April 27 is Moehanga Day, the anniversary of the day in 1806 when Ngāpuhi warrior Moehanga became the first Māori to visit England. This is his story.

The wooden ship sailed down the River Thames, past smoke stacks and brick factories, until it reached a wharf in industrial south London. The air was heavy with the fishy, faecal smell of rendered whale oil. Moehanga, a young Ngāpuhi warrior, stepped on shore. It was April 27, 1806, and he was the first Māori – and first New Zealander – to reach Britain.

The anniversary of that feat is marked in Aotearoa as Moehanga Day. It’s a cheeky way to flip the colonial script of Europeans “discovering” lands that were already inhabited.

“Of course, various indigenous, white-skinned tribes already inhabited the British Isles for thousands of years, but Moehanga was the first Māori to discover Britain,” says one popular meme about Moehanga Day. “The Britons were a warlike people, renowned and feared for their prowess at fighting other European tribes and even raiding and conquering lands and taking slaves on distant continents. Today Britain is a thriving multicultural nation, producing a range of quality exports whilst preserving its rich heritage and traditions.”

Moehanga arrived on a ship named the Ferrett, owned by Daniel Bennett & Sons. The company had a wharf and an oil processing facility at 153 Rotherhithe St on the river’s edge. It’s now the nondescript Columbus Court apartment building. No one walking by would know it’s a site of such historical significance. 

Moehanga’s trip was recorded by the British surgeon and travel writer John Savage, who invited Moehanga to join the voyage. Savage’s book, Some Account of New Zealand, was the first book about New Zealand published since Captain Cook’s visits, and included a basic guide to Māori language and culture. Like any historical text, it has its biases.  Savage’s tone is patronising at times, but it’s clear that he liked Moehanga as a person – he described him as “a most affectionate kind-hearted creature”. Along their journey, the two men became good friends and taught each other about their cultures. 

A voyage across the world 

According to Savage, Moehanga lived in the Bay of Islands. He was handsome and muscular, with tattoos and scars earned through battle. He was not a rangatira and did not come from a high-ranking whānau, but he was well-connected in the area. 

Moehanga met Savage in September 1805, when the Ferrett stopped in the Bay of Islands. Savage was travelling home to England from Sydney after losing his job for refusing to perform midwifery services. During his stopover, he drew a pencil sketch of a local chief “Tiarrah” (Savage was writing before the te reo Māori dictionary was developed, so he used phonetic spelling – he spelled Moehanga as Moyhanger). Moehanga came on board the ship to see the sketch. While he was there, he volunteered to join Savage on his return to England. Several Māori made similar offers, but Savage chose Moehanga because “his countenance pleased me”. 

After an emotional farewell with his whānau, Moehanga boarded the Ferrett and it sailed from the Bay of Islands. As land shrank from his view, Savage described Moehanga growing anxious and sorrowful, but he cheered up within a few days. 

Moehanga sang a waiata every morning and evening and entertained the crew by making jokes at their expense – he couldn’t understand everything they said, but he had an excellent ability to mimic their voices. 

The sailors were impressed by some of Moehanga’s other abilities. His vision and hearing were sharper than the rest of the crew. He could spot the sails of a distant ship and hear its gunshots before anyone else. He was an excellent swimmer and enjoyed bathing alongside the ship. He had two narrow run-ins with sharks; on both occasions, the crew warned him in time, and he swam to safety, but the experience left him rattled. 

Moehanga saw it as his duty to gather as much information about the world as possible to report back to his people. He keenly observed new species of fish and seabirds – “the flying fish afforded him much amusement”, Savage wrote.

After a long and dreary crossing of the South Pacific Ocean, the ship reached Cape Horn, at the southern extremity of Chile. The hills were covered in snow, and there were no signs of agriculture. Moehanga was unimpressed and began to worry that leaving the fertile lands of New Zealand was a mistake.

The next stop was at St Helena, the remote island to the west of Africa where Napoleon Bonaparte would be exiled 10 years later. There, Moehanga saw cattle and horses for the first time. He laughed heartily when he saw a man riding on horseback and was “in raptures” upon seeing a musician play a violin.

He was particularly intrigued by the military presence on the island. He met several men in military uniforms and attempted to ask them about their roles. However, like many first contacts, cultural misinterpretations almost led to violence. “In all probability, he would have been roughly handled, had I not been present to assure the offended party that no insult could be intended, and that his rudeness proceeded entirely from his ignorance of our manners and customs,” Savage wrote. 

After several more weeks at sea, the Ferrett arrived at Bantry Bay, Ireland, on April 15, 1806. It’s not clear whether Moehanga set foot in Ireland or stayed on the ship. Savage wrote, “The abundant supply of fish, meat, and vegetables of an Irish port made a favourable impression upon him respecting our country.” After another 12 days, the Ferrett reached London. 

The first OE

Moehanga’s initial impression of London generated a feeling that many New Zealanders have on their first OE: he was so overwhelmed by the size of the city that it made him feel insignificant. “He told me that in New Zealand he was a man of some consequence, but he saw that in such a country as he was now in, his consideration must be entirely lost,” Savage wrote. “Sometimes on our way, he would draw a comparison between this country and his own, which appeared to give rise to melancholy reflections.” According to Savage, Moehanga said, “Nui nui Europe, iti iti New Zealand” – Europe is very large, New Zealand is very small.

Moehanga was startled by his first ride in a horse carriage, but soon gained confidence and enjoyed the views passing outside the window. He was intensely curious and stopped to inspect every potentially useful resource, particularly iron and clothing. However, he disliked the noise of the city and would often complain about people shouting. He was initially confused about the city’s food supply, having seen no sign of agriculture, and was noticeably relieved after Savage took him to a market, where he saw droves of oxen carrying wagonloads of vegetables. 

Savage took Moehanga to see St Paul’s Cathedral, where, like many tourists, he gazed up at the enormous roof. “The vast dimensions of this pile of building appeared to astonish him: the space beneath the dome he contemplated with much satisfaction, but he dwelt with infinite pleasure upon the monuments of our great men,” Savage wrote. 

Londoners had never seen anyone who looked like Moehanga, covered in tā moko and battle scars. It was extremely inconvenient for him and Savage to walk through public streets because crowds would gather and stare at him. The sailors had taught him to greet people by saying, “How do you do, my boy?” and offering his hand to shake, but many were too intimidated by his appearance to take him up on the offer. 

The highlight of the trip was when Savage took him to meet “a chief” – William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam, a prominent Whig politician and one of the wealthiest men in Britain. Moehanga entered the Earl’s mansion with “becoming respect”. Whenever Fitzwilliam turned his back, Moehanga would whisper, “Piannah tippeehee – very good chief.” (Possibly: “Pai ana Te Pahi” – Te Pahi was the name of the senior Ngāpuhi chief, and Moehanga used his name as the general term for a chief.)

He stared at a marble bust of Fitzwilliam for several minutes and declared that he would try to carve an imitation of it once he returned to New Zealand. He wandered around the room, observing the paintings and furniture. “While I thought he was admiring the more striking objects, I found he was counting the chairs,” Savage wrote. Moehanga found a stick and broke it up into pieces as he counted the chairs. “Nui nui tangata noho Te Pahi –  A great number of men sit with the chief,” he said.

After two months in London, the Ferrett departed for the Bay of Islands again. Savage gifted Moehanga with a supply of iron tools, which he believed “would render him superior, in point of riches, to any man in New Zealand”, and left him in the care of the ship’s captain, Philip Skelton, “who I knew would treat him with the greatest kindness”. 

“The regret at parting between this native and myself was equal on both sides; he held my hand at taking leave a considerable time, during the whole of which he wept, and appeared to suffer exceedingly,” Savage wrote. 

Moehanga returned home to the Bay of Islands in September 1807, almost two years after he left. 

An eventful epilogue 

That was not the end of Moehanga’s exploits. He is mentioned in three further historical sources, which tell a rags-to-riches story and a tale of another international adventure. 

According to a Ngāpuhi source, dictated to ethnographer John White, things went poorly for Moehanga as soon as he arrived home. When he departed the Ferrett, he was accused of stealing an axe. Te Pahi gave him a severe flogging and banished him from the Bay of Islands. Moehanga left the area and moved south to a village at Bream Head, near Whangārei, where he lived among the hapū Te Parawhau.

This account is backed up by John Nicholas, who met Moehanga at Bream Head in 1814 while travelling with Samuel Marsden on the first Christian mission to New Zealand. Nicholas noted there was no sign of the iron tools Savage had given him. 

Nicholas described Moehanga as “a handsome, intelligent fellow”, but said “he annoyed me exceedingly” by continually asking for European goods. When Moehanga tried to act as an interpreter for the missionaries, Nicholas complained that “he had nearly forgotten his English” and was “jabbering away at random”. 

Moehanga was still eager to travel and asked Nicholas to take him back to England, but the missionaries declined out of concern for his well-being. 

The next mention of Moehanga in the historical record is when French-Irish captain Peter Dillon stopped in Kororāreka/Russell in 1827. He described meeting three important local chiefs: the ariki, Te Whareumu, who introduced himself to Europeans as “King George”, Te Whareumu’s mother, “Queen Terroolloo” and her brother, Moehanga, who went by “King Charley”. 

Dillon described Moehanga as “a chief of considerable importance”. He met an American man named John Johnston, who was living under Moehanga’s protection. Later that year, Johnston founded New Zealand’s longest-running private business, Johnny Johnston’s Grog Shop, which is now known as the Duke of Marlborough Hotel.

Dillon’s account suggests a remarkable reversal of fortune for Moehanga. In 13 years, he went from being banished from the Bay of Islands to a high-ranking leader of its bustling trading hub. How did this happen? 

It’s possible his sister played a key role. In 1807, Savage mentioned that Moehanga had two sisters, one of whom was particularly beautiful – “a very fine girl”. Moehanga did not come from a high-ranking family, but his sister may have married a high-ranking chief and raised Moehanga’s mana by association. 

It’s also likely that Moehanga’s knowledge of the outside world and basic English language skills became increasingly valuable in the 1820s as European ships started visiting the Bay of Islands more frequently, which may have encouraged a powerful chief like Te Whareumu to keep him close. 

It seems Moehanga may have exaggerated the details of his trip to England to improve his reputation. When Moehanga told Dillon about his trip, his story contained many details that were obviously false or otherwise difficult to explain. 

Moehanga claimed to have met King George III and Queen Charlotte and performed a haka for them. “Queen Charlotte asked me to give her the war dance of New Zealand. When I did so, she appeared frightened, but King George laughed, saying ‘ha, ha, ha!’” he told Dillon. He said Queen Charlotte gave him some “red money”, which he used to “get a wife” named Nancy, who fell pregnant. Nancy asked if the child would be born with tattoos.

There is no evidence that Moehanga ever met King George and Queen Charlotte. It is not mentioned in Savage’s account or any other British records.

Moehanga told Dillon he had sailed home on board the HMS Porpoise, stopping at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the Persian Gulf and Madras (Chennai) in India. This also appears to be untrue, though it’s possible Moehanga could have joined the ship on a different voyage. 

Dillon told Moehanga that he had seen John Savage a few months earlier; he was working as a surgeon for the East India Company in Calcutta. Moehanga wept and said, “Mister Savage was a very good man.” He asked to go to India to see Savage, and Dillon agreed to take him. However, Dillon had another task to complete first. 

Dillon’s primary mission was to discover the fate of French explorer Jean-François Lapérouse, whose ships disappeared somewhere in the Pacific in 1788. Moehanga and a handful of other Māori agreed to join the crew of Dillon’s ship, the St Patrick, and act as translators in the Pacific Islands. 

They sailed to Tonga, Fiji, and the Santa Cruz islands (now part of the Solomon Islands), where the locals had swords and other European goods that appeared to have come from the shipwreck. They discovered evidence of the wreck at the reefs near Vanikoro. Dillon wanted to return to India at once to share the news of his discovery. However, the entire crew had come down with a tropical disease, and the on-board surgeon recommended that they head to a more temperate climate. 

The ship returned to the Bay of Islands to give the crew time to recover before departing for India. There, Moehanga and the other Māori asked permission to quit the expedition. “I rewarded their services to the full extent of their wishes,” Dillon wrote. Moehanga never managed to reunite with John Savage, but he asked Dillon to greet Savage with his name – and cheekily hinted that if Savage wanted to send him a gift, he would like a double-barrelled gun and a cask of musket balls. 

There doesn’t appear to be any further evidence of Moehanga after 1827. Te Whareumu was killed in a large battle in 1828, and it’s possible Moehanga died fighting alongside him – though that’s pure speculation. 

Moehanga lived a life of adventure. Even if he did exaggerate some of his exploits, he still accomplished extraordinary feats. He explored the world and connected cultures. He stepped into the great unknown and made it known.