By Shona McKenzie

My family connection with Kauri district starts in Assynt Scotland with my great great great grandfather, Alexander McKenzie and his wife Jessie (Janet), who with their family, left for a better life in Nova Scotia (after the Scottish Highland Clearance) where they both died.

Their son Hugh, my great great grandfather married Jessie McInnes and they emigrated to New Zealand on the last of the emigrating boats, the Ellen Lewis, arriving at Waipu where they were allotted land at Kauri in 1860. Hugh donated part of his land to the Kauri Church and School.

Hugh was the first teacher and school was held in the Kauri Church from 1861 to 1867 when the school was built by Donald and Alex McLeod. Hugh and Jessie had five children: John, Jessie, Donald (Dan), Mary and Barbara. Hugh died of consumption aged only 44 years and is buried along with his wife Jessie at Kauri Cemetry.

Hugh’s son, John (my Grandfather), although only 10 when his father died, later ran the family farm with the help of Dan, which included Kauri Mountain, part of which was sold to Don Finalyson.

Jessie married Norman McKenzie and had land behind the hall and lived in the house that now belongs to the Cossletts. They ran the Post Office from there. Jessie was the eldest surviving migrating resident and died in her 102nd year. She is buried in Kauri Cemetry.

Mary married Dan McMillan and they lived around the back of the mountain which was on the West boundary of the Kauri District. Barbara died age 8 years. Mary and Barbara are also buried at Kauri.

The family’s two-storied homestead, which was built by John and his brother Dan, although altered, still stands today at 579 Crane Road. Bruce Taylor said, when his family bought the farm in the late 1920s, that it still had a dirt floor in the wash house and no electricity.

John (J.H. McKenzie) was the school committee Chairman from 1897 - 1918 (21 years). He was also on the Roads and Cemetry Boards. It was written that his biggest achievement along with his wife, who taught Sunday School, was within the Church.

He married Catherine Archibald in 1895 and they had four children: Gorden, Lester, Agnes and Albert (Bert), my father. All children attended Kauri School and Whangārei High Schools before shifting to Auckland in 1918.

Uncle Gorden (G.H. McKenzie) appears on the Kauri District WW1 honours list. They sold the farm to Hedley and Edith Hirst.

Shonagh is gaelic for Jessie, and I am named after Hugh’s daughter Jessie McKenzie. We both, not only married McKenzies, but we also share a birthday.

So this is where their connection to Kauri ends and many years later mine begins.