Puatai

Waihau Bay Beach, Puatai, New Zealand

Waihau Bay Beach, is approximately 42km from Gisborne, 6km down Waihau Road from the State Highway35 turn-off

Note - Puatai has also been known or written as Potae, Puatae or Poatai over the years.

Waihau Bay Beach, Puatai, could be considered the birthplace of our family in Aotearoa because the first Priestley children of Aotearoa were born here.

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Merv Priestley email

Charles and Taraipine

Upon their marriage in 1869, Charles Priestley and Taraipine Tatua, made their home on a property opposite Waihau Bay Beach in Poatai/Puatai. It is unsure how they came into being on the land, however it is thought it may have had something to do with her local tribal connections.

Records show that they were sheep farmers and the property covered some 4000 acres. Here they were to built the first Priestley homestead in New Zealand.

All of their children were born in Waihau.

Stephen Priestley b. 28 Jun 1867
Charles Priestley b. 11 Jan 1869
William Augustine Priestley b. 24 Sep 1871
George Patterson Priestley b. 19 Nov 1872
Amelia Jane Priestley b. 10 Mar 1874
Lydia Maria Priestley b. 12 Jul 1876
Sarah Harriett Priestley b. 1878
Wi Kepa Priestley b. 13 Jan 1880

Unfortunately, some of the children didn't make it past childhood.

Amelia Jane Priestley d. Abt 1884, (Age 9 years)
Lydia Maria Priestley d. 5 Jan 1877, (Age 0 years)
Sarah Harriett Priestley d. 1881, (Age 3 years)
Wi Kepa Priestley d. 24 Sep 1894 (Age 14 years)

The family moved away from Waihau to Gisborne around 1880.

The beach is now named Loisels Beach, where many think it should be Priestley Beach considering that Charles and Taraipine were the first family to settle there.

Recent erosion on the homestead site has exposed human remains of a child or children. We can only speculate as who they belong to. Cemetery records advise that the first of Charles and Taraipine's children to die (Lydia Maria d.1877) , is buried at the Makaraka Cemetery in Gisborne. It is unlikely that the children who died after her would have been transported and buried back at Puatai.

The site is now deemed a waahi tapu (a sacred place). There has been an offer by the owner of the site that we put some sort of memorial on the site. We are contemplating that offer, so there may yet be another story to tell here.

The Waihau Beach Homestead Site is worth a day visit or a camping visit if you are in the area. The carpark is at the bottom of the hill on the rightt-hand side. There are public toilet facilities next to carpark. It can be quite busy during the summer months but during winter, it is quite deserted.

Puatai Media

(click images to enlarge)

Droving sheep at Waihau Beach, also known as Loisel's Beach, on the way to the Gisborne market. Photograph taken by Frederick Hargreaves circa 1906. Article - Sheep droving at Waihau Bay

Waihau Beach Coaching Days

Another snapshot of history.

Whanau visit 2014 - The road down to the beach.

During the winter months, the place is quite deserted but worth a visit at any time of the year. The carpark is at the bottom of the hill on the right-hand side.

Public toilet facilities are next to carpark.