COOK’S VISIT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 1 (Supplement)

COOK’S VISIT.

IX LIGHT CF MAORI TRADITION GISBORNE AS IT IVAS IX 1769. NATIVES' LACK OF HOSPITALITY.

(Written li.v the Into Bishop V>". AA’iljiams, for 'the Transactions of the N.Z. Institute, 1881.) Tiio interest which will always at. inch to the first visit of Captain Con): to the shores of New Zealand is sufficient justification lor any attempt to elucidate a portion of his •narrative, and, !y the aid ot parsonjil acquaintance iv til the 1:.; nlitics touched at, ami reference to Maori traditions of tho events, to enaolc iiny reader to present to liis mind a more vivid picture of si 1 1 the circumstances. AY hen, as in til's case - , places are m..Hdescribed in minute detail, it :is often a matter of considerable difficulty to identify any paitleular .spot; though this difficulty may often in a great measure he overcome by carefufexainination of the ground, and close attention in every hint, contained in the narrative y, isieh may serve as n clue to Uie identification o. the actual site of the occurrence. This, then, is what it is to

I • attempt in this paper with reference to Captain Cook’s visit to Poverty bay and Tolaga Pay. It was on l’l'ida.v, October.. 6, 17G9, that the land was first scon from the .masthead, hearing west by north, the longitude of the ship having keen ascertained to be ISO degrees, 5-5 minutes \V. On Saturday, October 7, u 101 l calm till the atterhoon. At « p.ni. ( ooli noticed a deep hay and stood in for it, but, when night came,

l:e kept plying off and on till daylight. In the morning (Sunday Oct. 8) lie found himself considerably to leeward of the bay, the wind being at north, and iL was not till 4 o’clock in the afternoon that he anchored “on tiie north-west side of the hay, before tho entrance to a small river at about half a league from the shore.”

‘•ln the evening,’- Ccok says, “1 went on shore accompanied by Mr. Banks and Or. Solander w.th the pinnace and yawl and a party of men. AVe. landed abreast of the ship on the on si side of tho river,’which was here a hunt .40 yards broad ; I,’at. seeing some natives on the west side whom ] wished to speak with, and finding the river not fordable, I ordered tile yawl in to carry us over, and left the pinnace at tho outran:c. AVhen we came near the place where the people were assembled they all ran away; however, we landed and. leaving four ijovs to take care of the yawl, we walked up to some lints which were about two or three hundred yards from the wntciside. AA lien wo had got some diste.hce from tiie boat, four men, armed with long lances, rushed cut of the: woods and, running up to attack the boat, won Id certainly have cut her off ii the people in the pinnace bud nut discovered

them, and called to the boys to drop down the stream. The boys instantly obeyed, hut, being closely pursued bv the natives the coxswain of the • p'lHiaee, who had charge of tlic boats, tired a musket over their heads. At this they stopped and looked around then;, bat in a few minutes renewed i,he pursuit, brandishing their lances in a threatening manner. The coxswain then fired a second musket ovei their heads, but of this they took no

notice, and, one of tiicrn lifting up liis spear to dart at the boat, another p.ece was fired, which shot him dead. AVI ion he fell the other three stood motionless for some minutes, as if petrifil'd with astonishment. As soon as they recovered they went hack, dragging after them the dead body, which, however, they soon leit, that it might not encumber thenflight. At the report of the first musket we drew - together, having straggled to a little distance' from each other, and made, the best of our way hack to the boat; and, crossing the river, we saw tho native lying dead on the ground. Upon examining the body we found that ho had been shot through the heart AVe returned immediately to tho ship, where wo could hear the people on shore talking with great earnestness, and in a very loud tone—probably about wlmt had happened, and what should be dune.”

The place of landing was evidently what is .now called the boat-harbor, immediately on the south-east side of the mouth of the river, and separated from it by a narrow reef of rocks. From tin's place Cook and his companion walked about two hundred yards to a sandy point clear, of the shelving rocks, as the most convenient point Lorn which to cross over to t!ic point formed by the junction of the AVsiknnmj Creek with the river, where the natives were first seen, who ran away as the strangers approached them. The lints for which they were making when the attack was made .upon the boat were probably riot far from the north bank of the * AVaikanae, a short distance above the present- signal-station. J lie four men who attacked the boat are said to have rushed out of the wooes on the east side of the river. There

are no woods in the neighborhood now. nor have there been any for me past fifty years; but woods are said by the natives to have existed formerly on the hill-side, within a short distance of high-water mark, which would form a convenient hiding place for the natives, whence they might observe ihc movements of the strangers without being seen themselves. The four men belonged to the Ngationeone harm of the tribe called To Ai-tauga-a-Hauiti. and the name.of the one who was shot was Te Maro. On Monday morning, October .1, a party of natives was observed at the spot, at which they had been seen Uie previous evening, and. Cook determined at once to try to open up .rieiuily intercourse with them. Three boats were ordered, manned with seamen and marines, and with these he proceeded towauls the shore. ■Book, with three others, landed first horn the small boat; but they luid not advanced far towards the natives when the latter all started up ana showed themselves to lie well armed will spears and mores, manifesting sit the same time unmistakeable signs i.f hostility. Cook therefore determined to return at once to the boats and get the marines lauded. This was soon done, and they marched, with a Jack carried before them, to a little batik- about fifty yards from the water-side. Here they wore drawn up .and Cook again advanced with Tupaea, Messrs. Banks, Green and MoiiUhec.se, and .Dr. Solander. Tupaea was directed to speak to the natives and 'it. was soon evident that he coukl readily make himself understood. Alter some parleying about twenty or tli'rty were induced co -wim "over, most of them, however, bringing lheir arms with them. All •Attempts' to establish friendly inteieourse were vain, as the only object the natives seemed to have in view was to get passr.ioum of the arms of the strangers winch, as they could not obtain them by barter, they tried to snatch out of their hands. AVhat followed is host described in Cook’s own words:--

“In a few minutes, ATr. Green happening to turn about, one of them snatched away his hangar, and, reining to a iiLtle distance, wa.eu tt round his head with a sfiout ot exultation. The rest now began to be '.xtcomely insolent and we saw more .•cluing to io ii them Irani the opposite sale of the r.vei , it was tiiere-

lore necessary to repress them, and Air. Banks filed at the man who- had taken the hanger with small shut, at the distance of about fifteen yards. When the shot struck h.ni he ceased liis cry, hut, instead of returning tho hangar, continued to flouristi it over his head, at the same time slowly retreating to a greater distance. Mr. MonkhoLi.se, seeing this, fired at him with hall and he instantly dropped Upon this, the main body, who had retired to a, rock in the middle of the river on the first discharge, began to return. Two that were near to tinman who had been killed ran up .to the body ; one seized Ii s weapon oj green tab-, and the ether endeavored to secure the hanger, which Mr. Munkhousc had but just tunc to prevent. AS all that had'retired to the rock wore now advancing, three of ns discharged our pieces, loaded only with small shot, upon which tiny swam bac-k to the shore, and we per

ceivod, upon their landing, that two or three of them were wounded. They retired slowly up the country, and we re-embarked in the boats.’’

. THE ROCK IN THE RIVER

The party of natives thus encountered was not the same as that winch had been seen tiie evening before. According to the Aiauti tradition, the ship had been seen coming into the bay the day before, and was thought to be a floating island ; and tins was a party of the Uongowhaka-ata tribe, who. bad come from Ornkanipu, a pa just below the junction ol the Ami and Waipaoa rivers lor the express purpose to take possess.on of the ship, and hence their hostile attitude. The man who seised .Mr. Green s hanger and lost his life in consequence was Te Hakau. The landing was effected. as before, at tile boat-harbor, and the place where the marines were posted could easily he identified before the whole aspect of the place was ■ changed by the harbor-works which are now in progress. It was a level piece of ground, about one acre in extent, from four feet to eightfeet above the level of high-water mark, and immediately adjoining thfc spot where the river was crossed im the preceding evening. A part of it may stiil be recognised between the outer end of the hloekyard of the harbor-works and the base of the hill. The rock in the middle of the river which the natives used as a restingplace is known by the natives as Toka-a-Taiau, and. from the way in which it is spoken of by Cook, would seem to have stood higher, at that time, than it has done now tor many vears past, and perhaps to have been awash, if not dry at low water. Till within the last, few years its posit ,'ii was always indicated at low water by the rippling of the current,, but since it has been paitiallv bias too away with dynamite it has not been so easv to detect it.

. Having failed, as above related, to establish any sort of friendly intercourse w fh the people. Cook p'ocecded with his three, boats t:> examine the. bar ; 'i search of fresh water. and also with tho design, if possible, ot surprising some of the natives am. o'ettin" them on board Ins ship, tb"* by kind treatment their friendship might be secured, and that, by their means, an amicable correspondence might be established with their cou.,tryinen. Two. canoes were seen coming in from the sea. making apparently for the mouth of the lyopututea river, which was then _ situated much nearer the Turanganui than it is now, and somewhere near where it is shown in the accompanying map (PI. XXXIII.). On- of these canoes was hiterceptedrbiit, on the approach of the boats, the crew, seven number, began tlm attack so vigorously with their paddles, with stones, n.nu with other wen nans, that the order was given to fire noon them. wh«r four wore - unhappily killed. Th other three, v.-ho were ell young ledc immediately leaped into the water, hut were soon cnpi’"cd and taker on board, the ship. Their'names were —Te Haurangi, Tkirangi and Afnrnknuiti. (Cook wr’tes the names thus: ‘ Taahonrange. Koikprnnge and Alaragoveltc.” The descendants of Iki-

rangi and Myirukauiti still talk oi the intercourse which their ancestors held with •Tepa oa” but the name ol To llanrangi-is forgotten.) The kind attentions of their captors soon allayed their I'ears,' and they became very sociable, ask ng and answering many quest kins with great appearance of Measure and curiosity. On the following morning (Tuesday, October 30) they were told, to their great delight,’ that they were to he put on shore again, hut it was not without reluctance that they consented to he left at the place where the bouts had htriclod the day before. An officer and a party of men had already been sent on shore to that spot to cut wood, and Ccok afterwards landed at the same place, with the three hoys. Mr. Banks, Dr. .Solander. and Tupaea. AVhen they hud crossed the river, the hoys, after some hesitation. took their leave. Cook and his own companions then crossed the

A\ nikuiiuo at the old ford, a short distance from the mouth, and strolled up the right, or seaward, ban], ol the creek, hoping to shoot some ducks, j four marines being directed to keep j abreast of them on tho sandy ridge i between the creek and the sea. to i guard against surprise.

A HURRIED RETREAT

A fter advancing about n mile a large bodv of natives w:>.s seen coming raniuly towards them, whereupon, they chew together, took to the beach and hurried hack to tlic boats, the three hoys joining them again and claiming their protection. As soon as they had got. safely across the river, the natives, all armed, to the number of about 200. followed them across' the Waikanae to the point. The hoys, recognising the bodv of Te Italian, which still lay exposed on the bench, went to it and covered it with some of the clothes which had been given them. Soon after tins a single man. unarmed, wlm proved to he the uncle of Marukauit.i, swam over to them bringing in his hand a green branch, which was taken as an emblem of peace. A , 'ter making him a lew presents, they left him and returned to the ship, the bovs accompanying them. The actions of the natives were closoiv watched from aboard the ship. The man who had swum across to them whose residence they pointed in a direction that we thought to be very far inland, but afterwards found to V otherwise.” There are no direct descendants of To Ratu now filing, lmt the family is represented by the descendants of bis brothers. The Afanri tvr.di+ion also mentions a red o-arment ns having been laid upon the p.„lv „f Te Ttekau to winch they gave the name of To Hinui Tuhuru.

"The next morning.” Cook says, weighed and stood nwnv from this unfortunate and inhospitable place to wln'cli I gave the name of Poverty Bav and which, bv the natives, is called To Oneron.’ or "Long Sand ■ as it did not afford us a siwle artir.e that- we war tel . . . Tile son.hwas seen to perform s.yme pecn.*«r eeruiuonies ever tlic dead lv'dv o te Raknu. which was afterwards fetened across the river, and car ded awav on n Viler. The bovs were landed again in the afternoon and were seen to go awav with the main bodte ns they returned bv the wav b.v wlm-h they nan pome. The Maori tradition states tliat Ikiranivj and his companions had been out fishing, and. that in answer to Tnnnea’s questions thev had told him that the ariki. or principal Him of the district, was Te Ratn. Tins man was chief of the Rongou nataa.ta tribe, and must have possessed great influence; for afterwards when coasting along . the Bay of Plenty , Coo.' snvs, “as far as we had v°t coasted this country, from Gape Turnagain. the neeule aeknewledwoed one Hue . whom they called Te Ratn, and to ,rp?t point of the bar T named tonr.g Ni- k's TTead. n r ter "Nicholas A oung. the bov who fust saw the land ” Thus end’d GoaV’s.-euly visit to tbs nnrt of New Zealand; but as the -shin Iriv becalmed in the afternoon, a utile tn tlm south of Young Nicies Head, several canoes put off, and,

one. which had followed the shV; out o Poverty Bay, came directly alongside With a little pers'jii'i'.'ii the lour men who formed the (row (one of whom was recognised as one of the hostile party encountered on Monday) were induced to come on hoard the ship Their cxatnnle w:;» shortly afterwards followed by the rest and there was soon around thship no less than seven canoes and about fi tv men. About mu hour before sunset, but three of the men were left en board, and were transhipped o- the following morning to a canoe off Table Capo. •After til's Conk lortimiod his; voyage southward f.diow'ng the const rs far as Cape Tumagaiii, whence he returned, on ■Qet-j'ior 17. w-'th a vi-" of examining the coast to the northward of Povortv Bay. On Fridav. the twe-tulh, being p ■■-vented by the who! from fotch'ng Tola go B:>v, he ant-bored about 11 o’clock mi another lav. a little to tho north, the name given to which by the natives, lie says, was Tegndci. AYb.at Maori name this represents I have been unable to discover. Tie fives no (!-= ■ eription bv which t'-e hav mnv be identified, hut from ’Parkinson’s journal it is clear that it was Amiurn. (“On the 21st we am la red in a very indifferent harbor, in 8' fathoms o l water, about one mile and n-hnlf from the sho 'e. having an island on the left-hand which somewhat sheltered us”) (Parkinson, ourted by Mr. Colense, “Trans..” Vil. X., p. 123.) It nill he noti-cd that there : s a d--crepaney in the date: but thrcoMiout this portion of the na-rative Parkinson’s dates are on- dav in i,Jvare- of those given bv Cook). The people we'T all r-markahjv ir'-nd ,v . and were found io lie aro-ainted villi what had b-ppeord at PoverL- P v less than a fortnight before. On the 21st. TJent. Gere, with a strong partv of men. ehtain-d a supnlv of water, end Mr. B-mk« and Dr. S- 1 - ander found many new plants and shot a few. birds.

On Sunday. tie- £2’--d. ~ .start was made, but. the wind bams: unfavorable for stand nar to the northward, Cook determined to pit into Tolagn Bay. seeing that some natives had told him of a small cove a little within the south point of the bay where fresh water was handy, and where boats might lanu without being exposed to a heavy surf. This is the cove, which, in re- ] cent times, has always borne the illustrious navigator’s name. The natives here were ns iriendly as those at Annum, and a good supply oi wood and water was easily procured. During the eight da'.s’ stay at t l "* place. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander explored the neighborhood, aim were ; rewarded by the discovery of many plants new to science. In the course

<>f their rambles t.hev came upon whet , is ties, ribetl as a very extraordinary . ! natural curios'tv. . t v.cs; a ' ! perforated through its whole sub- i ; stance so as to fi nn a rude but st'i- 1 ! pm do as arch or tnvctu, oivuing dsi reetl.v te. the sea. Tit s aperture was 1 7.j feet long. .27 t broad and -lolt | liia-li, c luninai'ding a view cr the bay ’ and of the hills on the «;thrr side | which were seen through it, and, ! open in" at once upon the view, produced an effe: t far super’orno any id the contrivance’s of art.’* j There are three small streams of water here, one o" which finds its way to the sea through the cat oral nr is above-de.sci’ihed. The a.rch (called by the natives “To Koto re o te Wheelin'’) r.iorees the rid no, the extrem- ! itv” of which forms the western head I of the cove, and 's about 400 yards ; from high-water mark within Jin* rev". The measurements given bv Cook do not quite correspond with tile present dimensions. The present* length is oo feel. the breadth at the narrowest part 241 feet, and the ho'gbt at the lowest part 22 feet. The length has p'l i able been reduced bv the falling away of the cliff at the other end, at which part also the measurements of the height and breadth given by Cook may have been estimated. About thirty yards from highwater mark, among some, bushes, .-bout 20 foot nn the side of the same lr.ll as that in which the arch occurs, is wli-’t is known as “Cook’s well.’' This is a small hole, about 10 inches in diameter and about one foot deep, excavated in the, soft rock where a tiny rill trickles down from a small ‘airing a little higher up tlu> lull. This could not have been used in anv wav f nr water ng the ship, hut was probably bellowed out for amusement bv seme of the ho vs in the ship's company. That it is not » mutual ravitv, but that it was made on t 1 occasion of Cook’s visit, seems to be sat‘sf,.ctorilv shown by the m;mo which the untires have given it y'y. , “Te \Yei ICeri a Tenaca’’ or ‘Topa'a's well' 5 : Tcpt:' (in which farm thev have preserved the name of tiie Tab tian “Tupnea”) having been thought bv them to have been the name c>f Captain Cook. Various let+T'- have been cut nea - t!,<* )s + t! ■ well, hut mo-t o' them b:"-" bec-vvp ’•tv ind’stinet 'v-m the sial-’sc-nff the surface of the rock. It is iniposs’ble to assign any date to these, which may, all of be much more modern than 17G9. Maori tradition states that Hunmatioro, who was then a young girl, was pointed out to Cook as a young lady of high rank and that ho presented her with beads and other orna- ! ments. Hinematioro was much look--ed-up to in her time by all the tribes

along this part of the coast, and her name was known formei iy as far north as the- Hay of Is!; ads as lliiu of a great I’angatira. She lust" her life; about GO or 70 years when making her escape freni Te i’ouiewa un ‘.‘Spwing’s Island.’’ the. pa which was attacked b \ga tiporou. The. canoe was making lor Yfhangara. nr ’ was upset at sea, the only survivor being her grandson, Te Kani-a-Taki i an. Cook rays tV't the lav is call-d b; the native" “Tnlagu.” but ties ha.net been identified vitlr-anv Mao » e-mi' now la in" in tin? neighborhood The l ay takes its name from the JV ver Dawn, whi-h Hows into it; aim. the name of Cjok’s Cove is Opor tama. The rocks oft this entrance U■ the' cove have altered very litth' since Cook's time, for the (leseriptiou which he gives of them might hav-.-

been wr.rten je-roremy. *‘( less t tnorth end id the slued (Spo.ing lshuii!) at' the entrance into the b are two high ro ks: one is round ! !•' a eorn-stac-fc; but the ot her is ia' and per Vi a!ed in several places that the cp rings Ike tile ■ i hos of a bri'i o.* V. •i ‘ t * t is the cove where epj; woe a e filled our water casks.” Cn Monday, October 30, Cork nrsail e-mln te i ’- -■-•■1 and hr. we take our leave of him.