Richard Driver was born in Bristol, England, and went to sea at age 14. In 1839 the profession of whale hunting brought him to the coast of Otago. Richard was one of a party looking for drinkable water at Whareakeake when members of the local Iwi attacked people who were trespassing on their territory. Motoitoi, daughter of the Kai Tauhu chief Kahuti, threw her cloak over Richard, thus claiming him as her own. They lived together in a cave at Whareakeake, having three daughters together. Motoitoi died in 1846 and Richard married Mere Potiki, with whom he had a son. Mere died in 1847 and Richard's children were cared for by their family when he went back to whaling.
When the first Scottish sttlers arrived in Otago in 1848, Richard acted as their pilot and met Elizabeth Robertson, a 17-year old passenger on the Philip Laing. They married the next year and had twelve children together.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 6th April, 1848.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR has been pleased to appoint —
Mr. Richard Driver, to be Pilot for the Port of Otago.
By His Excellency's Command, Alfred Domett, Colonial Secretary. -Wellington Independent, 15/4/1848.
The Royal Albert was unable to proceed lower down than the original Port of Otago, which is distant some 14 or 16 miles from Dunedin; Mr. R. Driver, the pilot, having refused to take her lower down. Mr. Kettle, the Government Surveyor of Otago, was despatched forthwith to survey the river, and he reported that on account of the sand bank it was impossible for so large a vessel as the Royal Albert, drawing 18 feet of water, to cross it. -Wellington Independent, 23/3/1853.
On Wednesday a barque from Melbourne, bound for Callao, touched at the heads and landed a family for Otago. The vessel did not come in, and consequently we have received no further intelligence of what is going on abroad. The Pilot, however, reports that war had actually commenced between England and Russia; that three naval engagements had taken place, and that the Turks had defeated the Russians by land. We give these reports, so that the public may know from whence they come. For our own part we must say that we place little faith in them: the well-known predilection of Mr. Driver for what is vulgarly called chaffing, throws too often, we regret to state, a doubt on what he says. -Otago Witness, 4/2/1854.
Fatal Accident. — A fatal accident occurred at Port Chalmers on Monday last. We understand that Mr. Driver the pilot, and a man named Daniel Cooper, were proceeding from Port Chalmers to the Heads in a small boat. It was blowing fresh at the time, and Driver was in the act of taking in sail when the boat capsized. A boat was promptly put off from the shore to render assistance. Mr. Driver was picked up in a state of insensibility; the other man sank, and the body has not yet been recovered. The deceased was a native of Yorkshire, and arrived here from Melbourne about four months since. -Otago Witness, 19/5/1860.
Pilot for Otago Harbour. — We are authorised to state that Mr. Richard Driver, the Pilot, has resigned his office, and that the local Government are desirous of receiving applications from duly qualified persons willing to accept the office. -Otago Witness, 20/10/1860.
INQUEST ON THE BODY FOUND AT THE HEADS.
An inquest was held yesterday, at Port Chalmers, before the Coroner, Mr. Howorth, on the body of the man found on the beach at Purakanui on Thursday last. From the evidence, it appeared that Mr. R. Driver, formerly Pilot at this Port, had his attention directed by his children to the body, which he found lying face downwards, partially embedded in the sand between high and low water mark. The body was dressed in a monkey jacket, dungaree trousers, and blucher boots, and round its waist there was a strap with a sheath knife attached. The flesh was entirely gone from the face, and the left arm was out of the socket. The hands also were devoid of flesh, and the body was much decomposed. From the appearance of the body, it seemed to be that of a seafaring man. Mr. Driver at once gave information to the police, by whom it was conveyed to Port Chalmers, where they searched it and found four half-crowns tied up in a piece of serge, fastened round the waist next to the skin, but there was nothing about the body to lead to its identification. The jury returned a verdict of " Found Drowned." -Otago Daily Times, 4/3/1862.
News of the Week
We understand that the pheasants spoken of the other day as being seen and protected by Mr R. Driver, of Purakanui, are the progeny of three hens and one cock, liberated by Mr H. Dench in that district three years ago, when he gave the care of them into the hands of Mr T. Dobinson, a settler in the district. Mr Driver has requested the residents in that district not to molest the pheasants. -Otago Witness, 3/5/1873.
HISTORICAL.
OTAGO.
Part XL -Officials.
The representatives of the ruling powers in the settlement on the arrival of the first batch of immigrants were not numerous, consisting of Mr Kettle, chief surveyor and granter of timber licenses, &c, and the Company's agent, Captain Cargill. It would be unpardonable to omit mention of another who for many years did good service to vessels arriving in conducting them safely into port — viz., the pilot. The entrance to the harbour was in these days difficult to find, being narrow, and having no light or beacon of any sort. Some of the ships ran past it a good distance, and had difficulty in getting back in the teeth of a strong southerly wind. "At 8 o'clock a.m. we fired a gun, but no answer was given. We fired again about noon, and about an hour afterward we observed through the telescope a boat about twenty miles distant coming to us; it was a pilot coming to take us into the harbour. He reached us in about an hour, and we received him gladly. He was a Yankee from North America, and his air of independence rather astonished us. A few words passed between him and the captain almost in the space of a minute. He then surveyed the ship (Blundell) from stem to stern, and eried — 'Brace the mainyards, down with the maiutrysail, put up the flying jib, and down with the tryforesail.' He then set them fore and aft, and ran her to the wind, tacking east and west, and turning every hour. This was done till Monday night. We were then obliged to cast anchor under a large hill about 500 feet high at the mouth of the harbour, the wind blowing right out of the harbour mouth. The pilot's men were two Englishmen and three Natives, and a chief's son, whose father was, he said, very rich, having a mare, a foal, and two sheep."
Mr Richard Driver, the pilot referred to in the above paragraph, was known to all the early settlers, and was a general favourite, his yarns, of which many could be related, possessed a considerable spice of the marvellous, were given and taken in the best spirit, and were in after years provocative of considerable laughter. Mr Driver has for some years past given up his "life on the ocean wave," and now ploughs the mainland on his farm at Purakanui, where may every luck attend him. -Otago Witness, 5/5/1883.
Sadly, "Papers Past" yeilds none of the "considerable spice of the marvellous" of Richard Driver's yarns. One of the great advantages of online publishing, however, is that additions may be made at any time when further material is found.
Casualties
A young girl of about 14 years of age, the granddaughter of Mr Richard Driver, of Purakanui, met with a very severe accident on Sunday. While walking along the cliffs the missed her footiug and fell a distance of about 200ft, where she lay for about seven hours before being picked up and conveyed to her home. She was attended by Dr Cunningham, who found that in addition to severe scalp wounds her shoulder was broken and she had sustained severe internal injuries; she lies in a very precarious condition. -Otago Witness, 1/5/1890.
ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.
A girl, 13 years of age, named Agnes Driver, died on Wednesday from injuries received through an accident at Long Beach, Purakanui, on the 27th of last month. On that date she was sitting on the edge of the cliff near her father's residence, when her hat blew off, and in attempting to recover it she slipped and rolled over the cliff, falling a height of about 200ft. After the accident she remained for several hours in the position in which she had fallen, and when discovered she appeared to be so severely injured that her recovery seemed very doubtful. She was attended to by Dr Cunningham, of Port Chalmers, and died on the date already mentioned. The matter of her death has been reported to the coroner. -Otago Daily Times, 9/5/1890.
FUNERAL NOTICE.
The Friends of Mrs RICHARD DRIVER, Jun., are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral of her late HUSBAND, which will leave her residence, Purakanui, for the Purakahui Cemetery, TO-MORROW (THURSDAY), at 2.30 o'clock. -Otago Daily Times, 7/6/1893.
The flags at the harbourmaster's office and of the vessels at the wharves were half-masted yesterday as a mark of respect to the late Captain Richard Driver, the first pilot at Otago Heads. -Otago Daily Times, 21/1/1897.
OTAGO’S FIRST PILOT.
AN ADVENTUROUS LIFE.
Richard Driver, whose death was announced this week, was born in the year 1810 at Stokescroft, near Bristol. He served his apprenticeship to the sea in the West Indies trade, and on reaching man’s estate got in amongst American ships, becoming chief officer of a whaler that sailed in and out of the ports of Otago. Leaving that vessel, he started to act as pilot at Otago Heads. It was while living there that Mr Driver married his first wife, a Maori woman. In his spare time be used to catch wild pigs on the site where Dunedin now stands, and take them to the Heads, where he salted the pork and disposed of it to the whalers. This was the sort of life he led up to the time of the first settlers arriving, when he became the only authorised pilot. With the outbreak of the goldfields some assistance was required, and, Mr Driver getting rather independent, the Provincial Government superannuated him with compensation to the tune of £500, paid in two instalments. He then settled at Purakanui — was, in fact, the first settler there. Previous to that his first wife had died, and he married Miss Robertson, who came out in the first ship. This lady survives the patriarch, and a very numerous family keep her company, Mr Driver having been the father of sixteen children by his first wife and twenty by his second. -Evening Star, 22/1/1897.
Deaths
Driver. — On the 9th May, at her residence, Purakanui, Elizabeth, relict of the late Richard Driver; aged 67 years. Deeply regretted. -Evening Star, 10/5/1897.
FUNERAL NOTICE.
THE Friends ot the late Elizabeth Driver (and family) are respectfully invited to attend her Funeral, which will leave her late residence, Purakanui, for the Purakanui Cemetery, TO-MORROW (Wednesday), the 12th inst., at 1.30 pm. The North express train will stop at Purakanui for convenience of friends. -Evening Star, 11/5/1897.
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