warren planted in 1839.

“We were actually in the Hokianga to try to find the grave of Thomas Skinner, who died at the Mission in 1866 at the untimely age of 45,” says Thomas Skinner descendant, Tricia Rossiter.

“The family story held that he was buried near the Mission Oak at Waima so we went there to look for his grave. However, after prodding and poking in the long kikuyu around the fallen oak at the Waima site, one of the group found a plaque commemorating the tree, along with the date it was planted and acknowledgement of Rev John Warren as ‘the first missionary in Waima’.

“The stone had fallen off its plinth and was completely hidden under dense grass, though the writing on the stone was still quite legible.”

HMNZS Killegray (Source Heritage New Zealand)

April 24

MEDIA RELEASE

Historic photo highlights reality of Fortress Northland

A striking photograph that serves as a reminder of Northland’s importance as a first line of defence against enemy invasion during World War II has surfaced as a result of a heritage inventory being undertaken by two Northland volunteers.

Jack Kemp and Dr Bill Guthrie, who have spent almost two years identifying and recording military places associated with World War II in Northland as volunteer researchers for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, discovered the image while carrying out interviews with people who served in Northland during the War and their descendants.

One of the interviewees, Kevin Hall, is a collector of photos associated with the history of the Far North – including the black and white photo of HMNZS Killegrayclearing sea mines in the Bay of Islands.

“There’s something quite confronting about this picture which captures these deadly mines bobbing in the water, with the Bay of Islands’ distinctive Ninepin Rock – or Tikitiki – on the horizon,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Northland Manager, Bill Edwards.

“It’s a seascape loved by thousands of visitors – and yet here we see a bunch of mines floating in the water where many of us enjoy recreational water activities today. It’s a stark reminder that Northland was a fortress on high alert against attack after the bombing of Pearl Harbour.”

The photo was taken by Tudor Collins, who served as a petty officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy during the war. Prior to this, Collins had developed a reputation as a noted freelance who was one of the first photographers in Napier after the Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931. He also recorded Auckland’s Queen Street riots in 1932, and was the only photographer to meet the passengers and crew from the mined Niagrain June 1940.

“Despite the military purpose of Collins’ photo, it’s as much an example of New Zealand social history as his pre-war work,” says Bill. 

The mines depicted may have been part of a network of 13 loops of 16 contact mines in the channel between Moturoa and Moturua Islands, or more likely some of the 258 contact mines laid in three lines between Ninepin Rock and Whale Rock.

Further north, the Whangaroa Harbour was protected from seaborne invasion by a line of 30 mines across the entrance to the harbour which would have been activated from a Controlled Mining Station.