Edward "Jack" Lofley was born between 1838 and 1840 in England.
He was an ex-Navy man, a survivor from the crew of HMS Orpheus wrecked on the Manukau bar, off the west coast of Auckland, in 1863.
He fought in the Waikato war as a member of the Naval Brigade. The Naval Brigade lost 13 (including virtually all of its officers) and 26 were wounded during the Battle of Gate Pa
He later joined the New Zealand Armed Constabulary
From 1879 to 1886 he was the Taupo correspondent for the Hawke's Bay Weekly Courier. He also performed a similar function for several other North Island newspapers

Being a very outspoken person, Edward was often in trouble (mostly with the constabulary)
* he had his bath-houses burned down (twice in the same year) - he rebuilt
* he was very badly injured when set upon by 4 men in 1884

From the late 1860s he was the proprietor of 'The Glen', the Hot Baths & Sanatorium at Tapuaeharuru (place of echoing footsteps), Taupo
* he was the "well known & jovial" guide for the Rotomahana Terraces better known as the Pink & White Terraces (destroyed in the 1886 volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera) via Orakeikoraka, Alum Cave and Paeroa boiling Mud Cauldrons for over 20 years
* He was also responsible for sending samples of hot springs water to the Government Laboratory in Wellington for analysis

In 1876 he had a Maori wife but she may have been common-law as on 4th May 1880 he married Rosanna Boyle (1852-1917) at Tauranga
they had at least 4 children
those known to date:
7 April 1881 - Charles Edward Lofley
17 Sept 1882 - Mary Lofley
. Mary was adopted in 1886 by Joanne and David Gray of Napier
21 April 1884 - Louis George Lofley
* there was another (unknown) son

By 1885 he and his wife Roseanna (Rosine) had separated
He was eventually found and remanded in Auckland.
He was charged with having deserted her in Auckland. He countered she left of her own free will

By 1886 he had left Taupo and his spa - it was taken over by John Joshua. He became the proprietor of a temperance hotel at Napier and later kept a boarding house there.

In Jan 1889 his wife was living in Woodville where she was a housekeeper for Mr & Mrs Snadden, a railway employee.
She was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment for throwing tin at 10 year old John Snadden, cutting his hand

On 19 Oct 1890 a son, Arthur James, was born to Roseanna, father not recorded (he was registered as 'Lofley' but was born 19 months after Jack's death) - Arthur died in 1986 aged 95

At the time of his death Edward's 3 known children would have been aged 8, 7 and 5.
NOTE these children, being left alone when their father died, (at that time their mother was in prison) were either adopted or fostered out and may have changed their names as any further info is hard to find

Edward died aged about 49-51 after a brief illness at the Star Hotel, Woodville

His details were provided by Robert Eldon Grinlinton on 21-3-1889 who recorded him as "about 40 years old"
He is buried in Plot 30, Block 13 of the Old Gorge Cemetery in Woodville


PHOTO
Edward John “Jack” Lofley Well-known Taupō guide, the eccentric Jack Lofley, 1870s, usually wore the informal uniform of the Armed Constabulary – a bush shirt and kilt, topped with a high broad-brimmed hat & pheasant's feather