Mary Dobie: Murder at Te Namu

Overlooking the lake at Opunake is a little graveyard. Underneath the towering macrocarpa, surrounded by a wrought iron fence is a white marble gravestone. The memorial is to Mary Beatrix Dobie, murdered on the last day of her holiday in the region.

It was a bright November afternoon in 1880 when Englishwoman Mary Dobie set out on foot from Opunake with a sketch book and box of pencils under her arm. It was one of her last days in the region and she wanted to get a sketch of Te Namu Bay, a short stroll from Opunake.

Auckland based Mary (27) was a renowned illustrator, having many works published in her uncle's paper, The London Graphic. Mary, her sister Bertha and their mother had sailed to New Zealand in 1877 to join their brother Herbert, an engineer working in building railways for the new colony. During their two-year holiday the family had settled in Auckland, using it as a base to explore New Zealand.

Adventurous women, Mary and Bertha travelled to Fiji the year before, taking the opportunity to sketch and explore the island. Only recently the two sisters had been on a journey through Northland on horseback. The text (with illustrations by Mary) had been published in The Graphic under the headline “A ride by two Auckland ladies through the northern districts of the colony”.

Bertha had fallen in love while on holiday in New Zealand - she married Major Forster Goring in 1880 and the couple moved south to Taranaki where Major Goring was the commanding officer of the Cape Egmont camp.

Mary and her mother were about to return home to England, but before doing so made a farewell trip to see the Gorings. Despite unrest over land issues in the Taranaki district, the mother and daughter had not felt under threat during their time in the region. The pair had enjoyed their stay, becoming involved in community life. Just the week before Mary had been highly commended for her portrayal of Lydia Languish in an amateur performance of Sheridan's comedy The Rivals at the Choral Hall.

Mary had been on several sketching trips, even travelling to Parihaka where she was welcomed by Te Whiti. The handsome woman was well-liked – her graceful and cheery disposition a welcome addition to the small community of Opunake. But now it was time to return home.

The afternoon of 25 November was perfect for sketching and Mary wandered along the little dirt road to the aptly named Te Namu (Sand fly) Bay, picking wild flowers from the roadside. Te Namu Bay was the scene of the 1862 wreck of the ship the Lord Worsley, and was one of the most beautiful spots in the district.

Later that night a trail of blood led searchers to her body lying crumpled in a flax bush 100 metres from the road. The Taranaki Herald wrote that Mary's throat had been brutally cut, nearly severing her head. Her hand was raised as if to protect her throat, where above her silk kerchief the knife had slashed at her delicate white skin. Nearby lay a clue to the murderer – a saddle, broken bridle and pair of blood smeared riding breeches. 

The Opunake community was distraught – the killer must be found immediately! Horse breaker Walter Stannard, a “suspicious looking character” was arrested the next day. He'd been spotted returning home with blood on his clothes and was surely the guilty party, despite his protests that the blood was from a horse.

It was a shock then when, at the trial, a Māori known as Tuhi (Tuhiata) stood up and said "I did it I am the murderer. I do not wish for another trial. Kill me at once. I am the murderer." Tuhi had been under suspicion – but the police had no evidence against him.
He told the outraged court that he had followed Mary without any intent to kill her. He'd overtaken the frightened woman and she had given him money, hoping he would go away. Tuhi had taken out his pocket knife and stabbed her in the throat, she had fallen to the ground and he had dragged her into the flax then slashed at her again.

He was taken to Wellington for trial where he was later hanged.

Dyne, D.G. (1969). Famous New Zealand Murders. Auckland: Collins.

Hastings, D. (2015). The many deaths of Mary Dobie: murder, politics and revenge in nineteenth-century New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland University Press.