Sun 17 Feb - Petone & Eastbourne

Petone - Henkel met some unexpected friends just days before his disappearance. Details are sketchy but there appears to have been some confusion over a bundle of flutes which he had sold some months earlier in the Hauraki region. Some disturbance was recorded as the musicians were seen being flung off the peer (pictured below) into the clear waters of mouth of the great fish.





















Interestingly, this event coincided with the arrival of Rev Samual Marsden (see interpretive painting below by G. Crewdson with his cat-o-nine-tails)


















And on to Eastbourne - where Henkel and his men were last seeing amoungst the small group of Whalers who were living there. His diappearance remains a mystery, it is possible that some of the men boarded the whaling ship Metabolan (which sunk off the coast of Kaikura some weeks later), there was also records of an attempted journey around the Pencarow heads towards the Wairarapa. The fact that eyewitness accounts do not match up leads to the suspicion that Henkel and his men were being persued and did not wish to be found.




































A ceremonial send off was made by the musicians on Sun 17 Feb 2008, parading into the sea where a portion of his favourite walking stick was released into the harbour.

Sat 16 - Lyall Bay

The rain drifted in and out with the magical breakers as did the queezy stomach of Mister Crewdson who managed to complete the performance despite an evening of oceanic proportions.






























The sea took its toll too with one of Henkel's men on this beach in 1832 when a gigantic seal rode up on the beach to the surprise of the sleeping clarinetist McBruce. Though injured he too managed to keep up with the gavotte just 12 hours later.

Fri 15 Cenotaph

A beautiful day down near parliament. There were no pigs at all, perhaps due the signage discouraging their presence. A lovely time was had with a crowd of friendly onlookers. Ministerial attendance was low, perhaps due to higher duties. Such snubbing from the aristrocracies was no hinderance to Henkel however, who was reknown for playing concerts of 'great veracity and aptitude amoungst company of all creed and race, not excluding two and four legged onlookers to whom any form of amusement seemed appreciated.'

Sunday 10 Feb - Scorching Bay

Fortunately for these sailors, Scorching Bay was the calmest spot in Wellington on Sunday and notably a significant pausing spot for Franz Henkel, who in 1831 had a feast of 'cray, mussels and local delights' according to his somewhat patchy diary.

Pictures are kindly supplied by Tom Appleton.











Isaac Smith and Gerard Crewdson prepare to lay the wreath of the un-named cross















A solemn moment as the first European picnic at Scorching bay is remembered.














The Flogging Parson (or Rev. Samuel Marsden as he was known in New Zealand) whipped the prisoners into repentance in Hobart, prompting Henkel to capitalise on the his fellow inmates musical skills.







Through flagmanship and semiphore bonding, the men form a covent of friendship.













The men set out to make friends with the locals.

Pictures from Saturday at Island Bay