CHAPTER II
[Image of page 23]
Maories leaving Hawaiki.
CHAPTER II.
"'Courage!' he said, and pointing toward the land,
'This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.'"
The Lotus Eaters.
It must have been about Christmas time when the Maories first landed in New Zealand, for as they neared the shore they noticed the red flower of the Pohutekawa-tree, which at that season of the year is quite a conspicuous and beautiful object as viewed from the sea.
In the story of these early voyagings of their ancestors, the natives, although differing in some particulars, agree wonderfully in their account of the main incidents relating to the country they came from, their passage across the ocean in big canoes, and of their dispersion over New Zealand on their arrival. There is now no island in the Pacific Ocean known by the name of "Hawaiki," the mythical
[Image of page 24]
abode of the ancestors of the Maori, though possibly "Savii," one of the Navigators' islands, is the place. They have a tradition that Rarotonga, Parima, and Manona, are islands near to Hawaiki. The first named is a large island in the Hervey group, the other two belong to the Navigators, and are called as above to this day.
Several stories are told as to the cause of their undertaking so long and perilous a voyage.
It is about three thousand miles from Rarotonga (where one tradition says they built their canoes) to New Zealand.
Little differences, however, resulting in war, seem to have been at the bottom of their troubles.
I have been told also by natives that an ancestor of theirs (whose name I forget) having lost his dog, went about calling "Moi, Moi!" but the poor brute being entombed in the stomach of a chief of another tribe, could only reply by a prolonged howl, and wonderful it was that he could do even that. Such a marvellous gastronomical phenomenon must have proved startling to both parties, but more particularly to the greedy pilferer. Upon this, the original owner of the dog and his tribe went to war with the dog-eater and his party, and, after much fighting, one
[Image of page 25]
Their live stock and cargo.
side being worsted, they fled away to these islands, taking with them dogs, rats, parrots, and pukekos for live stock; they also had on board their canoes sweet potatoes (kumera), Karaka berries, gourds, and Taro.
The most wonderful part of the story to my mind is that they knew quite well where they were going, a certain man named Ngahue having been to New Zealand before, and upon his return to Hawaiki had much to say in favour of the islands he had visited, more particularly mentioning the size of the eels and the marvellous big birds that he had seen, also producing some pieces of greenstone that were specimens of diaphanous beauty which the Hawaikians had never had the pleasure of seeing before.
Knowing where New Zealand lay, they made a straight course of it, using the sun by day and certain stars by night, so as not to deviate much out of the way.
It is doubtful how many canoes started on this voyage, however, the events that happened to three of them, namely, Tainui, Arawa, and Mata-Atua, have been carefully handed down, but I should suppose that ten or more landed their crews safely in New Zealand.
[Image of page 26]
Those on board the Tainui first went ashore on a peninsula about twenty miles to the north of where Auckland now stands, when, seeing a sperm-whale on the rocks, they called the headland Wangaparaoa, which name it still retains. After some rest, again launching their canoe, they sailed up the Tamiki River as far as Otahuhu, when, dragging her across the portage, they again set sail, and, proceeding out to sea through the Manukau Heads, steered south, finally locating themselves at Kawhia, where a great limestone rock is shown to this day as all that is left of the Tainui.
The Arawa also landed her party in the neighbourhood of Wangaparaoa, but they soon again embarked, and, sailing round the headland now known as Cape Colville, put in at most of the bays and harbours on their way, naming them as they went, which names they still retain. For example, at Tauranga they saw what a good harbour the place had, so they gave it the above designation, for the word signifies as much. Some seventeen miles further south they came to a headland with a river running round one side of it. This place they called "Te Tumu," which means a headland.
It was near here they dragged the Arawa ashore,
[Image of page 27]
They land in New Zealand.
at a place now called Maketu, and from this they spread inland to the lake country.
The particular spot of ground where the canoe was beached has been a Wahi Tapu (sacred place) ever since, and I should hardly think that a native foot has ever from that time to this trod that bit of sandy shore, nor can I think of anything that would persuade a Maori to desecrate the place, a notable instance of which came under my own experience that I shall hope to relate by-and-by.
It is asserted by some that the voyages of the Maories from Hawaiki to New Zealand were made in double canoes; it may be so, but I think, as they now never build their canoes in that manner, that it is more probable they came in some larger kind of vessel resembling those native Malay craft to be seen, in these our times about the island of Borneo.
The party on board of the Mata-Atua eventually settled at Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty. There is a tradition that as they neared the dangerous-looking shore the place appeared so rugged the men feared to effect a landing, when a woman, more bold than the rest, jumped into the sea and swam ashore to pilot the canoe safely into the river. From this circumstance they named the place Whakatane,
[Image of page 28]
which means, that there "the woman played the man."
All Maori tradition concurs in stating that their ancestors, in their voyage from Hawaiki, first sighted the east coast of New Zealand, and, although almost invariably giving a name to every remarkable feature in the landscape, they have never applied any word to designate the country as a whole. The south island, which is comparatively small, they have named Rakiura, but the Northern and Middle Islands are without native names.
There is a pretty general belief that the ancestors of the present aborigines migrated from Hawaiki to these islands about 500 years ago, an opinion based upon the Maori genealogies, which are certainly to be traced through twenty generations.
When pushing off from Hawaiki, as they bade a last farewell to those on shore, it is said that an old chief made them the following speech:--
"Depart in peace; and when you reach the place you are going to, do not follow after the deeds of Tu, the god of war, depart and dwell in peace with all men, leave war and strife behind you."
The first Europeans of whose visit to New Zealand we have any certain account were the Dutch
[Image of page 29]
Maria Van Dieman.
under Tasman, in 1642; although a Frenchman named Binot Paulmier de Gonneville, who sailed from Harfleur in 1503, is supposed to have reached these islands. Also it is said that Juan Fernandez, the Spaniard, landed in New Zealand in 1576. It is just possible that there is some truth in these stories.
Van Diemen, the Governor of Batavia, had an only child, Maria, a Dutch beauty and an heiress. No wonder that she had many suitors, Abel Jansen Tasman amongst the rest, and the one the young lady preferred. "The course of true love never did run smooth;" and her father, who wished her to marry some one else, or at all events not young Tasman, who was only the skipper of a small vessel, and in a very different sphere of life to the high born and wealthy governor's daughter, naturally would not have been remarkably sorry to hear that the young fellow was at the bottom of the sea.
About this time Van Diemen fitted out an expedition for the purpose of discovering new countries, possibly with the idea that by giving the command to Tasman he might get rid of him; or if, again, the young sailor was successful in his explorations, the fame of them would so tend to his renown as to make a union with his daughter no longer undesir-
[Image of page 30]
able. Tasman left Batavia with two ships, and on the 18th of December, 1642, anchored in a bay next to that where the town of Nelson now stands.
Extract from 'Tasman's Journal':--
"The 13th of December, 1642, Lat.S. 42 deg. 10', Long. 188 deg. 28' N.E. They had land in sight very high and hilly--in the charts now called New Zealand.
"They went north-east along the land, as the chart showed it, till they anchored in a bay S. Lat. 40 deg. 50', Long. 191 deg. 41', on the 18th of December.
"The inhabitants were rough of voice, thick and gross made. They came not within a stone's cast on board of us, and blew several times an instrument which made a noise like a Moorish trumpet, in answer whereto we blew ours. Their colour between brown and yellow; they had black hair, bound fast and tight upon the crown of their head in the same manner as the Japannes have theirs behind their head, and near as long and thick of hair, upon which stood a great white feather. Their clothes were of mats, others of cotton, but their upper parts were naked.
[Image of page 31]
Tasman's Journal.
"The 19th of December. These Antipodes began to be somewhat bolder and more free, so that they endeavoured to begin a truck or merchandize with the yacht, and began to come on board; the commander, seeing this, began to fear lest they might be fallen upon, and sent his boat or prau with seven men to advertise them that they should not trust these people too much. They went off from the ship, and not having any arms with them, were set upon by these inhabitants, and three or four of them were killed, and the rest saved themselves by swimming. This they endeavoured to retaliate, but the water going high, they were hindered; the bay was for this reason named 'Murderers' Bay,' as it is marked on the chart.
"From this bay they went on east and found the land all round about them. It seems a good land, fruitful and well sheltered; but by reason of the bad weather and the west wind, they had great trouble to get out.
"The 24th of December. Because the wind would not well suffer them to go to the northward, they not knowing if they should find any passage to the northward and the flood coining out of the south-east, they concluded to go back again into the bay and
[Image of page 32]
there seek a passage. But on the 26th the wind, better serving, they went away northerly somewhat to the west.
"The 4th of January, 1643--S. Lat. 34 deg. 35', Long. 191 deg.--they came to the north-west cape of this land, and had long waves out of north-east, and therefore doubted not there must be a great sea in the north-east, wherefore they were glad at having gotten a passage."
This north-west cape Tasman named after his ladylove, Maria Van Diemen.
On the 6th of January, being the Feast of the Epiphany, he discovered the three islets off the north cape, which he named Drei Konig, or Three Kings.
There is also a vague Maori tradition that a ship, commanded by a man called Rougotute, visited the southern part of the north island, about the year 1740, and that the natives killed the crew and plundered the vessel.
The English government, in 1768, sent Captain
[Image of page 33]
Cook's voyage to New Zealand.
James Cook in the Endeavour, a brig of only 370 tons burden, on an exploring expedition to the Southern Ocean. He was accompanied by Mr. Banks (afterwards Sir Joseph), as botanist, Dr. Solander, naturalist, and Mr. Green, astronomer; for one of the main objects of the expedition was to observe the transit of Venus over the sun.
One hundred and twenty-seven years had elapsed since Tasman's visit in 1642, when on the 6th of October, 1769, land was seen from the masthead. Cook at first supposed this to be the "Terra Australis Incognita," but soon perceived that it was the Staten Land discovered by the old Dutch navigator. The next day they landed at a place called Turanga, in Poverty Bay, on the east coast of the north island. They met with so much opposition from the natives at this place that, in self-defence, they were obliged on several occasions to fire upon them, and many were killed. Cook spent nearly six months voyaging about New Zealand, surveying many parts along the coast, and noting the soundings, and, it is generally admitted that all he has done in this way is wonderfully correct.
Whilst in a harbour on the east coast he observed the transit of the planet Mercury over the sun's
[Image of page 34]
face, and called the place Mercury Bay. It was here that Captain Cook took formal possession of New Zealand, in the name of King George III.
A very old native chief, named Te Taniwha, otherwise known amongst Europeans as "Old Hook-nose," from the Wellingtonian appearance of that feature, had a perfect recollection of Captain Cook. This ancient Maori, who died in the year 1853, is supposed to have been about twelve years of age at the time of the arrival of the big canoe of the Pakeha "from the other side" of the world. At first they thought that the ship was some huge bird, or, perhaps, a kind of whale; and when they saw the men launch a boat from off the vessel, and row towards the shore, they concluded that these strangers must have eyes in the back of their head, else how could they see where they were going to, sitting as they did in their dumpy canoe, with their backs to the beach.
Cook seems to have given Te Taniwha two hands-ful of potatoes and some biscuit, a part of the latter the old chief still retained tied in a bit of rag, up to the time of his death, when it was buried with him. The contents of this extemporaneous bag had little resemblance to biscuit, having, long years before I saw this curious memento of the illustrious
[Image of page 35]
New Zealand early visited by the French.
navigator, tumbled into dust. There was also a canoe at Coromandel, where Old Hook-nose mostly resided, which was reputed to have frequently been used by Cook when in this harbour.
De Surville, in the Saint Jean Baptiste, landed at Monganui, near the North Cape, in December 1769, and only just missed seeing Cook beat the Endeavour out of Doubtless Bay at the time.
De Surville soon got into trouble with the natives, behaving in a treacherous and cruel manner, after receiving only kindness from the Maories. He burned the native settlement, and carried away, against his will, a chief named Naginoui; the poor New Zealander pined for his island home, and eventually died at sea.
On the 11th of May, 1772, Marion du Fresne and Crozet, landed from two ships at the Bay of Islands. For some time all went well, and the French were on most friendly terms with the natives; but on the 12th of June, Marion and some sixteen of his crew were killed and eaten. It seems the French had desecrated some sacred place, and that was an offence unpardonable in Maori eyes.
Such was their revenge. Also it is said by the natives, that a French ship sailed up the estuary of
[Image of page 36]
the Thames shortly after Cook's visit to the same place.
From this time many other ships began to call at New Zealand, more particularly the English and American whalers, who frequented the Bay of Islands, and white men gradually spread over the country, not very choice specimens of moral humanity, certainly, being mainly composed of convicts from Australia, runaway sailors of all nations, and "Pakeha Maories." Law there was none, and up to the time of the arrival of the first governor, New Zealand was notably a country where everybody did as he pleased.
In the year 1814, the Rev. S. Marsden, the first missionary, landed at the Bay of Islands, where, purchasing 200 acres of land from the natives for twelve axes, he hoisted his flag, bearing the word "Rongopai" (good tidings).
Captain Hobson, the first governor, landed at the Bay of Islands on the 29th of January, 1840.
