TASMAN’S STORY

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 July 1932, Page 3

TASMAN’S STORY

DID HE SEE LIVE MOAS? When Abel Tasman visited New Zealand in 1643, he may have seen live moa birds: * He is reported having noticed huge figures on the Three Kings. Although he thought these were- gigantic natives striding along the hillsides, it is now thought that the figures seen may have been those of moas.

This arresting suggestion was made by Mr. H. Fildes at the lecture on the “First Moa Bone” recently given by Mr. T. Lindsay Buick to the Wellington Historical Society. Mr. Fildes raised the question of live moa birds having possibly been seen by some of Tasman’s crew when off the Three Kings islands in January, 1643, Tas-, man’s journal states that when his rowing-boats approached the largest island of the group his men saw a number of Natives of tall stature on the hills, who when walking took enormous strides, and vociferated in loud, rough voices. Prior to this, and on December 19, 8.642, Tasman and his men in his two ships had experienced a startling and disastrous encounter with the Natives at what he named Murderer’s Bay, Nelson, an experience that no doubt made for fear for many a day after in the stoutest hearts of the venturesome Dutchmen. This unexpected encounter with the Natives of New Zealand was the first known naval battle in New Zealand, a jolly boat manned by six rowers and a quartermaster, versus a double Native canoe containing thirteen Natives. Whether the Dutchmen were armed is not clear, but they were first attacked by being violently rammed by the canoe, and, in the consternation ensuing, Maori clubs, paddles, and a long, blunt pike, all energetically used, caused the death of three of the Europeans and the mortal wounding of one, the attackers being unscathed. Shortly afterwards Tasman’s two ships sailed out of the bay, pursued by canoes, and one, approaching nearer than the others, was hit by a lueky cannon shot from one of the ships, causing them all to retreat to the shore. One can well believe that after this startling encountei' the new and strange- sights seen by Tasman and his men were with vision perspectively distorted, their fears causing their minds to give to sights and sounds fearsome imaginings.

WHAT SEAMEN SAW From this spot Tasman sailed along the western coast of the North Island without attempting to land, and bn January 4, 1643, sighted what is now Cape Maria Van Diemen, and the largest island of the Three Kings’ group. Being in need of fresh water and greens, he decided next day to attempt to land on the island, and to that end dispatched two boats to the island at noon. Toward evening they returned without having been able to land on account of the surf, and also reporting that they saw in several places on the highest hills, from thirty to thirty-five persons, men of tall stature, who called out to them in very loud, rough voices; and that these persons, in walking on, took enormous steps or strides. . In rowing round the island they saw no habitations or cultivations, but in a bay were seen two canoes hauled on shore, one seaworthy, the other broken. Next day Tasman’s ships were ,at anchor a shot’s distance from the shore, and again an ineffective attempt was made to land, the boats’ crews again reporting they saw tall men, armed with long sticks, standing on the heights, and who called out to them in very loud voices. At noon the ships set sail and by "sunset the islands were visible at six or seven miles distance.

What is certain is- that Tasman’s men did not see Maoris of giant stature and able, when walking, to take enormous strides. They- perhaps saw people of ordinary stature exaggerate ed through curious atmospheric phenomena, or from a disordered mind. That they may have seen two or three live Moa, and in the distance over the water have mistaken them for men, is no more fantastical than is much of the theory that has been written around this extraordinary bird. The Moa is said to. have had a hoarse note; it would certainly take long strides; it is said to have affected the heights in preference to the flats, and these characteristics are noted in Tasman’s: tall hill men of the Three Kings. Moa bones are stated to have been found on the island group and it has been in recent times they were taken there from the mainland. It is *. fact that when the Maori of 18401850 was aware of the keen desire of European Moa-bone searchers to be shown bone deposits, they often met the demand by collecting odd bones and depositing them in sandhills and i emote caves, and then guiding the Moa-bone searchers to them. The suggestion "made by Mr. H. Fildes certainly strikes a new note in the theory of the Moa, and it can only remain a conjecture on a strangely-recorded happening of two hundred and ninety years ago.

An extraordinary thing about Captain Cook and his galaxy of scientific men is that Cook visited New Zealand five times, and was 327 days in various parts of it, and not once heard of the Moa or its bones, nor did later visitors up to Polack’s residence in 1831-7.