OCCUPATION OF OPUNAKE BAY,

Taranaki Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 666, 6 May 1865, Page 7

OCCUPATION OF OPUNAKE BAY,

JSNTRANCS OP COOK'S STRAIT. We mentioned in our last, that the hired steam transport Wanganui, which had brought back from Manukau the troops and Bushrangor3 that had been carried on in the Phoebe from the White Cliffs, bad left on Friday for Cape Egmont, taking on the troops with Colonel Warre in comniand, with the intention of taking up a position at or near Te Namu. We are now enabled to give particulars of this expedition, which, under the able direction of Colonel Warre, has successfully occupied a portion of the Taranaki coast in Cook's Strait, which we have no hesitation in saying will ultimately become an important part of this Province. The Wanganui having onboard Colonel Warre, C.8., Major Russell, GaiTison Adjutant, Mr. Parris, Assistant Native Secretary, (with a canoe and five natives — the canoe hoisted on boai'd) Captain Gibson, Harbor Master, with a surf boat and the life boat (in tow) and crews — Capt. Cay, Lieut. Bally, Ensign Howard and 85 men of the 70th Regt , Captain Siapp, Ensign Lawson and 26 Bushrang-ers, 3 Artillery men and a 5^ inch mortar, Lieut. Ferguson and 2 men of the Royal Engineers, and Lieut. McMahon 14th Regiment, Acting Deputy Assistant Commissary General, left the roadstead at midnight, and steaming at half speed was off Harriet Bay at dawn on Saturday morning, the weather beingfine and the sea calm as a mill pond. A sharp look out was kept for the Namu or Opunake Bay, which was descried by the natives on board about 7 a.m. Soundings were taken, and the steamer stood in for the Bay, and anchored off its entrance in five fathoms water. The anchor had not touched the ground before three fires, or j signal smokes, were lighted on the cliffs to I the Southward near the Waiaua stream, which s lies about half a mile from Opunake Bay. The forces were, however, got into the boats, Capt. Stapp and the Bushrangers in the surf boat, in advance and the troops with Colonel Warre in the life boat. The canoe, with the five natives, was sent in advance of all to reconnoitre with a flag of truce, and was pulled in to the shore where the fires were burning, and having landed and ascertained from two old men who came down, and who appeared to be the only inhabitants on the coast, that there would be no obstruction made to landing, the boats at once pulled into the Bay, and landing on a beautiful sandy beach, the force with the five natives leading the way ascended the cliff by the only practicable road up a very steep ascent, and took possession of a small stockade which had every appearance of having been recently erected to oppose the landing of troops in Opunake Bay. A line of sentries having been posted for some distance Around, the tents were atonce pitched in and around the stockade, and Lieut. Ferguson proceeded to mark out the lines for a redoubt. The stockade is put np on the side of the coast road, and only a few yards from the edge of the cliff, the road lying between it and the cliff. The importance of its position may therefore be

easily imagined. Colonel Warre and Mr. Parris now proceeded to endeavour to confer with the resident natives of the district, William King Matakatea, and Arama Karaka, and their people, who had made professions of neutrality, indeed who had taken no active part in the rebellion, but of whom no signs could be seen. They proceeded, therefore, to the summit of the hill overlooking the Waiaua river and Matakaha settlement, which now consists of only three whares and a Paimarire pole, and by dint of shouting and waving a white flag, succeeded in getting over a young man on horseback named Te Para (A. Karaka's son), who was immediately despatched by Mr. PaiTis to W. King and his father, A. Karaka, with a message inviting them to meet Colonel Warre and himself. Before Te Para was seen, two armed natives, one of them on horseback, were observed on the other side of tho river amongst the flax, who took no notice of the invitation to come over, and who were observed to go to the pai-marire pole (or niu) alluded to above, and go through pai-marire ceremonies — the fellow on horseback riding around the pole with his hat off and his left arm raised. One of the native youths (Kerepa) accompanjnng the expedition was sent over by Mr. Parris to invite these individuals over, as it was naturally supposed they were two resident natives who were afraid to venturSl'- Kerepa fearlessly went . over, but camo back in great haste, as he found tho man on foot so hostile in his actions, pointing his gun, &c, that he bolted back across country and the river for his life, and it afterwards turned out that the two men were rebels- who had just come up the cd&st from Ngatiruanui, and who to their profound astonishment, no doubt, found their way closed against them by pakehas. The repeated invitations to come over seemed to have had a little effect upon the man oh foot (who was half-naked, and armed with a shining barrelled Brown Bess, cartouche boxes, &c.,) for after going to the edge of the cliff and looking seawards (at the steamer probably) and again invoking his pai-marire god, he returned, and coming to the hill opposite whore Mr. Parris was 'standing, he asked who was calling to him, and on being answered, wanted to know what Mr. Parris was doing there, &c, and then walked away in sullen anger, but not forgetting again to go around the pole with his head bared and arm raised. The man on horseback and he then disappeared amongst the flax bushes, going towards Arama Karaka's kainga inland. After the lapse of some time Te Para returned from Wi Kingi, who was at Operu near Te Namu to the North, who sent back to say he was coming. A. Karaka who was at Hinetuhirau on tne banks of the Waiaua inland, declined to come ; he no doubt had been influenced by tho two rebels from the South. W. Kingi was as good as his word, and about 2 p.m. arrived with a following consisting of 19 men and 4 women, who all made due submission, most of whom were evidently pleased with having again the privilege of mixing with the pakeha, iroai whom they have been solong cut off by the rest of their tribe in arms. W. King MatjJcatea (who i 3 chief of tho Ngatihaumia section of the Taranaki tribe who inhabit that portion of the coast between Te Uuraroa and Waiaua) was delighted at having the opportunity of proving his sincerity, and desire to live at peace with the Europeans, and we were glad to hear from him that he has had nothing whatever to do with the Pai Marire superstition. He and his wife were invited to the camp, and the manner in which ho begged for a few matches, a bit of tobacco, a pipe, some biscuit, &c, showed how the infatuation of his countrymen has deprived him of the commonest articles. T^ith respect to clothing, tho whole party were in rags, excepting a few who wore the flax mat. Their blankets, shirts, &c, were literally dropping from their persons, and one old man we noticed had a well worn piece of carpet around his loins, taken from the wreck of the Lord Wbrßley. Wi Kingi, himself, had a flax mat on, over a very greasy and dirty blue dungaree roundabout, but wore a cap with an over sized straight peak sewn on with flax, apparently donned for the occasion, which no doubt he has had in his: possession many years. Colonel Warre fully explained to them, through Mr. Par||j, the intentions of the Government, and/ informed them that having duly submitted, every respect should be paid to their rights and property — to which they all folly acquiesced, and then returned to their kainga. Colonel Warre and staffembarkedats'3o p.m. and the steamer left in half-an-hour afterwards, and proceeding at fall speed anchored in New Plymouth roadstead at 1030, thus making the run from Opunake Bay to the anchorage in 4| hours. Just as the steamer left, a white flag was observed coming down from A. Karaka's kianga — no doubt that chief had thought better of it, and was coming to do what he ought to have done several hours before, meet Col. Warre and Mr. Parris as W. King had done.

Opunake Bay is about 40 miles from New Plymouth ; is situated near the Northern entrance to Cook's Strait, and lies about a mile to the Southward of the Namu, and about 12 miles from Cape Egmont. It is a bay about half a mile wide and quarter of a mile deep, of a horse shoe shape, with a fine sandy beach and a few acres of flat land enclosed by high cliffs on the N.W. N.E. and S.E. sides, terminating in rocky points. The soundings and bearings as taken by Captain Gibson are as follows : — The Bay lies N.E. and S.W., the top of Mount Egmont bearing E. by N._ £ N. The soundings between the two points at dead low water were 5 fathoms, with very level sandy bottom, being no more than 5| fathoms a mile from the shore. With a surf line and buoy boats can safely land 4 days out of 7 all the year round. The Bay is open from W.S.W. to S.S.W., but in any other wind the natives say the landing is safe. The wreck of the Lord Worsley has disappeared. The natives informed us that

in the recent gales it broke up. Her engines and iron work lie among the rocks. The Opunake Bay district is not less fertile and fitted for agricultural purposes than other parts of this splendid country. The land is level and well watered, and increases in fertility as you go inland, and is of that undulating character peculiar to this part of the Island. The flax grows in luxuriant profusion, and inland the growth of the fern and tutu, &c, with abundance of natural grasses and clover, prove that it will make a fine grazing district. This district is hardly surpassed by the fertile plains of the Ngatiruanui country.