JOURNAL

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 2, Issue 48, 24 October 1850, Page 2

JOURNAL

Of an Expedition Overland from Auckland to Taranaki, by way of Rotorua, Taupo, and the West Coast, undertaken, in the Summer of 1849—50, by His Excellency the Gover-nor-in-Chief of New Zealand. (Continued from our lail.) Tuesday, December ISth.—Uiise at four, but we had so much trouble in procuiing additional natives as bearers for our tilings th.it we I were delayed a long time before we could start. I The natives are certainly a most provoking set in this way. At first there were plenty of men willing to go, but somehow they had made up their minds that they were to receive lialf-a-croirn a day each, and nothing would induce them to stir for less ; so that our rate of wages being fixed at eighteen pence which could not bo laised without either increasing the pay of all those we had already engaged or else doing them a great injustice, we seemed to have hut a poor chance of stalling at all. I Had we engaged to give them what they de- '■ manded, we should have not only run short of fuiids ourselves, but we should have been com- i milting a great injury on future travellers, who could never have obtained bearers afterwards at a lower rate. Te \Vah:iroa had no men of his own to give us, as they were all abscrt at the plantations at Wnikalo, and William Thompson was, as has been already said, from home •, hut, through the influence of a petty chief, we contrived after considerable delay '. to procure the services of three men, one ' of whom would however only accompany us as far as Patetere, where we expected to obtain r the assistance of some more men. At last after . taking leave of Te Waharoa and his friends, and thanking Mrs. Nicholas for all her kindness, we quitted Matamata at about nine o'clock, having lost five hours in bargaining for the additional men. Our natives were all very heavily loaded, as from our having calculated on being able to obtain as many men here as we might require, but a small number had been hired in Auckland, on account of the difficulty of procuring water conveyance for them in the first part of the journey. | We soon pa3sed through the belt of wood which lies to the southward of Matamata, and which is only about half a mile in breadth in this part; and at a distance of about three , miles from the settlement we came to the site of the intended mill, which is a pretty spot on j the banks of a 3mall slieam runnii'g into the Waitoa, and just where a bend in the water- | course forms a sort of natural pond affording < great facility for the construction of a consi- j derable reservoir of water by throwing a dam across the stream in a narrow place, which looks almost as though it had been so arranged by nature for the purpose. The pakeha party, with Te Hculicu and his wife, soon passed ahead of the others, for which we weic afterwards very sorry, as we took the wrong path at a cross road and found ourselves advanced about three miles in the direction of Tauranga when a native came running after us to tell us we were wrong, and we had to return the whole way, thereby losing about two hours in a scorching sun, which rather disturbed the accustomed tranquility of the old chief's temper. We halted at noon by the side of a stream, and had a most icfreshing bathe in the clear cold water, whilst some

limcli was being prepared, consisting of tea and fried bacon, of which we partook with great satisfaction, having eaten nothing since live o'clock in the morning. As we were on the point of starting again, Mr, Nicholas rode up on his return to Malamata from Otawhao, and he gave us rather a disheartening account of the state of the rivers, which he said were very much swollen from the late rains. However, as he had managed to get his horse across them ive thought upon reflection that we might con ■ trive to ford them on foot. Having remained here about an hour altogether we started again i but did not find our dillicultics so great as we had been led to expect; we crossed three or four swamps, some of which were of considerable size, but none very deep. The worst obstacle we met with was a creek called Mangawhero, which was rather deep, and the ford over which we had great difliculty in linding, in consequence of having left the natives behind. We got over pretty well however, the only accident having fallen to my share. I %l Vi**«sed a somewhat precarious fooling upon the a bunch of reeds, about eighteen inches the water, and tumbled over head and ears into a deep hole, getting of course completely ducked. It is a very bad plan to travel too far ahead of the natives on one of these journies, as we found on many occasions upon this expedition, as they are constantly stopping to rest and smoke their pipes, by which means, if the pakebas are not with them to urge them on, a great deal of time is sure to be unneces

sarily thrown away. On the oilier hand I know of nothing more irksome than to be obliged to travel at the pace of the natives, which to an European is, in a day's journey, infinitely more tiring than stepping out at one's natural rale, to say nothing of the disagreeableness of being obliged to be incessantly scolding and urging them on. Upon this occasion—though we reached Mangawhero certainly not later than four o'clock—it was nearly dark hefore the natives came up, and we were obliged to encamp at a distance of about half a mile beyond the creek, although on leaving Matamata we bad hoped to reach Paleterc this evening, the distance as computed by the Bishop, and | uhlished in (lie Itinerary in the Church Almanack being six and twenty miles. About nine o'clock two women arrived at the camp on their way from I'atelere to some of the settlements near iMatamata, who proved lo he relations of, or in some way connected with, Te Ueuheii, whom they were much surprised to meet so unexpectedly, and their joy at seeing him was of course expressed in the doleful manner usual with the New Zealandcis.

Wednesday, December l'Jth.—Hose at a quarter past lluee and started at four after our usual breakfasi of a pannakin of hot lea and a biscuit which we ale during the time the natives were sinking the tents and preparing for a start. I may as well here explain our usual dielaiy, which coiishlcd first of the breakfast ahuvementioui'd, (if breakfast it can be called) ; then at some time between half-past nine and eleven (occasionally even as late as noon) we halted and partook of a regularly cooked meal, consisting generally of fried bacon, or of fresh pork, fowls, or any other fresh provision we might chance to have, with the invariable accompaniment of lea. The bacon was kept as a stand-by, and only used as a pis-aller when nothing else was attainable, as the thirst it produces is by no means pleasant on a long day's march. Our halt for this meal generally lasted abuut an hour and a half, and sometimes even two hours, especially if it chanced to be at a settlement, and on slatting again we travelled until a final halt was made for the night, usually at live or six o'clock, when the dinner or supper, whichever it may be called, was generally ready, the tents pitched, and the travellers returned from bathing in so:ne neighbouiing stteam, at about the same time. This meal was of precisely the same description as the one preceding it, tea, that invarianty, found and almost indispensable travelling bevfcuje, being the never failing accompaniment meal. At a distance of abuut a mile from our camp of last night we had to cross a. very rapid. creek, waist deep, called Oraka.. The morning was beautiful and the viev* Mp we along, was very fine, being'bwinde'il ouy?acTf side and in front by wooded hills at various distances, whilst behind us stretched an immense plain, ihe prospect over which was terminated by the Mataiuala wood, which s no\v began to look reiy distant. The plain we had walked over yesterday and had still to travel upon till we reached the high land at I'atetere, stretches in one unbroken level from that high la* A ip.hu sea in llaurakigulph, a distance of aboui a hundred miles. The land between Malamala and Patelerc is very low, and though intersected by several creeks, is still insuihcicnlly drained, and contains many swamps. The soil is, except in detached pieces here and there, of inferior quality, producing principally fern and manuka of stunted growth. Still there are very pretty spots, by the banks of the streams where may occasionally be found a patch of wood and a small piece of most excellent nil. At a little distance from Oraka, we c:;mc t>

a small lake, about an acre in extent, in the miililli: of a swamp, and which the natives said abounded with eels, and on the top of a little ridge just above, a rahui or mark to preserve the eels was elected ; it was made of an old rusty musket barrel stuck in the ground, to which the slock was tied with a piece of flax, and a bunch of kakaho (lecd) tops stuck on like a plume of feathers. The natives always treat a rahui with much respect, considering it an act of great dishonesty to catch eels, or any other fish, to hunt pigs, snare ducks or parrots, or in fact destroy in any way game of whatever kind which it is erected to preserve. So strictly is this rule carried out, that a short time ago—(and even now in some parts of the Ui.uid) the infringement of a rahui would be considered ijuite a sullicient casus belli to give rise to a bloody war between two tribes. In passing this rahui, Symonds who was in advance of the rest of the party (his usual position), cut the Governor's initials on the slock of the imiski-t. Just beyond this we had to pass the Waihou or Thames, which is here but an insignificant creek, running in a north-easterly direction. It is crossed upon two little sticks forming a somewhat crazy kind of bridge, anything but pleasant to venture over, as the water is a considerable distance below, and a false stop, or a breakdown of the rickelly bridge would precipitate the traveller souse into the water below, from which he would probably lind considerable diiliculty in <xtricati;.g himself owing to the steepness of the banks which are moreover thickly clad with a tangled mass of briery vegetation by no means easy to scramble through.

On reaching the high land beyond the river, we came to a cross road, one way leading to the main track to Tatiranga, and the other to I'atetere. Here we found the advanced party halted being uncertain which was the right road. We found written, or rather cut in the ground on one of the roads, the following words—" E luia ma, /mm: ukc, kei Oi\-ka maInn. A'n ." (il'egihh; name) ; /. e. " Friends travel on, yon will find ns at Oraka." Wc had not been here many miuu cs lit fore two natives arrived who had come from I'atetere to meet ns, and who soon relieved us from our diliicully in regard to the road. They told us the message on the giouud had lieeu written \>) tllCwomen whoatiiied at our camp last for directions to sonic men who were to 'follow them. We at once resumed our journey, tiyuiouds ami I stalling ahead with our native guides, whom however we soon left behind, as we did not want them, there being only one road, and that so plainly marked, that we could not go astray. A lillle before leaching I'atetere we entered a veiy pretty valley, or gorge, of somewhat .strange formation, the hills on each side, which are very bleep, being composed of a kind of conglomerate rock which crops mil in several places in huge steep blocks. A small creek inns down the centre of the valley, the Mill of which is of the very best quality, and which would form a reiuaikably nice situation for a farm. There are great numbers of these gorges in the ueiglib jurhood of I'atetere, running down from the base of the high land behind, and opening out upon the plain,

.Hid at tin? head of nearly every one i.i a patch of pretty wood. Having walked to the head of the aljoveiuenlioiied valley, we ascended a very sleep hill, and on the top found ourselves al a small cluster of houses, fenced louud, called Te Ton. A native came out and told us there was no person there, hut that we must cross a valley, through a dense wood to the principal settlement about a mile distant. We accepted his oiler of guidance, and after scrambling through the forest, thick —as the New 'Zealand woods always are in a valley —with knrcii'l. or supplejack, and ascending a precipitous hill on the other side, we arrived at l'atetere at half past eight ; having been, it must he remembered, all the morning without anything to cat except the biscuit we had taken with our tea previous to stalling, since when, from the lime wo had been walking, and the pace al which we traversed Ihe ground, we certainly could not have travelled less than twelve or thirteen miles. We were therefore, as may be imagined, pretty hungry by ibis lime, and imllll'dialUly got the natives to boil a few potatoes for us, expecting the remainder of the parly lo arrive in little more than an hour, as it had been arranged to bnakfasl at ten, and we thought lh?y could not be much more than an hour's walk behind us. Having regaled ourselves uilli hall a dozen potatoes, some cold, water and a pipe, we turned to look about us. I'.itelcre is a miserable place, containing about i half a dozen small huts, inhabited by twenty i or thirty of the most smialid-lnoking creatures I I ever leinember to have seen, nearly eveiy one j of whom is alllieted with the horrible cutaneous disease so common amongst the natives, to a i disgusting extent. The village is situated at the skirls of the groat foiest of ilautere which I bounds the view to the south-east and east; j but to the north, west, and south there is a very | line prospect, extending to the north over lue ' plain we had just crossed till it i; terminated by the forest at Matamala.' Towards the weal ad s mth -west, Ihe view .stretches over a beautiful district of country, and is bounded by the .Mali- '

m'akawa and Matingatautari hills ; ami as the eve sweeps round towards the smith the prospect ext.-n-.is over a greater sp/iee, and is hounded bv various more distant hills, until it is finally t j.mina'.ed u» the edge of the wood to the south-east. Whilst we were awaiting the 3,-riv.l of 'lie f: ' •»' ■'"•• ?ariy, 1 spoke to some of the men about ei.aagir.L: as heaiera for our loads, and lli>. r line y<,;:i.g lellows agreed to join. aj-;';ireiiity with f.;ood will, on __iieari» t T the 'crm-. .-<i laii.-il to them. At halt ) '■■■ l nvcKe the main body ewe up. ,-.nc! K -ibotit one. i-ym-.nds ami I (jot seme 1,iva1.f:..-t, V.:.i:.g fasted (hairing our damper of j:..Haloes ami ualer) since half past three. On eiii'iiiving 'lie cause of delay we found lh.it the rest of the paity had halted for breakfast down in the valley, and had remained there, to rest for about two hours. (Mem. Never again to leave, the Commissaswt more than half an hoot's march in the rear.) l!aviou"!»ne ample justice to our long delay.'! meal, we prepared for a start, and on ci.iiing the natives who had a«rced to accompany us, found to our utter astonishment that not u man in the settlement would move for less than haH-a-crown a day, which change in their minds wc could not help attributing to some of our own people, who must have put them up to ask that .stun thinking no doubt that if we were unable to obtain any men at a lower rate we should be obliged to give in to the demand, which would of course have the effect of raising their wages. If that was thwr object however they weic disappointed, for we made them take up their packs again, and start with the same loads they had hitherto carried, and which it must be owned were'very heavy. Wcjjiartud from the natives of this settlement on very bad terms, as they became at last extremely insolent. The cultivations of Patetere lie between the village and the forest, and looked, as we passed through them, very well, the soil being of the best quality and the vegetation luxuriant ; but they are not well kept, and contain a gieat number of weeds. Our road led us along the skirls of the forest over some very broken covered with high, fern, and from our native* being so heavily loaded, and rather sulky at our being unable to obtain assistance for litem at Patetere, we made but poor progress, so that it was sunset before we had travelled more than live miles, add we had to bivouac by the side of the road for the night. The tents being pitched and dinner under way, we set to work 14) see how the loads might be reduced. This we accomplished by distributing a quantity of (lour and some damp sugar amongst the natives, and by dispensing with two cases in which were packed sundry bottles containing various mutters a"d things, some of Which we distributed amongst the other loads, and others containing sttpcitliioiis luxuries such as mustard, vinegar, pickles, &c, &c, we expended altogether, tlnoivi..;; the.. away in the fern by the road side, where 'u all probability they may now be found by any one who will take the trouble of searching fot them. I must do our men the justice to say thai though they had grumbled in the foregoing, part of the day, they behaved extremely well in the evening when they found that we really were determined to do all we could to make matters as easy as circumstances would admit for them. They positively refused to allow us to expend numbers of things we had determined on throwing awav, and actually only consumed one of the two bags of Hour which were given to them ; nor did nv hear another word of giumbling from any of them. One old fellow who had carried one of the heavy cases which we had dispensed with, was greatly delighted at receiving in; ructions to convert the said ease into ma'eri.ils lor lighting a fire. He seized the axe, nourished it in the air, and down it came with a most awful crash, accompanied by an imprecation upon his enemy which had caused hiiu such an aching pair of shoulders,and he never slopped anathematising and dancing round the unfortunate box till there was not a piece of it left an inch square. ITuWfOlltn.llv.l.]