SummaryCaptain Thomas Tunks, was an early resident of 22 years' in Tauranga, likely whom "Tunks Reserve" is named after.
Thomas Tunks joined the 68th Durham Light Infantry in 1825, at age 16. He served in Canada, Ireland and went through the Crimean War. After resigning, he came out to New Zealand in 1861 where he obtained a military grant of land. He then offered his services to the Colonial Government in 1863, where he was appointed captaincy in the 1st Waikato Regiment.
His interest in welfare of the Tauranga district included being chairman of the Town Board, a member of the Borough Council and director of the Tauranga-Rotorua Railway Company. In 1914 he was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in Tauranga.
He married Elizabeth Frances Boylan in 1864 in Auckland and they raised a family of at least three sons and two daughters, one of whom died in infancy
- Mary Tunks
- Alfred Tunks
- Charles Tunks
Alexander Turnbull Library: Ref PA2-0858. Hemus & Hanna (Auckland) fl 1879-1882 :Portrait of Capt Tunks, Tawanai
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Personal Information
First Name(s)ThomasSurnameTunksAlso Known asCaptain Thomas TunksGenderMaleDate of Birth1809Place of BirthCoventry, EnglandDate of Death28 April 1886Place of DeathTaurangaPlace of Burial/CremationMission Cemetery, Tauranga