At the John Kinder Theological Library, we hold a copy of Reverend Wiki Te Paa’s journal made available for students and researchers by Dr. Jenny Te Paa, granddaughter of Wiki Te Paa. The original is held in private hands.
Our Kaiwhakamana, Colenso Eramiha, has been studying the passages in Te Reo and creating a basic index of names, dates and events that will be of great help to researchers.
During his research, Colenso was surprised to find this entry on an infamous date in 1886, as Te Paa was visiting Rotorua; he travelled large distances to visit Maori people in rural parishes. Colenso has provided the following translation of the beginning of this entry:
Mokoia
One o’clock in the evening of the 9th day of June, 1886. A great earthquake occurred at Te Wairoa, Rotorua. The land was turned upside down and flames met the sky. There were earthquakes, thunder, lightning and a great wind. The land was buried in sand. We thought it was the time of the end of this world.
Te Wairoa, buried in thick layers of volcanic mud, the lava having mixed with seawater and soil, was almost completely destroyed. Wiki Te Paa paints a remarkable eyewitness account to a catastrophic event that forever changed the landscape of Aotearoa.
