City Trampers Follow Te Kooti’s Trail

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23154, 17 January 1950, Page 3

City Trampers Follow Te Kooti’s Trail

Following the trails used by Te Kooti in the Urewera country during the Hauhau War?, 19 members of the Wellington Tram'ping and Mountaineering Club made up one of the few Wellington tramping parties to experience dry weather during the noliday period. In marked contrast to those who went south to encounter barely five fine days in nearly three weeks, they had only six hours’ rain during their 10 days in the bush, The party left Papatotara Saddle on the Rotorua-Waikaremoana Road on Christmas Day and covered 60 miles on foot to arrive at Matahi, in the Bay of Plenty, eight days later. They travelled through virgin bush rarely visited by Europeans and, though many of the Maoris they met were too shy to speak to them, learned much of the history of the area. . A young Maori hunter, Kolia Tamwha, guided them for part of the way. Nearing the Bay of Plenty, Maoris overwhelmed them with kindness and, without thought of payment, pressed potatoes, vegetables, milk, fowls, and pork on the trampers. To the 19 the gifts were a great luxury after days of living on dehydrated foods, which were carried to save weight • Several members of the party hope to return to the area at Easter.