TARANAKI.

Press, Volume VII, Issue 796, 18 May 1865, Page 2

TARANAKI.

OCCUPATION OF OPXTJTAKE BAT. [From the TaranaM Herald, May 6.] We mentioned in our last that the hired steam transport Wanganui, which; had brought back from Manukau the troops and bushrangers that had been carried on in the Phoebe from the White Cliffs, had left on Friday for Cape Egmont, taking on the troops with Colonel Warre in command, 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 occupie 1 a portion of the Taranaki coast in Cook's Straits, which we have no hesitation in saying will ultimately become an important part of this province. The Wanganui having on board Colonel Warre, C.8., Major Bussel, G-arrison Adjutant, Mr. Parris, Assistant Native Secret tary, (with a canoe and five Natives —the canoe hoisted on board,) Captain Gibson, Harbor Master, with a surf boat and the life boat (in tow) and crews—Captain Cay, Lieut. Bally, Ensign Howard, and 85 men of the 70th Eegt., Captain Stapp, Ensign liawson, and 26 Bushrangers, three Artillery men and a mortar, Lieut. Eerguson, and two men of the Engineers, and Lieut. McMahon 14th Eegiment, Acting Deputy Assistant Commissary G-eneral, :left the roadstead at midnight, and steaming at half speed was off Harriett Bay at dawn on Saturday morning, the weather being fine 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 threer fires, or signal smokes, were lighted on the cliffs to the southward near the Waiaua stream, which lies about half-a-mile from Opunake Bay. The forces were, however, got into the boats, Capt. Strapp 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 sandj beach, the force, with the five natar«e,

leading the way, ascended the clift' by the only practicable road up a very steep ascent and took possessiou 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 at once pitched in and around' the stockade, and Lieut. Ferguson proceeded to mark out the lines for a redoubt. The stockade is put up on the side of the coast road, and only a few yards from the ed»o of the cliff, the road lying between it and* the clitr. The importance of its position may therefore be easily imagined. Colouei Warre and Mr. Parris now proceeded to endeavor 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 sigus could be seen. Tbey proceeded, therefore, to the summit of the hill overlooking the Waiaua river and Matakaha settlement, which now consists of only three whares and a Pat Marire pole, and by dint of shouting and waving a white flag, succeeded in getting over a young man on horseback named Tβ Para (A. °Karaka's son), who was immediately despatched by Mr. Parris to William 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 the 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 ceremoflies —the fellow on horseback riding around the pole, with his bat off and his left arm raised. One of the Native youths (Kerepa) accompanying the expedition was sent over by Mr. Parrie to invite these individuals over, as it was naturally supposed they were two resident Natives who were afraid to venture. Kerepa. fearlessly went over, but came back in great haste, as he found the man on foot so hostile in his actions, pointing his gun, Ac., tbat he bolted back across country and the river for his life, and it afterwards turned; put that the two men were rebels who had quefc come up the coast 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 on foot (who was haJfnaked, and armed with a shining barrelled Brown Bess, cartouch 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, Hβ returned, and coming to the hill-apposite where Mr. Parris was stand4ngj% asked who was calling to him, ancPoil being answered, wanted to know what Mr. Parris was doing there, Ac, 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 buehes, 'going towards *' Arama Karaka's kainga. inland. After the lapse of some time Tβ Para returned from , , Wi Kingi, who was at Opera, near Tβ ISanra to the North, who sent back to say be was coming. A. Karaka who was at Hinetuhirau on the banks of the Waiaua, inland, declined to come ; he no doubt had been, influenced by the two rebels from the souths Kingi was a> good as his word, and about two p.m. arrived with following consisting of 19 men and four women, who aU made.due submission, most of whom were evidently pleased with haying again the privilege of mixing with the pakena, from whom they have been so long cut off by the rest of their tribe in arms. W. King Matakatea (who' is chief of the Ngatihaumia section of the Taranaki tribe who inhabit that portion of the coast between Te XTmuroa and Waiaua) was |te" . lighted at having the opportunity of proving his sincerity, and desire to live at peace, with the Europeans, and. we werie. glad to hear from him that he has nothing whatever to do with the Pai Marire' supiSMftifiom ; ;Be and his wife were invited to the camp, and the manner in which he begged for a Jew , matches, a bit of tobacco, W&&M& „-. cuit, &c., showed how the infatuation of taV countrymen has deprived him of the com* - monest articles. W ifh respect to clothing the whole party were in rags, excepting ft few who wore the flax mat. Their blaakeje, - shirts, <fee, were literally dropping front tbeff persons, and one old man we noticed well-worn piece o£ carpet around hie; iffl&V taken from the wreck of the Lord Wqrilgjf* \Vi Kingi himself. had a flax mat on, over a very greasy and dirty blue dungaree round* about, but wore a cap" with, an over-jrized Straight peak sown 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. Parris, the' intentions of the Government, and infonneithem that having duly submitted, every respect should be paid to their rights and property---to which they all fully acquiesced, andthftt returned to their kainga. Colonel Wajsre and staff embarked at 5.30 p.m. and the steamer left in half-an-hdur afterwaww, and proceeding at full- speed anchored in New Plymouth roadstead at 10.30, thue making. the run from Opunake Bay to the anchorage in 4& hours. Just as the steamer left,* : white flag was observed coming down fiwn* . A. Karaka's kianga—no doubt that cawf', had thought better of it, and was coming w do what he ought to have done several hours before, meet CoL Warre andrM** Parris as W. King had 1 dona Opunake Bay is about forty miles from New Plymouth; is situated near the- north em entrance to Cook's Straits,andKe&abottt a mile to. the southward of the Namn, ana about twelve miles from Cape Egmonfc I* is a bay about half a mile wide and quarter of a mile deep, of a horse choc aaape, with a fine sandy beach and a few ! flat land enclosed by high cliffe on tne IS.'R end B.K eidee, tmmaa&asM^^

' noiffte- "* e soundings and bearings, as taken :t^Captain Gibsoii, are as follows:—The B*T ft* 3 S.W., the top of Mount •gJaaat bearing E. by N. i N. The soundings • -between, the two points at dead low water '- •Oβ fi ve f a tßO mß > with very level sandy • Ti6fclsoiß» being no more than five and a half ' fctpgna a mile from the shore. With a surf Jiiieaad buoy boats can safely land four days eat of seven all the year round. The Bay \ iopett from W.S.W. to S.S.W., but in any (oez JFuid the Natives say the landing is Ifce wreck of the Lord Worsley has disfppeafed. The Natives informed us that in - ifcewjcent gales it broke up. Her engines i JB& iron Trork lie among the rocks. Hie Opunake Bay district is not less fertile and fitted for agricultural purposes &an other parts of this splendid country. fhe land is l watered, and increases in fertility as you go inland, and jg of that undulating character peculiar to ih» put of the island. The flax grows in Joxuriant profusion, and inland the growth of tbe fern and tutu, &c, with abundance of natural grasses and clover, prove that it trOl make a fine grazing district. This district is hardly to be surpassed by the fertile ' plains of the Ngatiruanui country.