Captain Geo Jenkins
Best known as the Captain of the Lady Jocelyn 1872 - 1881 who brought many settlers to Tauranga, Te Puke and Kati Kati and who died in his cabin on a voyage to Wellington.
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With Captain Jenkins in command the Lady
Jocelyn brought out a large batch of settlers in 1881,
and proceeded direct to Tauranga. It was the day after New
Year's Day that the Lady Jocelyn arrived off Tauranga, 95 days out from Gravesend,
and as the wind was not favourable for making port, she tacked
between Mayor Island and the Mount (the high headland at the
entrance to Tauranga harbour). She made a magnificent sight
standing across the bay, and there was quite a flutter in the
rather sleepy little township, particularly among the Maoris,
who were much more numerous in this district forty years ago
than they are to-day. the Lady
Jocelyn was the first immigrant ship to make a call at
Tauranga, and seeing that in addition to the rarity of the
occasion she was also a vessel of 2138 tons, it is no wonder
that those who saw her standing on and off remembered it as
one of the sights of their lives.
There was a warm welcome for the Lady Jocelyn's passengers from a committee formed by the townspeople, and contemporary accounts tell how some of the immigrants, "fraternised boisterously with the Maoris." Captain Jenkins, the master of the Lady Jocelyn, was duly feted, and the passengers (with whom he was decidedly popular) presented him with an address. A luncheon and other festivities took place and the ship was visited by everyone for miles round. Her stay at Tauranga was very brief, as on January 6th she arrived at Auckland for which port she had some passengers and a large cargo. Here again her size, and fine fittings made her a much admired ship.
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