MEMORIAL SERVICE

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1932, Page 2

MEMORIAL SERVICE

DEATH OF REV. C. S. VOLKNER. REMEMBERED AT TAURANGa. OPOTTKI, March 1. A special service was held in St. Stephen’s Church on Sunday in memory of the Rev. C. S. Volkner, who lost his life at the hands of rebel Maoris on March 2, 1865. The Mayor and members of the Borough Council and member* of the Borough Council were invited. The vicar, the Rev. N. F. Bonham spoke on “Sacrifice.” The martyrdom of the Rev. Carl Sylvius Volkner was one of the very -sad occurrences of the advent of the lebel Hauhaus on the East Coast. Mr Volkner was a German Lutheran clergyman, who had joined the Anglican Church to do ■ mission work on the East Coast amongst the Whakatohea tribe. He was very successful in his work, and had built a fine church. In 1865 Mr Volkner and a' brother missionary, the Rev. T. Grace, returned to Opotiki by the schooner Eclipse. While Mr Volkner was away frohl the mission, Kereopa te Rau had arrived oh the coast* afad many of tile natives had joined the Hauhaus. Tlie schooner Eclipse was looted by the Hauhaus, but Captain Levy and his brother, who were Jews, were not injured, as Kereopa considered the Israelites were akin to the Hauhaus. Mr Volkner and Mr Grace were taken into custody. The latter escaped a fortnight later through the assistance of a friendly chief. Mr Volkner was taken to the church, where Kereopa was standing by the altar. ire ordered his followers to hang the missionary on a willow tree, which was done, and then the head was chopped off and taken into the church. Kereopa gouged out the eye,? and swallowed them, saying the one was the Parliament of England and the other the laws of New Zealand. This outrage annoyed many of the natives, who hacl a high respect of Mr Volkner, but who had been carried away with their enthusiasm for- the Hauhau cult. Afterwards some Maoris Said they had made a mistake in killing Mr Volkner, as they did not know he belonged to the German tribe, hut thought that, as he was missionary for the Church of England, lie was one of the tribe of Queen Victoria. Kereopa was afterwards captured and hanged for his crime.