Their waka

Today was a day trip north to Waipu. The place my Fraser ancestors landed after a long trip from Nova Scotia on the Breadalbane; in Maori tradition the Breadalbane is our waka. The sea going vessel on which our ancestors arrived in Aotearoa (New Zealand). A monument has been erected in the centre of Waipu to commemorate the migration; the largest single privately organised migration ever. 

Scottish by ancestry, my forebears left Scotland after the infamous clearances. I have no information about whether they were or were not moved out of their homes in the Western Highlands, and it seems likely that that there were a number of reasons, as various members of my ancestry moved to Nova Scotia between 1803 and as late as 1830. 

The move to NZ was part of a migration following Normal McLeod, a preacher who had left Scotland for Nova Scotia because of conflict with the established church in Scotland, and after again getting into conflict with the authorities in Nova Scotia, he and his flock went half way around the world to Waipu. Of interest to me is that passengers on the later boats (Breadalbane was the 5th of 6) tended to quickly move away fro Waipu. especially the younger ones.

Roderick (the Miller) did remain, and until his death he remained the local miller. We hoped to see his homestead on today's trip, but it no longer stands. The mill fell into disrepair and was covered over many years ago. An excavation did take place during the 2003 sesquicentenary of the arrival of the first boat. I have posted a photograph of the portrait of Roderick which is in the local museum.

My blip is of my four grandchildren in front of the monument, and underneath the details about the Breadalbane.