In 1834 when the whaling ship Harriet was wrecked on the Taranaki coast. The survivors were captured by local Māori, possibly due to a lack of previous trading opportunities, resulting in the deaths of 12 crew members and the capture of Guard’s wife, Betty, and their two children. Captain Guard escaped and secured the support of the New South Wales government, leading to a rescue mission by HMS Alligator and the colonial schooner Isabella. The subsequent military operation was marked by significant violence as British forces destroyed several pā and killed many Māori to recover the captives.
The anchor of the Harriet was excavated in the twentieth century and now rests by the main road in Rahotu.
Location source:
Leask Atlas (vol 1) p. 30; Google Street View
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