The Kusabs family of Rotorua

Family History Month 2020

August is known as Family History Month so this year I thought, why not select a family that has deep and wide connections in Rotorua. I'd noted the Kusabs building on the corner of Arawa and Tutanakei Streets, and of course the beautiful big house at the top of Fenton Street, once the Landmark Restaurant. Both have connections to the Kusabs family. Then there are the street names, Kusabs, Edmund, Nairn, etc. So, I began searching and looking to see what I could uncover about this family. And isn't that the way it is with even your own family research - certain things jump out at you, and then it draws you on. My apologies to the present day Kusabs family members for any mistakes and gaps, and thanks to Andrew Kusabs who filled in some of my gaps and provided interesting snippets of the family. So, let's begin our journey back in the 1800s. 

I'm starting with Henry and Emily Kusabs. Born in the 1830's, Henry Edmund Kusabs was from Eastern Prussia. Part of the German Navy, Henry traveled to China where he left the navy and, sometime in 1858, came to New Zealand. Naturalised in 1863, for some years he was involved in coastal shipping. Henry settled in Ohaupo where he milked 50 cows and established sawmills where he processed local trees and sold the timber. He was involved in local body matters, business, education and the Anglican Church. 

His wife, Emily Prentice, came to New Zealand with Bishop Selwyn. Whether to be governess to his children, or to teach at the school he established, I'm not sure. Emily and Henry met at the Cathedral, fell in love and eventually married. When they moved to Ohaupo, Emily taught her sons and other local children in her home. Eventually a school was built and Emily was appointed the head teacher.

All the books I checked talked about the three sons they had, George Arthur, Andrew Ernest and Charles Edmund.  However, in the Historic Birth, Death and Marriage records, I discovered the birth of a fourth son, born between Andrew and Charles, Michael Herbert. He died of tetanus, aged 7. Then I discovered a fifth son, Frederick William, who died as a three year old.

Sons Andrew Ernest and Charles Edmund leased land in Mamaku where they had a saw-milling business. However, by 1901 the saw-milling company had been sold with the tramway being sold in 1905. A timber yard was established in Hinemoa Street for genuine dry land timber. Henry and Emily followed their sons to Rotorua in about 1905.

George Arthur, an accountant, married Phoebe Emmeline Hardwick. Together they had 3 daughters and eventually moved to Auckland. One of his daughters, Lillian, married an American serviceman and moved to the States. When she died another daughter, Phyllis, went to the States and brought the children back to New Zealand where she raised them.

Andrew Ernest, timber merchant, married Lucy Ngamihi Dansey, daughter of Roger Delamere Dansey, who was the postmaster during the Tarawera eruption of 1886. When they married in 1898 Andrew presented Lucy with Moeranga Villa in Pukaki Street as a wedding dowry.  This building was added on to over time, passing out of the family and eventually becoming the Regent Hotel.

Unfortunately, Lucy died in 1906, leaving two young boys, Roger and William (Billy). Andrew later remarried, this time to Louisa Lillian Phipps, who managed the tea rooms in the Government Gardens. Together they had another son, Samuel. It was Andrew who built the Kusabs building on the corner of Tutanekai and Arawa Streets. Andrew also owned a launch business, the Rotorua Oil Launch Company. 

Charles Kusabs married Cora Amelia Penn, and they had one son. After Cora died, Charles married a widow, Mrs Dorothea Nairn (where Nairn Street comes from). Charles moved into the car business. He ran tours, taking tourists around the Hot Lakes district and also owned a garage. His son, Arthur, was one of his drivers and eventually took over the business. Charles was also responsible for building the beautiful house at the top of Fenton Street. His love of golf drove him to be involved in the establishment of the Golf Course, where he was practicing on the day he died. 

During 1918 Arthur trained as a pilot, but he did not go overseas. He expanded the car tourism business to include buses running from Rotorua to Opotiki.  Arthur went on to become the Mayor of Rotorua during the war years, 1942-43.

Thank you for reading this brief blog about an early Rotorua family. 

With thanks to Papers Past, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa, Peggy Allen, Bryon Somervell and the Don Stafford Collection. Many thanks to Andrew and Hazel Kusabs for sharing some family stories and photographs with me. Written by Trish. (2020, August 3).