Grey Street (Waitara)

George Grey was born in Portugal in April 1812, the son of an Army officer. Grey entered Sandhurst as a cadet in 1826, was commissioned ensign in 1830, and spent the next six years serving in Ireland. Grey came to hate the brutal British regime imposed on the Irish and felt that emigration would be the only way to end the appalling poverty in Ireland.

In 1836 Grey left the military and embarked on a disastrous exploration of areas north of Perth in Australia. While there, he married Eliza Spencer, daughter of the resident magistrate. The newly-weds spent a year in England before going back to South Australia in 1841, where Grey had been appointed governor to the nearly bankrupt colony. Economically, Grey's governing of South Australia was a success. As a governor, Grey showed himself prudent and parsimonious in many matters, but quite deficient in others.

In 1845 Grey was appointed governor of New Zealand, another colony in financial ruin. Having the support that had been denied his predecessors, Grey set about sorting out the colony and donating money for the building of hospitals and schools for Māori, such as the Gables hospital and the Grey Institute on St. Aubyn Street in New Plymouth.

After several years as governor in New Zealand, Grey became governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa. While on the journey to the Cape, Grey had a disagreement with his wife and had her put ashore at Rio de Janeiro. Eliza and Grey had never had a very strong relationship; she accused him of affairs and taking too much laudanum; he thought her vacuous. Eliza and Grey never saw each other again for 36 years, a year before Grey died.

Grey returned to New Zealand in 1861, again as governor. Political tensions were high and Grey managed to get himself into disputes with several officers, such as Duncan Cameron.  His tenure ended in 1868 and Grey went back to England, with a hope of standing for the British parliament. He failed and returned to New Zealand, where he had a home on Kawau Island. Grey became premier in 1877, just as New Zealand was sliding into a severe depression.  He resigned in 1879 and remained a back-bencher; by then his political peers thought him mad.

He returned to England in 1894 and was reunited with Eliza in 1897. Both died the following year. Sir George Grey is buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.

Related plan:

Waitara West SO7754, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)