Almost 175 years has passed since Englishman Thomas Laslett conducted business at Te Karo Bay north of Tairua.

But his fascinating world of pioneering commerce with the local Maori is accessible to everyone, thanks to countless hours of effort by resident Ben Grubb.

Ben is a retired teacher who bought a property at Te Karo Bay more than 20 years ago and now lives there full time with wife Donna.

A discussion with another resident in the bay about the sailor's grave and the general history of this beautiful stretch of coastline, led to the online discovery on the Alexander Turnbull Library website of the original hand written journal of British Navy timber purveyor Thomas Laslett.

Laslett's business dealings for the Navy 175 years ago and the day-to-day events of obtaining a ship load of kauri spars are recorded in his journal, but it was a language quite different to the English of today.

For Ben – a retired English teacher with a deep connection to the area – it was a worthy and rewarding challenge to delve into.

'I had a bit of time on my hands so I thought, ‘I'll get a magnifying glass and get it all down'. And then it made sense. I passed it on to neighbours and other interested people to read, and spoke to John Drummond [of Tairua Environment Society], who suggested we create interpretive panels to share the history.”

The Tairua-Pauanui Community Board has funded the artwork and construction of the panels and Ben has now typed up Laslett's journals, presenting a copy on Monday to the Tairua Library for permanent safekeeping.

Ben will speak about Thomas Laslett and the rich life that he led – a world of barter with indigenous people, and of virgin forest with towering kauri trees – at a presentation at 11am and 2pm at St Francis House on Tairua Main Street on Saturday.

The panels will be unveiled as part of an official ceremony at Te Karo Bay on Sunday, which is designed to commemorate the death of a sailor at the bay 175 years ago.

A whole weekend of commemorative events is planned, starting with a performance by local actors and singers at the Tairua Community Hall on Friday evening, talks by historians and archaeologists on Saturday, a heritage display at the Tairua Library and an official ceremony with the New Zealand navy among other events on Sunday.

Read more about Thomas Laslett and Ben Grubb's project in this year's edition of Summertimes Magazine later in the year.