THE GOLD-SEEKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 230, 28 September 1935, Page 10 (Supplement)

THE GOLD-SEEKERS.

A KING COUNTRY ADVENTURE. PROSPECTORS' PERILOUS DAYS. IN THE HANDS OP THE HAUHAUS.

(By J.C.) The two heavily-swagged buslimates trudged along a narrow forest track in the heart of the forbidden Maori Country, making steadily for a far-off mountain with a remarkable '* flat summit which they saw now and again between the branches of the great totara and rimu trees. They had been for many days in the bush prospecting the creeks and the rocky hillsides for gold, without finding anything more than iron pyrites, so deceptive to an inexperienced treasure hunter. Now they were steering a course for the upper waters of the Pungapunga Stream, a supposed goldbearing mountain river' which had its source in Puketapu and flowed into the Upper Wanganui not far from Tauma runui. They were a contrast, those mates of the long trail. One was a short, wirylooking man of middle age, bearded, muscular, a type of the well-seasoned gold miner. He was Matthew Barry, an old hand on the Thames and Ohinemuri diggings; a keen adroit, wily Irishman. The other was a tall young stalwart of twenty, an active six-footer, all bone and muscle—J. S. Maedonald, of Karioi (it is he who tells me this story of his adventurous youth), young in years and without experience of gold-hunting, but a practised bushman, fit for any rough and tumble. The veteran prospector had fired him with his own enthusiasm for the gold search in the Rohepotae, risking Hauhau gun and tomahawk, for all that wikl land from its base of Mount Ruapehu west to the sea and north to the Upper Waikato was barred to the pakeha. It was in the first week of February, 1884, they set out from the Karioi sheep station, on the tussock plains. Exercising great caution, they explored the bush, gradually Hearing the heart of the supposed El Dorado, the Tuhua Country. For several weeks they prospected creek and hill, and still no gold. Maoris on the Track.

The two searchers were nearing the deep valley where the Pungapunga flowed, when they suddenly came to a well worn Maori horse track crossing their line of march. They decided to follow # this path for a while. It led thein into a fern clearing and then to its Pungapunga. They heard voices ahead of them on tho track when they entered the bush again, and they quickly turned aside into the thick timber. There they waited, hidden, until the Maoris, a party of horsemen, had passed them. Then they followed the track again. This was their undoing. The Maoris were on their way through from Taringamutu to Tokaanu (Lake Taupo), but two of them were Taringamutu men who presently turned back and returned along tho path, where their keen eyes soon noticed boot prints alongside the horse tracks. They trailed the strangers and two days later they came pouncing upon them* in the Pungapunga (Pumice) stream bed, where the prospectors wore intent on an examination of the rocks and gravel. The Maoris took the two white men prisoners. There was no thought of resistance; the prospectors could only hope that nothing worse would happen to them than a detention in a Hauhau camp while the interminable fiery talk went on. Barry had with him a small glass phial containing some Thames gold, crushed quartz and dust, for tho purpose of comparison with any gold that he might find in the Maori country. Fearing that this might be taken from him by" the Maoris, who would, of course, regard it as conclusive evidence against the trespassers, he gave it for temporary safe keeping to a Maori-speaking member of a prospecting party which had been turned back lower down the Wanganui Valley.

From the Pungapunga Barry and Maedonald were taken by the party of Maoris, headed by a young chief, a nephew of the great Wahanui, to a beautiful open valley where there was a large village. This was Taringamutu, on the bank of a river which flowed into the' Ongarue a few miles above tho Taumarunui settlement. In this kainga they were in the hands of the most hostile and turbulent of the Hauhau or Ringatu tribes. "An awkward fix," says Mr. Maedonald; "wo were in the worst possible place for us in the whole of the forbidden Rohepotae. Some of the men were in a very mood; they showed great resentment at our presence."

"One ugly old tattooed man came dancing in front of Barry and myself," narrates Mr. Maedonald, "when we were sitting on the rrrass in front of our whare. He flourished his taiaha threateningly and shouted a haka menacing us. He did this repeatedly and it made my blood boil. I said to Barry that if he did that when he came to us next day I would give him the surprise of his life and take the consequences. "Barry counselled me to take it all quietly. However, something struck me, an impression that this particular savage was not a man of any importance, though he had so much to say. "Next time our old ruffian •came aiong to do his haka piece in front of Barry and myself, he carried a tin dish full of potato peelings and dirty water. This he put down on the ground in front of Barry as if it were a meal, and said roughly, "Kai, kai," and pointed to the dish. Three old dames had given it to him. A Pakeha Triumph. "I could not stand any more of these insults from him, although we were in a manner helpless. I sprang at him and grabbed his taiaha. I knew ho would have no chance with me once I had a grip, although lie was a big fellow of sixteen or seventeen stone. I twisted the weapon out of his hand, threw it towards Barry and then closed with him, crossbuttocked him and landed him on his back, with my knee in his stomach.

"He lay there winded for about two minutes. When he recovered his breath and got up I grabbed the dish of potato peelings and dirty water and clapped it over his head. The three old dames who were nearby, one a big, jovial woman— who, I afterwards learned was one of his wives—fairly screamed with laughter, shouting to him something like, I suppose, 'Serve you right! Leave the pakelias alone!'

"Barry was fearfully alarmed. He said it would be the end of us. I told him to sit down, have a smoke, and await results calmly. The fat old dame came up to us for the bully's warweapon, and said a lot to us in Maori which we did not exactly understand, though I knew it was not hostile, as she was laughing very much.

"About an hour later the young chief and some of his men came in from Taumarunui. They were told of what had

happened, and were, I think, rather pleased than otherwise, much to poor Barry's relief. We saw no more of my warrior friend. He kept himself discreetly out of sight until we left Taringamutu. Despite Barry's fears over my somewhat rash act the incident created rather better feeling among the Maoris, esspecially the young chief. Taken to Headquarters. "We left Taringamutu two days later for To Kuiti and Otorohanga, in the north; our escort said wo must appear before Wahanui and his council of chiefs. We travelled up the Ongarue Valley and over the Poro-o-tarao range (where the tunnel now is) and down to the Upper Mokati Valley. At To Kuiti we stopped two nights and a day. There were many hostile Kingite people assembled, and we were regarded with very unfriendly eyes. Wo were lucky to get away from j there without further trouble.

"When we arrived at Otorohanga there was a meeting of big chiefs, big in stature and big in mana. Wahanui and Taonui were, I suppose, each about 20 stone, big men and big-minded.

"At the council meeting held the day after our arrival Wahanui asked Barry if he had found any gold in the Tuhua Country. Barry replied 'No.'

"Wahanui asked: 'Then where did this come from ?' at the same time producing a glass phial of gold—that very phial which Barry and I had thought was safe elsewhere. It had found its way into the hands of the last man Barry wanted to sec it in.

"We were greatly taken aback at this unexpected and dramatic climax to our troubles. Barry explained that the {/old did not come from the Tuhua country, but from the Thames field. I do not suppose this was believed by Wahanui or any of his council. It must have seemed improbable to them. The story got abroad eventually that we had found rich- gold in the Tuhua, which was quite untrue."

However, the prospectors emerged safely from their troubles; they had penetrated the sacred King Country and their heads were still on their shoulders. The shrewd Wahanui, who was very friendly towards them, must have done some deep thinking over that phial of rich gold, for ho told the adventurers that ho intended to do some prospecting in the Tuhua Country himself, after lie had seen his friend Mr. Bryce, the Native Minister, in Wellington. Wahanui indeed did go to Wellington—it was when the pioneer survey of the Main Trunk railway route was being carried on in the face of Maori obstructions in the Upper Wanganui watershed—but Bryce probably discouraged the gold search and the invitations which Barry expected from Wahanui to carry out the prospecting did not arrive. A Rangitoto Expedition.

It was in the following year, 1885, that Barry and Maedonald returned to the King Country gold quest. This time they explored the Rangitoto Ranges. That greatly broken territory certainly seemed of an auriferous nature, but they found no gold, only iron pyrites. "But it would take a year or two," says Mr. Maedonald, "to prospect the Rangitoto country, also the Tuhua. However, I supposo there have been prospecting parties in there since the time of our adventure. The only pleasurable interest in the Rangitoto trip was the companionship of our erstwhile mutual friend Harry Edwards, the half-caste interpreter, who was our guide from Kihikilii. I liked him immensely. He Mas full of old Maori legends and stories, which I used to listen to with intense delight. He had a wonderful charm of expression, and I would like to have seen more of him before he went to the Reinga."