Charles Heaphy
Encyclopedia
Major
Charles Heaphy VC
(1821 - 3 August 1881) was a New Zealand
explorer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
, England
the son of an artist. He was just seventeen years old when he was appointed as resident Artist and Surveyor to the first New Zealand Company
expedition to New Zealand, sailing with William Wakefield
on the Tory and arriving in what later became known as Wellington late in 1839.
on the expedition that led to the founding of Nelson
. From here he took part in several expeditions to explore the north west corner of the South Island
. In 1848 he was appointed gold fields commissioner at Coromandel.
in the Auckland Militia, New Zealand Military Forces, during the Invasion of the Waikato
of 1863-64 (one of the campaigns of the New Zealand Wars).
For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross; the first colonial soldier to receive it. Von Tempsky
wrote that “Heaphy has the (Victoria) Cross and I want it”, which may have caused the reckless action leading to his own death.
In 1865 he was appointed Chief Surveyor for Auckland
and in 1867 elected to the House of Representatives for Parnell
, a suburb of Auckland. In 1878 he was appointed as a judge of the Native Land Court but retired two years later due to ill health.
Charles Heaphy was an accomplished artist and his watercolours are an important record of many scenes in the early days of European settlement in New Zealand. However, his name is most known now through the Heaphy Track
in the north west corner of the South Island. He and Thomas Brunner
were probably the first Europeans to walk through this area of the South Island and although he never followed the route of the Heaphy Track, it is named in his honour.
He died in Brisbane
, Australia
, in 1881 and is buried at Toowong Cemetery
.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Charles Heaphy VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(1821 - 3 August 1881) was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
explorer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early Life
Charles Heaphy was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
the son of an artist. He was just seventeen years old when he was appointed as resident Artist and Surveyor to the first New Zealand Company
New Zealand Company
The New Zealand Company originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The association, and later the company, intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of...
expedition to New Zealand, sailing with William Wakefield
William Wakefield
William Hayward Wakefield was an English colonel, the leader of the first colonizing expedition to New Zealand and one of the founders of Wellington. In 1826, he married Emily Sidney, a daughter of Sir John Sidney.-Early life:...
on the Tory and arriving in what later became known as Wellington late in 1839.
In New Zealand
In 1841 he joined Arthur WakefieldArthur Wakefield
Captain Arthur Wakefield served with the Royal Navy, before joining his brother, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, in founding the new settlement at Nelson, New Zealand.-Royal Navy:...
on the expedition that led to the founding of Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. From here he took part in several expeditions to explore the north west corner of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. In 1848 he was appointed gold fields commissioner at Coromandel.
Military Career
In 1859 he joined the Armed Constabulary as a volunteer. He was approximately 43-years-old, and a majorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the Auckland Militia, New Zealand Military Forces, during the Invasion of the Waikato
Invasion of the Waikato
The Invasion of Waikato or Kingitanga Suppression Movement was a campaign during the middle stages of the New Zealand Wars, fought in the North Island of New Zealand from July 1863 to April 1864 between the military forces of the Colonial Government and a federation of Māori tribes known as the...
of 1863-64 (one of the campaigns of the New Zealand Wars).
For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross; the first colonial soldier to receive it. Von Tempsky
Gustavus von Tempsky
Major Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky was a Polish-Prussian adventurer, artist, newspaper correspondent and soldier in New Zealand, Australia, California, Mexico and the Mosquito Coast of Central America...
wrote that “Heaphy has the (Victoria) Cross and I want it”, which may have caused the reckless action leading to his own death.
Later Life
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and in 1867 elected to the House of Representatives for Parnell
Parnell (New Zealand electorate)
Parnell was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, from 1861 to 1954.The electorate was represented by ten Members of Parliament:* Reader Wood 1861–65 & 1870–78* Robert James Creighton 1865–66* Frederick Whitaker 1866–67...
, a suburb of Auckland. In 1878 he was appointed as a judge of the Native Land Court but retired two years later due to ill health.
Charles Heaphy was an accomplished artist and his watercolours are an important record of many scenes in the early days of European settlement in New Zealand. However, his name is most known now through the Heaphy Track
Heaphy Track
The Heaphy Track is a popular tramping track in the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located within the Kahurangi National Park and classified as one of New Zealand's nine Great Walks by the Department of Conservation. Named after Charles Heaphy, the track is 82 km long and...
in the north west corner of the South Island. He and Thomas Brunner
Thomas Brunner
Thomas Brunner was an English-born surveyor and explorer remembered for his exploration of the western coastal areas of New Zealand's South Island....
were probably the first Europeans to walk through this area of the South Island and although he never followed the route of the Heaphy Track, it is named in his honour.
He died in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in 1881 and is buried at Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
.