The Monster That Terrorized New Zealand In The 1880s

The idea of ferocious unknown creatures lurking on land and sea stretches back to the earliest days of exploration, and you don't have to look far to find these legends worldwide. Among pre-modern cultures, the prevalence of fantastic beasts doesn't prove surprising. Humans have always had exceptional imaginations, and superstitious generations further elaborated on each tale, crafting entertaining and terrifying epics along the way. But when it comes to the late 19th century, you might assume sightings of legendary monsters started to fall away.

After all, science had gained a significant foothold in the world, so it would only make sense that individuals would abandon irrational myths and legends, right? Not necessarily. As it turns out, the late 1800s ushered in an avalanche of cryptid sightings (via the Library of Congress). Chief among these was the so-called "saurian monster," which terrorized New Zealand in the 1880s. Why the uptick in sightings? Ironically, many people wholeheartedly accepted the existence of unknown beasts, and they assumed science would confirm, rather than debunk, them.

Contemporary discoveries, including those of marine reptile fossils, bolstered the existence of these monsters in some people's minds. It wasn't a far stretch for scientists to assume these creatures still existed. As reported by Forbes, Charles Lyell himself posited that "animal species don't go extinct, but can survive in inaccessible regions of the world, like the deep sea." And when it came to "inaccessible regions of the world," few geographical areas fit the bill like 1880s New Zealand.

Into this climate of growing pains came a fascinating story that placed the world's attention on New Zealand. It contained all of the intrigue and suspense of an excellent cryptid tale: strange sightings, local legends, and, eventually, physical evidence.

In 1886, slaughter yard employees made a gruesome discovery near Hamilton, New Zealand, in the Waikato region, as reported by Atlas Obscura. Something had removed a sheep carcass from the meat hook where it hung. The sheep's remains were picked clean of all flesh without explanation. Beyond the defleshed creature, few clues remained at the scene. No hair samples where the thieving animal had brushed against a fence post or tree existed, and it left behind no dung to study and analyze. But locals did find a trail of unidentifiable footprints. Speculation soon gripped the nation as whispers of an aquatic reptilian monster emerged. 

On October 1, these whispers entered the public record as the New Zealand Herald ventured an account of the mysterious happenings, beginning with the understatement, "This creature's appearance has created quite a sensation." Despite the lack of clues, some locals quickly latched onto sensational conclusions about the incident. Men armed up, ready to hunt the strange creature. Based on scant evidence left by the so-called monster, some New Zealanders claimed it pointed to "undoubted traces of a saurian monster," as reported by Atlas Obscura.

Sightings of the saurian monster exploded. One of the most famous reports came from a farm in Hamilton owned by Mr. Castleton, per the New Zealand Herald on October 1, 1886. According to his wife, the first of their sons to spot the strange creature got chased by it to the house. When the boy finally reached the house, she thought he might faint from sheer panic. But that wasn't the last encounter.

According to Mr. Castleton, his sons had a second experience with the creature as it swam by in the river. The boys had kept watch for the animal ever since the initial chasing incident and "were standing at a spot whence they could see a large stretch of the creek, and again observed a commotion in the water, and saw the creature swimming down the creek, its head alone being above water."

In the article, Constable Wild expressed complete faith in the boys' account. The Herald also refuted claims by other newspapers that the boys had witnessed something else, like feral pigs swimming past. They noted that both boys regularly hunted escaped pigs that stumbled onto their father's farm, making it difficult to believe they could be so easily mistaken. That said, the paper also provided Castleton with a clear motive for faking the sightings, stating that he believed "its capture would be a matter of no small profit as an exhibit."

Settlers from eastern Polynesia, the Maori first arrived in New Zealand via waka (canoe) expeditions in the 13th and 14th centuries, per Oxford Reference. After centuries of inhabiting Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand, per Te Ara), they developed a body of folklore about supernatural creatures, including the taniwha.

Lurking in the nation's lakes, caves, oceans, and rivers, taniwha ranged in appearance. Some Maori legends describe dragon-like winged reptiles. Others suggest sea serpents or even whales and porpoises (via Te Ara). But did the Maori see these mythological creatures as actual flesh-and-blood animals?

According to Mr. E. Tregfar's letter to the Wellington Press (reprinted by the Waikato Times in November 1886), "The general impression among our earliest settlers was that natives then living (or certainly their grandfathers) had seen them," referring to the taniwha. Tregfar also noted that many Maori descriptions of the creature included details reminiscent of an alligator. In 2002, an event occurred, which appears to support Tregfar's first claim that the Maori saw the taniwha as physical creatures. That year, a tribe in Waikato opposed and permanently stopped the construction of a highway. Why? Because they said its location would destroy a local taniwha ecosystem (per Te Ara).

As reports continued to flood in and New Zealanders considered the Maori take on things, a radically new vision of the creature menacing the coastline emerged. Two men in canoes had an encounter with cryptid on the Waikato River, claiming it nearly capsized their boats. How did they describe the strange creature? They reported an animal "of immense size with large jaws showing jagged teeth. The body was covered with long shaggy black hair" (via Atlas Obscura).

Apparently, the saurian monster suddenly morphed into a big, hairy beast — if the two canoers were to be believed. Of course, reconciling this new depiction with that of earlier reports by the Castleton boys proved challenging. The boys described a large, scaly reptile, not an ebony-haired mammal. The hairy report also conflicted with the traditional Maori accounts of the serpent or eel-like taniwha, as described by the New Zealand Herald.

Despite the contradictions associated with this new sighting, subsequent developments in the story appeared to bolster the last two men's claims. What's more, these developments would appear to put to rest the terrifying reign of the saurian monster.

After the creature was captured and killed, a local settler bought its carcass. He planned to travel New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and the United States exhibiting the ferocious taxidermied cryptid, but then news emerged that thwarted his plans: The so-called "saurian monster" was nothing more than a seal. 

According to Atlas Obscura, a report on November 26, 1887, outed the monster as a harmless gray seal, and the Patea Mail called it a "sea elephant." Gray seals don't live in New Zealand, so what gives? Researchers today hypothesize it was a case of mistaken identity. The nation boasts two types of seals, New Zealand fur seals and southern elephant seals. Large male fur seals measure up to 8.2 feet long, with adorable bewhiskered heads you could construe as "leopard-like." What about the "sea elephant" claim? On rare occasion, southern elephant seals visit New Zealand's beaches, and adult males grow up to 16 feet long.

Carnivorous marine mammals, elephant seals spend 80 percent of their time in the water and the remainder on land. On sandy surfaces, elephant seals can outrun humans, per ThoughtCo. In some respects, the southern elephant seal most closely fits aspects of each eyewitnesses story. While molting, their skin can even take on a brownish scale-like appearance. But could one deflesh a girl's arm? Perhaps. Seals have been known to attack and even kill humans on occasion. But incidents prove rare. Still, there's no denying an aggressive bull can do severe damage (via SF Gate).