CHAPTER II. MISCELLANEOUS ADVENTURES.
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CHAPTER II,
MISCELLANEOUS ADVENTURES.
In 1834, in consequence of an old dispute about the Tamaki lands, the Ngatiteata, Ngatitamaho, and Ngatiwhatua, with a few auxiliaries, attacked the Ngatipaoa at Whakatiwai, in hopes of accomplishing the slaughter of Tauwhare, Te Kupenga, and other chiefs. On the invading party's way across from Maramarua, about half way, at a place called the Takanga, they attacked a small party of the Ngatipaoa who were there cultivating. During the attack, a woman of the Ngatipaoa, named Kirikiri, behaved most courageously, loading and firing from a whare in which she was alone by herself, and greatly annoying the Waikatos; she was ultimately dispatched by volleys fired into the whare. By the time the taua had reached Whakatiwai, the Ngatipaoa were aware of the intended attack, and contrived to evade it by leaving the pa; but some of the younger members of the taua succeeded in capturing several children, who were treated most cruelly by being made fast to legs of patakas (a store house built on posts to prevent rats from getting at corn, &c.) as marks for spear practice, and were left to linger during the pleasure of their tormentors. In consequence of the unprovoked attack on the Ngatipaoa, complications arose in Waikato, in which the Ngatinaho and Ngatihine, from their relationship with the Ngatipaoa, endeavoured to obtain redress from the other party. Two engagements were the result, one at Momoreti, in which two of Te Keha's sons were killed; they, with a portion of their force, having left the
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pa, an engagement (he parekura) took place in which the two above named fell; the attacking party escaped scathless. The Ngatinaho party a short time after returned the compliment by attacking the Ngatitamaho, &c, in their pa at Te Horo, in which engagement the Ngatinaho lost one of their chiefs, Te Wheoro, killed, and the Ngatitamaho party lost a chief named Tirua, son of Paengahuru; there was also an old woman killed by a shot fired into the pa. An incident showing the devotion of a wife to her husband occurred after this action. On Te Wheoro's being removed from the scene of his death, he was laid out in state, dressed in new mats, his head decorated with feathers. It is customary for a deceased chief to be attended by his wife, or wives as the case may be; in case of a plurality the rangatira dame taking precedence as mourner to receive the relatives who come to weep over the tupapaku. It was the usual thing to crop the widow's hair as a demonstration of grief, and at the same time as a great disfigurement. In the case of Te Wheoro's widow, a young woman who had a good head of hair, she declined to conform to the rule, and persisted in not having her hair destroyed, remarking that she would make a bad appearance when placed in a position similar to that of her deceased husband. From this remark her relatives guessed her intentions, but, notwithstanding their watching her, she contrived to get her husband's musket, loaded it, tied a piece of flax to the trigger and to her own toe, discharged the piece into her mouth, and scattered her brains far and near.
By the intervention of Te Uira and other influential chiefs, hostilities were suppressed and peace established. On the return of Te Wherowhero with the Ngatiwhatua, the Ngatiteata, the Ngatitamaho, &c, from the march to Manakau, peace was made with the Ngatipaoas, &c, at a large meeting held at Otahuhu for the purpose. In 1831, it being reported that another Ngapuhi expedition way intended against the
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Waikato, all the Waikato tribes conjointly erected a large pa at Ngaruawahia, occupying many acres, and it was not till about the election of Potatau as King that the palisading of the pa was entirely demolished.
A misunderstanding arose between the Ngatiteata and the Ngatitamaho tribes respecting the ownership of certain lands in the neighbourhood of Waiuku (Te Whakaupuku) which ultimately resulted in a fight at Taurangaruru. There were also at the same time in the, Waikato two tribes, the Ngatipou and the Ngatitipa, disputing about a small difference of boundary amounting only to a few acres, and in the other quarrel the Ngatipous were assisting the Ngatiteata. At the fight at Taurangaruru, near Waiuku, Te Kuri, a chief of the Ngatiteata, and two chiefs of the Ngatipou, Reihana and Moehaka, were killed; a slave of the Ngatitamaho, on the other side, was wounded, and afterwards died.
The row between the Ngatipou and the Ngatitipa brought forward as the grounds of dispute was respecting a strip of about three chains long on the Ihutaroa property containing from about 12 to 15 acres; but there was an old sore in the back ground. They had been sparring for nearly a year by themselves, and nothing serious had resulted till an ally, by an indiscreet movement, involved the two parties in a fight in which three were shot, two of the Ngatipou and one of the Ngatitipa.
A month subsequently another engagement took place, occasioned by one of the Whakauru of the Ngatipou, who was sparring on the boundary with the opposite party, receiving a blow which produced blood. On this, he immediately discharged his piece, wounding one of the opponents, and causing a general engagement, in which 17 were killed and several wounded, some so seriously that their recovery was miraculous. One chief had received three musket wounds, one striking him a little above the knee, running along the
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bone, and settling in the posterior; one through the leg under the knee joint; and one in the instep, though this latter was not very serious, he being able to extract the ball at the time, as it was a spent one; yet, though no bone was broken, the wound remained open for some time. Notwithstanding these serious wounds I met him the following day on his return from a taua toto, at which he had danced the war dance with the rest, and he never laid up on account of them. The Ngatipou and Ngatiteata suffered most severely. The Ngatipou had become dispirited, and sent for me; from the advice I gave them they became reassured, and the action I took with the Ngatitipa was, I believe, the means of staying hostilities, and of the establishment of peace. I had a good understanding with both parties.
In 1832, a quarrel arose among the Ngatipou regarding the ownership of an eel weir on the Whangape Lake. It was at first merely a family feud, and they met to talk the affair over; an altercation ensued, they had brought arms with them, and a piece was discharged wounding in the foot a slave, who, from the pain and irritation of the moment, without hesitation retaliated upon Mauri (the party claiming the eel weir) with a spear he held in his hand. This settled the matter in a very summary manner, each party withdrawing, though swearing vengeance against the other. Mauri died from the spear wound, and nothing more was done in it; his people put up with the loss of their man and of their claim-to the eel weir, if they ever had any.
In 1832, a friend who was residing with me had an excellent double-barrelled gun which he prized very much from its having been a present from his relatives on his leaving England. The chief Piraoa having seen the gun requested permission to have it to exhibit to his friends, tuparas (two barrels) in those days being a novelty with the Maoris. Piraoa went off to the Thames on a fishing excursion, and some one
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remarked that he was safe to give away the tupara. To save the gun it was incumbent that Piraoa should be followed, and I started in company with a Mr. Monteith and six native lads. We procured a canoe and went up the Awaroa to Waiuku, crossed over, went along the banks where I had previously got bogged, but this time more cautiously, without any great risk to life or limb, and near the Karaka we fell in with a party of the Ngatiteata fishing, who kindly put us across to Pukaki, to the astonishment of the natives we met there, we being the first Europeans who had crossed that sheet of water. We remained with them that night, and in the morning proceeded across the country to Otahuhu, fortunately again getting a lift from there in a canoe to Mangemangeroa, where we overtook the party we were in search of. By the time we got there our provisions had become exhausted, and we had to content ourselves with fern root and sharks' eggs, or fern root alone. I succeeded in securing the object of our trip, and, having rested ourselves for a couple of days, the natives kindly offered to take us in their canoes to Whakatiwai to shorten our road back. We got as far as Taupo (on the Thames), where they had to land us, the sea being too heavy after passing the shelter of Waiheke, and we had to tramp on foot over shingle the remaining distance to Whakatiwai. From travelling over the shingle we lost the soles of our shoes, but, notwithstanding, we went on after dark in expectation of reaching a European's house which, we were made to understand, was at the very branch where we were to strike off for the Waikato. We continued on, fatigued and foot sore and in the dark, till at last we were compelled to give in, and camp out on the beach in the best way we could. At daylight in the morning, to our surprise and disgust, we found that we had laid ourselves on the hard shingle without any bedding within a stone's throw of the very house we had been in search, of the
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night before. We were not long in rousing out the owner, whose name was Jones, a person trading for Messrs. Jones and Walker, merchants of Sydney, and he received and treated us very kindly for two days, whilst we recruited ourselves and patched up our boots the best way we could. We then proceeded on our journey across to the Mangatawhiri, where we still carried our good fortune, and succeeded in obtaining a canoe and paddles. A twelve hours' row brought us down to Putataka, from whence we had started.
We waited a long time for the return of the vessel to take away the flax, and supply us with stores for trading, as our stock was nearly exhausted with the purchases made. A good look-out to sea was always kept, and at last a vessel hove in sight; but, before she could reach the bar, the wind shifted, and precluded her entering, so she had to drop anchor outside. That was in the forenoon; she did not appear to resemble the "Sydney Packet," and we wondered what vessel she could be. In the afternoon another hove in sight, but this was also a stranger, and the wonderment continued. They remained at anchor 14 days, the wind continuing from the eastward, blowing right out. At last it veered a little, and one vessel, the nearest in to the bar, managed to get just inside, when the wind shifted back to the eastward, preventing the vessel outside from entering; the one that had got in was the "Harlequin." She dropped anchor inside the bar in quiet water, and got up to the anchorage by the next flood tide. From the master we learnt that the "Sydney Packet" had been sold in Sydney, and that the "Samuel," now outside, was sent down to relieve her. I was told that Captain Payne, on hearing of his interest having been sold, agreed to dispose of the flax in my store to the master of the "Harlequin," but I at once made arrangements to secure and retain it for the "Samuel." The next morning seven natives and myself went towards the bar in
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a large war canoe, and by the time we had got there the "Samuel" was under weigh. The natives perceiving this asked me if I intended going out over the bar. Not imagining that they would go, I said I would leave it to them, and to my astonishment they said, "Very well, then; we will go." I didn't half like the idea, for the rollers were coming in tolerably large. The natives buckled their mats round them, six went forward, and one, the chief Te Karekare (afterwards Wiremu Paerata), remained aft with me to steer. We got out very well, excepting that we had a narrow escape of coming to grief from one roller breaking under us. Fortunately, the natives sitting forward in the canoe, the sea broke abaft the midships, and as the preponderance of weight was forward the sea passed under her; when it broke, the stern was hanging over the gulf and we were looking clown into it. We got on board of the vessel, and the master, hearing of the trick that was intended to be played him, determined at all risks to attempt to work the vessel in over the bar. He consulted the chiefs, Piraoa who was on board with him, and Te Karekare who had gone out with me, and upon their telling him they knew the channel, he undertook it. We had made about three boards (the tide flowing at the time) when an immense roller came over our broadside, smashing both bulwarks a-midships, breaking a boat, carrying overboard a native, and nearly myself. I was immersed up to my neck and off my feet, and should have gone had not I seized hold of a ratlin and held fast until the vessel rose and the water passed off her decks. When she rose she had sufficient way to go about, and in doing this a bight was made in the painter of our canoe towed aft; the man overboard managed to grasp it, and was dragged on board; but the poor fellow was awfully frightened. He was a fair complexioned native, and, losing his colour, the blue tatooing on his face
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was most beautifully clear, the design and execution being so good. Captain Payne attempted to carry things with a high hand, but the master of the "Samuel" was not to be intimidated, and, after a great deal of bounce on their part, we shipped the flax on board our vessel and prepared for sea. I intended to return to Sydney, and arranged accordingly with the master. The bar being heavy and the wind in shore, we had to wait a few days for an improvement, and, during that time, a quarrel arose between a chief, Te Haupatai (the father of Mohi te Ahu a te Ngu), and his wife. This was seized upon by Te Pepene Te Tihi, her brother, as a cause for a row, they being joint owners of the lands at Pukaki in the Manukau and of a portion of the Tamaki, near Auckland. It was arranged that they should have a meeting; accordingly Te Haupatai went out in front of the settlement and sat down with a taiaha by his side to receive Te Tihi, and several of us went with him. Te Tihi advanced with a timata balanced in his hand, while Te Haupatai, not anticipating an aggressive attack, was unprepared. The real etiquette which Te Tihi ought to have followed, if he meant any evil, was this: He should have advanced, shaking his weapon, then retired; advanced again, once more gone back; and, on his third forward movement, have then delivered his blow. All this would have been proper and fair; indeed, so much was love of fair play engrafted in the disposition of the natives that in many instances the advancing party, seeing his adversary unarmed, has brought with him two weapons, and politely handed one of them to the tupapaku (lit., corpse), as the other man is called; thus honourably placing his opponent on even terms with himself. In this case, however, Te Tihi struck him on his first advance. Te Haupatai, though wounded, rose and struggled with Te Pepene, and Te Haupatai's party, seeing that he was hit, called for muskets; Te Pepene retired, and a musketry action
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commenced. At the time Te Haupatai was struck I was standing at his back, and hearing the call for arms another European and myself ascended a hill and looked down on the engagement which lasted for about half an hour without any serious results, no one being hit. Hostilities were suspended temporarily, each party having a war dance as if intending to renew it, Te Haupatai died two days after my departure, but the whole thing ultimately ended in smoke; for, two years after, the family of Te Haupatai were living amicably with their uncle Te Pepene in the same settlement, and appeared to be on the best of terms. Two days after, I left for Sydney, and, after remaining there about a month, took my passage for New Zealand via Van Diemen's Land in the same vessel. It was now the equinox, and we made a dreadful passage of 16 days, having to put in to Jervis Bay and another place, near Twofold Bay, from stress of weather. We carried away fore-topmast, gaff, spanker boom, and had a boat washed away from her davits; and, to me the most grievous sight, the goats, poultry, etc., I had on board and intended for use in New Zealand one by one disappeared away to leeward. Whilst in Twofold Bay we availed ourselves of the opportunity of getting fresh water and firewood; but, while getting them, a party of blacks put in an appearance. Two men, more bold than the rest, advanced towards us, and a couple of natives that were returning to New Zealand being ashore with us, I got them to give a Maori yell to try its effect on the New Hollanders. It so frightened them that they jumped up at once and bolted off, and I verily believe, if they have not died or stopped from fatigue, they must be running still.
A curious error on the captain's part occurred on this trip. We got into a dense fog when, by the captain's reckoning, two hundred miles out at sea; there was, however, a curious appearance ahead which a native declared was Mount Egmont,
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at Taranaki, but the skipper being appealed to pooh-poohed the idea. It was, however, lucky for us that a breeze springing up dissipated the fog, as this was the mountain and we were close to the breakers. We were fortunate in having a smart craft under us, else it might have-gone hard with vessel and crew. We reached Waikato Heads in safety, but, the captain knowing nothing of the channel and entrusting the pilotage to the natives on board, we managed to get ashore, and this time for good. The Maoris behaved very well, helping to unload cargo, dismantle the vessel, &c, and not a single article was lost. The crew got very drunk, some of them being hauled on shore through the surf to save their lives, and eventually the, vessel went to pieces. A short time after the wreck a misunderstanding arose between the captain and myself respecting the ownership of a cannon which I had purchased in Sydney and shipped as my property. The captain had only joined the vessel on the eve of her departure, and, being perhaps unaware of my rights to the piece, he wanted to sell it to raise money to pay himself and crew. Of course I was as anxious to retain my own property, and the consequence was that, on my refusing to give it up, he sent up a posse of 14 hands, as the gun, being a 12-pounder and heavy, required some strength to move it. The proceedings began by their reeving a rope through a ring at the breech to haul it down, but, though single-handed to contend with the party, I was not going to give in, even though my pakeha servant would not help me. In those days I was young and strong, and when the captain and his son attempted to hustle me, I tripped up the son, caught the father by the collar and breech and pitched him on to the son. Whilst this was going on, the party were dragging the gun away, though, slowly; but the rope they had fastened had taughtened nicely and so invitingly that I could not resist the temptation} and, with one slash of my knife, I cut it asunder,
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sending the haulers tumbling over one another to the great amusement of the Maori lookers-on. Being laughed at did not improve my friends' tempers, and they seemed determined to take the gun, but I too had become warm, and was equally resolved they should not have it; so, when again they made the rope fast to the gun, I took up a pair of pistols I had fetched from the house and declared that if they persisted I would shoot the man nearest to the gun. This mild threat had the effect of inducing each of them to avoid proximity, and there was a general falling back, although the captain urged them to continue. On seeing the determined air I had assumed, and fearing something serious might happen, Te Karekare jumped up and declared that he would not permit so many to attack a single individual, and that, if they went on, he would assist me. This decided the question, the pakehas retired grumbling, and I was left in peaceable possession of the gun.
After this, I commenced trading in flax, and Reihana called one day and requested to see my trade. He selected a musket, though he did not take it away, but merely marked it by attaching a piece of string, at the same time telling me he would only give one basket of flax for it, the customary price being 27 or 28 baskets containing 7 cwt. A few days after, on looking up the river (our house faced the water), I perceived an extremely singular-looking body looming in the distance and coming down stream. On its approaching nearer it looked, through the glass, like a haystack built on canoes; we could see the paddles glisten in the sun as they were worked to propel the body towering above them. On their nearing us, it turned out to be Reihana with about 40 companions and the single basket of flax that he had stated he would give for the musket. Two canoes had been fastened together a short distance apart, on which was erected a stage, and on this was placed the "basket." When the tide had
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receded and the canoes were left dry, it took all the forty natives to lift and carry it into the store. Reihana objected to having it weighed, stating that if it was less than the usual quantity I must put up with the loss, and, if it was more, he was satisfied, as it was his proposition not to have it weighed; he then took his musket and returned with the flood tide. Afterwards, on pressing my flax for shipment, I had the curiosity to weigh this monster basket, and found that it was over 8 cwt. instead of 7 cwt., the usual price.
In the autumn of 1832, I took a trip up the country to trade, and during my absence a report reached us that the Ngapuhis had arrived at Port Waikato. The natives in the vicinity of the settlement at which I was stopping, mustered about 300 in number, and with them I went in company to my home. On my arrival I found the Maoris had mustered from all directions, and, moreover, that some had been troublesome to the man-servant I had left in charge; but Reihana, on his arrival with his party, hearing of the annoyance my servant had experienced, told him that if his men were permited to establish themselves in the fore-court it would probably check the importunity and pilfering of the others, a propensity for which they had exhibited some inclination. After he had taken charge nothing further occurred, though there were 3,000 natives, as stated in page 19, surrounding us.
The abduction of Mr. W------has been stated at page 20. He afterwards returned to Waikato and resided at Kopokowhatitiri, at which place a large pa, or, more properly speaking, three pas joined together, had been erected, as three tribes were living in it, each party having built the portion in which they resided. One chief having taken liberties with the wife of a chief of another tribe, a quarrel arose and threatened to become serious; but, through the intervention of several chiefs, an amicable arrangement was made, which so elated the highest in rank that he determined to give the
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assembled people a feast. On inquiry, he discovered that he, had no kinaki (relish) handy to give with the potatoes and kumeras, and so he was rather at a loss; but, on consideration, he bethought himself what a treat a nice tender young woman would be. By-and-by one of his numerous wives came out, and proved the use wives can be put to on an emergency. She was directed to fetch firewood and prepare a hangi (a hangi is the native oven, in which food is cooked, or, more properly, steamed); unconscious for what purpose this was intended, she went on with the work imagining that it was for the usual routine of cooking; but, on its completion, she was seized, and it then flashed across her mind that she was the proposed victim. In her fear and agony she called to her husband and chief for protection, but the brute's only response was "Karanga mai! karanga mai!" (call to me; call to me), and a laugh. She was killed and cooked, and the party ate, drank, made peace, and were merry while picking her bones. While I am on the theme of murder, I may mention another case of woman slaughter which occurred at Whaingaroa. On my paying Mr. Lonsdale a visit in 1833, and while stopping at his house, I was one morning informed by a chief that the natives living on the opposite side of the river, at Orea, had killed a woman and apparently meant to eat her, as she was at that time being cooked. I informed Mr. Lonsdale, the master of a vessel that was in harbour, and two other Europeans, and we determined to go across and deprive them of their anticipated repast by disturbing the hangi in which we expected she would be stewing. We crossed the river and, on nearing the shore, saw a number of children amusing themselves with something which seemed to afford them great delight. On landing we discovered that the head of the unfortunate woman was the plaything which they were rolling about; they were laughing and jumping all the time like a number of little imps. Mr. Lonsdale at
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once picked it up and, wrapping it in his handkerchief, placed it in the boat. We then proceeded inland to carry out the object of our visit; but, to our surprise and disgust, the natives had anticipated the object of our visit and had formed themselves round the hangi in a circle, which we were not permitted to enter. We remained there a considerable time thinking that perhaps they might relax in their vigilance; but no, they did sentry-go, relieving each other till our patience was exhausted and we retired. We returned home, and in the evening Mr. Lonsdale and the captain re-visited them to see the "wild beasts" feed. In this they were successful, and were invited to join in and partake of the savory meal; but they very politely declined, the captain merely requesting the little finger of the unfortunate woman, which he obtained and preserved as a souvenir. On my first seeing the head bowled about by the children, as we landed from the boat, I thought I recognized the features, but could not call to memory where I had seen them, the jaw having fallen and the dirt about the face having altered the appearance; but I learnt afterwards that she was a slave belonging to the tribe under whose protection I was living in Waikato. She had run away to the chief who afterwards killed her, by whom she was taken as a supernumerary wife; but, finding her inconstant, he had knocked her on the head and disposed of her as stated above.
The only murder of a European committed in the Waikato District previous to the war in '63 was by one white man on another. Two men, Charlie ------ and Geordy Clare, lived together at Whaingaroa, when, one day, apparently without provocation (as was stated by the natives), no other Europeans being near, Clare shot Charlie with a pistol in the side, and ultimately dispatched him by jumping on him and otherwise brutally ill-treating him. There being no law in New Zealand at the time, he committed the act with impunity,
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though afterwards, having confessed the murder, he was taken to Sydney by Captain Kent in the "Lord Byron" brig. On their reaching Sydney he was handed over to the authorities, and the charge of murder preferred against him upon his own confession. On his examination, being asked by the Court what he had to say to the charge, he stated that it was certainly true he had said that he had murdered the man, but that he had made the statement as a ruse to obtain a passage out of New Zealand, as he had no money or property to meet the expense. From the want of evidence, he was liberated, but he was shortly afterwards drowned on his first trip to sea; the vessel foundered, and all hands were lost, not one appearing to tell the tale, and Clare no doubt being the "Jonah."
