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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 7 (October 1, 1935)

Surveying Under Fire

Surveying Under Fire.

During the Sixties Mr. Smith was chiefly employed as a district surveyor in Taranaki. The surveyors engaged in subdivision work for settlement and laying out roads and townships carried out their duties under adventurous and often very perilous conditions. In 1866–67 he and several other surveyors were busy cutting up country for settlement between the Waingongoro and Waito-tara Rivers, including the land where the towns of Hawera and Patea and Waverley now stand. This country had recently been confiscated from the Maoris in punishment for what was called by the pakeha rebellion, and by the Maori, fighting for their rights and nationality. As a state of war existed at the time and the land was held only by virtue of the rifle, survey work had to be carried out under military service conditions. Mr. Smith and his fellow surveyors and their men were given covering parties of Military Settlers and Constabulary for their protection.

There were some narrow escapes. Once Mr. Smith and two companions, Major McDonnell and Lieut. Wirihana (Native Contingent) were nearly cut off by a party of Hauhaus in ambush, when they were out on horseback selecting sites for redoubts and townships. At the Waihi stream—not far from the present site of Hawera town—Smith was riding about forty yards ahead of the rest, when he was fired on heavily by Maoris who were concealed in the fern and flax. He got his horse turned with difficulty, and rode back to his comrades, and they all galloped off with bullets flying about their ears. The Hauhaus kept up a hot fire on them for a long time. Mr. Smith in his diary account of the incident wrote that he could see and hear the bullets striking the flax bushes as he rode along.

“We recrossed the Waihi and reached Waingongoro in safety, very thankful for our miraculous escape. None of us was hit, though there were more than forty Hauhaus firing at us as hard as they could.”

On other occasions the surveyors carried on their day's work under fire. Diary entry, 1st September, 1866: “Traversing the Tawhiti near Keteonetea, the Hauhaus came down and fired at us at 500 yards and kept it up for some time. The Native Contingent doubled out to our relief, when the covering party mistook them for
On Niue Island, 1901. Mr. S. Percy Smith is seated on the right. Colonel Gudgeon (N.Z. Resident Commissioner in the Cook Islands) addressing the people; the Rev. F. E. Lawes, Missionary (with the umbrella) interpreting.

On Niue Island, 1901. Mr. S. Percy Smith is seated on the right. Colonel Gudgeon (N.Z. Resident Commissioner in the Cook Islands) addressing the people; the Rev. F. E. Lawes, Missionary (with the umbrella) interpreting.

rebels and fired into them, but luckily without effect.”

Occasionally some of Smith's men, by way of variety when survey work was delayed by the Hauhaus, joined the Military expeditions as volunteers for night attacks; two of them were killed.