THE WAR AT ROTORUA. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3019, 30 March 1867, Page 5

THE WAR AT ROTORUA. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

It seems %o have been finally determined upon to make a campaign in the interior, starting ' from llotorua, and to go fight on to Hangatikj and Mokau, or to wherever the Hauhaus may flee to. The expedition,will be composed of about 350 natives and 100 Europeans. I left Te Papa in the ' Start' on the afternoon of Saturday, March 16, wifch about 200 Araw* 8 ! to* Maketu, en. route to Rotorua. With some difficulty the steamer was got over the bar, which expedited greatly , the landing of the men. (By the way, if anything were to happen to Captain Fairohild, where would such another be found?) On the next day (Sunday) parties of the Arawas left Maketu for the interior, the last leaving about ten o'clock at night, with Lieutenant Pitt (who is now attached to the Native Contingent) and Mr. Gilbert Mair. During the night, the ' Sturt '* came into the river again with a detachment of about 150 Europeans. I ana sorry to say that many of the men behaved themselves very badly, and there was such drinking, swearing, and confusion that 1 wag glad to get out of European society, which showed a striking contract to what I had seen amongst the natives under somewhat similar circumstances. 1 left Maketu shortly after dawn on Monday, and during the forenoon overtook the party which had started OH tbe preceding evening, and as I was in no special hurry 1 kept company with them during the rest of the journey. The road between Rotorua aud Maketu has never been attempted tq be stopped by the Hauhaus. It appears . that it was arranged that this should be done, but Katene, one of the chiefs of Pubirua Pa, strongly opposed the r nroject, and it was abandoned. While going through one of the belts of forest, we met a messenger from fCotorua to Tmrauga, aud from, him t 'learned that

there bad been a fi«*ht at Ohinemntu %>n Runway, in which two H*xihaus had buea killed, and one of the Arawas so syverjjly wounded that he had died'shortly after, I presutlje that before this'you will have heard of the tight from Tauranga, as I asked the. messenger to communicate the particulars to a correspondent; of the SoyTHERW Cross at Te Papi. Before sundown we arrived lit a pa of tbe KjntWjpikiao, at Rotoiti, called Mouria, and where we found all the bapus of the Aiawas on a flat at the back of the pa. Bullocks and pigs had been killed, by the Ngafcipikiao for their risitors, And hUls of potatoes were set out. In rep >rbing adinnerof European 0 , reporters are in the habit of saying that "ample juntice" was done to the victuals, and I- think I may say the same on this occasion. Major McDonnell, who seems to be a vigorous d»shing fellow, had been at Ohinemutu, and had come down to Mouri», leaving again for Ohinemutu before] dark. By the bright moonlight a great meeting was held, at which (60 resort again to common phraseology) a great many " able and lengthy addresses " were delivered. 1 cannot give even the substance, as I fell asleep before tbe first speaker had exhausted his prefatory flourishes. The next day (Tuesday) we had the war dance, and then preparations were made for marching to Ohinemutn, Major McDonnell having come down and given directions to- go on without waiting for the Waikntos, whose march, I was informed, had been delayed for a whole day owing to the state in which spine of them were. Two war canoes belonging to the Ngatipikiao were adorned and launched, from their resting-places in tbe p». The larger of these, the * Araw/a, can contain oyar 100 ' men, and is decorated by some splendid caiving. It -COSt, in aaltl t £1,500 to build, and is by far the best war canoe I have seen. lam sorry, however, to say that it is not a good sea-boat, or rather river and lake-boat, as every minute or tiro of the voyag« I " thought it would capsize. Rotoiti and Rotorua are connected by a rapidly-flowing river, and it waa a difficult job to get the huge canoe up against the current. At length, we got to the Ngae, a settlement on Rotorua, where all the canoes and. *11 those who had gone by land aggembled, and had a feed. This put off some time. The food was brought out in balfets by those belonging to the pa, and marched all round those who were to receive it. It, is considered a bad omen amongst the Maoris for men on a war party to snatch their food in.a hurry, and I rather like the notion. We got to Ohinemutu by the bright moonlight, some in canoes, some on horseback, and most on foot. I here learned for the first time the particulars of the collision that had taken place near the settlement. It seems that a party of the Hauhaus, returning from a plantation of the Ngatiwhakaue, where they bad been destroying the food, took their road along a small ridge quite close to the pas. Henare te Pukuatua. and Hans Tap Hell, with the concurrence of Mr, Clarke, got up a party to go out and engage them. When the Hauhaus saw them, they ran along the ridge and got possession of an old pa. The Ohinemutu party separated into two bodies, going ronnd the pa. Firing then commenced, »nd Tapsell was Btruck on the breast by a ball, but as it was a small one, and had been fired from a musket with a large bore, it had not power to pierce. The firing lasted for only a few minutes , when the 1 Hauhaus fled, leaving two men dead. One of these was Hone, of Ngatiraukawa, from Patatere, and the other a Ngatimanjopoto — name unknown. jChe Arawashad oneman.named Te Weremana Tpahajre, bo severely wounded that he died in a few^Jbours. One man, .Te Bangikaheke, was sftghtj^ wounded. • It < was with , difficulty that Mjr^r Clarke could, get the bodies of the two Hauhaus for quiet burial, a« the Arawas dragged them about, beating them with their u muskets. The women were the worst in this jtavagery. To-day has beeji a busy one in Ohinemutu. On the previous evening word had been sent round to all the hapus that, as Boon as prayers were finished next morning, they should assemble for a war-dance. I am informed there are between five and oix hundred fighting Maoris now in Ohinemutu, all of whom took part in tb.e*dance, which, was a spectacle such as caunot now be very common. After the dance there were several speeches. Petera said that to do the work completely that ithey had taken in hand they would have to go on to Waikato. Eewi blamed the men of Ohinemutu for going out to fight on Sunday last, as they were left to take -care of the women and children, and their conduct had been rash, ("f, course this was a compliment in the form of blame.) Speeches were delivered by Hori, Fox, Watejrhouse, Ngahuruhuru, and others. The business of the war dance over, all the Maoris went in detachments to weep over the remains of the man who had been killed in the fight, and who was a fine young man, and much liked. A Bmall tent was erected in the middle of the space before deceased's whare, where the body was laid covered with a red oloth. The men sat round, and two or three from each group made speeches of sympathy with_the : widow, who, bending down, and with her hands clasped over her head, paced backwards and forwards before the body, wailing. Then came the burial, where the service was rend impressively by a native clergyman. A great many of the natives went over to see where the fight had been, and others assembled to welcome the pakehas, who were now within a mile or two of the kainga. By-and-by they came, and we had a war-dance to welcome them ; it would have been a bad omen if there had not been. There are 140 Europeans of all ranks here, under Major St. John and Captain Goldsmith, lodged in the Pukeroa Pa. A party has been left at Maketu under Lieutenant Way, who has charge of the transport service, which, up this distance, is rather a difficult business. As to the position and numbers of the Hauhaus, information is just about as dim as ever. I learn, however, that the Hauhaus have not utterly destroyed the Ngatiwhakaue cultivations, but have spared the greater part of the food. William Marsh and Kih&roa came in to-day and informed us that they had been up near the Haubau position at Puraku, and found that rifle pits were being constructed. I may say that Marsh is accused of double-dealing, and even of informing the Hauhaus as to movements Here. A. great committee was held to-day, at which Mr. Clarke pulled Marsh over the coals for hit proceedings, and Marsh replied, defending himself from the imputations thrown upon him. A canoe went out from Ohinemutu to-day for the top of the lake, but no appearance of works could be seen at Puraku. They may be there, however, as the lake is not a good place for observation.