CHAPTER VI
[Image of page 124]
CHAPTER VI.
Northern Shore of Cook's Straits.
Owing to contrary winds and calms, we were unable to leave the roadstead of Kapiti until the 18th of November, when we weighed anchor and ran along the northern shore of Cook's Straits. From Waikanahi, the native settlement opposite Kapiti, this shore presents the aspect of low and irregular hummocks, either downs or covered with fern, and improving in fertility the farther they recede from the sea. This district is bordered, at a distance of three or four miles from the coast, by a wooded country, which rises gradually into ridges of mountains covered with snow during the winter season. These mountains, which do not exceed 3000 feet at their greatest height, belong to a congeries of hills running towards the centre of the island. They are of the same system of mountains as those the picturesque ridges of which strike the beholder on first entering Port Nicholson, and which shut in the view up the valley of the Eritonga. In the latter place they are called the Tararua, and their continuation into the interior the Rua-wahine. Both are distinguished by a chasm or cleft, which forms the valley of the river Manawatu.
[Image of page 125]
COOK'S STRAITS.
The outward shape of these mountains is very uniform; they have everywhere the same longitudinal ridges, with narrow crests, here and there rising to a somewhat higher summit. The woody region reaches nearly to the top, and in many cases they are entirely covered by forest. At their sides these hills send off ramifications, which form ravines rather than valleys, from which small streams flow to the sea-coast. These mountains thus form a good geographical division, as from them on one side the waters run into Cook's Straits, from Port Nicholson to Cape Egmont, and on the other side to the east coast, into Hawke's Bay, or into the lake Taupo. The course of these rivers is short, rising as they do not far from the sea-coast; and from their flowing between hills, which give them many tributaries, the violent rains often swell them suddenly, and the streamlet becomes a mountain-torrent. It then overflows the low alluvial land forming its banks, and carries with it the stems of large trees, especially pines, which either remain fixed in its bed, or are buried near the sea-coast when driven back and left dry by the tide. I consequently found a great deal of drift-wood at all the rivers, the quantity bearing little proportion to the size of the streams. Of these rivers may be mentioned the Waikanahi, the Waimea, the Mahia, the Wai-e-rongo-mai, the Waikewa, the Ohou, the Waiwiri, the Orewenua, and the Wai-te-rawa, which we passed in rapid succession. At the Wai-
[Image of page 126]
MANAWATU RIVER.
mea is stationed a large tribe of natives, the Nga-te-raukaua, whom I have already mentioned as the enemies of the Nga-te-awa. Their pa, or fortified village, is called Otaki.
The river Manawatu is the longest of all these rivers. It takes its rise in the most elevated inland group of mountains, the Ruapahu. As is the case with all the rivers in Cook's Straits, the force of its waters is not strong enough to remove the sand which is thrown up at its mouth by the southwesterly and north-westerly winds; and its depth over the bar is therefore only six feet at low water; the tide rises eight feet. Its breadth at the mouth is about 300 yards at half-tide.
From all the accounts which I received from the natives, both in Cook's Straits and in the interior of the country, the river Manawatu has a very winding course; in some places, after making a sweep of several miles, it returns within a quarter of a mile to the same spot, and in this manner forms paddocks of very fertile land, often clear, but in parts rich in many kinds of timber. Inside the bar the river deepens sufficiently to admit small vessels for about fifty miles. The natives of Taupo often descend it with their canoes to Cook's Straits. Its embouchure is, according to Captain Smith, in lat. 40 deg. 27' 23" S. From this description it must be evident that it would be of great importance for the settlers in Cook's Straits to explore the Manawatu more accurately, especially as it is reported that
[Image of page 127]
MANAWATU RIVER.
from its upper part there is an easy communication with the Hauriri in Hawke's Bay, a river which is known to have very fertile land on its banks.
About six miles from the mouth of the Manawatu, the Rangitiki, a smaller river, likewise owing its origin to the Ruapahu, falls into Cook's Straits. It brings, as does also the Wanganui, a great quantity of pumicestone from the Tongariro, a volcano in the interior.
To the westward of a line drawn from Otaki to the Ruapahu, and thence to Mount Egmont, the country is comparatively level. Across this district the Ruapahu rears its massy head to the height of about 9000 feet, and is covered with eternal snows.
Several streams run into the sea between the Rangitiki and the Wanganui, but are smaller and of less importance: they are the Wai Patiki, the Waikanahi, the Wai Kopuka, the Mahora, the Turakina, the Wangaiho, and the Kaitoki.
In the evening of the 18th, the natives whom we had taken on board--and amongst whom was a fine young man, E Kuru, the son of the principal chief at Wanganui--looked out in vain for the entrance of the river of that name, which we intended to visit if large enough to admit the Tory. E Kuru was an intelligent fellow, but had never seen his native place from the deck of a ship. To add to the difficulty, the coast has a great sameness of appearance, and the mouths of the different rivers present little peculiarity when viewed from the sea.
[Image of page 128]
WANGANUI RIVER.
Unable to find the mouth of the river, we stood off the land during the night, and on the following morning found ourselves to the northward of Wanganui, which we were unable to reach until the morning of the 20th; for on approaching the coast we found that the water shoaled to a distance of about three miles; and it was therefore thought advisable to send Mr. Barret, our pilot, to explore the entrance, and to convey E Kuru to his village. He afterwards reported the depth of water over the bar to be insufficient to admit the Tory, and we therefore stood again to the northward. As, however, one of the Company's settlements has been formed at the mouth of this river, which is already inhabited by several hundreds of Europeans, I will give a few particulars regarding this place which I have gathered from different sources.
The entrance to the Wanganui river, situated in latitude 39 deg. 55' 54" S., is half a mile broad, but at low water its depth does not exceed eight feet, so that it will only admit vessels of moderate burden. The largest craft that ever entered it was a vessel of 150 tons. The headlands of the river are low; a spit of sand runs off the southern head, and the channel is near the northern. At low water the sea breaks across the bar. Inside the bar the river deepens, and is about 300 yards broad. Its banks here are low and sandy, and covered with driftwood and pumicestone, which the river brings down from its source, which is in the Tongariro.
[Image of page 129]
WANGANUI RIVER.
At a little distance from the sea-shore is an extensive flat covered with flax and fern; farther up the banks become higher, and form cliffs consisting of a blue clay, with fossils, which, from all I have seen, I should judge to belong to the newest tertiary epoch. About thirty miles from the mouth the river is enclosed between the neighbouring hills, which are well wooded, and run towards the Tongariro, Near the latter, however, the country is again more open and flat, although much broken; and the soil consists of pumicestone and tufa, as I shall hereafter describe when speaking of the interior.
A large tribe of natives live near the Wanganui, and possess several pas up the river. A station of the Church Missionary Society is now established amongst them, and the missionaries have succeeded in making several converts, but were unable to prevent two sanguinary battles which lately took place between this tribe and the natives from Taupo Lake. These latter are able to descend the Wanganui to Cook's Straits in their canoes from within a short distance of its source.
We landed E Kuru; and although we were unable to enter the river, the possession of the district was secured for the New Zealand Company, having been obtained during our stay at Kapiti, where the principal chiefs of Wanganui, who were then present at Waikanahi, had made the land "tapu" for the Company, on receiving some presents.
[Image of page 130]
COOK'S STRAITS.
The coast from Wanganui to Cape Egmont presents a cliff of moderate height, on the top of which the land is flat, and rises with a very gentle slope towards Cape Egmont. In many places layers of lignite are found in the cliffs. The whole district possesses great facilities for agriculture, being covered with flax and fern. The forest begins at some distance inland.
The rivers along the coast from Wanganui are the Waitotara, about twenty miles to the northward, the Wenuakura, the Patea, the Tangahohi, the Waimate, and the Kakapuni, all of which are small. There are natives on the banks of all these, and Waimate is known as the place where, on the shipwreck of the barque Harriet, a fierce struggle ensued between the natives and Europeans, in which several men were killed on both sides. Although this conflict, according to all the accounts I could collect, was caused by the Europeans, Her Majesty's vessel Alligator afterwards inflicted a severe and summary punishment on the natives.
But to return to the Tory. We left the mouth of the Wanganui immediately after Mr. Barret had come on board. The weather looked threatening, and it soon blew a gale of wind. The whole coast from Kapiti to Cape Egmont, and thence to the northward, is a complete lee-shore, on account of the prevalence of north-westerly and south-westerly winds; a heavy swell sets towards the coast, and, as the sea to a great distance from the shore has only little depth, ships are obliged to keep a good offing.
