1847 - Angas, G. F. Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand [Vol I.] - CHAPTER VIII

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CHAPTER VIII.

SOON after returning from Porirua and my visit to the Nga ti toa tribe, I crossed to the Southern Island; whither the schooner was bound to procure oil and whalebone from the fisheries at Cloudy Bay. A fair breeze carried us quickly out of Port Nicholson harbour; the day was clear and bright, and the sun shone brilliantly on the Tararua mountains, their snowy ridges appearing almost close to us, forming a grand and beautiful background to the valley of the Hutt. The course of the river lay between successive ridges of picturesque hills, dark woods, and sunny fern-clad heaths; and here and there a curl of smoke denoted some clearing, or native potato ground. Close to the water's edge, along the margin of silvery sand that met the blue and lake-like harbour,

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the settlement of Petoni glittered in the sunlight; and the deep blue bosom of the water was enlivened by the white sails of fishing-canoes thickly scattered over its surface in that direction. The night was very cold, and an extremely vivid orange glow pervaded the sky till long after sunset. So clear and transparent was the atmosphere, that, during the night, whilst crossing the straits, the snowy mountains of both islands were distinctly visible, though miles apart.

In Cloudy Bay, we were all day beating up against a contrary wind, to "fetch" the entrance to Tory Channel. This is an arm of the sea, running like a broad river for many miles amongst the mountains, and connecting Cloudy Bay with Queen Charlotte's Sound. All through this passage the water is so deep as to admit of vessels of the largest size, and a frigate might anchor in perfect security. The tide runs in and out at the rate of seven or eight knots an hour. The shores of Cloudy Bay consist of high rugged hills, descending very abruptly to the sea. Beyond these, a constant succession of mountain ranges present themselves, and the snowy Kaikoras, or Lookers-on, have a grand appearance as they stretch away to the southward, with their stupendous peaks covered with perpetual ice. We "stood in" towards the entrance of the Wairau Valley (the scene of the massacre), where that river empties itself into Cloudy Bay; the open fern hills rising on each side, and the extreme distance reveal-

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ing other snowy summits belonging to the unexplored ranges of the interior.

Old Thoms, the whaler, who is the owner of the house and fishing station at Porirua, has also a similar establishment at Te awa iti, about a mile up Tory Channel. When our schooner had brought up at the entrance of the passage in company with the "Nelson" brig, waiting until the turn of the tide, which was now running violently out of the channel, Thoms's whale-boats came out to assist in towing us in. They were curiously painted, and manned partly by Europeans and partly by Maories: the former were semi-barbarians, both in appearance and manners, and certainly acted more like savages than their so-called companions. The entrance to Tory Channel is narrow, and surrounded by steep precipices and abrupt rocks, and beneath them are many caverns, into which the surf rushed with a sound like thunder. The air was very sharp and cold, and the deep orange glow of the sky after sunset, reflected on the snow of the Kaikora mountains, made them look strangely beautiful.

It was night before we cast anchor opposite the whaling station, surrounded on all sides by steep and wooded mountains; the lights from the whalers' fires casting a lurid reflection in the water, that lay perfectly land-locked and tranquil as a mirror.

The morning revealed a scene of romantic grandeur: the blue channel of the Tory seemed a noble

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river, and the woods rose from the water's edge to the very summits of the mountains.

In a sheltered nook or bay, beneath these steep precipices, is the settlement of Te awa iti, composed of a group of native houses, inhabited partly by the Europeans engaged in the whaling, and partly by the natives, who constitute a portion of "Jordy Thoms's" establishment. The most prominent object was the substantial and comfortable looking house of the Thoms family--their seat at Te awa iti. They had just arrived from Port Nicholson in a schooner of their own, called the "Three Brothers," after the three half-caste boys left by Thoms's Maori wife. Since the death of his wife, who is buried here beneath a native mausoleum now nearly destroyed, Thoms undertook a voyage to Sydney, for the purpose of obtaining a second, bride of his own European race, and he made choice of a most efficient helpmate. The present Mrs. Thoms is enormously robust, and takes an active share in the business of whaling, which appears to agree with her admirably: she can steer, scull, and pull a whale-boat as well as any one at Te awa iti. From the deck of our vessel, we witnessed the landing of Thoms's party, and it was like the return of the royal family to their miniature realm; a bevy of whalers almost took the mansion by storm, vociferating loudly for grog, and even the very pigs--the domesticated swine at least--evinced their joy at the

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return of their owners by following them to the door of the house. Canoes with natives were constantly arriving alongside the vessel, from the small pahs up the channel, bringing us pigs, fish, and potatoes, with their carved weapons and other articles, for barter.

We landed upon a beach strewn thickly with the vertebrae and ribs of whales, and the stench of the putrid carcass of an enormous whale that lay upon the sand diffused a most offensive odour throughout the whole settlement; yet no one but ourselves appeared sensible that the stench was at all unpleasant, and when we noticed it, they coolly remarked, "that they did not perceive it, they had become so used to it." Vast flocks of gulls were feeding upon the decaying flesh of the dead whale, which also furnished a daily meal for the pigs and poultry.

With George Thoms for my guide, I rambled along the hills, and through the intricate paths of the forest, shaded with deep luxuriant vegetation, and obtained a succession of the most enchanting peeps imaginable of sea and distance through the openings amongst the trees. We entered upon some fern hills, to the right of which were the ruins of a once strongly fortified pah belonging to the Nga ti kahunis, who were entirely cut to pieces by the Nga ti toa tribe from the opposite shores of the straits. We now descended on to a flat adjoining the sea, and entered the remains of a very extensive pah.

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Few of the buildings, and a small portion only of the fences were standing; but the occasional straggling vestiges of its former condition, occurred in every direction. About a dozen huts were still inhabited, the occupants of which were at work in an adjoining plantation. Only one solitary slave-woman was left in care of the habitations, who was accompanied by her tame little pig; it being a frequent custom with the Maori females to pet young pigs in the same manner as the European ladies fondle dogs and kittens. The woman's limbs were anointed with kokowai, or red ochre and grease, to protect them from, the attacks of the namu, a small species of sand-fly, the bite of which is peculiarly venomous and irritating. The poor creature showed evident signs of terror at our approach, but on recognising my companion she became pacified, and cooked us some potatoes with extreme good will. I then took her portrait as she leant against the rails, with her little pig standing beside her; during the whole time she stood as one transfixed to the spot, evidently fearful of moving a limb, and wondering, no doubt, what strange art was being practised upon her. We visited another pah, called Okukuri, situated just inside the entrance to Tory Channel, at the head of a picturesque bay, where we met with a number of natives, from one of whom I obtained a kaka, or New Zealand parrot {nestor meridionalis). These birds are frequently found about the dwellings of the natives, fastened by the leg with a cord of flax

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to small perches covered with an awning of bark: they are fed on maize and potatoes. Like most of the New Zealand birds, these parrots will not live out of the island; the change of climate almost always proving fatal to them. We returned in a canoe to Te awa iti, with a party of natives, who had brought several fowls and some baskets of potatoes to barter at the vessel. The water was very still and clear, and looked intensely blue. Gannets were constantly dashing down from overhead, plunging headlong into the water, and, with their strong beaks, seizing the fish which they had descried from above; and multitudes of gulls, cormorants, and divers, made the water busy with their restless movements.

A monument to three native children stands not far from Thoms's house at Te awa iti. It consists of an upright series of flat boards, with a post at each end, on the top of which is a rude representation of a head; and the boards are richly painted with black, red, and white, each board displaying a different pattern, in angular and spiral arabesque work. On the grassy slope of the hill that rises behind the settlement is another tomb, erected over the grave of a whaler who was formerly resident in the Sound: it is formed, according to the custom of the southern tribes, of half a canoe, stuck in the ground in an upright position, and ornamented with broad stripes of red and white ochre.

We took tea at Thoms's house, with his family, and learned from this veteran whaler that he was the

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first European to discover and enter Port Nicholson; and that, thirteen years ago, he settled himself at Te awa iti, and commenced building his present substantial house, as a home for himself and his children. Nearly allied, by marriage, to the powerful Rauparaha, he has nothing to fear from the possessors of the soil; and his children, on the death of their native relatives, will become the proprietors of large tracts of land appertaining to the Nga ti toa tribe. Thorns also narrated to us the particulars of several cannibal feasts and deeds of blood, to which he had been an eye-witness; and he could not refrain from contrasting the present period with that only seven years ago, when the ghastly spectacle of twenty headless trunks brought in canoes, and roasted upon the beach in front of Te awa iti, marked the celebration of one of Rauparaha's victories over the Rangitani.

Anxious to explore Tory Channel towards Queen Charlotte's Sound, and to visit the recent Maori tomb of Huriwenua (a chief of great influence, whose death had taken place a few weeks previously), I obtained a boat from the vessel, and, with Thoms's half-caste boys and "Black Charley," an Australian native belonging to the schooner, I pulled for some miles up the Sound. The scenery on all sides is enchanting: numerous little bays, having beaches of bright and firm sand, indented the shores; and, amongst the various shells that lay scattered along these sandy bays, were many examples of the im-

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perial or sun trochus, and several fine species of Turbo and Venus. In some places the progress of our boat was impeded by beds of kelp spreading over the surface of the water, and displaying gigantic specimens of marine vegetation. Gulls and cormorants were hovering over these sea-weed masses, busily watching for the fish that lay concealed beneath them.

About six miles up the channel we arrived at a small island, resembling a sugar loaf; the summit of which was crowned with the ruins of a pah, once a stronghold of the Nga ti kahunis, who were driven out of the straits by Rauparaha and his tribe. On landing at some rocks at the foot of this steep island, it was curious, on looking down into the calm crystalline water, to observe the various shell-fish feeding, in families as it were, amongst the weed at the bottom, at a depth of many feet below the surface. It was a lovely day, and the view from the summit of the island was magnificent: the eye ranging over an extensive and varied prospect of endless mountains clothed with gloomy forests, rested on their remote snow-clad peaks, catching a faint glimpse of the ocean beyond; while at our feet flowed the winding channel, "deeply, darkly, beautifully blue," with every object mirrored on its windless surface. But there was no sign of life there. Around us lay scattered the wreck of a former population, and the deserted and decaying ruins of their once fortified strongholds were undisturbed by the

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tread of the living: our voices seemed to intrude upon the accustomed silence. The skulls and tombs of those who had fallen in the fight peered out amongst the rank overgrowth of vegetation, that, year after year, wove a denser covering over the mouldering traces of the slain; the thatchwork of the houses still remaining, had been scattered by the winds of heaven, and the fungus grew thick upon the rotten wood. In former days the inhabitants of villages were accustomed to retreat to a stronghold of this kind, when hard pressed by their enemies; and large stores were dug underground, for holding a supply of potatoes and kumeras, sufficient to provide the besieged with food for several months. Similar stores existed at this isolated fortification, and the entrances to them appeared like wells, half hidden by the shrubs and fern that had grown up around. The whole island was thickly overrun with wild cabbage, now in full blossom; which, at a distance, when the sun was shining upon it, resembled a hill of gold, crowned at the summit with the straggling posts and images of its ancient fortifications. 1

Not far from this island pah stood the village of Huriwenua, the gaily ornamented tomb of the late chief forming a conspicuous object in the centre. Here, although everything was in a state of perfect preservation, not a living soul was to be seen: the

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village, with its neat houses, built of raupo, and its court-yards and provision boxes, was entirely deserted. From the moment the chief was laid beneath the upright canoe, on which was inscribed his name and rank, the whole village became strictly tapu, or sacred; and not a native, on pain of death, was permitted to trespass near the spot: the houses were all fastened up, and on most of the doors were inscriptions, denoting that the property of such an one remained there. An utter silence pervaded the place. After ascertaining that no natives were in the vicinity of the forbidden spot, I landed and trod the sacred ground; and my footsteps were probably the first, since the desertion of the village, that had echoed along its palisaded passages. On arriving at the tomb, I was struck with the contrast between the monument of the savage and that of the civilized European: in the erection of the latter, marble and stone, the most durable of metals, are employed; rapidly decaying wood, red ochre, and feathers, form the decorations of the Maori tomb. Huriwenua having been buried only six weeks, the ornaments of the wahi tapu, or sacred place, as these erections are called, were fresh and uninjured. The central upright canoe was richly painted with black and red, and at the top was written the name of the chief; above which there hung in clusters bunches of kaka feathers, forming a large mass at the summit of the canoe. A double fence of high paling, also painted red, and ornamented with de-

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vices in arabesque-work, extended round the grave; and at every fastening of flax, where the horizontal rails were attached to the upright fencing, were stuck two feathers of the albatross, the snowy whiteness of which contrasted beautifully with the sombre black and red of the remainder of the monument.

"Black Charley" the Australian, who had heard much of the cannibal propensities of the New Zealanders, was afraid to go ashore for fear of being devoured: he always exhibited the most violent signs of fear whenever any of the natives came on board the schooner, fully expecting they would purchase him for a "cooky," or slave, to be killed and eaten. The young New Zealanders, on the other hand, were greatly amused at the dark colour of his skin, and laughed at him for being so ugly; calling him "Mango, Mango" or "black fellow." These boys were very inquisitive, and asked many strange questions respecting Europe, and more especially the Queen of England: they wanted to know if the palace was any larger than their house at Te awa iti, and what number of taua reka rekas, or slaves, the Queen had belonging to her.

We returned to the fishery in the evening, pulling against a strong tide that ran several knots an hour, and regained the vessel just as she was getting under weigh. That night we went out with the tide, old Thorns accompanying us as a pilot into Cloudy Bay. The pertinacious begging

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of the whalers was extremely annoying: after the Captain had made them presents of tobacco and rum, they still continued asking and almost insisting for more; and even Thoms himself was unable to prevent them. When the old man parted from us, he took his leave in the most friendly manner; and as the receding boat left the vessel he waved his hand, saying, "Good-bye, tatta," in his artless and simple way.

The next day we encountered a gale of wind from the north-west, and had a tremendous pitching and knocking about off Cape Palliser. Our course now lay round the east coast of New Zealand, the destination of the schooner being Auckland, the Government town; which is situated on the banks of the Waitemata, in Hauraki Gulf, several degrees to the north of Cook's Straits, and about ninety miles south of the Bay of Islands. Our voyage occupied eight days, during which period we fell in with very tempestuous weather. Storms of hail were frequent during the squalls, the wind blowing from the southeast; and the sea ran terrifically. On the fifth day after clearing the Sound, we crossed the 180th degree of longitude, and recrossed again from west to east during the day; and at sunset we sighted East Cape, the most easterly point of New Zealand: the land was very high, and rose darkly against the amber sky of evening.

On the 16th September we sighted the Great Barrier Island, which extends across the entrance

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of Hauraki Gulf; and was so called by Captain Cook, from its forming a complete break-water to this capacious gulf. With a fair breeze we rounded Aiguilles Point, where the rocks jut up from the water like so many colossal needles, and entered smooth water beneath the lee of Great Barrier Island. This island is about twenty miles in length, consisting of high mountains broken into rugged and fantastic peaks: a considerable portion of the hills appear like those of Cook's Straits, covered with forest and brushwood; but on the western shores much more open land shows itself. The whole of the island contains a vast supply of copper-ore, and has been purchased by a house in Sydney, who have raised a considerable quantity for shipment to Great Britain. Indeed the cupreous nature of the rocks was exhibited to us on sailing past; for at one particular spot, a huge mass of rock displayed large patches of vivid green on its surface, resembling malachite. The islands studding the gulf, many of which are very lofty and of volcanic origin, impart singular beauty to the scene; and amongst them the peculiar form of Rangitoto, with its triple-peaked crater, stands most conspicuous. Passing Rangitoto, we entered Waitemata harbour, on the southern bank of which the town of Auckland is situated. We were glad enough to land, in order to obtain fresh provisions; having discovered, to our great disgust, when anticipating some chicken broth off Cape Palliser, that

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the fowls we had procured at Thoms's fishery were quite unpalatable, owing to their having been fattened entirely upon whale blubber.

The situation of Auckland is very preferable to that of Wellington, as, besides possessing a safe and capital harbour, it boasts of large tracts of land available for the purposes of cultivation in the immediate vicinity of the town: the climate also is more genial than that of Port Nicholson, being warmer, and less subject to the south-east gales that blow with such terrific violence through the funnel of Cook's Straits. At the change of the moon, however, easterly gales occur, which usually last two or three days; but afterwards the wind generally veers round to the westward, and fine weather succeeds. Owing to the insular position of New Zealand, great quantities of rain fall at all seasons of the year; yet such is the transparency of the atmosphere, from the constant winds chasing away the vapours and exhalations after rain, that the climate is remarkably healthy; and the temperature never varying to the extremes of heat and cold as it does in Great Britain, renders it salubrious and delightful throughout the year.

The latitude of Auckland is 36 deg. 51' south, and its longitude 174 deg. 45' east. The channel of Waitemata harbour is, on an average, about a mile in breadth, and the town is situated between two and three miles from the heads. Its site is an undulating open space of fern land, extending for some miles

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towards the harbour of Manukao, on the west coast; between which and the Waitemata is the narrowest part of the island; the distance not exceeding five miles. Over all this undulating district are scattered numerous extinct volcanoes, the craters of which are shaped like the frustrum of a cone, and vary in height from 100 to 300 or 400 feet. These flat-topped craters, to the number of at least twenty, have a very singular appearance when viewed from the anchorage, rising abruptly one beyond another in the background of the town. The most remarkable of them is Mount Eden, the base of which is strewn with blocks of scoriae, while the surrounding soil consists of the richest black vegetable mould. The district of Epsom extends in this direction, displaying some of the finest cultivation in the vicinity of Auckland. The Tamaki, also, to the eastward, is a district possessing excellent land on both shores of the inlet of that name; where many settlers have located themselves for the purpose of agriculture. The population of Auckland is already more than 2000; and had it not been for the over-speculating spirit of its inhabitants, this would even now have been a flourishing place, by reason of its central situation, and the easy communication it possesses with the coast on both sides.

Many of the houses in Auckland are good, and the shops in Shortland Crescent, which is built on the slope of a hill leading to the church, are respectable even in the eyes of Europeans. The barracks

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are built of sconce, and stand on the summit of a cliff overlooking the harbour. The church, too--a pleasing structure--is a conspicuous object from the sea. Government House is a long wooden building, with verandahs and gable-roofs; and its trellises being covered richly with clematis and a variety of beautiful flowers, it has an attractive appearance. It stands on a lawn, looking towards Hauraki Gulf, across which a most extensive and varied prospect opens of picturesque islands, with the blue mountains of the Great Barrier visible to seaward. Some of the sheltered bays to the right of the town are extremely beautiful, and the tasteful houses and villas of the better classes of settlers, embowered amongst the dark foliage of the pohutukaua trees, with gardens teeming with European flowers, that thrive in unbounded luxuriance in the genial climate of New Zealand, appear remarkably enticing. When viewed from the water, they rise one above another, imbedded in rich verdure, forming an alluring picture of colonial prosperity. But, at the period of my visit, money was a very scarce article in Auckland, and payments were given and received in paper debentures issued by the Government; amongst tradesmen, private debentures were also in extensive circulation, and I have frequently received these promissory notes for the prodigious sum of sixpence!

A number of boys, reformed juvenile offenders, from the Parkhurst prison in the Isle of Wight,

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have from time to time been sent out to Auckland, for the purpose of being apprenticed to such of the settlers as would take them; the Government thinking that by banishing them to New Zealand they would be out of the reach of the influence of crime, and the bad example of their former companions in the mother country. A few have turned out well, but the greatest portion of them have left the parties by whom they were originally engaged on landing; and having changed from one to another so often that at length no one would employ them, some have gone into the bush to live with the natives, and others pick up a precarious subsistence in the streets and about the town of Auckland. A few have obtained employment as sailors in the Government brig, and in some of the coasting vessels and Sydney traders; and of these several have contrived to get back again to England. During my stay in Auckland, one of these lads, whose good conduct had encouraged his master to place him in a situation of considerable trust in his office, abstracted money to the amount of something beyond 100l., and, in league with another of these youthful delinquents, attempted to decamp with it to Sydney; he was, however, discovered, tried, and convicted: his destination was changed, no doubt greatly against his inclination, to the penal settlement of Hobart Town, where he was sentenced to remain for a period of some years.

About six miles from Auckland by land is the

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native settlement of Orakai, on the banks of a deep and sheltered bay, near the mouth of the Waitemata harbour. At this spot a remnant of the Nga ti watua tribe, with their principal chief Te Kawaw, have latterly resided; and many of them are of great service to the settlement by bringing in supplies of wood for fuel, and selling their potatoes and the various productions of their cultivated lands around Orakai, to the families resident in the neighbourhood. Several of the natives have in this way amassed considerable sums of money: sending their slaves to the town with loads of wood and baskets of potatoes for sale, they purchase with the proceeds various articles of European manufacture.

The sons of Te Kawaw have sold several tracts of land to the Europeans, and, in exchange, have obtained horses and the costume of English gentlemen. On one occasion I met young Moana, son of Kawaw, and his cousin Rawide, riding furiously along the road to Orakai, mounted upon spirited horses, and gaily dressed in blue coats with bright buttons. When seen in contrast with this innovation upon Maori customs and costume, the recently tattooed face of Moana had a ludicrous effect: the incisions were just commencing to heal, and his cheek presented a succession of spiral scars; showing how dearly he had paid for his national vanity in being unable to abandon this barbarous custom of his ancestors, although he had so far adopted the manners of the Europeans.

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In company with my friend Forsaith, one of the protectors of aborigines, I visited Orakai, where we spent the day in sketching and taking portraits of old Kawaw and several of the principal natives; the influence of my friend easily prevailing with them to sit to me on this occasion.

The walk from Auckland to Orakai is round several deep bays, the scenery in the neighbourhood of which is varied and pleasing. Official and Mechanics' Bays are near the town; the former contains the residences of many of the better class of inhabitants, such as Government officers and merchants; and situated as these houses are in luxuriant gardens, ornamenting the steep sides of the descent to the water, they present a charming appearance. In Mechanics' Bay the houses are of an inferior description, and are occupied by shipwrights, fishermen, and labourers. Many native canoes enter this bay, on their arrival from the Thames and Coromandel harbour; and the landing from them is often an animated and lively scene.

To our right, as we passed to the eastward, were several extinct volcanoes: Mount Eden, Mount Wellington, and One-tree Hill, being the nearest and most prominent ones; to the left, the islands of Hauraki Gulf--the belt of volcanic action being marked in that direction by the triple-peaked crater of the island of Rangitoto--presented a lovely scene, diversifying the calm, blue, expanse of the gulf with their bold and romantic outlines. Here and there

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we entered a continuation of close thicket, composed of a variety of shrubs and low trees, some of which were adorned with a profusion of blossoms: through these woods, or native shrubberies, the road had been cut, leaving an infinite multitude of stumps jutting up from the ground, just of sufficient height for the traveller to stumble over without seeing them. The brilliant yellow clusters of the Edwardsii, and the large and star-like flowers of the clematis, or piki-arero of the New Zealanders, adorned these patches of close vegetation; the latter, spreading itself over the topmost branches, makes a dazzling display of its multitudinous blossoms, which cannot fail to call forth the admiration of the traveller; who may observe the native girls, as they pass through the woods, gather its starry garlands to wreath round their dark clustering hair.

Coming from Australia, the different colour of the New Zealand landscape, produced by the distinct character of its vegetation, at once strikes the eye of the beholder. The glaucous hue of the former, with its eucalypti, acaciae, and casuarinae, is here exchanged for forests of a perpetual dark and glossy green; the open land constantly intervening, tinged with a russet-brown hue by the fern which covers it, and the almost total absence of the family of gramineae, or grasses. The New Zealand flax grows in every direction amongst the open fern-land; and the tohi tohi, a species of long rush-like sedge, is abundant on the margin of the water,

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and in marshy and damp situations. This sedge is extensively used by the natives for forming the sides of their houses: it is fastened by bandages of flax to the wooden framework. The humble daisy peeps up from the ground amongst the vegetation of the New Zealand valleys, as well as in the meadows and upon the green lawns of Britain; the species being very similar in appearance to the white daisy that gems the grass in old England.

We passed through a native plantation, or potato ground, where the inhabitants were busily employed in planting their crops, They were using the ko, a wooden instrument something resembling a spade, with which they root up the matted fibres of the fern below the surface of the soil. At one corner of the plantation was a cooking shed, erected with poles, and thatched with raupo, beneath which several native women were preparing the midday meal for the labourers in the plantation: their repast was composed of potatoes, served in flax-baskets, with a kind of gruel made of stinking maize, boiled with water; and their drink was limpid water from a neighbouring stream, contained in calabashes, the orifices of which were tattooed round their margin, so as to resemble the lips of the women.

On arriving at Orakai, we found Te Kawaw, who was much flattered at the idea of sitting for his portrait. He is a man of advanced years, with a fine intellectual head, from which the hair has

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retreated, leaving only a small portion on each side of his temples: he wore a kokahu, or coarse garment of strips of black and yellow flax. Kawaw's son, Maona, and his nephew Paora, with one of the priests of the Nga ti watua tribe, also stood to me for their portraits. Paora insisted on displaying his warlike propensities; and stripping himself to the waist, came forward with a couple of cartouch-boxes strapped round his body. Nga mako, his wife, is exceedingly vain; and during the whole time I was engaged in sketching her husband, she was occupied in viewing herself in a small mirror and arranging her ringlets according to what she conceived to be the acme of beauty.

On our return, we met several natives coming from the direction of Auckland, to whom we showed the unfinished sketches; all of which they immediately recognised without a moment's hesitation.

Amongst the damp moss at the root of the rata trees, in the shady forests not far from Auckland, and also in various parts of the Northern Island, are found those extraordinary productions called vegetable caterpillars--the hotete of the natives. In appearance, the caterpillar differs but little from that of the common privet sphinx-moth, after it has descended to the ground previously to its undergoing the change into the chrysalis state. But the most remarkable characteristic of the vegetable caterpillar is, that every one has a very curious plant, belonging to the fungi tribe, growing from

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the anus; this fungus varies from three to six inches in length, and bears at its extremity a blossom-like appendage, somewhat resembling a miniature bulrush, and evidently derives its nourishment from the body of the insect. This caterpillar, when recently found, is of the substance of cork; and it is discovered by the natives seeing the tips of the fungi, which grow upwards. They account for this phenomenon by asserting that the caterpillar, when feeding upon the rata-tree overhead, swallows the seeds of the fungus, which take root in the body of the insect, and germinate as soon as it retreats to the damp mould beneath, to undergo its transformation into the pupa state. Specimens of these vegetable caterpillars have been transmitted to naturalists in England, by whom they have been named Sphaeria Robertii.

Some of the native women and girls in the vicinity of Auckland have almost entirely adopted European costume; over this they will, however, frequently wear a mat of native manufacture, which has a picturesque and not unbecoming effect. The round straw-hats supplied by the storekeepers are eagerly purchased by them; and around their hats they will, on certain occasions, twine a wreath of the piki arero, or clematis. Several of the daughters of influential chiefs have entered into a marriage alliance with Europeans, and the offspring of these marriages are perhaps the finest half-castes in the world. Ngeungeu, the daughter of Tara or Irirangi, a chief

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of the Nga ti tai tribe, became the wife of one Thomas Maxwell, an industrious and enterprising settler, who for many years resided on the island of Waihake, situated in Hauraki Gulf, near the entrance of Waitemata harbour; but about three years ago she lost her husband, who is supposed to have been drowned at sea. He had built himself a small schooner, which he called the "Sarah Maxwell," after his wife; and from the period of his departure on his first voyage, he has never been heard of. A violent gale of wind from north east set in shortly after he left the island, and it is generally supposed that his vessel foundered, with all on board. So deeply was his wife affected by her loss, that, although repeatedly solicited by more than one European to re-enter the marriage state, she has declined every offer, and still remains a widow. Her landed possessions are considerable; but she has generally resided, since her husband's death, at the village of Omupuia, where her relations chiefly dwell. She is left with several very interesting children, who are dressed in the Maori costume, and know no language but that of New Zealand. Tara, the father of Mrs. Maxwell (by which name she is generally known in the settlement), has several sons, who are remarkably tall, good-looking young men; one of them, the youngest, was for some time under the tuition of the Bishop of New Zealand, and made considerable progress in his studies.

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Tara frequently visits Auckland for the purposes of trade, where he bears an excellent character. He is quiet and inoffensive in his disposition: and though he has not rendered himself conspicuous by any remarkable feat, he is known and respected as the friend of Europeans, and as a loyal adherent to the Government. The Government interpreter is also married to a native woman, the daughter of Tepene, or Stephen, whose native name is Moanaroa, one of the principal chiefs of Waingaroa, on the west coast. She has proved herself an excellent wife, and has several children, whom she keeps remarkably neat and clean, and sends daily to school at Auckland, where they receive an English education.

Whilst staying with my friend Dr. Sinclair, the colonial secretary, we used frequently to observe from his verandah the various atmospheric effects that occur in this transparent climate. On one occasion, about ten o'clock at night, we were gratified with the sight of an unusually brilliant lunar rainbow, displaying a double arch, and exhibiting, though faintly, the prismatic colours. The following morning was ushered in with a thick fog, that, as it gradually rolled up from the tranquil bosom of the bay, revealed boats and canoes so vividly reflected upon the glassy surface of the water as totally to deceive the eye; producing an effect as though every object were multiplied in a succession of mirrors.

The rocks along the sea-shore, in the bays surrounding Waitemata harbour, and indeed on almost

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every portion of the coast, are covered with a small species of oyster called the crested or coxcomb oyster (ostrea cristata), which is very palatable. Numerous fish are taken in the bays; and an annual fishery for the tiger-shark is carried on by the natives in Hauraki Gulf, at a certain season of the year. It is from this fish that they obtain the valuable mako taniwa, or shark's-tooth, which is worn in the ear of both sexes. The canoes are elegantly shaped, and elaborately ornamented with grotesque carvings, painted red with kokowai; they have elevated stern posts, and carry low triangular sails made of raupo (a species of rush), and look remarkably picturesque. A fleet of canoes, adorned, as they often are, with the snow-white feathers of the albatross or the gull, and each manned by a numerous band of paddlers, presents a singular and beautiful appearance; gliding swiftly over the blue and crisp waves, and lowering their mat sails as they dart into the bay, and run up on the beach, shooting like arrows through the white breakers. Many of the canoes that arrive at Waitemata from the Thames, will carry from fifty to sixty men, who all paddle together, singing in unison some Maori boat-song: their strokes and voices are timed by an individual who stands erect in the centre of the canoe, performing the twofold duty of conductor and prompter; beating each stroke with a staff, which he holds in his hand, and prompting the words of the song. The voices of the crew, shout-

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ing in measured strain, may frequently be heard when the canoe itself is but a speck on the waves, and the distant sound falls on the ear with a wild and savage effect.

On the slope of a lovely glen, leading inland from behind the eastern extremity of Auckland, is situated the burial ground belonging to members of the Church of England; and on the opposite side of a road which separates it from the open fern country extending towards Mount Eden, is enclosed a small piece of land, where those of the Catholic faith may find interment. The Jews also have railed in a neat parallelogram of ground, with a simple yet elegant entrance-gate, where they too bury their dead. The dissenters' grave-yard is next to that of the Jews, and is but partially enclosed; and further on, the burial place of the Scottish Presbyterians is pointed out, by a few flower-grown mounds peeping from amongst the fern and heather.

The country round Auckland was formerly occupied by large and powerful tribes, of which the only remaining vestiges are to be found in the terraced walls of scoriae built on the slopes of Mount Eden, and others of the extinct craters, and the whitened heaps of pepi shells that lie scattered in immense quantities about these slopes, that once formed the sites of their fortified pahs. Clearings in the scoriae are also discernible at the foot of the craters, where the blocks of lava are piled up in heaps: these were evidently removed by the natives to form gardens

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for the cultivation of their kumeras, and other vegetable productions, near their fortifications; for, in those days of constant warfare, the inhabitants were afraid to go to any distance from their pahs, expecting, if they did, to be surprised and killed by their enemies. Amongst the antiquities of this ancient race--the precise period of whose extinction is unknown--are large circular holes in the ground, intended, probably, as reservoirs for water. Not far from Mount Eden is an extensive cavern, formerly intended as a "wahi tapu," or sacred place, where the dead were concealed; and many skulls have lately been discovered in its recesses. The visits of the European to it, however, have been but seldom, and always without the knowledge of the natives; who are very particular that the remains of their dead should not be touched or disturbed.

During my stay in Auckland, Pomare, the chief from the Bay of Islands, and Nene, the chief of Hokianga, arrived in the town. Pomare, who was accompanied by his fighting general, had pitched his tent close to the entrance-gate of Government House; and both himself and Nene lunched with his Excellency Captain Fitzroy on the following day. These two distinguished chiefs sat to me for their portraits, in their full native costume, wearing the topuni, or war-mat of dog's skin. Pomare, in keeping with his usual turbulent and offensive manners, was restless, and spoke very abusively of the queen; while Nene, who is all amiability and good

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humour, after stepping into the garden to gather a flower, with which he decorated his hair before the glass, stood with the utmost composure and politeness. After the sittings were over the chiefs drank wine with me, when Pomare again exhibited one of his leading characteristics, by emptying the decanters. Since my interview with Nene he has become one of the leading actors in the late war; and during the whole period of the rebellion, he has remained the firm friend and ally of the British troops; affording an example of nobleness of character seldom to be met with.

Nene, or--as he is now more generally known by his baptized name--Thomas Walker (Tamati Waka), is the principal chief of the Ngatihao tribe; which, in common with many others, is comprised in the great assemblage of tribes usually called Ngapuis. The residence of this celebrated man is near the Wesleyan Mission station, on the banks of the river Hokianga; where he fully established his character, as the friend and protector of Europeans, long before the regular colonization of the country. In common with most of his countrymen, Nene was, in his younger days, celebrated for his expertness in acts of petty pilfering; and he himself will now laugh heartily, if reminded of his youthful tricks. On one occasion, when on a visit to one of the missionaries at Waimate, a fine gander attracted his attention, and he secretly ordered it to be seized, and prepared for his dinner in a native oven; but

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to prevent detection, the bird was cooked in its feathers. However, it was soon missed, and a rigorous inquiry instituted by its owner, but without success; until certain savoury steams arising from Nene's camp excited suspicion. To tax him with the theft, however, would have been contrary to all the rules of New Zealand etiquette; and the mystery of its disappearance was not unravelled until the morning after he had taken his departure, when the ill-fated gander was found concealed among the bushes; it having been found too tough for even a New Zealander's powers of mastication.

Some years after this, a chief of East Cape killed a relation of Nene's; and, according to the customary law in New Zealand of "blood for blood," Nene went in a vessel, accompanied by only one attendant, to seek revenge. Landing near the spot where the chief resided, Nene entered his pah, called the murderer by name, and, after accusing him of the crime, deliberately levelled his gun and shot him dead at his feet, and then coolly walked away. Though in the midst of his enemies, none dared to touch the avenger: all were paralyzed at his sudden appearance and determined bravery.

But Nene is no longer the thoughtless, mischievous New Zealander: for many years he has been playing a nobler part in the great drama of life; and his conduct has deservedly gained for him a lasting reputation. Some traits may be mentioned to his honour. About the year 1839, the body of a

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European was discovered on the banks of one of the tributary streams of Hokianga, under circumstances which led to the suspicion that he had been murdered by a native called Kete, one of Nene's slaves. A large meeting was convened on the subject, and, the guilt of Kete being established, Nene condemned him to die; the murderer was accordingly taken to a small island in the river called Motiti, and there shot! So rigid were Nene's ideas of justice!

When Captain Hobson arrived, and assembled the chiefs at Waitangi, in order to obtain their acquiescence in the sovereignty of the Queen over the islands of New Zealand, the Governor was received with doubt, and his proposals were at first rejected; but when Nene and his friends made their appearance, the aspect of affairs was changed: Nene, by his eloquence and by the wisdom of his counsel, turned the current of feeling, and the dissentients were silenced. In short, Nene stood recognised as the prime agent in effecting the treaty of Waitangi. On another occasion his intervention was of great service to the British authorities. After the flag-staff at the Bay was cut down by Heki, Governor Fitzroy proceeded to the disaffected district with a considerable body of military, thinking by a show of force to overawe the rebellious natives. A large concourse of chiefs was gathered together, and many speeches were made; but amongst them all, the words of Nene were conspicuous for their energy. "If," said he, "another

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flag-staff is cut down, I shall take up the quarrel:" and nobly has he redeemed his pledge. During the whole course of the rebellion, up to the present period, he has steadily adhered to his purpose, and has on numerous occasions rendered the most essential assistance to the military. He fought in several engagements with the rebels, and each time has proved himself as superior in courage and conduct in the field, as he is in wisdom and sagacity in the council. The settlers in the northern parts of New Zealand are under the greatest obligations to this chief. But for him and his people, many a hearth, at present the scene of peace and happiness, would have been desecrated and defiled with blood--many a family, now occupying their ancient homes, would have been driven away from their abodes, exposed to misery and privation. Those settlers who were living near the disaffected districts, but remote from the influence and out of the reach of the protecting arm of Nene, have been driven as houseless wanderers to seek safety in the town of Auckland; and such would most probably have been the universal fate of the out-settlers, but for the courage and loyalty of this brave and noble chief.

Patuone, Nene's elder brother (whom I also met with and painted at Auckland), is equally distinguished for his attachment to Europeans and his loyalty to the Government; but he has not the strength of mind and energy of purpose of Nene. Patuone's character is one of amiability: he is mild

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and unassuming in his manners, and a lover of peace. In former days, when quarrels between different tribes were not only of frequent occurrence, but were often attended with deeds of violence and blood, Patuone was indefatigable as a peacemaker. Travelling about from place to place, he would, by his persuasive eloquence, soothe the irritated passions of the excited disputants, and win them over to amity and peace. He has, however, taken an active part with his brother against Heki and his adherents; and is resolutely determined to support the authority of the Government. He has not resided so constantly at Hokianga as his brother; being related by marriage to the Ngatipaoa tribe inhabiting the circumjacent shores of the Thames, where he sometimes takes up his abode. He, like Nene, is a convert of the Wesleyan mission, and is baptized Edward {Eruera). At a late meeting of the Christian chiefs, Patuone made a speech, the following translation of which has been handed to me by the Rev. Walter Lawry, the highly respected Superintendent of the Wesleyan missions in the South Seas: --"This is my thought, the thought of Patuone. I am from the seat of wickedness. When I heard of the Gospel, I thought to myself I would recline upon it. God hath made the world--the trees--the herbage; and He has given us His Word, and I will seek to be saved by it. This is all I have to say."