Tag Archives: Rev Henry Williams

Henry Williams – Nationmaker

The water lapped brightly around the small boat. It was 1835. Henry Williams and his crew were sailing south through the Hauraki Gulf. As they passed the Waitemata, Williams recorded, …was much struck with the beauty of the harbour, which … Continue reading

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Henry Williams – the inveterate learner

The chocks were kicked away. Fifty tonnes of sailing vessel glided down rollers, over the Paihia sand and plunged into the water. The multitude of Māori onlookers were briefly silenced. Astonished. Then they erupted. Hundreds splashed wildly into the water … Continue reading

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Henry Williams – adventurer to the ends of the earth

The swine plummeted into the abyss. But this was no cliff above Galilee. It was a precipice above the Whanganui River. Henry Williams, now barefoot for greater grip, clung to the roots and branches on the side of the near … Continue reading

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Henry Williams (RN) – the fighter on a new mission

The cannon misfired, blowing the young man down the bank. Festivities at Paihia were abruptly interrupted. It was December 1828 and hundreds had gathered at the Paihia mission station for the end of year huihuinga. George Clarke junior, a boy … Continue reading

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Henry Williams – one of our greatest New Zealanders

He never won New Zealander of the Year Award. But in the two decades from 1823 to 1845 he should have – multiple times. Rev Henry Williams, former Royal Navy officer turned missionary, was an outstanding character in those pivotal … Continue reading

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