Sailors Grave Memorial Te Karo Bay

So common was the death of a young sailors in centuries gone by, that most were simply buried at sea, if they were not already lost to the waves.

At Te Karo Bay is a rare land-based grave afforded to one unlucky young British sailor who drowned in the surf here in 1842. His name was William Sampson and he was with the HMS Tortoise, and somehow found his death in the shallows of this picturesque Coromandel coastline. His picket surrounded plot is possibly the oldest grave of a sailor in New Zealand, but this is not confirmed.

Like the Kahikatea board of the Lonely Graves left in the Otago Goldfields, Sampson was honoured with a weathered plank of local timber, in this case Kauri, for his headstone. It was later replaced and was last reported to be at the very interesting Mercury Bay Museum. The Treasury gives an in-depth account of the activities of the crew of the HMS Tortoise and the camp her crew made here at Te Karo.

An quiet and pretty place, not far from Tairua, Te Karo Bay is strangely safe for swimming, and a spot of fishing, with ideal picnic spots in adjoining Pohutukawa Grove Recreation Reserve. For over 160 years the most regular visitors have been the Royal New Zealand Navy who tend to Sampson's protected grave, in the DOC Reserve created for it, down Sailor's Grave Road.

Things look to be changing for the lonely soldier from 2020 onwards, as subdivision of the farmland on the hillsides (named Pumpkin Hill by the crew of the Tortoise) above will likely bring him company, welcome or not. The track from Whenuakitewas closed due to Kauri dieback disease.

NZPlaces would appreciate more pictures of this special reserve.

Image Credit: Russell Street