Steeped in History: Auckland’s Stately Vice-Regal Lodge

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 17 (Supplement)

Steeped in History: Auckland’s Stately Vice-Regal Lodge

Fate of a Royal Couch—King Mahuta’s Delayed Call — 7~ Duke Conducts Orchestra —Lady Islington’s Yellow /W/ Bathroom—Brinsley Plunket in a “Babes in the / /- s. Wood” Performance. /

(Written for THE SUN by

ERIC RAMSDEN.)

_ ■——- —,ULL of warm brown 7- leaves, the harvest of many fitful autumn gusts, Ti-o't ■nSr-T I 1 ’"? * he wheelbarrow ifi’feV-rOtl looked so inviting. The small boy ipPOA? "ho so specula- - ' *•' r tively peered at it knew every tree that had contributed to that pile of leaves. There were gines, for instance, from the raacrocarpa whose friendly arms had tempted him to such an extent that he had to be rescued from perilous heights by the gardener, while his mother, heart in mouth, had watched the gallant performance. Russet-hued offerings had come from the oaks, legitimate descendants, so it was said, of the oak of Herne the Hunter in Windsor Great Park. The old African coral, planted by Sir George Grey himself, was particularly liberal with his contributions, much to the annoyance of those whose duty it was to rake away the debris from the veteran. Yes, the barrow was certainly inviting. And, besides, the little boy was tired. To the little fellow of six the old Government House garden in Auckland seemed a positive wilderness. Even if his father did happen to be a Baron of the United Kingdom, his ancle an archbishop, and his grandfather a Marquis, little boys of six are much the same all the world over. Into the barrow crept the Hon. Brinsley Plunket, second son of the Governor of New Zealand and Lady Plunket- and there he slept, forgetting, and by the Vice-Regal staff at large, forgot. All Government House searched for the boy who dreamed so happily, covered like the babe in the wood of old, with an eiderdown of leaves. * * « Auckland has known a Government House on the present commanding site since the days of Hobson. Auckland, in fact, has never been without a v ice-Regal residence. For nearly seventy years the King’s representative has invariably resided for at least a part of the year in this city. Auckland, incidentally, is the only centre, apart from Wellington, the capital, which possesses an official residence for the Governor-General. Aucklanders are naturally jealous of this privilege. They have always re-

sented any suggestion that the historic old building which now occupies the site of the humble wooden house that served Governor Hobson, should be diverted to some other purpose. An agitation during the earlier part of the present century to utilise the Government House grounds for the new University College met with strong resistance. A compromise was effected, however, by making available the Metropolitan Ground, adjacent to the building, which was for many years used as a sports ground, with the consent of the different Governors.

The original Government House was brought out from England in sections. That amusing adventurer, the Baron de Thierry, has left us a pencil impression of that mansion of the early ’forties. A visit to the Old Colonists’ Museum will reward the student of Auckland’s early history with a glimpse °f a small, homely, and much be-ver-andahed cottage, with a sentry box in the garden. Squatting in front of Auckland's iirst Government House were Tamati Waka Nene, and Patuone. an equally distinguised rangitira. The grave of Tamati, faithful ally of the pakeha, may be seen in ihe peaceful churchyard, now happily restored, at Russell.

The first wedding that took place from Government House was that of Mr. James Coates, father of Sir James Coates, of Parnell, who was “sheriff and clerk of the council,” as a gazette notice of July 15, 1841 published at the Bay of Islands, explains. Mrs. Coates was Miss Sarah Ann Bendale. She came all the way from Somerset to be Government House’s first bride. A ball and supper, records the gazette. Were subsequently given by Captain and Mrs. Hobson in honour of the occasion. Sir James Coates and Miss v Coates, his elder sister, a goddaughter incidentally of Mrs. Hobson,

are the only survivors of the issue of the marriage. Sir George Grey, when in residence as Governor in June 1848, suffered a devastating loss by the destruction by fire of this little wooden building. All the fruits of the early labours of New Zealand’s great Pro-Consul were lost. Scarcely anything was saved. Yet Sir George set to work again with that dauntless energy which characterised his whole career, and built up another collection. The books, pictures, and objets d’art which he bequeathed to his well-loved Auckland, as well as his Maori treasures, will for all time be a monument to his industry as well as to his discernment and refinement. It was on the occasion of this fire that Sir George Grey received sym-

pathetic letter from Te Taranui and the Maori workmen employed at stone quarrying for the nearby Albert Barracks. “Had we been awake at the commencement of the fire,” they wrote to Governor “Hori Kerei,” “we would have come to your aid, but we' reached the place when the fire was in full vigour.” The Maoris at the barracks, numbering 40, felt deeply with the Governor in his loss.

The English Parliament passed a vote to replace the plate and furniture. It has always been the custom of the Governor and his lady to replenish the house with plate, pictures, and other effects, and to a certain extent, furniture as well, on the departure of their predecessors. This is one of the reasons why Government House is so singularly uninteresting to the student of colonial history, apart from the actual building, and the grounds that surround it. There is nothing to recall distinguished occupants of the past. Each Governor quite naturally has taken his personal property back with him to England.

The Americans have a custom at the White House which might well have been followed in Auckland. It is the duty as well as the privilege of the First Lady to leave something in the Lincoln Room to associate the stay of her husband and herself with the historic mansion. Mrs. Coolidge, for instance, has just completed a bed-spread which she will place in the room of the martyred president. There is not a single picture, not a piece of plate, and not an article of furniture —with the exception of a suite specially made for the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria’s second son, in 1869 —in Government House, Auckland, which can be intimately associated 1 vith any former holder of the office of Governor of New

Zealand. During the past 14 years the old building has been twice damaged by fire. The first occasion was in 1914 during the visit of Sir lan Hamilton. A defective fire-place in the General’s bedroom was responsible for the outbreak. Lord Liverpool and Sir lan, who were at breakfast, assisted to

ouell it. Several of the staff rooms were damaged and had to be rebuilt. The next outbreak was in July 1916 While the house was not in occupation. The origin of this fire was a mystery. It caused sufficient damage, however, to necessitate the re-roofing of the greater part of the building.

It was on the lawn of Government House that 1500 school children welcomed with song our first Royal visitor, the Duke of Edinburgh to Auckland. Sir George Ferguson Bowen was his host. The youthful Prince Alfred had confided to Sir George Grey, at whose instigation he had visited South Africa, that he would never ascend the petty ducal throne of his father. Yet he did. Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, died Duke of Saxe-Coburg. Marie, Queen of Roumania, is a daughter of the Duke.

It was on precisely the same spot, many, many years later, that his grandnephew greeted Aucklanders at the garden party of the present occupants of Government House, General Sir Charles and the Lady Alice Fergusson. The Duke of York was anxious that afternoon to obtain a game of tennis. No sooner had the last guest passed the Vice-Regal lodge than the lawn resumed its usual aspect as a tennis court. The Duke, a slim figure

in flannels, enjoyed some healthful exercise prior to his departure by train that night. Queen Victoria’s son planted a tree in the grounds. His example was not followed, however, by either King George or Queen Mary when they were guests at Government House. Neither did this thought strike the Prince of

Wales, or the Duke and Duchess of | York when they temporarily resided in the old home of our Governors. The I kauri planted by Prince Alfred stood for many years. During the war years it fell to the ground, and remained there, dead. The Duke was in Auckland on three occasions—he was back again in August and December of 1870 —and on each visit he made the Governor’s residence his headquarters. The later visits were not considered official. The time was pleasantly spent in shooting pheasants at Mangere and Howick. At an “At Home” at Government House when the officers of the Galatea presented "Still Waters Run Deep,” the Prince, with an inherent German love of music, led the orchestra. Before he finally left Auckland he made a stay at Rotorua, and exchanged greetings with the miners at the Thames, then at the height of the gold boom. It was on the lswn beneath the old coral that Tawhiao, the second Maori King, was welcomed to Auckland. Here, too, Rewi Maniapoto, that gallant old “die-hard,” called to pay his respects after the Waikato War. For a long time Rewi sulked. He refused to

accept the invitation of the Kawana (Governor). Yet, come, he eventually did. Resplendent, too, in a top hat to meet his Excellency! The coral could also tell of the meeting on the lawn of King Mahuta with Lord Ranfurly—descendant of John Knox. The result was the inclusion

of the Waikato chieftain in the Cabinet of Mr. Seddon and his consequent elevation to the Legislative Council—one of the most farcical appointments in New Zealand political history. A similar offer to King Tawhiao in the hey-dey of his power had been indignantly refused. Though Mr. Seddon converted the Maori King into one of King Edward’s New Zealand Ministers, and the move was considered at the time politically astute, it did little or nothing to heal the breach between the Waikato people and the Government. It has been said of Mahuta, whose great enemy, as was the case with Tawhiao, was drink, indulged in not a few bibulous snoozes at meetings of Cabinet. Several of the chiefs who accompanied Mahuta to Government House on that occasion bitterly upbraided him for accepting office. The King was told that he had left the Maori canoe. He was now being carried in the canoe of the Pakeha. Yet these speeches were not translated to the listening Governor. Mahutabecame a Cabinet Minister, and so antagonised a large section of his following. The acorns said to have come from

Herne’s oak were Drought to Auckland by Major George Graham, grandfather of Mr. George Graham, the well-known authority on Maori history in this part of the island. Herne’s oak, which played a part in the undoing of Palstaff in the “Merry Wives of Windsor,” was blown down in 1863. In September of the same year Queen

Victoria planted another in the same spot.

The stately Norfolk pines, which can be seen from almost any part of the harbour, were planted by Sir George Grey. His African coral, now gnarled and hoary, which still keeps guard beneath his Excellency’s window, cannot survive for many more years. To the great man who nursed it in infancy the flame-coloured tree must have conjured up memories of days spent ’neath burning African skies. The coral is tottery. Not so many years ago one of the gardeners solemnly set out to *eut the tree down. With saw and axe he determined to remove the cause of so much litter in the garden. Frequent repetitions, however, of “Woodman, spare that tree!” had the desired effect. And so unto this day the coral still watches with interest his Excellency’s guests as they tap at the vice-regal front door.

Lady Ranfurly was chatelaine when King George and Queen Mary visited Auckland in 1901 as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. The Royal pair then occupied the bedroom of their host and hostess, as did their son and daughter-in-law (the Duke and Duchess of York) many years later. The Prince of Wales has also slept in this severely

plain, grey-walled room with its outlook over the Waitemata. The Duke of Edinburgh also used it. No view in all Auckland could at one time rival that from the bedroom of the Governor and his lady. Through the branches of the coral the waters of the harbour have often reflected the clear blue of an Auckland sky. In the distance, Rangitoto, grim sentinel, guards the entrance to the channel. 1 | But nowadays the view has been imr paired by the erection of high build--1 ings in Waterloo Quadrant. The old kauri bed upon which King . George and his consort spent their first ' night in New Zealand now reposes [" under the band stand in the ballroom. “So are the mighty fallen! Since the “ first fire during Lord Liverpool’s

lengthy regime there has been a framed notice in the Royal bedroom containing a plan of the house, and explicit instructions as to where the fire escapes can be found. This must have amused the Duke and Duchess during their recent occupancy, for there was another in the private sitting room of her Royal Highness (formerly Sir Charles Fergussons dressing room). Though drab enough these days with the furniture gathered in the centre of the room, and, during their Excellencies’ absence, shrouded from sight, the room has known its bright days. During the stay of Lady Islington. a vice-reine renowned for her wit and smart dressing, it was painted light blue. The bathroom was yellow.

The room received a new coat of paint before it was vacated by Sir Charles and the Lady Alice for thw Duke and Duchess. The antiquated grate and the by no means modern bathroom adjacent are survivals of a period left well behind. The grev walls are relieved by a Trevor Lloyd etching, one of his familiar tree fern studies, and a Venetian water-colour impression by Muriel Jenkins.

On the staircase, wnich, incidentally, is decorated by a series of Italian and Spanish prints, the property, of course, of the Governor-General, is a forbid-ding-looking axe, encased in glass, li is another reminder of the fires of bygone years. Such a “nifty” looking weapon would open a door in a trice. The scheme in the hall, as indeed is the case throughout the entire house, is white. Both dining and drawing rooms, equally spacious, open off the hall. It was in the dining room that Lord Ranfurly proposed the health of the King ai.t Queen. Mrs. Seddon and Sir Joseph Ward are now two of the

survivors of that first dinner party. Pride of place is held by an engraving of the Duke of Wellington with his sword of honour, painted by command of H.R.H. the Prince Regent, on the occasion of the thanksgiving at St. Paul's. Autographed reproductions of the coronation portraits of King George and Queen Mary are also on the wall in the dining room. Both Sir Charles Fergusson and the , Lady Alice have memories of the old house. Sir James Fergusson, Bart., father of the Governor-General, held office as Governor front June. 1573, until the close of the following year. The Earl of Glasgow, father of her Excellency, spent nearly five years in New Zealand. He was Governor from June, 1892, until February, 1897. The pictures in the drawing room, with its scheme of apple green, bring to the mind of Sir Charles, Kilkerran. his Ayrshire home. During the Lady Alice's first sojourn in Wellington she was a pupil of James Nairn, the able Scottish painter, whose influence is still felt in artistic circles in this country. A number of water-colour sketches with the initials “A.F..” indicate the interest her Excellency still manifests in art. During the absence of the vice regal couple from Auckland the old ballroom looks strangely deserted. On the dais where Royalty has stood now reposes an ordinary hallstand with its back against the wall. It seems difficult to recall the scene on that night 26 years ago when the room was briliantly lighted and bedecked with lycopodium in honour of our present Sovereign and his Consort. Both the burly figure of Mr. Seddon and the rotund person of Sir Joseph Ward were garbed in court dress. Church, Bench and Bar, Politics, Medicine and Business, all solemnly bowed to the King’s representative, and to his Majesty’s Royal son and daughter-in-law. The band stand, under which now ties hidden the Royal bed, was covered with tree ferns, palms and exotics. Garlands embraced the mirrors. Fesoons covered the walls. How many New Zealand knights have not wandered up this room now so strangely silent to receive their "letters patent” at the hands of his Excellency, long anticipated rewards for faithful service for party—and State? These white walls have observed Lady Jellicoe swaying in the intricacies of her favourite Highland schottische, noted the monocle of Lord Plunket,

dmired the Parisian creations of Lady Islington, and silently watched the portly form of Lord Liverpool as he made his pompous progress in semistate. Lord Liverpool, as a matter of fact, occupied Government House longer than any of its temporary tenants. His long reign was due solely to the war. Appointed Governor in 1914 he was the first holder of the office of GovernorGeneral, created in 1917, and he <i not depart from our shores until July. 1920. He was one of the few Governors who really took a keen interest in the gardens. Another enthusiastic gardener was Lady Plunket, whose small son Brinsley made Government House history by treacling the door handles when Lord and Lady Plunket gave their Hast Auckland dinner party. Auckland was always popular with Jellicoe, as he was popular with Auckland. The Admiral of the Fleet first became acquainted with Government House as the guest of Lord Live-, pool, his predecessor. The Jellicoe family was known to spend as much as six months at a time in Auckland. Possibly the Waitemata’s unrivalled yachting advantages had something to do with Lord Jeliicoe's preference for the North.

The kitchen at Government House is not the least interesting feature of Government House. It is sadly out of date. The equipment is hardly In keeping with the requirements of the staff of a Governor-General. With what delight his Excellency’s _ook must have greeted the recent rumour as to the installation of an electric stove!