Brig 'Pakeha' Wrecks Near Lake Ellesmere

On Saturday, June 11, 1881, at 9:00 AM, the brig *Pakeha*, a 170-ton vessel laden with timber and bound for Dunedin from Kaipara, was wrecked on Taumutu Beach, near Lake Ellesmere. Seven men lost their lives here, and only one was saved.

The brig, captained by a man named Moore, had left Kaipara on June 1. Everything seemed fine until Friday, June 10, when a heavy gale hit, veering from south to southwest, bringing very high seas and blinding rain. As the day went on, the gale got worse, and the seas were described as literally mountains high. The vessel, which was noted as being rather old, labored heavily.

When the brig was about twelve miles from Dunedin Heads, it sprang a leak and became almost unmanageable. Captain Moore decided to turn the vessel before the wind, aiming for shelter under Banks’ Peninsula. It ran before the gale at a tremendous rate through Friday night and into Saturday morning. Around half an hour before the wreck, which happened about 6:30 AM, fearful gusts blew out the two lower topmast staysails, foresail, and foretopmast staysail. The vessel became completely unmanageable.

Seeing the extreme danger, the captain decided to let the *Pakeha* drift ashore. The braces were cut, and one of the masts went overboard. The sea was making clean breaches over the vessel, and all hands were swept into the raging foam. Of the eight men on board, seven were lost.

The sole survivor was Christian Petersen, a seaman. He was washed overboard but managed to grab onto a floating spar, clinging to it until it drifted ashore. When he reached the beach, Petersen tried to walk but was exhausted and bruised from contact with floating timber from the wreck. He fell three times and eventually couldn't get up, lying in a semi-unconscious state until a lake fisherman found him. The fisherman took him to his hut and cared for him. Dr. Major, hearing of the wreck, traveled through the storm to the lake and did what he could for Petersen, who was reported to be recovering well and likely headed to Southbridge. Interestingly, Petersen was the only crew member who couldn't swim.

This is the exact same spot where the schooner *Clyde* was beached about two years and four months earlier during a similar gale. The *Pakeha* was a total wreck, smashed into a thousand pieces, and the beach for many miles was strewn with timber and debris. The day after the wreck, a large number of people from Southbridge and the surrounding area came to see the scene. Mrs. Mitchell of the Royal Hotel even sent down clothing for Petersen, who had lost all his belongings.