'THE STONES OF KUPE'

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 89, 16 April 1910, Page 14

'THE STONES OF KUPE'

MB. WRAGGE'S PROFESSED DISCOVERIES. Ai to ancient man, the avowedly dense screen of human ignorance hung across the face of this twentieth century by old-time scientists and inspirationa-lista is not calculated to bo even partially removed by the preposterously absurd statements of «uch investigators as Mr. Clement Wragge. It may safely be assumed that his investigations of certain rock-group? on the shores of the Bay of Islands, North Auckland, have initially been prompted by the common information of the occurrence in the vicinity of stones of peculiar formation and interest ; yet he hesitates not to lay claim W special discovery of rocks amidst which the dead of the Maori have reposed for many generations, and to suggest Buch a name as "Coffin Gully" for a place which has long since been known locally as "Bony Gully." So much by the way. Mr. Wragge is well known an the one-time meteorologist of Australia.. Apparently he is no pessimist, but rather an optimist of the very firat water. In one of his most optimistio moods he is now Eaying things, and when Mr. Wragge say» things, big things, he compels people to talk about him and about the things he talks of. He is supplying th« New Zealand press with particulars of a. discovery mado by him, in the locality referred to, of "the romains of an ancient city or temple tkat probably dates back to tho time of sun-worship. . . . The huge blocks of stone, gome nearly fifteen feet long, wero evidently hewn by prehistoric man. Some havo cups or holes scooped out on their faces, which are evidently written records of immense antiquity, and others are marked with long and short strokes, one being an ansated cross, probably dating back to the megalithic track of ancient man. ' A photo-reproduction shows a. group of these rocks, the marks upon which aro clearly attributable to natural causes, and thereforo quite unconvincing. As a matter of fact, the stones in general are curiously marked, and the markings are probably duo to atmospheric influence and the distribution throughout of a substance which differs in its composition from that of the masg, and tho erosion of which leaves these markings exposed. Being invited to offer some observations on this alleged discovery, I ventured to say that in my opinior Mr. Wragge was going too fast, that I had known of those rock-groups since boyhood, that they were referred to in the lore of the Maori, that Mi. John White had lectured about these •tone* as far back an 1858. and that tho ctoncs were apparently \olcanio bombs — that is, stones which had been hurled abroad by voloanic agency, in comparatively recent geological times. Following upon this local scientists averred that the marking* wero attributablo io natural causes. Those comments appear to have driven Mr. Wragge to a hurried reinvestigation of tho stone groups under notice, and in a second publication ho says: "Regarding tho statement that what I have come across are volcanic bomb?, I most emphatically declare that they aro not volcanio bomb* at all." That this emphatic declaration of his ii* not to be taken seriouily he show* in his own words: "I must fully admit that the rocks originally are of plutonic, igneous, or volcanic formation. ... On descending the slope on which theso immense e tones are, I entered a spot which I have called Coffin Gully, for adjacent are tho remains of what aro evidently recent Maori coffins and bones and ukulls (these, of course, being recent j are to bo found under and betide th« pillar*. In this gully tho rock* art buritd in a chaotic mats on erery angle, as though tome tremendous

upheaval had taken place. Out of the gully, on the slope, one huge pillar has been hurled down and it lies nearly horizontal." And so on. So that it is evident from his own deecription that the rocks have been hurled abroad by volcanic energy, and what is the value of his so emphatic declaration to the contrary? In point of fact the abundant presence amidst these rocks of the substance known as volcanic glass, a quantity of which I have collected and brought to Wellington, conclusively points to the occurrence of the volcanic agency which has hurled tho stones abroad. Again, what is the valuo of Mr. Wragge's em- I phatic assertion to the contrary? Incidentally, Mr. Wraggo now claims to have discovered the formation which we know as the fortress or bastion of Kupe ("Te Pa tv a Kupe"), against the 6ea-chff near Tapuwae-tahi, a short distance from Takou. If he perseveres he may stumble across the formation known as the l'*k>hnet ("Kupenga,") of Kupe: it is close by. MR. WRAGGE PLAINLY AT SEA. Mr. Wragge invites those who doubt his theory to go and inspect the rocks for | themselves. But what is the invitation worth when ho so carefully conceals their exact locality that I, for one, am merely led by him to believe that they are some where in the vicinity of the Korikori river. I lately spent the Easter holidays in that district, in the company of Mr. Hamilton. To make what follows perfectly clear to the ordinary reader it may be premised that the whole field of rock-groups under notice is confined roughly within a diamond whose sides are come ten or twelve miles in length. One side of this diamond, commencing at the KerUieri rivex outfall, runs inland towards its source to the distance indicated, and from thero turns, the next next side running to Takou Bay ; from Takou Bay the third side runs coastwise to Nga Toka-ranangi, whence tho fourth side runs to the Kerikeri river outlet, the point of commencement. If, then, Mr. Wragge is not wilfully misleading us, his rocks are within thift area ; and that brings us to the next point. From Ohaeawai to the Kerikeri outtall thero is a measured public road, 6aid to be eighteen miles long. From Ohaeawai to the Whau (which is close to Takou Bay) there is also a measured public road, which is said to bo twenty or twenty-one miles long Finally, from Ohaeawai to Takou Bay (our most distant point) is approximately twenty-four or twenty-five miles. The reader is therefore to clearly understand that a thirty-mile line from Ohaeawai, traversing this rock-sown area, must have its terminus in the sea itself. In the face of such facts as these, Mr. Wragge says : "Ohaeawai ... is at least thirty miles distant from the spot whore I made my discoveries." I quote this as shou ing that Mr Wragge is most reckless in his statements ; but, there is something more and worse than even that to follow. Mr Hamilton published an account of his investigations made in the district. In that account he plainly states that ho set out from Ohaeawai and that he reached the Whau (near Takou, our most distant point), where he commenced his investigations. Now., Mr. Wragge mu-t know perfectly well that in order to reach the Whau trom Ohaeawai, a man is obliged to cross the Kerikeri river and traverse the rock-sown area in which Mr Wragge has made hie professed discoveries A 6 a matter of tact Mr. Hamilton crossed and recrossed the area by two widely separated routes, and he must have been comparatively close to Mr. Wragge's. rock-group. Mr Wragge has seen tho accouut published by Mr. Hamilton, as the following shows: — "Mr Clement Wragge, whea seen in connection with the remarks of Mr. A Hamilton, Curator of tho Dominion Museum, in reference to tho curious stones in thn north said : ... 'Ohaeawai, where Mr. Hamilton made his investigation?, is at least thirty miles distant from the spot whore I made by discoveries," and so on. Tho point here is that whereas Mr. Wragge knows the di6trict and knows from the published account that Mr. Hamilton traversed that district, yet he informs the public that Mr. Hamilton has not been within thirty miles of the spot. There for the present I leave Mr. Wrugge. THE ROUK-GROUPS. The enquirer wishes to know the history (if any) attaching to theeo rockgroups. There is a legendary history, and that history commences with Tapu-uao-tahi, a sea-swept rock which gives the name to the Tapuwae-tahi stream, east of Takou Bay Kupe is the horo of this fetory, which runs that from his pa on the shore-nliff ho successfully cast his net, thus securing the whales to provide his feast. That gives the name of Great-whale (Tohora-nui) to the adjacent stream near which the net (kupenga) is still to be seen. Passing inland by way of the Tohora-nui stream a remarkable group of rocks is found at the Whau. 'this group is known as the lpeser arrangement of stones by Kupe (or, Nga Toka Whakararangi iti a ivupe) ; and they aro said to originally belong to Tapuwae-tahi. They are of various shapes, length, and size, and they range to quite a ton or more in weight. They lie upon or partially stand up in the surface of a soil of considerable depth ; and eurround tho crown of a hill which falls away in every direction They enclose an area several acres in extent, and the whole place has tho appearance of an ancient sacred-placo (or tuahu) at which tho old-time- priests may have performed theii services to tho gods of the Maori. Here and there are some semblance of order in their arrangement, but, whether or no man has had any hand in this wo may not now de--cide. It is evident that these detached fragments of rock do not originally belong to their present position. They were fxct formed where they now lie. neither have they rolled to tho position, which is uphill from every point ; besides, some of the stones are broad and flat, and in any case there aro no rock-cliffs anywhere in the vicinity from whence these may have detached themselves. The indications favour their having been forced to their present height on the hill summit by volcanic agency. About a milo and a half southward of these the main group occurs. It is known as the feast-stones (to hakari), or, tho greater arrangement of stone 3by Kupe (Nga Toka Whakararangi nui a Kupe). Here everything is on a stupendous scale. Huge rocks, apparently ranging from ten to a hundred tons in weight, occur in rows a half-mile in extent, with the regularity almost of the rows of a cornfield. Some lie quite loosely on the surface; others appear to bo buried deeply in the soil and decayed vegetation. Tho centre is deep and volcano-liko, and all around buriod just beneath the surface of the soil thero are large quantities of tho substance commonly known as volcanic glass. Tho surrounding country may be described as being fairly level, with low sweeping uplands. Tho rocks appear to be of tho same goncral character as those of the smaller group, and the huge masses, detached, which strew tho surface of tho earth, have apparently been volcanically ejected from tho central hollow. A peculiarity is the wonderful regularity ot ridges and corresponding channels which tho faces present, these running from end to end of tho masses. The legend accounts for tho presence of these by saying that they were caused by Kupe slashing up his whales upon tho rockmasses, and so slicing out tho tyannels. The district generally is known by the name of Mata-horahia (or, flinc spread abroad), mata is the Maori term for flint or volcanio glass, such as that which abounds here. Some few miles further southward, and passing rocks of no particular mention, we reach the final group, which includes threo rocks. One is known as Puraho, another as Tarakai-mohi, and tho third as Te Tihoru (or, the baler, of Kupo's canoe). According to the legend, theso wero despatched by Kupo with orders to follow tho messengors which he hod sent on to Hokianga in pursuit of Manaia. Tho sister, Puraho, had charge of tho baler, and her brother, Tara-kai-mohi, was acting as her escort; thus propprly representing the two forces of mala and female (or, the hau-tuma-tane, and tho hau-tama-wahine). The work proved to bo too strenuous for tho sister, and she rested, whilst tho brother, tvho dare not touch tho baler, was obliged to wait. In this way they remained until dawn — that fatal moment at which, according to tho Maori scheme, such operations must end. So it is that we find them at" the same spot to-day, for ever fixed in stone. Had they succeeded in rpaching Hokianga, the legend informs us, the raaia contingent, namely, tho Hakari group, would have followed similarly, and a huge channel would have been out through from Tapuwae-tahi to the Hokianga, isolating tho northern por-

tion of the North Island from the greatei southern portion. In conclusion,, there 13 a purely mythical "Tapuwae-tahi," That being so, it is not here urged that Kupe sent theso rocks fror* cither of those mentioned. HENRY M. STOWELL, Wellington, 13th April, 1910.