The Lost Voyage of 499 (2014)
China's lost tomb ship is a mystery tale of a shipwreck that reaches across a century to reveal the connection between Hokianga iwi and the descendants of 499 Chinese gold miners who never made it. The Lost Voyage of 499 follows Duncan Sew Hoy, the great grandson of Choie Sew Hoy, one of the first and greatest Chinese pioneers in New Zealand whose remains were aboard the lost ship. Duncan and his son Peter explore Choie’s legacy in Dunedin and discover the history behind the voyage of the S.S. Ventnor before travelling to Hokianga. There, along with other Chinese descendants of the 499, they meet people of the Te Roroa and Te Rarawa tribes, whose ancestors took it upon themselves to become guardians of the souls of the 499 and bury remains that washed ashore on their own sacred land. Finally, Duncan and Peter make the ancestral journey back to China, as they seek to complete the circle and lay to rest the spirit of Choie Sew Hoy.
Primary Title
- The Lost Voyage of 499
Date Broadcast
- Monday 17 November 2014
Release Year
- 2014
Start Time
- 21 : 30
Finish Time
- 22 : 26
Duration
- 56:00
Channel
- Maori Television
Broadcaster
- Maori Television Service
Programme Description
- China's lost tomb ship is a mystery tale of a shipwreck that reaches across a century to reveal the connection between Hokianga iwi and the descendants of 499 Chinese gold miners who never made it. The Lost Voyage of 499 follows Duncan Sew Hoy, the great grandson of Choie Sew Hoy, one of the first and greatest Chinese pioneers in New Zealand whose remains were aboard the lost ship. Duncan and his son Peter explore Choie’s legacy in Dunedin and discover the history behind the voyage of the S.S. Ventnor before travelling to Hokianga. There, along with other Chinese descendants of the 499, they meet people of the Te Roroa and Te Rarawa tribes, whose ancestors took it upon themselves to become guardians of the souls of the 499 and bury remains that washed ashore on their own sacred land. Finally, Duncan and Peter make the ancestral journey back to China, as they seek to complete the circle and lay to rest the spirit of Choie Sew Hoy.
Classification
- AO
Owning Collection
- Television Vault
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Documentary film--New Zealand
- S.S. Ventnor (Ship)
- Shipwrecks--New Zealand--Hokianga Harbour (N.Z.)
- Gold mines and mining--New Zealand--Otago--History
- Chinese--New Zealand--Otago--History
Genres
- Documentary
- History
Hosts
- George Henare (Narrator)
Contributors
- Natural History New Zealand Ltd (Production Unit)
- Wang Zhanli (Producer)
- Alan Hall (Executive Producer)
Subjects
- Documentary film--New Zealand
- S.S. Ventnor (Ship)
- Shipwrecks--New Zealand--Hokianga Harbour (N.Z.)
- Gold mines and mining--New Zealand--Otago--History
- Chinese--New Zealand--Otago--History