In June 1815, William Hovell arrived at the Bay of Islands on the brig Trial, in company with Brothers. The two ships had come from Sydney with the intention of establishing a settlement where they could prepare flax for the Sydney market.
In pursuit of the commodity, they sailed south but disaster struck when five of Trial’s crew were killed in a clash with Maori at Trial Harbour, between Thames and Mercury Bay.
Today, Trial Harbour is known as Kennedy’s Bay. Brothers also lost crew in the incident.