In Search of the North Island

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 53, 5 March 1935, Page 3

In Search of the North Island

TROTJBLE3OME DAYS AT WAIKANAE (V.)

Before beginning some slight narration of tho troublesome days which the settlement of: Waikanac, which we are now approaching, was to know before it emerged into the popular seaside resort it is to-day, a few further remarks on the great sand highway, dealing with its importance to the early settlement of this district, will serve to complete our brief note on this subject. It was Mr. William Gordon Bell, a Scotch farmer, who drove the first herd of cattle to Wanganui, taking them out of Wellington up tho ICaiwarra gorge to disappear along the bridal track into tho heavily wooded country and on to Paekakariki where ho joined the great sand highway of the pioneer days. The cattle comprised ono cow and six bullocks, which were yoked as a team and with packs on their backs, were attended by old Bell and his two sons. Despite the misgivings •of tho settlers at Wellington, Bell and his cattle got safely through to Wanganui where he settled.

Wakefield, in his “Adventure in New Zealand," records that in IS4O this highway, or that section of it between Otaki and Eangitikci, was made tapu in consequence of the following incident: A trading boat from Cloudy Bay to Wanganui had been wrecked near the Rangitikei; and the crew had been drowned, including a Ngati Raukawa chief, named Koraria, who was a passenger. In consequence of some outrage committed on the body by the Ngati Apa natives, a party of the Ngati Raukawa had made an excursion across the river, had killed 100 pigs and taken the wife of Hakeke, the Ngati Apa chief, as a slave. They also made the beach from Otaki to Rangitikei tapu, thus preventing the passage of native or white man in either direction for a considerable time. All traffic was held up and despite protests the tapu was most rigidly' enforced largely on account of the fact that Koraria had been a nephew of that famous warrior Whatanui.

Even the authorities were not prepared to risk the consequences of any violation of this old Maori custom even though the sovereignty of the Queen had been proclaimed over the country. Aggrieved settlers felt that tho obstruction of this natural highway could not bo permitted but tho police magistrate at Wellington officially answered the memorial of tho aggrieved settlers to tho following effect: Ho deeply regretted the inconvenience caused but he had no power to interfere with what was an immemorial and recognised usage among the natives. He admitted that such customs might become the subject of legislation but until then he could discover no grounds which would justify his interference. He added that he understood that the tapu had been laid on tbe beach simply in consequence of tho death of a native chief and not from any desire to injure the English settlers. To attempt to break through, therefore, would probably exeite feelings of hostility to the settlers and would involve greater eventual inconvenicnco than any that could be experienced from a temporary interruption of communication. This respect for the customs of the Maori was indicative of the desire of those .in official positions who had learned something of their practices, to respect them rather than to provoke hostility. Tho appeals of tho settlors were unavailing and traffic was at a standstill until the tapu was removed, with all due ceremony, by the Tokunga. Anything mado tapu by the Maori was sacred and had the authorities agreed with the aggrieved settlers and forced a passage over the tapu highway a serious conflict would have resulted and another page of useless war added to the history of the early settlement of this fair country.

That distinguished Maori scholar, llenry M. Stiwell, known to both pakeha and Maori as Here Hongt, records that the Jaw of tape was universally observed throughout Polynesia. In addition to tho personal tapu articles of every conceivable nature came under the law of tapu. This could be imposed in various ways but chiefly by the thing to be tapued being formally ritualised or touched by a tapu person, such as a Tohunga whose whole person was tapu. Early settlers were to know what this law meant before they had been very Jong upon tho Island. We enter Waikanao and turn to the left to travel on to the beach, a mile or two away, and in going over this ground it is well to remember, if wc would know this district, that it was once the scene of several noteworthy battles. Just what the name Waikanac means is uncertain; some say it alludes to a particular variety of fish, others that the name arose in describing a grimace. According to Williams’ dictionary Eanac is the name of a fish and Wai means water, so the complete name very possibly refers to a variety of fish which was once sufficiently noteworthy in these parts to justify the settlement receiving its name. The settlement assumed ail importance not very far removed from that attaching to the Bay of Islands. Contact with the pakeha and inter-tribal wars were features of the early history, of both settlements and while neither place to-day claims any significance in the economic development of the country both were storm centres during the period in which European influence was first introduced. Waikanao was the place whore Colonel Wakefield negotiated for the purchase of the bulk of the Wellington province and a largo lump of the northern end of tho South Island. To-day this transaction reads more like a page from Arabian Nights entertainment —it was quite as fantastical as the best of Alladin’s efforts—and it is probably very difficult, for the present generation to appreciate tho part that Jews’ harps and coloured beads played in paving tho way for the ultimate

settlement of the land by tho pioneer settlers. The land round about Waikanae was hold by tho Muaupoko, Eangitano and Ngati Apa tribes with the Ngati Awa under IV. Kingi te Bangitake, who resided south of the settlement. Out on Kapiti lived Te Eauparaha and his Ngati Toas with a representation of the Ngati Raukawa who had accepted the Maori Napoleon’s invitation to enjoy the fruits of his conquest in this territory. He owned his island settlement, as well as a small area of Porirua; in Teality he dominated the whole immediate countryside and his recognised interests even extended over the hills into the Hutt Valley. Tho Ngati Eaukawas really belonged to the Waikato and were neighbours of the great Taupo chief To Heu Heu. To understand what follows it is necessary to record that Colonel Wakefield, before journeying to Kapiti, visited Wellington and made some land purchases in the Hutt. This was in September, 1839, and the transaction was completed, but not without opposition from natives who appreciated that trouble would ensue, in parting with what belonged to tho tribe as a whole, for 115 stands of arms, 21 kegs of gun powder, a case of ball cartridges, night caps, pipes, a gross of jews harps and 12 sticks of sealing wax. It is not recorded whether the wax was ever used to seal the deed conveying tho land to Wakefield, not that the natives understood very clearly the real naturo of the transaction and we shift ground to Waikanao to learn tho kind of fruit this first land deal on behalf ol: the New Zealand Land Company produced. Wakefield had to move quickly for the Tory had left England despite tho prohibition of tho Imperial Government against tho Land Company’s colonisation scheme and it was appreciated that no time would bo lost by the Mother Parliament to extend sovereignty over New Zealand. A quick visit was paid to Queen Charlotte Hounds where tho natives were found to be too difficult to deal with and so on October 1G Wakefield arrived at Kapiti, just after a furious battle between the Ngati Awa and Ngati Eaukawa. Colonel Wakefield knew, but failed to report tho fact to his company, that the fight that had just taken placo at Waikanao was the first fruit of his land transaction at the Hutt. He failed to exercise any real interest in this trouble and proceeded to enter ii.*%> negotiations with Te Eauparaha for the purchase of tho land on both sides of Cook Strait. Before landing he had prepared the deed by which he hoped to become the possessor, on behalf of the company, of a huge area of land extending from the 38th to the 43rd degree of latitude on tho West Coast and from the 41st to tho 43rd degree on tho eastern coast. Certainly nothing inoro bewildering to tho native mind was ever offered for mental consumption than this piece of paper describing degrees of latitude and longitude of-land. The “trade” which was to go in payment for this enormous tract of land included jews harps, beeds find muskets and powder as well as coloured blankets.* Wakefield was aware in negotiating this purchase with Te Eauparaha that he still had to deal with the Ngati Awa, the Ngati Eaukawa and the Wanganui people who were interested in different tracts included in the boundaries fixed by Wakefield, but news of the activity of Sydney interests, out to acquire a footing «jn this coast, caused him to press for the settlement of the transaction. Even the layman of to-day has little comprehension of the extent of this deal made at Waikanae in October, 1539, but some idea may be gathered in mentioning

that it included Wairarapa, Port Nicholson (Wellington), Otaki, Manawatu, Taranaki, to the Mokau as well as the northern end of the South Island. It is difficult to believe that Wakefield was satisfied that he had done a fUTr thing in negotiating a transaction which, if it had been allowed to go through without official interference, would have deprived many grefit tribes of their land. They would havo been strippei of everything. Te Eauparaha never know just what this deed meant, as the war that developed shortly afterwards and tho Wairau massacre demonstrated. Wakefield was in complete ignorance of the rightful owners of the land he claimed to purchase and his use of the pakeha-Maori Barrett who was of the typo whose influence had ever been injurious among the Maori, did not help to improve liis position in tho subsequent developments when the claims ot the New Zealand Land Company were investigated. Wakefield departed for Taranaki on the eve of trouble developing at Waikanae; in the language of Wiremu Kingi, the Waitara defender of native rights, Wakefield had “set the fern alight.” (To be continued.'