Ran away to sea at age 11.
arrived Sydney 1826 and joined a whaler.
visited Bay of Islands 1827.
returned to TeAwaiti, Tory Channel april 1830.
was at Te Awaiti, Tory Channel at the whaling station with John GUARD.
wrote a dairy in his old age.(in Turnbull Library) Heather HEBERLEY wrote several books on aspects of Tory Channel life.
see Nat Library MS -0971
The early section of the diary recounts Heberley's experiences as a captain's apprentice and cabin boy on vessels sailing out of London to many destinations including Hamburg, Sydney and the West Indies. Much of the later narrative describes whaling and the life of a whaler in Cook Strait and the Marlborough Sounds. Also describes life with local Maori which includes comments on Maori tribal wars, his experiences with Te Rauparaha, the taking of slaves and conflict with Europeans. In 1831 Heberley took as his wife a Maori woman at Port Underwood (later married by Samuel Ironside in 1840). Heberley purchased land in Port Nicholson before the arrival of the New Zealand Company. He piloted the Tory into Port Nicholson, and round the coast to Wanganui and Taranaki. While she was at Kaipara he climbed Mount Egmont with Dieffenbach (Dec 1839). Diary ends in June 1843 as Heberley gives up his role as a pilot operating in Worser Bay and moves into Port Nicholson to start fishing and returns to whaling.
1839 climbed Mt Egmont with DIEFFENBACH = first ascent. PMO
Mr HEBLY recorded as a passenger on the Brig Martha departing for the Bay of Islands from Sydney 28 dec 1837 (Sydney gazette sat dec 30 p2) but according to HBERLEY's journal he returned on the Hannah with LOVE and BARRETT in Feb 1838. DOWI
PPA
Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 10, Issue 76, 29 September 1899, Page 2
Found Drowned. ?A man named Hebberly, aged 92 years, commonly known as Old Worser,? left his home at midnight on Monday, and as he had not returned on Tuesday morning search was made for him. The police went to Waikawa and other places, but no one had seen him. About 3 30 yesterday afternoon (says Wednesday?s Express) Mr H. Norgrove, returning from the Grove, saw the body floating in the water in the bay, and picked it up. The body was conveyed to the Picton Hospital to await instructions from the Coroner. Mr Hebberly claimed to be the oldest resident in the Colony.
PPA
Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIV, Issue 230, 30 September 1899, Page 4
A VETERAN SETTLER.
Mr James Heberley, who was drowned m Picton Harbor this week at the age of 91 years, was one of the oldest of the old settlers. The Picton Press says he had known New Zealand intimately for 72 years, having made his first acquaintance with the Bay of Islands m 1827, and been a Marlborough resident since 1830 The son of a sailor, he ran away from home at the age of 11 ; served on a fishing smack ; ran away again on account of the cruelty of his master. He made several trips across the Atlantic, had a brief experience on a man-of-wareman, and he shipped m 1826 m a convict ship for Sydney. He had two years of adventure m the South Peas, and whaling brought him to the Bay of Islands m 1827. Many a desperate fight, many a wild orgie he witnessed m those days. He came to Queen Charlotte Bound m 1830, and made it his home. There he became familiarly acquainted wich that most ruthless of warriors, Te Rauparaha, the terror of white men. Deceased wall remembered his return with 500 prisoners from the famous raid to Kaiapoi 67 years ago ; witnessed the murder of the prisoners, and the cannibal orgie that ensued. He afterwards owed his life to that same BaupaTaha, who threw his oloak over him ]U9t m the nick of time to Ba ve him from a Waikatp tomahawk upraised to brain him. In 1 839 (sixty years ago) he piloted Captain Wakefield and his party, m the Tory,- to Port Nicholson, thus witnessing the first dawn of colonisation m the purchase of Wellington for a miscellaneous cargo, including Blates and . slate pencils and Jews harps and beads! He afterwards accompanied Wakefield's party to Wanganui and Taranaki, where further " trade" m land was done. Among the party landed at Taranaki ' was Pr Dieffenbach, the naturalist of Wakefield's expedition; and the doctor has recorded how he and Mr Hebberley successfully scaled Mount Igmont. Mr Hebberly, being m advance of Dr Dieffenbach, was, m point of fact, the first wbite man to stand on the toj> of the mountain ? "Ohrismas Da*, 1839. In the early days of Wellington, Mr Hebberley acted es pilot, and his wife's relatives (influential chiefs) gave him the bay atill called after him? " Worser" ;Bay. His first experiences at Te Awaiti were gruesome m the extreme. Cannibal feasts and intertribal wars were tho order of the day. Mr Hebberley had not only seen the fights, but had taken part m them. One of them lasted over three weefea, and m it over 200 were killed. He was at Te Awaiti at the time of the Wairau Massacre, and remembered the incident well. Though very imperfectly educated, he had devoted a good deal of his leisure at one lime to compiling notes for an autobiography, and before he died preliminary arrangements had been made for their publication, For some years past deceased had been m receipt of a pension of £50 a year from the Government for servibes rendered m the early days. He was twice married? firct to a Maori of high standing and afterwards to Mrs Joyce*, who predeceased him by only a few months. James (Captain) (Worser) Heberley was a whaler Cook Strait in 1830.
14,1 He immigrated to 1826 - 1830 in whaler Caroline then Te Awaiti.(1832) in 1832.
2 He was in pilot Port Nicholson. in 1839.
1,11 He was in fisherman in 1845.