For sale: Hinemihi – a Maori house £ 50

Tu Tangata, Issue 20, 1 October 1984, Page 2

For sale: Hinemihi - a Maori house £ 50

An Arawa whare whakairo lies lonely among tall trees and green pastures in Surrey, England.

Clandon Park, the ancestral home of the Earls of Onslow is the resting place of Hinemihi. On June 11th 1886 Mount Tarawera blew its ’top belching a fiery rain of mud and ash. Devastation was widespread but worst affected was the tiny settlement of Te Wairoa. Buildings in the village sagged, crumpled and were obliterated. Photographs taken at the time vividly portray the destruction. One photo clearly shows Hinemihi in a chaotic lunar landscape it stands charred but

intact under its mantle of mud. Tarawera’s night of anger effectively ended occupation of Te Wairoa in the Rotorua district. Whare had been destroyed and the silica terraces of Rotomahana were no more. Te Wairoa was abandoned. In 1892, some six years after the nightmare of Tarawera, the 4th Earl of Onslow resigned as New Zealand’s Governor General. Before departing he appointed an agent to negotiate the purchase of a whare whakairo... a small memento of his time in office that could be shipped to England. Elinemihi was an

obvious possibility. Onslow’s agent began negotiations. Initial offers of £25 were rejected. Upped to £SO the proposal couldn’t be refused. An ageing bill of sale at Clandon House shows that on January 29th 1892 a cheque was issued for the purchase of twenty three pieces of carving “originally part of the meeting house at Te Wairoa known as Hinemihi". The bill was apparently translated into maori and the recipient of the cheque, “appearing to understand it's meaning and purpose.” concluded the sale.

Hinemihi was dismantled and carvings shipped to the Onslow ancestral home at Clandon Park. As a decorative jig-saw Hinemihi proved a headache to reconstruct. The building suffered the indignity of being used as a boat shed, and later saw service as a summer house. In 1956 Britain’s National Trust assumed responsibility for Clandon Park. Clandon House was subject to extensive restoration. Work progressed slowly and by 1976 when attention finally turned to Hinemihi. the once proud structure had succumbed to the onslaught of successive winters... the ele-

ments were succeeding where Tarawera had failed. Hinemihi was a mess. Weeds ran riot and the roof, in need of re-thatching, had collapsed. The building had been shortened at some stage during its reconstruction, as had the carved ridge pole. The porch wall had been omitted altogether and consequently no window or door existed. A carved ridge support had been reversed and many carvings re-painted in totally wrong colours. Extensive renovations were called for. Financial setbacks delayed work. In 1979 tenders were called for the restoration of Hinemihi. A contract was awarded to the firm of J.W. Draper and Son, experts in Tudor and Georgian buildings... maori architecture was something new to them. Drapers sought expert advice. The N.Z. High Commission in London, Museum of Mankind, and Rotorua Art Gallery provided assistance. The firm acted on recommendations that took account of the absence of New Zealand materials and the peculiarities of the English environment. Drapers removed carvings to their workshops. Using a stripper they clean-

ed painted surfaces, removed moss and growth, and laboriously picked paint and dirt out of original lines of carving. Preservatives were used to treat timber before uprights were replaced on a concrete foundation. Re-painting created a minor problem until samples of red ochre could be obtained from New Zealand for colour matching in England. Paua shell replaces that missing from eye sockets. A porch constructed across the front of the building, despite lacking carved pare and window frames, resembles that of the original at Te Wairoa. Elm slabs have been rough cut to simulate adze marks and remain unpainted. Drainage has been improved and, as a finishing touch the now solid structure has been topped with a thick thatch... in ye olde Englishe style! Where authentic materials were unavailable, substitutes appeared. Bamboo replaces raupo stems and realistic imitations stand where once tukutuku panels graced inner walls. A National Trust appeal for SIO,OOO subsidised the cost of restoration estimated to have amounted to $17,000. Hinemihi has been resurrected. Once again ancestral figures glower from the

rafters. Standing at the apex of the gables is a koruru surmounted by a proud tekoteko. These days it is only the day-trippers who pay homage. An interlude between Chinese porcelain and rose gardens. The visitors miss the emotive touches. One carved panel has the word “ROTOPOPA” etched into the surface. On others ROTO-TANGA-TA and PIKIAO are visible. Did the carver ever dream that his work would rest so far from home? “What's this house for mum?” “This,.... Oh it’s just a maori house, they live in them in New Zealand.” “Yea but what’s it for?” “Don't really know dear... look there’s a totem pole inside... s’pose they used to murder people in them.” ... Some come closer to the truth. “Hey this is the place that was flattened by lavas and the Earl of Onslow rescued it.” “Oh yea ... of course.” Distance is the anomaly of course... Hinemihi stands alone far from the Arawa people. Without people there is no spirit. Without land there is no soul. Karanga rate tupuna whare te kahui pani, ki nga iwi e, karanga ra.