Secrets of Brinns Point

Today we had a neat little adventure – a group walk across private land (permissions obtained) with the Otago Photography Enthusiasts group. We were to take in several interesting sites along the way, including an old tunnel, an isolated cemetery, and a ruined farm house. With so many of my favourite things involved, there was no way I wasn’t going to tag along.

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After meeting up in town, we took our assorted vehicles up the northern motorway and through Waitati. Turning off onto the narrow twisting Coast Rd at Evansdale we followed it across numerous train crossings and past Seacliff.

Although we were not yet at our designated meeting point, I noticed that everyone had pulled up at a lookout. They won’t lose me that easily! I joined the team, who justified the sudden change of plans by pointing out the magnificent view northwards of the bright morning sun shining on the coast.

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A likely story!

Once we’d all admired and photographed the vista to our contentment, we continued and gathered at our pre-arranged meeting spot just beyond yet another rail crossing. We followed the railway track (at a safe distance mind you!) back towards the south. Almost immediately we came to a high gate giving access to an overgrown road heading towards the steep sandstone bluff ahead.

The northern entrance to the tunnel is mostly hidden by a thick wall of bushes, but the top of the arch is visible from some distance away. The arch is noticeably coming apart, illustrating the subsidence problems that led to it being abandoned in 1935 for the more stable nearby cutting.

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One day, that will fall…

Squeezing through the foliage, we found the 161 metre tunnel blocked by rubble only a few metres in. A good idea, as it no doubt becomes more and more dangerously unstable as the years go by. Built in 1877 it was in use for just under 60 years before being closed.

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Go back!

We now had to get to the other side of the bluff to continue our adventure. The path of least resistance was of course the modern railway cutting, but nobody wanted to meet a train in that narrow chasm. One of our party chose to climb directly over the hill near the tunnel, while the rest of us crossed the tracks and climbed up the sandstone cliff near the start of the cutting.

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We’ll be safe here as long as trains can’t climb!

Walking along the top of the ridge, we were able to make it safely to the other side. Here we were able to access the other end of the abandoned tunnel, pushing through a bushy thicket into the cutting until we came up against the sealed entrance. Peering into the darkness, we could just make out the lumpy shapes of more earth and gravel packed inside to discourage foolhardy adventurers.

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No entry!

Heading onwards, we caught a good view of a sandstone sea stack just off the coast before coming across a gnarly apple tree still carrying some fruit. I sampled a tart little apple under the watchful eyes of a fantail perched above.

Fantail
Little buddy!

As we munched, we drew level with Brinns Point and its mysterious cemetery. But first our attention was drawn to some nearby macrocarpas, a likely indication of the site of an old homestead. Poking around we discovered some scattered bricks and half-buried concrete slabs, confirming our suspicions.

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Mysterious macrocarpas…

The 1922 map of Dunedin and its surrounds calls this Parker’s Farm, so this is likely the home of James Henry Parker and his wife Harriet Lloyd. The people of Brinns point were some of the first settlers in Otago, whalers who mingled with local Maori and greeted Dunedin’s Scottish settlers upon their arrival. The “half-caste” community became somewhat marginalised as Dunedin became the local economic power, and James Parker was one of several who returned to whaling in the 1870s to make ends meet, forming part of the crew of Maori Girl, the old whaleboat that can be found today in the Otago Museum.

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View of Brinns point from Parker’s place

As we wandered down the ridge to the lonely point, the smell of the ocean rose to greet us. The name Brinns Point derives from “Mother Brind’s Point”, known for the wife of a whaler named Brind who would keep watch here for her husband. Mrs Brind was one of only three white women living in Otago prior to the arrival of Johnny Jones’ settlers on the Magnet in 1840. However the Brinds did not remain here and left permanently for Australia soon after.

The four restored headstones in the tiny fenced cemetery look northwards up the shining coast. Many more burials remain unmarked, likely including the Parkers. A cairn here commemorates two couples and their descendants: John Edward Rodden Thompson and Morere Wharu, and James Edwin Lloyd and Hinekoau (parents of the aforementioned Harriet Lloyd).

John Edward Rodden Thompson is a bit of a mystery as the (possibly Irish) whaler used both last names interchangeably. Rotu Kurukuru, one of his daughters, married into the Lloyd family and lived to the impressive age of 105.

Headstone of John Edware Rodden Thompson, Morere, and their son
Headstone of John Edward Rodden Thompson, Morere, and their son

Then there’s the headstone of William Wilson and daughter Catherine Rosamund Morere (Molly) Wilson. In 1891 Catherine wrote into the Otago Witness’s Letters from the Little Folks column, telling of her four brothers, one sister and little red calf. Sadly she died at only 14 and a half years of age, and her heartbroken family regularly placed poems in the papers memorialising her.

Next door is the headstone of Annie Peebles, wife of James Peebles, and Catherine Rosamund’s only sister. Together they were the grand-daughters of John Edward Rodden Thompson and Morere.

Finally we have the resting place of William Henry Lloyd, who died suddenly at 54 from what was ruled as “exhaustion from mania”. Buried with him is his son Walter Joseph Lloyd who died at only 18 years of age.

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Lloyd headstone

Mother Brind’s watch may have ended, but these few people along with their unmarked brethren have taken up her mantle, keeping watch over the ocean from this lonely and little-known bluff.

Once we had paid our respects, it was time to continue to our last stop. To get there, we had to cross a gorse-filled gully. We successfully negotiated the muddy bottom and followed the fence line upwards until we found a prickle-free place to cross. As we emerged from the valley we caught sight of our final destination.

Ruined farm house
That’s right, another ruined farm house!

This place is marked as “Loyd’s Farm” in the 1922 map, so I guess it belonged to the Lloyd family who are memorialised in the cemetery below and who intermarried with their neighbours the Parkers whose place we visited earlier. From this weathered old cottage the residents would have been able to look from the window down on to Brinns Point and the resting place of their loved ones by the ocean.

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Hi mum and dad!

We poked around the crumbling farm house for a while before making our way back up to the railway track. Then it was a long plod back along the flat trail beside the track until we reached our vehicles. Our excursion on this brilliant winter morning had proved productive for everyone – I’d got plenty of neat material to share with you readers, while some gorgeous photos were obtained by more skilled photographers than I.

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29 thoughts on “Secrets of Brinns Point

  1. Andy Dunbar

    Thank you for this fascinating story of my ancestors, the Roden Thomsons and Lloyds. I haven’t been able to visit this part of NZ myself, yet so your research and photos have been invaluable.

    1. amanda

      You’re welcome! I hope you’re able to make it sometime!

    2. Katrina Lahey

      Thank you for solving a part of my journey into Brinns Point where my Ancestors lay.

  2. Tania Switalla

    Hi Amanda.
    Thank you for taking the time to share this amazing history with us all.
    James Henry Parker and his wife Harriet Lloyd were my great, great grandparents. I am very interested in how you were able to find out who Harriet’s parents were ( James Edwin Llyod & Hinekoau) as I would like to know more about my ancestors. I hope you get this message and can reply to me. Kindest regards, Tania

    1. amanda

      Hi Tania, sorry it took so long for me to reply, I’ve been looking through my sources but can’t find figure out exactly where I got that information. The laptop I was using at the time crashed and I lost all the files on it!
      I’ll keep looking and let you know if I find anything!

    2. Lloyd Meikle

      Hi Tania, James Lloyd andHinekoau were my ancestors also . The old house has been pulled down now, but the trust that owns it is about to erect another structure.

    3. Andy Dunbar

      Hi Tania – happy to share any family information with you that we have. My wife has done quite a lot of research into the family. James Edwin Lloyd and Hinekoau (Sarah) Tail were my 3 x great grandparents so we certainly have shared ancestry.
      andyandjan@windowslive.com

      1. Nancy Howell

        Hi Andy and Janice hi whanau this is an amazing day today to actually get to meet other families from my ancestors Hinekoau and James Edwin Lloyd

    4. Rhonda Parker

      Hi Tania,
      I am just tracing my ancestors too, when I came across this amazing story. James and Harriet were my great, great grandparents too.
      Would love to know any more info you may have please? Rhonda.parker0@gmail.com

  3. Andy Dunbar

    Hi all, Following on from my first post 2 years ago I am now happy to say that my wife and visited Brinns Point in February this year and walked our Lloyd/ Roden Thomson ancestral land. What an amazing place, and (in summer at least!) how wonderful to live in such a beautiful place with such beautiful views out over the ocean. It was an emotional time for me to walk where my ancestors had walked and to feel their presence.
    My wife has done a great deal of research into the family tree now and would be happy to share what we know with anyone who is interested.
    Unfortunately, when we visited the old family home had already been demolished, so your photos were particularly valuable to us. It was good to see the site before the new building changes it though, and will be exciting to see the new building when it’s completed.

    1. amanda

      Hi Andy, thanks for the update! I’m glad to hear you were able to visit your ancestral land! I hope it was a great experience for you.

      1. Frances

        I am a decent of this family my granmothrer was maude frances Parker . Please get in touch .

        1. Frances

          Thanks we share great grandparents

        2. Nancy Howell

          Hi Frances my father was Maude’s brother. His name was Allen Gilmore Parker and he was the youngest child. There were 10 children the eldest was George ,Gertrude, Maude, Marion, Violet, Mavis, Evelyn,William, James, then my dad.
          So very excited to finally find some relatives

    2. Jessie-Lee Fishburn

      Hi Andy,
      I have just stumbled upon this amazing post and the related comments in researching my whakapapa. I will shortly be taking my children for my first trip to Waikouaiti and Karitane to see some ancestral lands. My mother was a Lloyd, a descendent of Sarah Lloyd. I would like to email you for your partners research on the family tree please. My Grandfather Johnathon (Jack) lived in the wee cottage with his mother Winifred, Grandmother Sarah and his Sister Joan when he was very young. He visited the Brinns Point urupa a decade or so ago after the restoration project but hasn’t been back since.
      Jessie-Lee Fishburn

  4. Alf Williams

    Thank you I loved reading this! James Edwin Lloyd is my 4th great uncle, born in Pembrokeshire in South Wales in about 1823, the son of another mariner – John Lloyd.

    1. Andy and Janice Dunbar

      Hi Alf, Would love to know more about the Lloyds in Wales – I havent been able to get back that far to date. My email address is andyandjan@windowslive.com

  5. Tracey

    Hi,
    Thank you for the photos and information, it brought back memories of when I went to visit the old farmhouse and cemetery about 30 years ago with my Nana, Aunty and a couple of cousins. (I’ll have to dig out the photos from back then to see the difference)
    Nana had lived in the old house when she was younger for a short time after her mum had died, from what I remember her telling me. Her father was Alfred Lloyd and he had married a Wilson (my apologies for not remembering her name at the moment – Isobel? ) however she is buried at the cemetery at Waitati.
    Thank you again 🙂

    1. amanda

      Thanks for posting your comment here. I always love to hear from descendants of the people I’ve researched!

    2. Graham Lloyd

      Hi Tracey,
      That was a good day having Auntie Elsie back in the house where she lived with her grandmother Mary Lloyd ( née Thompson) after her Mother died. Your right her mother my grandmother was Isobel.
      Cheers,
      Graham.

  6. Gregg Blomfield

    Hi, i found this doco and story while updating my heritage page, i researching Brinn’s point. This a fascinating read and i am pleased i found this piece of family history. My Mum was Alison Parker daughter of William McDougall, so James Henry Parker is my Great,Great Grandad. Any photos or family history i am interested to hear about

  7. John Gilmore

    Hi Great to find this site.My Gt Gt Gt Grandparents were Hinekoua and James Lloyd.Their daughter Hariata -Harriet – married Henry Parker and their daughter Martha married William Clemett of Kaikoura.Martha and Williams daughter Doris md Alex Gilmore my Grandfather whose father came from Ireland and was killed working on the Kaikoura road tunnels in1898.We are going to Dunrdin over the holidays and would love to visit Brinns Point Does anyone know who to get in touch with down there??

    1. Julie Clemett

      Hi John, cant help with a great deal of info but I am a grand daughter of Martha Parker and William Clemett. I too am looking forward to visiting Brinns Point. Does anyone on this site know where Hinekoau originated from before she was in kaiopoi?

  8. Izzy young

    Kia ora whanau,

    I am also a descendant of the Parker line. I would appreciate any contact or information anyone may have.
    Feel free to contact me at izzyryoung@gmail.com
    Nga mini
    Izzy young

  9. Clive Bennett

    Greetings – If you are interested in details of burials in the Brinns Point (Te Awa Koiea) Urupā.
    clivebennett(@gmail.com

    1. Graham Lloyd

      Kia Ora Clive,
      It may interest you to know the correct Māori name for Brinns point is Te awa koeo.
      The place of the small pāua. Koeo is the Otago Māori name for the yellow foot pāua a smaller variety than the black foot pāua.
      Ka kite ano,
      Graham Lloyd.

  10. Donna Martin

    A wonderful article to read. I am a descendant of John Edward Rodden Thomson and Morere Wharu. Do you have any further information about them and their daughter Sarah Thomson who is my grandmother x4.

    1. Katrina Corcoran /Lahey

      Hi Donna. I have photos. And am related to Rodden and Sarah.
      My email is
      kitkat23@live.com.au

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