1851 - Cooper, G. S. Journal of an Expedition Overland from Auckland to Taranaki - [Pages 52-101]

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI..

About noon some natives came from a settlement lower down the river, amongst whom was a man named Mauwhare, who is next to Taraia, the principal chief on the Thames. He told me that a strong pa had once existed ou the top of the mountain opposite to us, (Te Aroha Uta), called Nga tukituki a Hikawera, which had been built by a famous chief, his ancestor, called Ruinga, and had been considered almost impregnable. The posts of it still remain. As an instance of the great distance at which the sound of the pahu 1 or ancient native gong could be heard, he informed us that the pahu in this pa had been heard at Matamata, which is not less than eight or ten miles in a straight line from our present position, which again must be at least four from the top of Te Aroha Uta, making the whole distance which the sound travelled not less than twelve or fourteen miles. The weather cleared up towards evening, and gave us some hopes of further improvement to-morrow.

Saturday, December 15--Fine morning but lowering, fortunately however the weather held

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

whitiwhiti ai matou, to nga turi etahi, to nga hope etahi. Ka whiti i era, ka pa ki Mangapouri; he repo kino pu tenei, mangu tonu te wai, puta ake ana te piro. He repo whanui tenei, ka to nga uma pea i te uanga; otiia, i whiti matou i te waka, tautokowha ki runga. I mea nga tangata, marire kia kitea te waka hei whakawhiti i a matou, no te mea, ko te nohoanga tera o Rito, tetahi Taniwha; ko tana kai he Pakeha, e toia ana ki roto ki tana aua; e ia kai katoa nga wheua; ekore tenei Taniwha e kai i te tangata Maori. I te toanga o te waka i te repo, to nga kauwae te wai ki nga tangata. Kihai matou i mahara ki nga taniwha o taua wahi, engari, ko te maharatanga tenei, ko te whitinga pananga. Ko te mania e takoto ana i waenga o Manawaru haere atu ki te repo tuatahi i whakawhitia ra, ehara--he oneone kino, he rahurahu popoto nei, he wita. Te kau ma rua pea maero o taua wahi. Kahore he rakau o te takina atu i Manawaru ki Matamata. I te taha ki maui a Hauraki e rere ana, i tua atu ko te Tarangi maunga kua oti ra te korero, kahore ia nga keokeonga i ata kitea atu i te purorohu mai. I te taha matau e marama ana, tu mai ana nga puke pouri o Waikato i te taha tu-auru, i te taha anga mai ki te aroaro, ko te ngaherehere nui o Matamata. I kite wheriko

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

up, so we started at between seven and eight, a. m., to walk to Matamata. We all set out in the full expectation of having formidable difficulties to encounter from streams, swamps, &c, in consequence of the representations made to us by several people who had previously travelled the same route. We only met with two creeks, the largest of which, called Te Horo, only wet us as far as the knees and took but three steps to cross, whilst the other, about half-a-mile further on, was but a moderate jump. The swamps, however, were toute autre chose, and certainly the representations made to us in regard to them by persons who had crossed them previously turned out to be by no means exaggerated. We had to encounter four of these, the average depth of the first three of which was between the knees and the waist, and the distance across varying from a quarter to rather better than half-a-mile, with an interval, upon the average, of about five hundred yards of terra firma between them. Then came Mangapouri (rightly named the dark swamp), last but certainly not least of all. This is a regular raupo swamp of the worst description, and from the late rains was full of highly odoriferous black water; it is about half-a-mile in breadth. We were lucky enough to find a small canoe which took us safely across, four at a time. Our finding this canoe, the natives told us was a very fortunate circumstance as the swamp is, it seems, infested by a very wicked Taniwha called Rito, whose favourite food is pakehas (he never eats maories), whom he draws under the

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

kau atu te rere o Wairere i tawahi atu o Matamata, ko nga painga o taua rere kihai i ata kitea atu i te tawhiti. Kotahi pea rau putu te teitei o te rere ra; he nui te wai e heke iho ana. I a matou e whakawhitiwhiti ana i nga repo ka puta nga tangata o te kainga, me nga paro here i te ringa hei homai noa, kua rongo hoki ratou ko te Kawana tenei e haere atu ana. Houhou to nui te kainga ai i aua here, e werawera ana hoki i te ra raumati. Haere takitahi mai ana taua hunga, me te titiro makutu mai ki tenei, ki tera, roa noa e titiro ana ka ui ake keihea a te Kawana, inahoki kahore he tangata potai titi ki te ho, kahore he hoari, me era atu mea whakapai i roto i to matou tira. Ka oti a te Kawana te tohutohu ki a ratou, ka miharo ake, ka tuku nga kamo ki raro. He koti noa ake nei to te Kawana, he tarau tua tawhito, he potai taunapi, a, ko nga paihau o te ngutu ka tupu ake. Ka mea ake ratou i te kitenga ai, "Ko te Kawana tenei? ka mea matou e riro mai i a ia ana kakahu whakapaipai i te haerenga mai kia kite i a matou." Te mutunga iho o te miharo ka haere mai ki te tohutohu i nga wahi pai hei whakawhitinga, marire ratou i whiti pai ai matou i nga repo. I pikauria matou e taua hunga i nga wahi kikino, ko nga wahanga o nga tangata i whakaharahara iho kia mama ai te haere.

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

water as they cross the swamp, and devours bones and all in his hole in the mud. The natives who waded and dragged the canoe across, sunk to their chins in the mud and water in the centre of the swamp, and certes, taniwha or no taniwha, we all considered ourselves extremely fortunate in getting over so well as we did. The plain over which we crossed between Manawaru and the first of these swamps--a distance of about twelve miles -- is bleak and without any indications of good soil, being covered with stunted fern and manuka. There is no timber between Manawaru (where there are a few acres of forest) and Matamata. We had the Thames--of which we caught occasional glimpses here and there --on our left, beyond which was the fine range of hills before mentioned, but the top of which, from the haziness of the weather, we could hot see distinctly. On the right all was plain, bounded in the distance by the blue hills west of Waikato, and in front the prospect was terminated by the forest at Matamata. We obtained a view of the fall of Wairere in the range nearly opposite to Matamata, but at such a distance that we could not discern any of its beauties. It must be upwards of a hundred feet in height, and the quantity of water passing over it very considerable. Whilst we were in the midst of the swamps, the natives at the settlement having heard that the Governor was approaching, came out to meet us, bringing presents of small kits of ripe cherries which we found very refreshing, the

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

I te whitinga ra i Mangapouri, ka tomokia te ngahere, he ara paruparu taua wahi. Ko Matamata kei tua atu o tenei nehenehe; he wahi pai rawa tera, ka pai taua wahi hei haerenga kau, kia nui noa te kahui kau mo reira, he nui hoki nga kai. He ngahere te arai mai o te taha marangai, o te taha tonga; ko te awa o Waitoa te arai mai o te taha tu-auru, e heke ana nga wai o taua awa ki Piako. He mania reporepo kei te taha tuarake, i waenga o nga awa o Hauraki, o Piako.

I haere matou ki te kainga o Te Nikora hi ki te hoko kai, i mea nga tangata Maori kei reira he kai. Kahore a Te Nikora hi rokohanga, kua riro ke ki Otawhao. I mea te hoa o taua Pakeha, kahore he kai o reira, ehara tera i te kainga hoko. Homai ana e taua wahine Maori he ti, he huka, he pata, he taro, he poaka tote, he hua heihei, me te wai-u, he nui ke; mea noa kia utua atu, heaha mana, kihai i whakarongo mai, kihai whakaae kia utua atu. He wahine rangatira a Mihi Nikora hi, ano pea i mua ake nei! Tokoono ana tamariki, rangatira tonu nga mata, pai tonu nga koheka, marie tonu te ahua o taua whanau ona, a, ko ia ko te matua i humarie nga mata, me te ahua katoa, kihai i meinga kia rite ki a ia te rau atu o te wahine Maori.

No te mutunga o te korero ki a Waharoa,

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

day being warm. They scrutinized the party, and at length asked, as they saw us coming up one by one, what had become of the Governor, as they could see neither cocked hat, feathers, sword, not silver lace on any one of the party; and when His Excellency was pointed out to them they seemed quite astonished and almost disappointed at beholding a man in a common shooting jacket, a Jim Crow hat, trowsers rather the worse for wear and a pair of moustaches. "Is this the Governor?" they all exclaimed, "why we thought he certainly would have come to visit us attired in his full gubernatorial costume." After they had recovered a little from their surprise, however, they very kindly lent us their assistance in getting through the swamps, pointing out the best crossing places, carrying us over the worst spots, and dividing the burthens of some of our overloaded natives.

After crossing Manga pouri, we had to pass through a wood, about a quarter of a mile, which was very dirty walking. Beyond this wood lies Matamata, situated in a rich and fertile plain covered with abundance of excellent feed for hundreds of cattle, with a fine piece of forest on the eastern and southern sides, and bounded at the back, or west, by a creek called the Waitoa, which runs into the Piako. To the northward is the swampy plain between the rivers Thames and Piako. The first house we arrived at was that of a European, a Mr. Nicholas, where the natives led us to believe we should be able to purchase some stores to replace those which had been

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

teina o Wi Tamihana Tarapipipi, te rangatira o taua wahi, ka haere kia kite i te whare karakia. He raupo taua whare, he totara nga pou, he tatau Pakeha, me nga matapihi: ko te purupiti, me nga taiepa o te wahi e kai ai i te hapa tapu, e pera ana me te whare karakia o Mataparu. Te roa o tenei whare ewhitu te kau putu, te whanui ewha tekau, te tiketike, etoru tekau, otira, e peia ana me te tini atu o nga whare karakia tangata Maori, kua tawhitowhito, kua pakorekore. E rere ana te awa o Waitoa i tua tata atu o te whare karakia e kitea atu ana i nga parepare o taua awa te rarangi puke o Waikato ki te taha tuauru, me te tu-auru-ma-tonga, me era ki Maungatautari, e takoto ana i waenga te mania, nui atu te pai o taua wahi. Ka oti te whare karakia te titiro, ka haere kia kite i te whare i noho ai te minita o taua wahi. Ko te nohoanga tenei o Te Paraone i mua atu o te haerenga ki Tauranga, i te whainga o Rotorua raua ko Hauraki. Ko te ahua o tenei wahi kei to te kainga mahue, kia pehea ua ana. He raupo te whare, e ono ruma o roto, i tino whakapaia te nati, he mea papa a raro o te takahanga, ko nga tatau me nga matapihi i rite ki to nga whare Pakeha. Ko nga ahi he mea turaki ki raro, he mea wahi nga matapihi katoa, hore he uri i puta. Tera ano etahi taonga Pakeha kei roto, (tepu pea

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

destroyed, but in this hope we were disappointed. Mr. Nicholas was unfortunately not at home, having gone to Otawhao, about three days journey, but his native wife told us we were mistaken in supposing we should be able to purchase supplies here. She very kindly gave us however a quantity of tea, sugar, and butter, a damper, some salt pork, a quantity of eggs, and a bucket very nearly full of milk, for which nothing could induce her to take any payment whatever. Mrs. Nicholas is a a very good looking native and must a short time ago have been very handsome; she has six beautiful half-caste children who are neatly, dressed and remarkably well behaved, and she herself has a clean and respectable appearance with a sweet, good humoured expression of countenance which are rarely to be met with in native women.

After having some conversation with Te Waharoa, younger brother of Wm. Thompson Tarapipi, the chief of the settlement, we went to see the chapel, which is a large raupo building supported by immense Totara posts with European made door and windows, and the altar, pulpit and communion railings being neatly made of Totara and much resembling those of the chapel at Mataparu. The building is seventy feet long by forty wide, and about thirty feet high. It is, however, like most of the other native chapels, sadly in want of repair. The river Waitoa runs close to the back of the chapel, and from its banks is a fine view towards the south-west and west of the hills in the neighbourhood of Waikato and

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

aha noa,) mei hanga ana, ka pai ano tera hei nohoanga mo te tangata. Kua ururua noa atu nga mara; i kite matou i te pititi, i te aporo, i te here, i te paramu, i te ropere, ko nga mea era etupu ana ki taua mara. I kitea hoki te honikaka, te tataramoa Pakeha, te mimoha, me te erea, ko nga rakau whakapaipai enei. Tera atu ano etahi e totoro haere ana, e hinga ana, e tu ana, e haere ake ana ki te ahua koraha mana, me te huru e para nei hei waerenga uhi. Matapouri pu matou i te tirohanga ai, he kainga pai tera i mua ai, ina hoki e takoto ana nga mahinga, he nui noa atu. Ka mutu te tirotiro i tera wahi ka haere kia kite i te kainga Maori, e rite ana tenei kainga ki te rau atu, kahore he mea i poka ke. Ko Wi Tamihana ko Te Waharoa nga rangatira o tenei kainga; ko nga tama era a Te Waharoa nui ko te maia tera o Ngatihaua i te tauanga o Ngatiwhakaue i te pa o Matamata i te whainga nui i mua ake ra. Kihai a Tarapipipi i rokohanga ki te kainga, i Tauranga ke ia, ko Te Waharoa i rokohina, karangatia ana matou e ia ki te kainga, tukua ana he kai ki nga tangata, i te ritenga Maori.

Kua oti ra te mea atu he wahi momona a Matamata, he nui te oti, te raikarahe, te puwha me era taru tupu noa ake i te whenua. Kihai i rarahi nga mara o taua wahi, e rima, e ono ranei eka. Kei uta ke nga mara, kei Horotiu, kei

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

towards Maungatautari, with a beautiful and well watered plain intervening. Having seen the chapel we went to the deserted Mission house, which had formerly been inhabited by Archdeacon Brown but was left and the station removed to Tauranga at the time of the last war between the Thames and Rotorua tribes. The place has a sadly desolate appearance. The house which is built of raupo in the best Native style, is well constructed and commodious, containing six rooms, all of which are floored with boards and fitted with English made doors and windows--every pane in the latter, however, being broken--the chimnies too have all been pulled down. The house still contains some articles of furniture. It might easily be repaired, and would make a comfortable residence. The garden and orchard are in a state of perfect wilderness; they contain peach, apple, cherry, plum, and raspberry trees, with quantities of strawberries honeysuckle, roses, mimosa, and elder trees, with various other plants all running wild, in the most admired, disorder and inextricable confusion and degenerating fast for want of culture. The place has evidently been made with great care and labour, and it is quite distressing to see it in its present condition. We then walked over the rest of the settlement, which presents little or nothing to distinguish it from the majority of other native kaingas. The chiefs are William Thompson and Te Waharoa, sons of Te Waharoa of famous memory who headed the Ngatihaua tribe and defended the old pa of Matamata with great

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

te take o Maungakawa, kua riro atu te tokomaha o nga tangata o te kainga ki reira ngaki ai i to matou taenga atu. Erima te kau to pu i mahue ki Matamata. E mahue haere ana a Matamata i nga tangata i te mataotao, i te wai o taua wahi, e pangia ana nga tangata o reira e te mate. E tupu noa ana i te koraha te aporo, te pititi, te paramu, te here, te ropere, ekore e honoa, ekore e tirotirohia, ko te maoatanga, he tiki kau atu, he kai kau. I kai matou i te here i te ropere i reira, heoi ra ano nga kai i maoa. Etoru, e wha nga hoiho uwha i kitea me a ratou kuao. E paingia putia ana era e nga tangata o reira; he torutoru a ratou kau, kahore he pirikahu, kihai i maha nga poaka, me nga heihei. Kahore ratou i manawapa ki nga kau, e tukua ana nga wai-u me te pata ki a Te Nikorahi mo tana tiakanga i aua kau a ratou. Kiano ratou i ngaki noa i te witi; e pai noa ana te oneone mo te witi, otiia, kahore ano ratou i whai mira noa. I kite matou i nga kohatu mo to ratou mira, e hoea mai ana i runga i te waka, kia mau i a ratou tetahi Pakeha matau ki te hanga mira, ko reira whakaarahia ai.

Te Ratapu, Tihema te 16. --He nui te puwerawera o tenei ra, he tino paki hoki. I haere matou ki te karakia; he taitamariki nei te kai hapai i nga rangi karakia. No te rau-

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

bravery against the Ngatiwhakaue people in the late war. We did not see the former, who is the principal chief, he being absent on a visit to Tauranga, but Te Waharoa received us in the usual manner, and feasted our followers according to the regular ritenga maori. The settlement, as I have before observed, lies in a beautifully fertile plain abounding with wild oats, rye grass, sow thistle, and several indigenous grasses growing spontaneously; but we saw very little land under tillage, perhaps not more than five or six acres, their principal cultivations being at Horotiu, and at the foot of Maungakawa, whither the greater portion of the population had gone for the planting season, there being scarcely a hundred people left at Matamata, which they are gradually deserting in consequence of its unhealthiness, arising from its low and swampy situation. Apples, peaches, plums, cherries and raspberries, grew in every direction in a state of nature, ungrafted, unpruned, in fact (except when the fruit is ripe) totally unheeded; the latter two fruits being just in season we regaled ourselves plentifully with them. We saw three or four very fine mares and foals, which are in capital condition and of which the natives appear very fond; they have few cows, no sheep, but few pigs, and scarcely any poultry. They seem to know little and care less about their horned cattle, being very glad to allow Mr. Nicholas all the advantage of the milk and butter they produce for the trouble of taking care of them. They have not commenced the cultivation of wheat--though the soil is eminently calculated

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

tunga o nga inoinga, ka tahuri ki te kauwhau. I tu taua tangata ki te wahi kai hakarameta, i te pito runga o taua whare, ano te pai ki te whakarongo atu! Ko nga tangata i noho ki raro, he paraikete ngangana, he paraikete karera me era atu ahua nga kakahu o taua hunga; he wi te whariki o te whare. I te panuitanga o nga inoinga, he pai ke ano tana ki te whakarongo atu. I te waiatatanga, ka turia e nga tangata; he noho te mahi i nga inoinga, i nga kauwhau, me era atu karakia. Ko te haere o te waiata pai tonu, ko te rangi ia, kihai i marama, kihai i reka ki te taringa Pakeha. He rangi waiata Maori, ekore hoki te tangata Maori e taea te ako e nga Mihenere ki te rangi waiata Pakeha. Otira, tenei ano etahi tangata Maori te akona nei ki te rangi Pakeha, a, me ake pea te rangi Maori mahue. E mea ana matou, he pai te mahue, no te mea, e tatata ana te peia ki nga ritenga tawhito. Ahakoa, kihai te kauwhau i ata marama, he tini nga whakahaerenga o taua korero i pai, a, i ata whakarongo te kai karakia o taua kainga. E whakauru ana te mahi o nga Kai-whakaako Maori ki to nga Mihenere Pakeha; e whakaritea ana he Kai-whakaako Maori, mo ia kainga, mo ia kainga e noho ai nga Mihenere. Ua ngaro te Minita, kei te kai-whakaako te tikanga mo nga karakia ata, me nga karakia

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

for growing it--because they have as yet no mill, but we passed a canoe on the river which had a pair of large mill-stones on board, and they intend to have their mill commenced so soon as they can obtain an European millwright to undertake the erection of it.

Sunday, Dec. 16. -- A beautiful day, but extremely warm. Attended native service in the chapel, which was conducted by a young man, the regularly appointed Kaiwhakaako, or Native Teacher of the settlement, whose solemn and earnest manner whilst reading the prayers and scriptures and afterwards expounding a portion of the latter, was very remarkable. He stood on the steps of the communion table at one end of the chapel, whilst the congregation were squatted on the floor, which was strewed with rushes, with their various colored blankets gathered round them, in an attitude of respectful and deep attention, repeating the responses in the most perfect time and exactly in the right places. Whilst singing they all stand up, but during the whole of the rest of the service maintain their squatting posture. The hymns were sung in excellent time, but the tune (for they use but one) sounded rather unmusical to European ears; it is, in fact, an old Native air much used in their waiatas, and which the Missionaries have found by experience to be easier to them than learning European tunes, which take an immense deal both, of time and practice to teach them properly. The latter are however now gradually coming into more general use, and will soon supersede the old waiata air, which has, it must be con-

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

ahiahi, a, i nga Ratapu etoru karakiatanga i roto i te ra. E akona ana e ia nga tangata ki te korero pukapuka, ki te tuhituhi, ki te aha, ki te aha. E tirotirohia ana e ia nga tangata e mea ana kia iriiria ratou, e akona ana ki te katikihama, me era atu mea. Ko ia ko te kaiwhakaako hei korero ki te Mihenere ki te haere tika o tenei tangata, o tenei tangata i roto i te kahui o te Karaiti, a, e korerotia ana hoki nga tangata e haere he ana. E tukua ana te tikanga o enei mea ki te kai-whakaako ratou ko nga kaumatua o te hahi, a, ua he he tangata ma ratou te tikanga ki te hunga poka ke. I kite matou i te mea penei i te ra nei. Tera tetahi taitamariki i aha ranei, riria ana e te kai whakaako ratou ko nga kaumatua o te hahi, peia atu ana i te kainga. I waho atu o nga taiepa tona nohoanga, kahore he whare, heoi nei te hipoki ko te paraikete; ko nga kai, he mea whiu atu e etahi, a, ko ia ano hei tahu. Ano te mehameha o taua koroke, ka noho noa ko ia anake ki te taha o tana ahi, hore he hoa kiki mona! No te kitenga o taua tangata e te Kawana, ka meinga atu ki te kai pei i a ia, kia kaua e whakanuia nga mate mo taua tangata hara, otira, kia whakangawaritia he tikanga mona. Whakarongo marie ana aua tangata ki nga kupu katoa o te Kawana, otiia, kihai i whakaae kia harahara iho a ratou ti-

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

fessed, a somewhat heathenish sound. The sermon was extempore, and although perhaps all the explanations of difficult points were not perfectly orthodox, nor very lucid, yet upon the whole the discourse was by no means a bad one, but on the contrary very well suited to the capacity of the congregation, and was certainly listened to with a great deal of patience and attention, the Kaiwhakaako, or Native Teacher, acts as a sort of coadjutor to the Missionary of the District, who appoints one for every village in his circuit. It is the duty of the native teacher in the absence of the Missionary to conduct the service every morning and evening, and three times on Sundays; to attend to the reading and writing classes; to see that all the candidates for baptism and communion learn their catechism and such other things as the Missionary prescribes for them, and to make regular reports to the Missionary on his periodical visit as to the state of affairs in the Church, the conduct of the members, &c, for which he is in some degree responsible, on which account he is invested, in conjunction with some of the oldest members as elders, with a limited authority to impose church censure on offending members. An instance of the exercise of this power came under our observation to-day, in the case of a young man, who for some offence against society, had fallen under the censure of the church, whereby he was not only prevented for a season from attending church service, &c, but was also temporarily expelled the settlement altogether, being obliged to remain outside

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

kanga kua takoto mo te tangata i he ra. Erua nga wiki i karangatia ai hei nohoanga ki waho, kia whitingia ia e te ra i te ao, kia tau te makuranga o te tomairangi ki a ia i te po. He mea ano, ka haerere mai taua tangata ki te taha o te taiepa tu ai, whakarongo ai ki nga korero o te tokomaha e haerere noa ana i roto. He aroha ke ano mana ua tirohia atu e tu noa mai ana, ko ia anake. Otiia, kiano nga tangata Maori i matau noa ki te whakawa, mo konei, e tika ana kia whakatakotoria etahi ritenga mo te hunga ahu ki te he.

No te mutunga o te kai, ka haere matou ko Marakai, kia kite i te pa o Matamata. Kihai i whai maero te mamao atu o taua pa i te kainga e nohoia ana e nga tangata o konei. Ehara i a Ngatihaua a Marakai, i haere mai ia i Hauraki, he rangatira ia no Te Whakatohea. Ko Marakai tetahi i roto i te whainga i tauria ai te pa o Matamata. He rawe ke ano tana ua whakarongo ki nga whakahaerenga o taua kaumatua ki nga kekeritanga o taua wa, ki te hinganga o nga hoa i tetahi taha, i tetahi taha i a ia, ki te puhanga ona, me te haranga o te pu, me te hekenga o te mata. Tohutohungia ana nga wahi i hinga ai tenei rangatira, me tera rangatira, me te marangatanga o nga matua o te taua, me te whatinga o tenei, me te arumanga o tera, a, he tini atu

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

the fence day and night, with no house, nor indeed any covering save his blanket, and subsisting on such food as the others chose to give him, which he cooked for himself. The poor fellow looked so lonely and miserable sitting by his fire, and almost cut off from all communication with his fellow creatures, that the Governor took compassion on him, and after service spoke to the teacher and elders begging them to mitigate his sentence; but they were inexorable, they listened very politely and; with great gravity to all the Governor had to say, and replied that in any other case they would have complied with his Excellency's wishes, but being sent to Coventry by the church was a serious matter, and the punishment must be carried out in this instance. I believe the poor fellow's sentence extended to a fortnight's exposure to the heat of the sun by day, and the cold air and dews by night. Sometimes he would come up and lean over the fence to listen to what was going on inside, looking on with such a wistful air at the society he was forbidden to join, that it made one feel quite melancholy to look at him. But the natives do not yet understand actions for damages, and some punishment is absolutely necessary in certain cases. Having partaken of an early dinner we set out, with our old friend Malachi as guide, to visit the once renowned fortress of Matamata, distant about three quarters of a mile from the present settlement. Malachi does not belong to Ngatihaua, but comes from Hauraki, and is I believe a chief of the Wakatohea tribe. He

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

nga mea i korerotia mai e taua kaumatua. Whete nga karu i te korerotanga ai, ruirui te pane, engia ano ehara ia i te tangata kua whiwhi ki te whakapono; ehara i te tangata i kauwhau ki a matou i nga ata, me nga ahiahi, ana kauwhau pai, i whakamaharatia e ia ano. Kihai a Marakai i matau ki nga koki o no konei ka te pa, he maumau haere nana i a matou, tahuri ke matou ki te kai i nga here, i nga ropere o te koraha, he nui hoki te kai pera ki taua pa tawhito.

I nui te hiahia o a maua tangata kia nohonoho iho i Matamata kia kai i te hakari tuna o Ngatihaua ma ratou. I whakaaro pea, ekore ano e kai atu i te tuna, a, roa noa. I awangawanga a te Kawana ki tenei ritenga kia noho ranei, kia haere ranei, kua roa hoki te nohoanga ki Hauraki. Ka tohea e nga tangata, ka uru mai a Ngatihaua ki te tohe (i hiahia hoki taua iwi kia korero ki a te Kawana), a, whakaae noa kia noho i te Turei. Pai katoa nga tangata ki tenei, whakapai ana ano hoki a Te Heuheu, kihai hoki tera i pai kia whakarerea nga kai pai, a, kia kai atu he topito kau ki te ara roa ka haerea nei e ia. Waihoki he rangatira whai mana a Te Heuheu, a, ekore nga tangata nunui o nga iwi Maori e hohoro te whakatika i nga kainga o te ara, na te ware anake te haere hohoro.

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

had been engaged in the late war at the head of one of the parties composing the attacking force, and it was really amusing to hear the old man (who is now a Christian and a renowned preacher) describing the various incidents of the attack of the pa, and how he himself was fired at several times and missed while the people were falling around him in all directions, and to see him point out the spot where such a chief fell, and where so and so repelled a sortie of the enemy. The old savage expression lit up and animated his usually serene and thoughtful features, and one would hardly have believed that he was the same person who had edified us every morning and evening on our way up the river with an extempore sermon of about thirty-five to forty minutes' duration. We found however that he was of no use as a guide to the interior of the pa, and we returned to our camp quite disappointed, having first consoled ourselves as well as we could by eating quantities of wild cherries and raspberries, with which the old pa abounds.

Our Natives this evening evinced much anxiety to remain at Matamata for a few days longer, as Ngatihaua were preparing a feast of eels for them, a luxury which--as they were not likely again to taste it on the journey-- they were by no means willing to part with so soon. After some, hesitation, as we could but ill afford the time after losing so many days on the Thames, the Governor at length consented -- upon their urgent entreaty, to which was added that of the Ngatihaua people

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

Tokomaha nga turoro, (he tamariki te nuinga) i kawea mai ki to matou kainga i te ahiahi kia rongoatia e Te Haimona, i mea hoki taua hunga he Rata ia. He tini ke nga mate o taua hunga. Tera tetahi ruruhi, he matapo, i haere mai kia rongoatia e Te Haimona, meinga atu ana e taua tangata me tango ki te karu mowhiti, no te rongonga o taua kuia kahore a Te Haimona mowhiti, ka haere whakatakariri ia. He kai noa ake ta ratou i te rongoa hinu, ekore nei e paingia e te Pakeha. Ka oti te hinu te inu, ka mitikia te koko, whakapokara rawa nga ngutu, he reka pea no taua kai. I rongoatia e Te Haimona nga turoro i kawea ake ki a ia. E mea ana nga tangata Maori he rata nga Pakeha katoa; ko te mea tenei e kawea nei nga mea mate ki nga Pakeha e tae atu ana ki o ratou kainga. Ua whiwhi etahi ki te rongoa, kahore he maharaharatanga kia whakawhetai mo te aroha mai ki a ratou; ko te hunga ekore e whiwhi ki te rongoa ka amuamu haere, a, he pouri ke ano ta te Pakeha ana titiro atu ki te ahua he o te kai tiki rongoa mai. Kotahi a matou tangata i haere mai ki te tiki rongoa mai mo tana mare, meinga atu ana e Te Haimona e pai ana ano kia hoatu he rongoa mona, otiia, me noho puku ia i te aonga ake o te ra, a, tae noa ki te ahiahi. Ka rongo te tangata ra i tenei, ka whakaaroaro ia, kia kai ranei i te ro-

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

who wished to have a conference with His Excellency--to remain till Tuesday morning; whereat, although they at first wanted us to remain over Wednesday, they all seemed much pleased, including Te Heuheu who seemed in no hurry to quit the scenes of eel-feasts for the precarious diet of a long overland journey, and accordingly expressed as much satisfaction at the delay as any of them; besides he is a chief of much importance and he probably feared it would lower him in the eyes of his countrymen if he appeared to be travelling in haste, nothing being in the eyes of a Native more infra dig. than any appearance of hurry about anything that they do. A number of sick people, principally children, were brought this evening to Symonds, who it appears has a great reputation amongst the natives as a doctor, and it was highly amusing to hear some of their ridiculous complaints. One old woman wanted a cure for blindness, for which Symonds recommended a pair of spectacles, but she went away rather disgusted at finding; he had none to give her. They have all a most incomprehensible liking for that, to Europeans, most nauseous of all physics, castor oil; to the maories however it is by no means "hard to take," they invariably ask for it when they are unwell and when they get it swallow it with the greatest gout, cleaning the spoon of every particle and smacking their lips as though it were the pleasantest food imaginable. Symonds very kindly administered doses of such medicines as he was provided with to all those to whom he thought

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

ngoa, kahore ranei. Ka whakaaro hoki ia, ki te mea, ka kai ia i te rongoa, ekore ia e uru ki te hakari tuna. Roa noa e hurihuri ana i nga mea nei, no ka puta noa te muri i te ahi tuna, pa ana te kakara ki te ihu, mahue rukeruke te rongoa, ahu ana te whakaaro ki nga tuna, waiho ake te mare ra kia ngau noa i te manawa, waiho ake ana hoki te rongoa kia takoto pai ki ona putea.

Manei, Tihema 17. --No te ata nei ka haere matou ki te matakitaki i te pa o Matamata; ko etahi o nga taitamariki o Ngatihaua nga kai arahi. I a matou e haere ana i te ara, ka tohutohungia etahi rua i te whenua, ko nga wahi ia i hinga ai nga tino rangatira i te whainga a Ngatiwhakaue raua ko Ngatihaua. I tohutohungia hoki te turanga o te kai pupuhi--me te whakaohonga o te matua o Ngatiwhakaue, te hinganga hoki o nga tangata te tekau topu, me te whatinga o nga momo i puta. I korerotia hoki te maunga o te hunga tokorua i to raua kahakitanga i te wahine i toia mai i te whare karakia: he mea whakaatu mai hoki te tunga o tetahi tangata i puhia mai e te pa, i tawhiti noa atu; i meingatia mai hoki te wahi i hinga ai te mataika, me te natuhanga mai o te ngakau hei whangai hau ki a Tu te atua o te whainga. I mea ano hoki ratou, he tangata tapu te mataika, ekore

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

they would be of any service; but there is really very little satisfaction in physicking the natives, for as they fancy that every pakeha is by nature a doctor, and never travels without a medicine chest, they receive the assistance almost as a matter of course; those therefore whose maladies are relieved, are, except in a few cases, seldom grateful for it: --whilst those for whom nothing can be done, go away grumbling and abusing you, as if they really had been seriously injured. One of our own natives came for a cure for a severe cough from which he was suffering, and Symonds told him he should certainly have some medicine if he liked, but then he must consent to fast all the next day. This was a dreadful poser to the poor man, and it took him a long time to make up his mind, balancing between the inconvenience of the cough, on the one hand, and the forthcoming feast on the other, in the ceremonies of which, as he was a man of some consideration, he would have to take a prominent part. At length however, a breeze of wind brought the smell of some roasted eels from a fire near at hand, and completely turned the scale, by giving him a sort of foretaste of the good cheer he was to enjoy on the morrow, so he determined to let the cough take its chance, and go away as it had come, without any medicinal assistance.

Monday, December 17th. --We went over to the pa this morning, accompanied by some young chiefs of Ngatihaua as guides. As we walked along the road they pointed out several places, marked by holes dug in the ground

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

ia e kainga, ekore ano e mokomokaitia tona matenga, otira, he mea poroporo, a, whakairi ake ki te manga rakau, ki te whata ranei, i runga i tetahi rakau hitawe. Mutu rawa ake enei korero, ka tae matou ki nga pou totara o te kuaha o te pa, heoi te whakahara o aua pou; e takoto tata ana i reira te waka nui a Te Waharoa. I arahina matou ki te pa, a, whakakitea ana nga wahi i pokia ai nga tupapaku o aua parekura. I whakakitea te iringa o te pahu, me te urupa o Te Waharoa; e tu ana i reira tetahi rakau pararahi i runga i te pou, ko te iringa ia o nga mokomokai o a ratou hoa riri. E meinga ana, he nui noa atu te tapu o tenei wahi o te pa; e ora ana ano te taiepa o taua taha. I tukua matou kia tapoko ki taua taiepa, kihai ia nga tangata i haere ki roto i te wehi; me he mea, i haere ki roto, ka haere tahanga, ko tenei, i tu ratou ki te taiepa korerorero mai ai. Kihai te mea tapu rawa i whakakitea mai ki a matou, ara, te toki tapu o Te Waharoa, te toki i haehaea ai nga tupapaku i mua atu o te tukunga ki te hangi. Ko te mere ano tera i poroa ai te kaki o nga rangatira o ratou ake, ua taona hei maimai aroha ki te iwi. I whakakitea taua toki ki a te Kawana, a, hoatu ana. I mea tetahi o aua taitamariki ko te toki ia i tapahia ai te kaki o tona matua i te whakapakatanga ai,

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

where various men of note had been killed, all of whom they named with the greatest precision and exactness; also where those who had shot them had stood; where a concealed party of Ngatiwhakaue had been surprised and twenty out of fifty killed; where two men had been overtaken carrying off a woman of the pa whom they had taken out of the chapel, whither she had fled for refuge; where a man had been shot from inside the pa with a musket, at an almost incredible distance, and finally where the matangohi, or first person killed, was slain; here they stopped and performed (in pantomime of course) the ceremony of cutting out the heart of the matangohi and offering it to Tu, the deity of war. They also explained that the matangohi is sacred, his flesh is never eaten, neither is his head exposed, but the body is hung up in a tree and cut up something like that of a pig, after which his remains are placed on a pataka or stage in a high tree and there left. We had now arrived at the entrance of the pa where the two huge gate posts of totara wood are still standing, and near to which lies the canoe of Te Waharoa. They took us into the pa and shewed us where the dead bodies of the enemies had been cooked; where the pahu had hung; the grave of Te Waharoa (from which however the bones have been removed), at the foot of which is a post with a board on the top about three feet long by ten or twelve inches in breadth, on which the heads of their enemies used to be exposed. This portion of the pa is held very sacred, and the

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

hei mihi mo nga whanaunga, a, ki te mea, ka riro taua toki, ka noa te tapu. Ko te mea tenei i whakaaro ai a te Kawana kia kaua ia e tango atu, a, whakarerea ana. I te ahiahi o taua ra, ka hoatu puku taua toki ki a Te Haimona e tetahi, huna ana e ia; otira, i te haerenga ki te tiki, kahore kau i tona takotoranga, a, kihai rawa i kitekitea i muri iho.

No te toru o nga haora ka tukua te kai. He riwai te kai, he tuna te kinaki. He mea whakapuranga nga kai ma tenei Hapu, ma tenei Hapu, a, tu katoa nga manuwhiri. Ko te tokotoko anake ki te ringa o te kai whakahauhau, pekepeke haere ana ki te tohutohu ki nga wahine, ki nga pononga, ngahau tonu taua koroke ki te whakarite i tenei mea, i tera mea, tara tonu nga ngutu ki te korerorero. I te tukunga o te kai, he nohoanga motu ake to Te Waharoa ratou ko nga rangatira o Ngatihaua, hore he ahatanga a ratou; te nohoanga iho, me "he kuku wahangu." He nohoanga ke ta to matou hoa, ta Te Heuheu, ano te tangata ra, heaha koa i korerotia ai! E kore ano e ngaro te rangatira i roto i te tangata Maori, tera ke

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

fence surrounding it is still in good preservation; so sacred is it, that though they allowed us freely to enter the enclosure, not a single native would do so; at least they would have been obliged to strip themselves of all their clothes, a trouble which it was not necessary for them to take, as they could explain everything well enough from outside the fence. They did not, however, show us the greatest curiosity of all, or rather that which they hold in the greatest veneration and sanctity, namely, the tomahawk of Te Waharoa, with which the bodies of their enemies used to be dissected preparatory to their being cooked, and which had been used to cut off the heads of their own chiefs after death for the purpose of preserving them. They had shewn this axe to the Governor yesterday, and one of the young men gave it to him, but said it was very sacred in his eyes, having been used to decapitate his own father for the purpose of his head being dried, and he therefore almost feared its being taken away, as that might have the effect of destroying the tapu, for which reason His Excellency deemed it more prudent to decline the gift. Another of them secretly gave this axe to Symonds in the evening, who hid it, but on going to look for it again, he found it had been taken away, and we heard nothing more of it afterwards.

About three o'clock in the afternoon, the feast, consisting of hundreds of small kits of potatoes, and innumerable roasted eels, which had been cooking all day, was brought in to the camp, and was divided into heaps for all

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

hoki te ahua. Ko ehinu o nga tangata ki te korerorero, ki te tahurihuri, ki te hangareka, E whakatau noa ana nga kanohi o etahi ki nga kai; ko nga ngutu o etahi e kohikohi noa ana ki te kai mana. Ko tetahi puni ki te noho noa iho, he rangatira ano pea era; he mea whakarite kau ranei ta ratou noho ki ta Te Heuheu ma. Ka oti nga kai te tuwha ma tenei, ma tenei, ka karangatia, "ma te Kawana tenei"; (ko te tuahu nui i tukua ma te Kawana; otiia i whakahokia kia tuwhaia ma te tokomaha) "ma Te Heuheu tenei; ma mea tenei; ma mea ma tenei." Inamata ka tukua te kai nei a niho raua ko maikuku, tahuri rawa ake, e puranga kau ana nga paro, nga potitara, me nga pohewa, hore he topito mea o roto. E kohia ana nga kai a te tangata Maori, kihea, kihea ra nei; e whakaaro ana pea kia kiki tonu te poho, kia ora ai i roto i nga ra kai kore, ua tangihia te ngeri kai, "e poho tikoko, e poho tikoko, poho tiangoango te aroaro e!"

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

the different tribes of the strangers; this operation was performed by the women and slaves, under the direction of a second rate chief, who acted as master of the ceremonies. He was a little active man, and kept hopping about in every direction with a rod in his hand, giving orders and counter-orders with the greatest volubility, seeming in short never to cease chattering and jumping about, till all was arranged to his satisfaction. During the preparation, Te Waharoa and the chiefs of Ngatihaua sat by themselves, watching all the proceedings with the greatest gravity, as did also our friend Te Heuheu, who maintained all the while the dignified, composed, and really gentlemanly deportment of an old Maori chief of rank. The lest of the guests looked on, with very varied expressions of countenance, some, with their lips evidently watering and faces indicating the greatest impatience, followed every motion of those who were preparing the feast with anxious eyes; others again were chatting and joking, and trying to look as if the motions of the other party were matter of perfect indifference to them; whilst a few, who were, or fancied themselves to be, persons of some consequence, attempted, with various success, to imitate the dignified gravity of the elder chiefs. At length the preliminaries were finally arranged, and the food divided into heaps for all the different tribes of the visitors, the largest being for the Governor and his pakehas (this, it is hardly necessary to say, was but a French compliment, as the food was very willingly given up to be divided amongst our hungry friends); the next

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

Ka mutu te kai, ka turia te korero, a-- toru noa nga haora, ka mutu. I whakahaerea nga korero mo te mira; i tono ratou kia tukua atu e te Kawana he kai hanga mo te mira, otira, kihai a te Kawana i whakaae ki tena; engari, i mea ia, mana e ta ki te nupepa a ratou hiahia kia ata kitea ai nga tikanga; ko te whakaaro ia mo nga mahi, me nga utu ma ratou ano. I mea atu a te Kawana ki te whakaae nga tangata kia tukua etahi taitamariki ki te kura o te Mokena, i Rangiaowhia kia akona ki te parau whenua, a, ka homai he pukapuka ki a ratou mo te matauranga ki tera mahi--ko reira, hoatu ai he parau, me te hoiho kotahi, ki taua hunga. Tohea ana te rua o nga hoiho, otira, kihai a te Kawana i whakaae, he tini hoki a ratou hoiho. Muri iho, ka mea kia motuhia ketia mo ratou tetahi wahi o te whare hokohoko i Waipapa i Akarana, ko te ingoa o te hapu me tuhi ki runga ki te tatau kia matauria ai. I mea

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

heap was for Te Heuheu and his followers, and then came a separate heap for each tribe of which our party was composed. They then fell to, tooth and nail, and in an incredibly short space of time, the empty kits were all that remained of the once munificent repast. Doubtless Maories are blessed with wonderful appetites and stupendous digestion; they are never at a loss to find stowage for any amount of provisions, but follow out, on every possible occasion, the principle of good Captain Dugald Dalgetty, and lay in their three or four days' stock at a time, whenever they have a chance.

When the feast was over the korero began and lasted for about three hours. The principal subject discussed was the erection of a mill, for which they wanted the Governor to send them a European mill-wright and miller; this of course could not be acceded to, but His Excellency promised to advertise for one for them, and to tender such assistance as he could, without creating any invidious distinction between them and other native tribes. He also promised that if they would send some young men to Mr. Morgan's industrial school and model farm at Rangiawhia, near Otawhao, he would--as soon as he received a certificate of their being able to plough--send them a present of a plough and a horse, for which they seemed to be tolerably thankful, but tried very hard to obtain a promise of two horses, to which, however, the Governor would not consent, as they have already several of their own, which only require a little training.

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

ratou, ekore e whakauru ki to ratou nohoanga te tini atu o nga iwi, kei riro a ratou mea i Ngatihaua te tango. Kahore tenei i whakaaetia e te Kawana, i mea ia, mei whakarongo ana ia ki tena tono, homai he whare hei nohoanga mo te rau o te iwi, ekore pea e poto ki Waipapa, ko ko noa atu te hiku o te kapa whare. Ki te whakaaetia tera ka uru katoa nga iwi ki te tono kia pera mo ratou, a, ka tupu te amuamu. No te tangihanga o te pere, ka mutu te korero, ka haere katoa matou ki te karakia ahiahi.

Turei, Tihema te 18. --I te wha o nga haora ka oho matou, kihai ia i haere wawe, i warea noatia ki te whakariterite i te tangata hei waha i nga mea; roa noa e tohe ana, ka tinia e te whakatakariri. He tokomaha te hunga i whakaae ki te haere, ko te utu ia i tohea ai, he awhekaraune mo te ra. Kihai tenei i whakaaetia, kua rite mai ra ano i Akarana te utu mo te kai haere i a matou, he tinipene, a, kihai i tika kia kake ake te utu mo te hunga

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

Their next request wvas to have a separate wing of the new market place in Mechanic's Bay, at Auckland, set apart for Ngatihaua, and their name painted over the door, as they said their tribe bore so bad a character amongst the other natives, that they would not associate with them in a place of that kind, lest Ngatihaua should steal their things. This request, however, was so manifestly absurd, that of course it could not be entertained for a moment, the Governor telling them that all Mechanic's Bay would scarcely hold the buildings that would be required if each tribe had a separate wing, and if Ngatihaua got it, of course other tribes would expect it too. The conference was at last broken up by the ringing of the bell, and we all adjourned to the chapel to attend evening service.

Tuesday, December 18th. --Rose at four, but we had so much trouble in procuring additional natives as bearers for our things that we were delayed a long time before we could start. The natives are certainly a most provoking set in this way. At first there were plenty of men willing to go, but somehow they had made up their minds that they were to receive half-a-crown a day each, and nothing would induce them to stir for less; so that our rate of wages being fixed at eighteen pence which could not be raised without either increasing the pay of all those we had already engaged or else doing them a great injustice, we seemed to have but a poor chance of starting at all. Had we engaged to give them what they demanded, we should have not only run short of

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

piri hou mai, i te hunga whakatika tahi mai i te taone. Waihoki, ka tohea he utu pera a muri ake nei, mei whakaaetia e matou, penei, ekore te tangata e rongo ki te haere i te Pakeha i muri mai, kia rite ra ano te awhekaraune mo roto i te ra. I Waikato ke nga tangata o Te Waharoa e ngaki ana, penei, mana e tuku mai he kai pikaukau i nga hanga. Kahore ano hoki a Wiremu Tamihana i te kainga, kua korerotia ano, kua riro ke ia ki Tauranga. Korero atu, korero atu, nawai, a-- ka whakaae etahi tangata tokotoru kia haere i a matou. Ko te tokotoru o enei tangata ka hoki atu i Patetere, i whakaaroa hoki, kei reira he tangata. E rima nga haora i maumauria noatia i te totohetanga ki te tangata pikaukau i nga mea. No te iwa o nga haora ka whakatika; mihi ana ki a Te Waharoa, ki a Mihi Nikorahi, whakawhetai ana mo te atawhai mai, ka tu, ka koke. Taimaha tonu nga wahanga o nga tangata. Kua tini mai ano a matou ta-

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

funds ourselves, but we should have been committing a great injury on future travellers, who could never have obtained bearers afterwards at a lower rate. Te Waharoa had no men of his own to give us, as they were all absent at the plantations at Waikato, and William Thompson was, as has been already said, from home; but, through the influence of a petty chief, we contrived after considerable delay to procure the services of three men, one of whom would however only accompany us as far as Patetere, where we expected to obtain farther assistance. At last after taking leave of Te Waharoa and his friends, and thanking Mrs. Nicholas for all her kindness, we quitted Matamata at about nine o'clock, having lost five hours in bargaining for the additional men. Our natives were all very heavily loaded, as from our having calculated on being able to obtain as many men here as we might require, but a small number had been hired in Auckland, on account of the difficulty of procuring water conveyance for them in the first part of the journey.

We soon passed through the belt of wood which lies to the southward of Matamata, and which is only about half a mile in breadth in this part; and at a distance of about three miles from the settlement we came to the site of the intended mill, which is a pretty spot on the banks of a small stream running into the Waitoa, and just where a bend in the watercourse forms a sort of natural pond affording great facility for the construction of a consi-

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

ngata i Akarana, otira, he waka kore hei uta mai; waihoki i whakaaro mai ki nga kainga Maori hua noa e "taringa rahirahi."

Kihai i taro, ka tae ki te motu rakau o te taha tonga o Matamata, ka haere, a-- toru noa nga maero, ka pa ki te wahi e hanga ai te huri wai mo Ngatihaua. Pai tonu taua wahi hei tunga mo te mira; he manga no te awa o Waitoa. Me whakaki ake te awa ki te oneone ka kopua taua wai; e whaiti ana tenei wahi o te awa, he noninga hoki.

Ko te tira Pakeha ratou ko Te Heuheu ma i mua, ko te kai waha i nga mea ki muri haere mai ai. Koke nei, a-- taea ana tawhiti te haerenga, ka puta ake tetahi tangata, ki te whakahoki i a matou ki te ara, e anga ana hoki ta matou haere whaka-Tauranga. Ko te roa o te ara he i haerea mai ra, ko te tikaka o te ra, ekore ianei ua Te Heuheu e tutu nga tara ki te riri? Ka tu tonu te ra ka tae matou ki te parepare o tetahi awa, rere ana ki

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

derable reservoir of water by throwing a dam across the stream in a narrow place, which looks almost as though it had been so arranged by nature for the purpose.

The pakeha party, with Te Heuheu and his wife, soon passed ahead of the others, for which, we were afterwards very sorry, as we took the wrong path at a cross road and found ourselves advanced about three miles in the direction of Tauranga when a native came running alter us to tell us we were wrong, and we had to return the whole way, thereby losing about two hours in a scorching sun, which rather disturbed the accustomed tranquility of the old chief's temper. We halted at noon by the side of a stream, and had a most refreshing bathe in the clear cold water, whilst some lunch was being prepared, consisting of tea and fried bacon, of which we partook with great satisfaction, having eaten nothing since five o'clock in the morning. As we were on the point of starting again, Mr. Nicholas rode up on his return to Matamata from Otawhao, and he gave us rather a disheartening account of the state of the rivers, which he said were very much swollen from the late rains. However, as he had managed to get his horse across them we thought upon reflection that we might contrive to ford them on foot. Having remained here about an hour altogether we started again but did not find our difficulties so great as we had been led to expect; we crossed three or four swamps, some of which were of considerable size, but none very deep. The worst obstacle we met with was a creek called Manga-

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

roto pohutu ai, marire kia kau i reira, i houhou ai, i tara ai ki te haere. Ka maea mai i te wai, ka tukua te ti, me te poaka whakapaoa; ha ana te waha i te kainga ai, no te mea ko te tamenga tuatahi tera i te ata iho ra ano. Ka tata ka whakatika, ka puta ake a Te Nikorahi, i hoki mai tera i Otawhao e anga ana ki Matamata. I mea ia he waipuke kau nga awa; otira, i kauria mai aua awa e tona hoiho, whakaaro ana matou ka taea ano te kau a waewae. Muri iho o te haora kotahi, ka whakatika, kotahi repo i kauria, ka rua, ka toru, papaku katoa enei. No te taenga ki te awa o Mangawhero, ka rarua, kahore hoki he tangata Maori hei hoa, He mea kino te whakarere i nga tangata ki muri haere maiai; he tini a ratou okiokinga ki te ara korerorero ai, kai ai i te paipa, Engari, me haere tahi, mo te nohoanga noatanga ki te ara, hei whakahau, kei roa iho te nohoanga. Otiia he mea kino rawa ta te tangata Maori haere ki

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

whero, which was rather deep, and the ford over which we had great difficulty in finding, in consequence of having left the natives behind. It is a very bad plan to travel too far ahead of the natives on one of these journies, as we found on many occasions upon this expedition, as they are constantly stopping to rest and smoke their pipes, by which means, if the pakehas are not with them to urge them on, a great deal of time is sure to be unnecessarily thrown away. On the other hand I know of nothing more irksome than to be obliged to travel at the pace of the natives, which to an European is, in a day's journey, infinitely more tiring than stepping out at one's natural rate, to say nothing of the disagreeableness of being obliged to be incessantly scolding and urging them on. Upon this occasion-- though we reached Mangawhero certainly no later than four o'clock--it was nearly dark before the natives came up, and we were obliged, to encamp at a distance of about half a mile beyond the creek, although on leaving Matamata we had hoped to reach Patetere this evening, the distance as computed by the Bishop, and published in the Itinerary in the Church Almanack being six and twenty miles. About nine o'clock two women arrived at the camp on their way from Patetere to some of the settlements near Matamata, who proved to be relations of, or in some way connected with, Te Heuheu, whom they were much surprised to meet so unexpectedly, and their joy at seeing him was of course expressed in the doleful manner usual with the New Zealanders,

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

to te Pakeha whakaaro; hikoi marie ana, a, taea ana te huhi. E whakahau noa ana, heaha mana, ka ata hikoi tonu, engia ano he ngata e ngoki haere ana! No te wha o nga haora ka tae matou whakapakeha ki Mangawhero; no te ahiahi rawa ka tae ake nga tangata Maori; a, te taea te haere ki Patetere, moe noa i pahaki tata atu i Mangawhero, i nga hanga, o te haere ngoi kore o nga tangata. Erua ano te kau ma ono maero o te takiwa haerenga atu i Matamata ki Patetere, a ai te Maramataka, o te Pihopa. I te iwa o nga haora, ka tae ake ki to matou nohoanga nga wahine tokorua, i anga mai i Patetere. Oho whakarere raua i te kitenga ai i a Te Heuheu, he whanaunga hoki rao nona; te tukunga ki te tangi, roa noa.

Wenetei, Tihema te 19. --No muri mai o te toru o nga haora te marangatanga i tenei ata, No te wha ka whakatika. E tuku ana nga tangata i nga teneti, e whakawaha ana, e kai

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

Wednesday, December 19th. --Rose at a quarter past three and started at four after our usual breakfast of a pannakin of hot tea and a biscuit which we ate during the time the natives were striking the tents and preparing for a start. I may as well here explain our usual dietary, which consisted first of the breakfast abovementioned, (if breakfast it can be called); then at some time between half-past nine and eleven (occasionally even as late as noon) we halted and partook of a regularly cooked meal, consisting generally of fried bacon, or of fresh pork, fowls, or any other fresh provision we might chance to have, with the invariable accompaniment of tea. The bacon was kept as a stand-by, and only used as a pis-aller when nothing else was attainable, as the thirst it produces is rather inconvenient on a long days march. Our halt for this meal generally lasted about an hour and a half, and sometimes even two hours, especially if it chanced to be at a settlement, and on starting again we travelled until a final halt was made for the night, usually at five or six o'clock,, when the dinner or supper, whichever it may be called, was generally ready, the tents pitched, and the travellers returned from bathing in some neighbouring stream, at about the same time. This meal was of precisely the same description as the one preceding it, tea, that invariably found and almost indispensable travelling beverage, being the never failing accompaniment to every meal.

At a distance of about a mile from our camp of last night we had to cross a very rapid

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

ana matou Pakeha i te taro pakeke, e inu ana i te panikena ti, ko te ritenga tonu tenei i nga ata katoa. Me korero atu i konei te tikanga o ta matou kai. I te ata ko te parakuihi, ko te taro me te ti; ka tu tonu te ra, ka noho ki te kai, he mea tahu marire tera. I whai poaka, he poaka, i pono ki te heihei, he heihei, haunga ano te ti. Ko te poaka whakapaoa i tohungia mo nga matenga; e mataitai ana hoki tera, a, mate ana i te wheinu ua kai i tera. Te roa o te nohoanga ana kai i te tino awatea, i te muri-awatea ra nei e kotahi haora; he mea ano erua, ka warea hoki ki tenei mea, ki tera mea. I te mutunga o te kai ka haere, a--ahiahi noa; ko matou whakapakeha ka haere ki te wai kaukau ai; ko nga teneti me nga kai ka mahia i muri nei, a, hoki rawa mai, ka maoa, kai kau. Ko te kai ahiahi, he pera ano me to te awatea, ekore hoki te ti e mahue i nga kainga katoa.

I te aonga ake, ka whakawhiti i te awa o Oraka, he kopua, he rere. Ataahua ana te ata, e takoto nui ana te mania i muri i a matou, ko nga rarangi puke i tetahi taha, i tetahi taha, e tupuria ana a runga o aua maunga e te rakau. I kitea kautia atu te ngaherehere o Ma-

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

creek, waist deep, called Oraka. The morning was beautiful and the view, as we walked along, was very fine, being bounded on each side and in front by wooded hills at various distances, whilst behind us stretched an immense plain, the prospect over which was terminated by the Matamata wood, which now began to look very distant. The plain we had walked over yesterday and had still to travel upon till we reached the high land at Patetere, stretches in one unbroken level from that high land to the sea in Hauraki gulph, a distance of about a hundred miles. The land between Matamata and Patetere is very low, and though intersected by several creeks, is still insufficiently drained, and contains many swamps. The soil is, except in detached pieces here and there, of inferior quality, producing principally fern and manuka of stunted growth. Still there are very pretty spots by the banks of the streams, where may occasionally be found a patch of wood and a small piece of most excellent soil. At a little distance from Oraka, we came to a small lake, about an acre in extent, in the middle of a swamp, and which the natives said abounded with eels, and on the top of a little ridge just above, a rahui or mark to preserve the eels was erected; it was made of an old rusty musket barrel stuck in the ground, to which the stock was tied with a piece of flax, with a bunch of kakaho (reed) tops stuck on like a plume of feathers. The natives always treat a rahui with much respect, considering it

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

tamata, me ake torangi i te tirohanga. Te roa o te mania e haerea nei e matou, kotahi rau maero, ka takoto mai i Hauraki, a-- Patetere ra ano. E takoto wharua ana te wahi e haerea mai na i Matamata ki Patetere; ahakoa he tini nga awa, ki waenga raorao, kihai ano te wai i mimiti; he tini nga repo ki aua wahi. E kino ana te oneone, he rahurahu te otaota e tupu aua ki reira, he kahikatea. Tera ano nga wahi momona, me nga motu rakau kei nga tahataha o nga awa, e rangatira ana enei wahi. I tua atu o Oraka ka tae ki te roto, i waenga repo; i mea nga tangata he wahi tuna ia. He mea rahui taua roto, tia rawa ki te pu, tango mai te pua kakaho hei pare, ano, he huia e ngaueue ana i te muri whenua! He mea tapu te rahui ki te tangata Maori; ua kitea tera tohu, ekore ia e nanau i te tuna, e hi ngohi ra nei, e aruaru poaka ranei, e reti ranei i te powhaitere, me era atu manu. Me he mea, e whakanoaina ana te rahui, he parekura te tukunga iho. I te taenga ki te rahui, ka tuhia e Te Haimona tetahi wahi o to te Kawana ingoa ki te raparapa o te pu, ko ia hoki ki mua haere ai. I runga tata atu o tenei ka whiti i

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

an act of great dishonesty to catch eels, or any other fish, to hunt pigs, snare ducks or parrots, or in fact destroy in any way game of whatever kind which it is erected to preserve. So strictly is this rule carried out, that a short time ago-- (and even now in some parts of the island) the infringement of a rahui would be considered quite a sufficient casus belli to give rise to a bloody war between two tribes. In passing this rahui, Symonds who was in advance of the rest of the party (his usual position), cut the Governors initials on the stock of the musket. Just beyond this we had to pass the Waihou or Thames, which is here but an insignificant creek, running in a north-easterly direction. It is crossed upon two little sticks forming a somewhat crazy kind of bridge, anything but pleasant to venture over, as the water is a considerable distance below, and a false step, or a breakdown of the ricketty bridge would precipitate the traveller souse into the water, from which he would probably find considerable difficulty extricating himself owing to the steepness of the banks which are moreover thickly clad with a tangled mass of briery vegetation by no means easy to scramble through.

On reaching the high land beyond the river, we came to a cross road, one way leading to the main track to Tauranga, and the other to Patetere. Here we found the advanced party halted being uncertain which was the right road. We found written, or rather cut in the ground on one of the roads, the following

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

te awa o Waihou; e ahu ana te rere o tenei awa whaka-te-marangai-mararo; makari ake nei taua awa. Ko te whakawhitinga o tenei awa he mea arawhata ki te rakau; e tarukeruke noa ana nga rakau o taua whata, ki te mea ka whati, ka hikoi ke ranei, ka hinga whakarere ki te wai i raro ke; a, ekore e puta wawe ake i te ururua o taua wahia, i te whakatikatonu hoki o nga parepare.

No te pikinga ake ki te taumata ka tae maua ki nga ara peka, i ahu tetahi ki Tauranga, ko tetahi i anga ki Patetere. I rokohanga ehinu o to matou tira ki konei; i awangawanga hoki ki te ara, ko tehea, tehea ranei te ara tika o nga mea erua. I haehaea ki nga one o tetahi o aua ara enei kupu--"E hoa ma--haere ake, kei Oraka matou. Na-----." [kihai te ingoa i kitea.] Kihai i roa te nohoanga ki konei, ka puta ake etahi tangata tokorua i Patetere; na raua te ara tika i whakaatu mai. I mea raua, na nga wahine ra nga kupu i haea ra ki te ara, he kupu ki etahi o ratou e haere mai ana i muri. Ka hohoro to matou whakatika i konei, ko maua ko Te Haimona ki mua haere ai. Ko nga tangata arahi i a mao i whakatika ka-

JOURNEY TO TARANAKI.

words--"E hoa ma, haere ake, kei Oraka matou. Na ------." (illegible name); i. e. "Friends travel on, you will find us at Oraka." We had not been here many minutes before two natives arrived who had come from Patetere to meet us, and who soon relieved us from our difficulty in regard to the road. They told us the message on the ground had been written by the women who arrived at our camp last night for directions to some men who were to follow them. We at once resumed our journey, Symonds and I starting ahead with our native guides, whom however we soon left behind, as we did not want them, there being only one road, and that so plainly marked, that we could not go astray. A little before reaching Patetere we entered a very pretty valley, or gorge, of somewhat strange formation, the hills on each side, which are very steep, being composed of a kind of conglomerate rock which crops out in several places in huge steep blocks. A small creek runs down the centre of the valley, the soil of which is of the very best quality, and which would form a remarkably nice situation for a farm. There are great numbers of these gorges in the neighbourhood of Patetere, running down from the base of the high land behind, and opening out upon the plain, and at the head of nearly every one is a patch of pretty wood. Having walked to the head of the abovementioned valley, we ascended a very steep hill, and on the top found ourselves at a small cluster of houses, fenced, round, called Te Toa. A native came out and told us

HAERENGA KI TARANAKI.

toa i a maua; otiia, kihai i roa te haerenga ka mahue era ki muri, ka haere ko maua anake, e maro haere ana hoki te ara. Me ake tata ki Patetere, ka tae atu ki tetahi awaawa humarie. He puke i tetahi taha, i tetahi taha, he kohatu kei aua puke, kokirikiri ana ki waho. E rere ana te awa wai i waenga o tenei wharua; me ngakia ana, pai noa atu hei mara, e momona pu ana hoki te oneone. He tini ke nga wharua penei ki nga wahi tutata ki Patetere, te kikitanga kei nga maunga, a, e tupuria ana e te motu rakau; ko nga mania poro mai ai aua wharua. Ka haere i roto i te awaawa kua korerotia nei, a, piki ana ki te puke, e tu ana i reira te kapa whare; ko Te Toa te ingoa o taua wahi. Puta mai ana etahi tangata i konei, ka mea ake, 'tera ke te kainga tangata i tua atu o te ngaherehere, e takoto mai ana i raro atu'; te mamao o taua wahi, kotahi pea maero. Haere ana he tangata ki te arahi i a mao; ka kotuitui haere i roto i te kai nei a te kareao, a, ka piki ake, ko Patetere. No te waru o nga haora i tae ai ki Patetere; no te ata ra ano te kainga i te wahi taro, a, noho noa ki taua kainga, Te tekau ma rua, ma toru ranei