During the 1860s, thousands of fortune seekers flocked to the Otago goldfields from around the globe. For many, it was an era of adventure. Some miners achieved the pinnacle of success and riches, others were beset by tragedy. One of the key players during this period was Jack Tewa. Jack is accredited with discovering gold in the Arrow River and celebrated for his heroic deeds in 1862. However, relatively little is known about his life, and his fate is a mystery.

The origins of Jack Tewa

Much like his fate, the origins of Jack Tewa are shrouded in mystery. Since he travelled under various names and was known throughout Otago by nicknames such as ‘Māori Jack’ and ‘Big Jack,’ there is some confusion surrounding his real name. Within most history books, he goes by ‘Jack Tewa,’ the name inscribed on a medal he was awarded for his bravery in 1862. However, some suggest that his real name was Hatini Waiti or Antony White. He is generally believed to have come from Thames in the North Island where he worked as a shearer or musterer. He journeyed south to Otago around 1861, and after some unsuccessful prospecting of the Dart and Routeburn Rivers with other shearers, he took up a permanent job on a sheep station owned by William Rees near present-day Arrowtown.

Courage and Bravery

Jack’s Point today: a developing suburb by the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. © Tourist Class Travel

On the 9^th of August 1862, Jack and two Pākehā comrades known as Rodgers and Mitchell, were sailing across Lake Wakatipu from Kingston to Queenstown. About an hour from their destination, a violent squall struck their sailboat which capsized. Rogers perished in the cold waters, and Mitchell was soon to follow; he didn’t know how to swim. Remarkably, Jack righted the sailboat, swum to Mitchell, and hauled him abroad. He landed the boat on the southern shores of Wakatipu (now Refugee Point) and carried his friend ashore, covering him in bracken to keep him warm before setting off to find help. Eventually, he reached Nichols von Tunzelmann’s station 30 miles away. Mitchell was finally rescued three days later. Apparently, Mitchell credits his survival to a mysterious collie dog which kept him warm at night by lying beside him.

Understandably, Mitchell and William Rees (who owned the sailboat and was the employer of Rodgers) were extremely grateful to Jack and wrote about his courageous feats to the Royal Humane Society who awarded Jack a medal. Jack also received a silver watch, and the story of his bravery became the talk of the goldfields. He also inspired the name of Jack’s Point, now a suburb on the south-western shores of Lake Wakatipu.

The discovery of Gold in the Arrow River

William Fox, a successful prospector of the Otago goldfields, has often received credit for discovering gold in the Arrow River. But it was really Jack Tewa who first uncovered the riches of this waterway. In 1862, he sunk a shovel into the riverbed and carried back the washdirt that was speckled with gold, to Rees, his employer. Rees was far from pleased – he feared the ramifications of a frenzied ‘gold rush’ – and swore Jack to secrecy. However, word soon got out. Mr. McGregor visited Rees’ station and quickly set about developing an affluent gold field, later followed by William Fox five days later.

Rees’ concerns were fully realised when his pastoral lease for grazing sheep was cancelled in 1863, in favour of a goldfield. Rees moved his activities south, but struggled to find shearers and shepherds. Many able-bodied men preferred to try their luck gold mining.

Visit Arrowtown today and you might spot this commemoration of Jack Tewa by the Arrow River, erected in 2012. © Tourist Class Travel

What happened to Jack Tewa?

After his gold discovery, Jack led a few prospecting trips along the West Coast. Now wealthy from his claims he’d worked in the Shotover River, he expressed his desires to go overseas and visit a friend, Alfred Duncan, in England. In 1867 he found a route north of Haast linking the West Coast (now named Māori Pass), however his whereabouts from then on remain a mystery. Notably, there are several other notorious ‘Jack’s’ that appear in South Island history. For instance, Jack’s Blowhole in the Catlins was named after Tuhawaiki, a Ngāi Tahu chief known to Europeans as ‘bloody Jack.’ There are also several others, but they are distinguishable from Jack Tewa.

Conclusion

Although his name was overshadowed by other Otago personalities in the past, people are increasingly recognising Jack Tewa’s remarkable influence on the course of South Island history. Yet, for such an influential character, we know very little about his early years and later life. Did he travel abroad? Or did he venture into the wilderness in search of more riches? The answers must be buried out there somewhere, waiting to be unearthed – much like Jack’s gold in the Arrow River.

References

Carpenter, L. (2013). Finding “Te Wherro” in Ōtākou: Māori and the early days of the Otago gold rush. Mai Journal, 2(2), 105-120.

Hall-Jones, J. (2005). Goldfields of Otago, an illustrated history. Invercargill: Craig’s design & Print Ltd.

Roxburgh, T. (2009). Location of Maori Jack’s remains still a mystery. Otago Daily Times.
Location of heroic Maori Jack’s remains still a mystery. | Otago Daily Times Online News (odt.co.nz)