There is little doubt that the vessel which came ashore bottom upwards at Helensville is the schooner Rona, which usually traded to Lyttelton. She left Auckland in ballast, and was due at Kaipara about a week ago. Further particulars received state that the Maoris say there are yards, blocks, and one anchor upon the beach. The vessel is buried in sand. She was commanded by Captain Kenneth McKenzie, who was also half owner, and who has had charge of the vessel since she was built, two and a half years ago. He has a wife and four children residing at Oamaru. The names of the crew are —Robert Smith, Neil Carmichael, Charles Johnson, and W. Eagle. The vessel was insured for L400, only about half its value. Mr D. H. McKenzie owns half interest. Later. A search party have just returned from the investigation of the wreck of the vessel between Kaipara Heads and Manakau, and there is no doubt that the vessel is the schooner Rona, and that all hands perished. A board with the vessel’s name on the beam was brought to town and identified. The natives have burnt the vessel down to the copper, in order to hide signs of pilfering, and to secure the copper. As she now lies in the sand she is not worth L10. -Marlborough Daily Times, 19/8/1881.
Kenneth McKenzie, the master of the Rona, was the eldest son of Mr. Duncan McKenzie of Waipu, and was in his thirty-eighth year. His first command was the schooner Jessie, then owned by his father, about ten years ago, his then next command was the brigantine Flirt, which he sailed successfully for about three years. On the arrival of the barque Cabarfeidh from America he took charge of her and became a part owner. He sailed her for some years in the intercolonial trade. He left her for a voyage through illness, but recovering before her return again, he bought the schooner William and Julia and made a few trips to the Islands, and ultimately sold her. He bought into the Rona about two years ago, and has successfully sailed her until this last unfortunate trip. Captain D. H. McKenzie says: — "After an intimate acquaintance with him for upwards of ten years, as master and part owner, I can truthfully say that he was the finest man that I ever knew, one of Nature's noblemen, that it would be hard, if possible, to replace. New vessels can easily be built, and perhaps, those lost be improved upon, but men of Kenneth McKenzie's character and worth cannot be replaced." Captain John McKenzie says that the deceased .master was as a brother to him, and that.no friends could have been more attached than they were to each other. He was cousin, also brother-in-law, to Captain John McKenzie, brother-in-law to Captain Smith, his wife being that gentleman's sister, and he bore the same relationship to Captain D. H. McKenzie. Mrs. McKenzie is at present residing at Oamaru, with her four children, the eldest of whom, a boy, is about seven years old, and the youngest a baby, of about seven days. They will be fairly provided for. Captain McKenzie's life was insured for £300, then there is the insurance on the vessel, besides which, there is other property to the extent of several hundreds of pounds. Mrs. McKenzie is said to possess considerable business capacity. -NZ Herald, 20/8/1881.
WAIPU.
Sincere sympathy is felt for the sad and deplorable loss sustained by Mr. Duncan McKenzie and his wife in the loss of their son, Captain Kenneth McKenzie, who was drowned when the Rona was wrecked at Kaipara Heads. Captain McKenzie was brought up in this district, and reflected credit on all connected with him. Messrs. D. H. and Norman McKenzie proceeded overland to the locality of the wreck yesterday morning. -NZ Herald, 29/8/1881.
THE WRECK OF THE RONA.
INQUEST ON THE REMAINS OF CAPTAIN McKENZIE.
An inquest on the remains which have been identified as those of the late Captain Kenneth McKenzie, of the schooner Rona, wrecked near the entrance to Kaipara harbour, was held yesterday at the Britomart Hotel. Captain Pennel was foreman of the jury and the inquest was held by Dr. Philson, District Coroner. Sergeant Martin represented the police. George Kitchen, boilermaker, in the employ of Messrs. Fraser and Tinne, deposed that on Sunday, 30th October, when on the north spit of the Kaipara Heads, to see the wreck of the James A. Stewart, he saw a boat about a mile distant, bottom upwards. He went to the boat, and there found the corpse. The boat was bottom up, and in good order. It was a 16 feet boat, but had no name on it. The corpse was lying outside the boat, except from the knees. The skeleton was partly buried in the sand, and the breast bone was missing. There was no flesh on the bones, nor any appearance of clothing on the body that he could see. The place was evidently above high water mark, and the boat had evidently been washed up by the sea. There was a rope round the chest of the body, the other end of which was secured to the stern of the boat. Witness then went to the pilot-station, about 11 miles from where the boat was found, and told Mr, White, the keeper. Next day he reported the occurrence to Mr. Smith, Harbourmaster. There were no lighthouses at the Heads.— Roderick Colin Fraser, storeman in the employment of D. H. McKenzie, deposed that he had been acquainted with the deceased for 21 years. He was a master mariner, and his last vessel was the schooner Rona, which was wrecked on the 8th or 9th of August at Kaipara. Information having been received as to the finding of the body, witness went on the 2nd of November to see if he could identify the remains found by last witness, and arrived at halfpast seven on Friday, 4th. He found the skeleton as described by the last witness. He identified the boat as belonging to the schooner Rona, having seen her often previously. By the peculiar formation of the teeth he identified the body, and believed the skeleton to be that of Captain McKenzie of the Rona. He identified the socks found on the feet of the skeleton. They were knitted at Waipu by some of the relatives of deceased. The length of the skeleton also corresponded with the height of deceased, 6 feet, and he had no doubt in his mind of the identity of the remains with those of Kenneth McKenzie. Witness described the appearance of the wreck, when he visited it. — James Smith, master mariner, corroborated the evidence of the previous witness. He had no doubt as to the identity of the deceased. The remains were found about 40 miles northward of where the Rona was wrecked. Since the wreck a body was found 15 miles northward of the wreck, but they then thought it must have been from the James A. Stewart, it was so much decomposed. He did not think so now after seeing the present remains. There was no lighthouse at Kaipara Heads, but he should recommend that there should be one. The of deceased was about 38 years, was married, and had a family of four children. — Captain John McKenzie, Deputy Harbour-master for the port of Auckland, deposed that he had now no doubt of the identity of the remains. He visited the wreck on the 10th August. He believed the vessel capsized coming on the beach, 20 miles to the south of the South Head, and the cause he should judge of her getting on shore was the stress of weather through westerly gales, which were then the heaviest they had had for a long time. The absence of a lighthouse was no doubt the cause, and he would advise a lighthouse of the first order showing bright on the channel, red on the north spit, and green on the south as a very necessary means of preventing accidents. This was all the evidence, and the jury, after a brief deliberation, brought in a verdict to the effect that deceased was found drowned, but there was no evidence to show how he was drowned. They added a rider recommending that in view of the large traffic to Kaipara harbour it was necessary that lights, as recommended by the Deputy Harbourmaster, should be provided for that port. -NZ Herald, 8/11/1881.
Symonds Street Cemetery, Auckland.
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