BIDWILL, JOHN CARNE (1815-53) was born at St Thomas, Exeter, the eldest son of Joseph Green Bidwill. At the age of 17 he sailed for Canada in the ship Exmouth, returning towards the end of 1834. In 1838, with his sister Elizabeth, he sailed for Sydney in the ship Arachne in the interest of his father's mercantile business. While waiting to gain possession of land which he had selected some distance from Sydney, he sailed for New Zealand, arriving at Bay of Islands on 5 Feb 1839. He proceeded in a small schooner to Tauranga and spent three months exploring in the interior. Accompanied by several Maori and a white interpreter, he visited Rotorua, Taupo and Tongariro. In defiance of Maori advice, he climbed Tongariro alone, and returned to the coast after thirty days. Bidwill made a journey to Matamata and returned by sea from Tauranga to Thames and Bay of Islands. Thereafter he devoted himself to the business of his firm. He again visited New Zealand in 1840, and accompanied E. J. Wakefield by sea from Wellington to Whanganui.

Bidwill had a considerable knowledge of botany and was helpful in the founding of the Sydney botanical gardens, where he carried out experiments in hybridisation as early as 1841. In New Zealand he met Colenso and collected rare seeds and discovered new plants. In 1849 Bidwill was magistrate at Tinana (Maryborough) and later commissioner of crown lands and chairman of the bench of magistrates. He died on 16 Mar 1853, unmarried. His book, Rambles in New Zealand, was published in 1841. He was a brother of Charles Robert Bidwill (q.v.).

Bidwill, op. cit.; Hocken.

Reference: Volume 1, page 51

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