OLD MAKETU DAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 152, 29 June 1926, Page 8

OLD MAKETU DAYS.

THE LIFE OF A TRADER. HOW TAPSELL BOUGHT HIS FLAX. (By J.C.) Some further episodes taken from an unpublished manuscript descriptive of the old Danish sea captain, Hans Tapsell's, early-days adventures on the NewZealand coast are particularly interesting for the glimpses they give of the desire of the Maoris for those prime necesaries of life, muskets, powder and lead.

It was in the year 1828 that Tapsell, after a long career at sea as whaler, Danish privateer commander and olticer and captain of British merchant vessels, decided to settle on the Bay of Plenty, to trade with the Maoris for dressed flax, to be shipped to Sydney and England.

Acting on the advice of his Ngapuhi brother-in-iaw, Wharepoaka, lapsell went first to Tauranga, where he purchased from the chief, Hori Tupaea, for four muskets, a fine new canoe, 80ft long. Wharepoaka, whose wife was the daughter of a chief at Rotorua, sent messages to her relatives there, letting them know that Tapsell had arrived, and for what purpose, and asking them to come and see him. Amongst Tapsell's party were six or seven Ngapuhi, and ten or twelve women from Hotorua who had been taken prisoners in Hongi's great expedition.

On receiving this invitation the Arawa chiefs, Tohi, Wharetuhi, Pipi, Tipitipi and Hori Haupapa, came overland to Tauranga and. had an interview, in which they enlarged on the advantages offered by Maketu as a place for .Mr. Tapsell to fix his residence. It was therefore agreed that he should settle there, the large canoe and two or three others were loaded with his goods and started off. When opposite the island of Motiti, Hori Tupaea was desirous of landing Mr. Tapsell, so that he might secure his trade all to . himself, and some time was spent in vainly attempting to induce him to go to Maketu, as agreed upon. At last Tapsell, very angry, presented a pistol at his head. This strong argument ended the dispute, and the canoes went on their way to their destination. Maketu. was a different nlace in 1828 from what it afterwards became. The mouth of the river was so narrow that not more than two or three canoes abreast could enter at one time. In the sixties small coasting vessels could easily go in and out. There were no inhabitants at that time, because it .was a debatable ground, for which many tribes had fought and the right of none was acknowledged.

When the party arrived at Maketu they camped the first night in the bush somewhere about the piace where Tapsell's first store afterwards stood, and the next day a hut was erected for his accommodation, the rest sleeping in the open air. In two or three days the people from Tauranga and Waikato began to arrive, those from Taurat.ga first, as they had followed the canoes along the Leac.., and in four or five days they had all mustered, several thousands in numbers The Rotorua people were at first afraid to come, as a jealousy existed between them and the other trijes.

When they were all assembled and Tapsell had made known his object, the chiefs went into committee to decide the ownership of the place. The deliberations were continued day and night for two or three days, with no appearance of an amicable termination, and at one time Whare-Poak.; told Mr. Tapsell he was afraid it would end in a fight, in which case he and the few Ngapuhis with him would fare very badly. But at last he brought the news that it was all settled and given n Tupaea's favour, and that Mr. Tapsell liad nothing now to do but buy it from him. Tupaea was asked what value he set upon it. He said- he did not know, and Tapsell laid out what goods he considered a fair payment. A case of muskets, a cask of powder, part of a case of tobacco, some cartridge boxes, and a quantity of pig lead. With this Tupaea was well satisfied, the bargain was completed, and the goods divided amongst the principal chiefs, after which they all went away.

Two or three days afterwards the Rotorua and Tarawera people came down and settled in great numbers. Their huts stretched along the beach and up the river Kaitui.a. All hands set to work to scrape flax, and the shell with which the operations was performed w*as heard going all day.and sometimes all night, so eager were the people to prepare a commority which they might exchange for the immensely-prized muskets and ammunition.

Hundreds of natives set to work making flax nets to obtain a supply of fish for the great numbers engaged in preparing flax. The quantity of fish caught was enormous. Tons and tons of fish' were taken every day, and Mr. *rap sell's share set apart for him wfis an immense pile, infinitely more than he could- consume, from whteli he used to select what lie required, and give back the' rest, which was then cured and sent to the natives living at Rotorua. They in return' sent large quantities of pota toes, carried by hundi«ds of women, like a string of pack-horses, who also brought the lake koura or crayfish, of which a Lascar whom Tapsell employed as cook. made a capital curry.

,At that time there were no plantations in Maketu, and, besides the pota toes obtained from Rotorua, the native* had no other vegetable than the fern root, which they prepared by beating, and made into a kind of bread. Mr Tapsell had brought with him' a supply of flour, tea and sugar, and other European articles of diet, so that- the table was always well provided.

- Besides a store and house at the foot of the cliff. Tapsell had a dwelling house on the top of Maketu pa. It was fitted around with ceder lockers, with carved" work all over. There was a flax store 120 feet, long, which sometimes was crammed full of dressed flax, awaiting shipment to Sydney. Moreover, Tapsell. procured a battery of-twelve guns which he mounted in the pa; : the places where they were set are pointed out, to this day, and one solitary gun still lies on the cliff-top.

Wars, as the years went on. greatly disturbed trade. The Arawa arid the Ngaiterangi fought each other fiercely. . Numbers were killed on' both sides, each' party taking the slain bodies of" the . enemy for cannibal feasts. $o frequent were tha battles that scarcely a'week passed over without a meal'of human flesh. The custom was fbr the enemy to. come from Te Tumu pa and give the challenge to those at Maketu, advancing within short musket range so near that the balls used "to "whistle about Tapsell as he walked round his

battery. There were, pits dug-in the top of the hill where * the women and children usually sheltered when ' the firing commenced,' and';. here they entreated Tapsell to seek. cover, assuring him that otherwise, he would be' shot, but he always declined and never was wounded. On such occasions, Tapsell took his station at the .battery and watched the fight through' the telescope. His guns were loaded with five hundred musket balls each, besides large 6hot. One gun was placed at the foot of the hill facing the swamp, and the .left bank of the river, by which the place could be approached: the main battery did not command that side. On inspecting this gun one. day, Tapseli found that all the bullets had been drawn. He took the people, to task for this, savin? that he had placed the gun there for their protection, and they had disabled it. "Well." was, the reply, "but you could only have fired once with it. and see how many times we could fire with the musket balls'."