HIDDEN GOLD

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4873, 21 July 1936, Page 4

HIDDEN GOLD

LARGE NUMBER OF SOVEREIGNS. DISCOVERY AT NGAHAPE. An Otorohanga resident states that rumours are current at Otorohanga regarding the discovery of 500 golden sovereigns by natives in the Ngahape distinct during last week. The legend of hidden gold in the Ngahape district on the property of the late Mr. Peter Barton, Tuwhararirika), goes back some 80 years, and the supposed “plant” has been searched for at intervals by individual natives from then to now. Rumour says that quite recently a young Maori woman acquainted with the legend of buried treasure, living at Pio Pio, dreamt that she watched a fantail flying to and from a large stone, repeating the evolutions for a long time. She related her dream to a friend at Ngahape, who located the indicated stone (or a rocky outcrop on the hillside) and commenced to delve around it for the hidden gold—with the result that she struck the coins deposited there some 80 years ago by a reticent chief of the old school, who had little faith •in the banks of the pakeha. Some natives declare that the depositor of the plant was none other than the great Te Kooti, of fighting prowess, some three-quarters of a century ago. It is certain however, that the old Hau Hau leader was camped for some years in Otewa, Paewhenua and Ngahape districts with a large band of his followers —having been chased by the troops of the pakeha from the Urewa Country.

The Find Confirmed.

Information sought in other quarters elicited the information that the money was actually found—but about six or seven weeks ago. It appears that the Maori woman at Pio Pio has something of a reputation as a prophetess, and on her representations members of the Barton family undertook the search on their own land, and eventually recovered the money. The exact amount was not stated, but it is understood to be in the neighbourhood of £SOO. One of the informants said he gathered from information that came to him that the money was probably hidden by the father of the late Mr. Peter Barton, and that he died before its location could be conveyed to other members of the family. It was long believed to be somewhere on the farm, but search from time to time failed to yield any trace of it. Asked why the -money was buried, one man stated that he was informed years ago that it was “planted” at the time the famous old rebel Te Kooti was marauding the central districts of the King Country, and as he was making the immediate district his headquarters the owner of the money thought it prudent to conceal it somewhere so that Te Kooti could not “commandeer” it. The period would be during the ’seventies of last century —somewhere about sixty years ago. Asked about the disposal of the money, the first informant said it was currently understood that the Barton family takes half the treasure and the other’ half goes to the Maori woman at Pio Pio.