Trek to Marsden Cross

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On recent travels, I have been chasing family history and visiting cemeteries and historical societies to learn more about my relatives. So, when my girlfriend asked me if I would like to accompany her to New Zealand to find her notable relatives, I jumped at the chance of finding not only the headstones but also learning the fascinating history of her Hansen ancestors.



Karen’s fourth great-grandfather, Thomas Hansen Senior was the captain of the brig, the Active which brought the first and second voyages of missionaries and first European settlers New Zealand. The Bay of Islands is situated on the east coast of the north island of New Zealand and today a beautiful tourist and fishing area.

A ’brig’ was a type of sailing vessel identified by its rig of two masts, which are both squared-rigged. They were developed in the second half of the 18th century and were common for merchant vessels.



Reverend Samuel Marsden purchased the Active in Sydney and proposed a mission settlement at the Bay of Islands, arriving there on 22nd December 1814. The first sermon was held on Christmas Day 1814 at the inlet where the vessel landed.

For anyone who is chasing family history, it is enjoyable to travel to the sites or find headstones prominent to the research, so leaving our base at Paihia , we drove for approximately an hour to Rangihoua Heritage Park to commence our trek to the landing site and where the first missionary station in New Zealand was established and to see Marsden Cross.



It was a very windy day and at times quite cool as we reached our first marker of Rore Kahu , which was erected as part of the bicentenary in 2014. Its name means soaring hawk and from its position, we could look over the entire rolling hills towards Marsden Cross and our pathway down to Rangihoua Bay .



Our next point of interest was the lookout, which again gave a magnificent overview of the rolling hills and beauty of the landscape below. From there we backtracked to the path that led down to Rangihoua Bay. The path was quite steep, eroded by the weather and watching our step was a necessity so we did not slip or slide going down. Signposts giving accounts of the prominent people of the settlement were erected along the way, some with photographs, some with sayings or descriptive details, but each one giving us a look into the history of the time.



The weather warmed as we walked further down, out of the way of the wind from the cliffs and generated from the energy of our body’s rhythm. From research, the trek should have taken an hour, but it was more for us as we stopped along the way to discuss the ancestry and the life of the settlers.



For those who love history, journeys like these can be very emotional when reaching the site of a significant occurrence and even though the ancestors were not mine, I still felt an overwhelming sentiment as I tried to imagine what it was for those disembarking from the “Active” and visualising this land as where a new life would begin.



The Marsden Cross and a Memorial to all the missionaries and settlers who were buried at this site was situated on a small hill up from the beach. The Marsden Cross was a tall structure that dominated the landscape yet a defining pinnacle of strength to those who settled there so many years ago.



After a while and feeling quite nostalgic we turned to retrace our steps back to the carpark, which we realised was at the end of a very steep incline and one that required a few stops on the way for each of us to catch our breath. Along the path, we came across the burial place of Thomas Hansen, where an anchor had been erected on his concrete headstone. In both these places, Karen scattered a handful of her mother’s ashes, bringing her mother home to be with her ancestors.

That was a big day, but the search was not yet done without a trip to Russell where more Hansen relatives and missionary settlers such as King, Hall, Baker, Poole, etc., were buried in the Christ Church Cemetery in Russell.



We arrived at Russell by ferry to find the most idyllic and laidback village where hardly any traffic occupied the streets and the people we passed, were friendly and happy to stop for a chat, relaying more stories of their native ancestors who once lived there.

One of the passengers on the ferry told us of a minister who was to be ordained that morning, so we tried to make as little noise as possible while walking around the church grounds and headstones.



We came across the headstone of Thomas Hansen, the third generation and grandson of Captain Thomas Hansen who sailed the Active to the Bay of Islands. I was surprised to find many headstones by the name of Williams, which is an ancestral name in my family chart and who I have since learnt, also travelled to New Zealand.

Thomas Hansen the third owned a small cattle property and spent his time between Australia and New Zealand. In fact, while I was sitting waiting for a coffee, I spoke to an elder resident of the Bay of Islands, whose father was a good friend of Thomas Hansen, and he talked about the cattle stations they both owned.



Thomas Hansen II’s daughter, Jane, planted a magnolia tree on York Street in the centre of Russell and today this tree still stands with the shops built around it. After all this time, it could easily have been cut down, yet the significance of its heritage and the strength of its roots, as it stands tall on the skyline, is another important milestone in the life of the Hansens at the Bay of Islands.

It never ceases to amaze me that the more I learn about our ancestors and the more I read about their lives, creates a profound vision in my mind of what it was like to live in those times. We are fortunate that so much has been recorded for those keen to know more.

There is a lot written about the above history and if you wish to read more, it is easily accessible on the internet. History is an interesting subject and pastime.

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