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OLD NEW ZEALAND;
A Tale of the Good Old Times
BY
A PAKEHA MAORI.
"Of Anthropophagi, and men whose heads
Do grow BETWEEN their shoulders."
AUCKLAND:
ROBERT J. CREIGHTON & ALFRED SCALES, QUEEN STREET.
1863.
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[PREFACE]
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PREFACE.
To the English reader, and to most of those who have arrived in New Zealand within the last thirty years, it may be necessary to state that the descriptions of Maori life and manners of past times found in these sketches owe nothing to fiction. The different scenes and incidents are given exactly as they occurred, and all the persons described are real persons.
Contact with the British settlers has of late years effected a marked and rapid
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change in the manners and mode of life of the natives, and the Maori of the present day are as unlike what they were when I first saw them as they are still unlike a civilised people or British subjects.
The writer has therefore thought it might be worth while to place a few sketches of old Maori life on record before the remembrance of them has quite passed away; though in doing so he has by no means exhausted an interesting subject, and a more full and particular delineation of old Maori life, manners, and history has yet to be written.
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[CONTENTS]
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Introductory--First view of New Zealand--First Sight of the Natives, and First Sensations experienced by a mere Pakeha--A Maori Chief's notions of trading in the Old Times--A dissertation on 'Courage'--A few words on Dress--The Chief's Soliloquy--The Maori Cry of Welcome .............. Page 1
CHAPTER II.
The Market Price of a Pakeha--The value of a Pakeha "as such"--Maori Hospitality in the Good Old Times --A Respectable Friend -- Maori Mermaids -- My Notions of the value of Gold--How I got on Shore .............. Page 17
CHAPTER III.
A Wrestling Match--Beef against Melons--The Victor gains a Loss--"Our Chief"--His Speech--His statusin the Tribe--Death of "Melons"--Rumours of Peace
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and War--Getting the Pa in fighting order--My Friend the "Relation Eater"--Expectation and Preparation--Arrival of Doubtful Friends--Sham Fight --The "Taki"--The War Dance--Another Example of Maori Hospitality --Crocodile's Tears -- Loose Notions about Heads--Tears of Blood--Brotherly Love--Capital Felony--Peace .............. Page 30
CHAPTER IV.
A Little affair of "Flotsam and Jetsa "-- Rebellion Crushed in the Bud--A Pakeha's House sacked-- Maori Law--A Maori Law Suit--Affairs thrown into Chancery .............. Page 66
CHAPTER V.
Every Englishman's House is his Castle--My Estate and Castle--How I purchased my Estate--Native Titles to Land, of what Nature--Value of Land in New Zealand -- Land Commissioners -- The Triumphs of Eloquence-- Magna Charta .............. Page 76
CHAPTER VI.
How I kept House -- Maori Freebooters -- An ugly Customer -- The "Suaviter in Modo"-- A single Combat to amuse the Ladies--The true Maori Gentleman--Character of the Maori People .............. Page 85
CHAPTER VII.
Excitement caused by first Contact with Europeans-- The Two Great Institutions of Maori Land--The Muru -- The Tapu--Instances of Legal Robbery-- Descriptions and Examples of the Muru--Profit and Loss--Explanation of some of the Workings of the Law of Muru .............. Page 103
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CHAPTER VIII.
The Muru falling into Disuse--Why--Examples of the Tapu--The Personal Tapu--Evading the Tapu--The Undertaker's Tapu--How I got Tabooed--Frightful Difficulties--How I got out of them--The War Tapu --Maori War Customs .............. Page 117
CHAPTER IX.
The Tapu Tohunga--The Maori Oracle--Responses of the Oracle--Priestcraft .............. Page 148
CHAPTER X.
The Priest evokes a Spirit--The Consequences--A Maori Tragedy--The "Tohunga" again .............. Page 156
CHAPTER XI.
The Local Tapu--The Taniwha--The Battle of Motiti-- Death of Tiki Whenua--Reflections--Brutus, Marcus Antonius, and Tiki Whenua--Suicide .............. Page 165
CHAPTER XII.
The Tapa--Instances of--The Storming of Mokoia-- Pomare -- Hongi Ika -- Tareha -- Honor amongst Thieves .............. Page 175
CHAPTER XIII.
"My Rangatira"--The respective Duties of the Pakeha and his Rangatira--Public Opinion--A "Pakeha Kino"--Description of my Rangatira--His Exploits and Misadventures--His Moral Principles--Decline in the numbers of the Natives--Proofs of former Large Population--Ancient Forts--Causes of Decrease .............. Page 179
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CHPTER XIV.
Trading in the Old Times--The Native Difficulty--Virtue its own Reward--Rule Britannia--Death of my Chief--His Dying Speech--Rescue--How the World goes Round .............. Page 211
CHAPTER XV.
Mana--Young New Zealand--The Law of England-- "Pop goes the weasel"--Right if we have Might-- God save the Queen .............. Page 223
