NOTES FROM A JOURNAL,

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 141, 6 October 1847, Page 3

NOTES FROM A JOURNAL,

Kept during an excursion to the Boiling Springs tf Rotorua and Rotomahara, by way of the Waikato and Waipa countries, in the Summer of Eighteen Hundred and Forty-sin and Seven, (Continued.)

At Oneunga we found the Natives who formed the suite of my companion, engaged in apportioning the bag gage and trade, which each was to carry, a matter of no small difficulty, where men, who can remonstrate, are the beasts of burthen. After some delay, and much noise, the different arrangements were completed, and we started for Papakura, about twelve o'clock, to reach which would be the limit of our day's journey. Mauiigare, one of the largest of the volcanic cones, rising almost directly from a plain, overhangs the opposite shores of the Manakau. Its crater appeared to be of great extent, and its slopes were cut in. to terraces. On this side, close to the path we followed, is situated another crater, so low, that its walls are not elevated more than a few feet above high-water mark, *q that the tide pours into it through a gap, and fortes a salt* Water basin; which, if eye* a village were formed near it, might be vied as a boat-harbor, as there is always water enough to float them. There are several of these singular volcanic basins near Auckland— one at Orakt, on the Waitemate, and another called Wai Mogoia, which comrnqnicates with the 'Tamaki, 'by a deep passage, and forms, at high water, a circular and picturesque lake. After passing over a flat well-furnished with grass, on which somesheep were luxuriating, the path enter* ed the debris of lava and scoria which environs the bast of Raratonga, or Mount Smai t. If so trivial a matter is worthy ot notice, it certainly would have been tnoie appropriate to have permitted these hills to have retained their Native names, which generally had a relation, to their form, position, or some peculiarity attached to them. Now, Raratonga means fur South, which exactly designates its position as regards the other volcanic hills— Mount Eden, for instance, is called by the Natives Maungawao, from a beautiful shrub, the Wao, with large mulberry-shaped leaves and white flowers, which once abounded on its sides. Even Onetree Hill, though less objectionable, since it is marked by an ancient Pohutakaua that crowns its summit, might have enjoyed its appellation of Maongakiakia, with equal propriety— the Kiakia being a beautiful creeping parasite, that twines round and adorns the forest trees, and which probably graced it when covered with wood, although now, with the exception of a clump in the crater, it has entirely disappeared- In affixing, therefore, English names to these hills, certainly a name more euphonical than the abrupt Teutonic monosyllable Smart, might have been chosen. Wellington, Victoria, Albert, are historic, and therefore may be tolerated, and the title of a Colonial Minister, or even the name of a Governor, might, by a natui al coui • tesy, be allowed to supersede the primitive and expressive appellations of the Natives. But this arbitrary rebaptism, except under the above-mentioned circumstances, should be discouraged, Mount St. John, called Mahu, from its position to the left hand in crossiug the plain, had nearly suffered the cpmplimentary infliction of a hard-sounding bi-syllable, but a plant of Hypericura, or St.' John's Wort, found opportunely at its base, seemed expressly to mark it for its present designation, which it accordingly received. Many Native names, replaced by others more unexpressive, might be cited if necessary. I am aware that the practice of the illustrious Cook, may be advanced as a precedent, in the substitution of English for Native names, but 1 think it will be found that where it was possible, he took advantage of some fact of position, appearance, or some other striking circumstance, to authorise the change. Howcvei, 1 express my opinion on this subject under correction. A painful walk oi more than a mile, over the rough scoria and lava, cropping out in every direction, conducts to a stream issuing from a cavern, which is probably the drain of the extensive vnlcauic tract that extends Eastward from Roratonga. Beyond this the lava forms, for balf-a-raile, a perfectly level and solid pavement, perforated at intervals, by ciicular apertures, formed either in the act of cooling, or by the action of mimic volcanoes. It terminates on the edge of a salt water creek, on the opposite side of which, the clay again appears. This creek may be crossed with east, at low water, on the veins of lava that traverse its bed, but when the tide is high, travellers must ford it or bt carried over on the backs of Natives, neither of which are agreeable modes of passage. A few hundred yards beyond the creek,- a level. tract, elevated about ten feet above the beach, extends across to the shores of the Tamaki inlet,, where there is deep water. This particular spot seems formed by Nature for the line of a canal, as it is not more than a milt and a-half in breadth, and the difference of high tide between the respective waters, winch is two.ana a-ha f hours, would probably favour its formation. From heuce the path winds along the head of that large I ranch of the Manukao, which we had been all alonir skirting, to Otahu, as the isthmus is named, which only three, quartersof-a-raile in breadth, separates the Manukao from the Tamaki. Immediately above this neck of land, and completely- commanding it, rise three solid

YokaniQ coi es, springing up from the centre of a more ancient crater, which founs a peifect wet ditch i«uud them* as the intet veiling space, except in one spot, is a deep swamp filled with ranpo, a species of bulrush, which always indicates the perpetual presence of water. These h<lls>, like all the others, arc formed into terraces, and have been occupied as pa's, or strong-holds. If held by troops they would form an impregnable position, as the count ry siromid is perfectly open, and cannon planted on them, or p\en musquetty, would sweep the isthmus A camil might be cut here, but not so advantngeou&lv n* at tl-e spot formerly mentioned, since thecreek leading; to it from the Tamaki is narrow, whereas the main body of the river passes tbc border of the plain. However, an accurate survey will determine the comparative merits of the two lines, when the anticipated canal is about to be formed. These hills and the adjacent giounds nre covered with grass, and a large flock of sheep grazing over them, a.s yet an unusual sight in New gave quite a pastoral air to the scene. The house r.nd farm of Mr. Fairburn, formerly a member of the Church Missionary Society, is situated ju*tto the South of the isthmus. He claimed the vast tract of land lying between the Mannkao, the Tamaki, and the wooded lantfes to the south, hut this claim was not recognized by the Commissioners appointed to investigate such claims : however, subsequently, he and his family were permitted to select 5600 acres out of their ci-devant principality, for which they have obtained Crown-Grants. This tract appears to lave been a sort of " debateable land", among the neighbouring tribes, each of whom preferred a claim to it, so to settle their disputes without compromising their dignity, by being seemingly compelled to give it up, for they are most tenacious in their claims to land, they gave it over to Mr. Fairhuin, receiving various articles of trade as an acknowledgement, 'lheicare a great many acres under cultivation about the house, and a good crop of wheat wa* then on the ground, which if it can flourish there without the slightest shelter, for the wind from every point of the compass sweeps over it, may calm the frars that have arisen in the minds of the settlers, •who fancy that their crops would suffer from the expo-J scd nature of most of the ground in the vicinity of Auckland natural or artificial shelter would be, no doubt, advantageous, but it does not appear to be indispensible to agricultural success, and indeed the latter, in the form of white-thorn hedges, might be extensively raised as the thorn grows with great vigor, and can be propotrated by cuttings, wliich is not the case in England, so that the farmer having one enclosure, might, in course of time, easily complete the rest, without much expense, by merely devoting a few days in the winter to preparing and planting his cuttings in a corner of his garden. Some cattle, whose condition would have done ci edit to any countiy, were feeding on the natural pasture around the house, A long plain opens out beyond Otahii,' of several square miles in extent, stretching far to the Eastward, nt the back of the hilU which bound the Tamaki, and sweeping Westward round the base of Vfaungari and along the shores of the Manukao by Pnkaki, until it meets the Papaknra ranges, ft is covered with fern and grass, affording excellent feed for cattle, numbers of which were scattered over it, to the manifest improvement of the^ pasture, for I observed a great change in that respect since I had traversed it, three years previously— much of the fern had disappeared and was replaced by grass. Indeed the rapid manner in which pastures are formed in this part of New Zealand, must be seen to be believed, and bids fair to mnke this division of the island one of the finest gracing countries in the Southern hemisphere. The whole of this trect will, ere long, be converted into one rich pasture-ground, unless indeed it be employed for agricultural purposes, to which it is equally well adapted, being composed of a friable clay, that only requires to be well broken up and exposed to the air, to produce crops of any species of erain . The whole of this tract, with the exception of Mr. Fairburn'sproperty, some Native land at the settlement of Pukakc, and Mr. (Mention's grant of ten thousand acres to the South-western angle, the most barren of the whole, is in the hands of Government. This latter grant was made to that gentleman in lieu of the purchase money promised to him for the site of the Government Town of Russell, at the Bay of Islands, now abandoned in favour of Kororarikn, which has taken its name and is again rising from its ashes, the result of John Heki's onslaught. Those who are curious in such matters, may edify themselves by perusing the pages of the *' New Zealand Journal", where they will see a detailed, but not very veracious, account of this affair, nnder the name of " the Russell-Clendon-Hobson job". It is not crossed by a made road, but the drays going to and from the cattle stations established at various points, have formed a track which is perfectly passable during the so m'tier, and by a little drainage, might be converted v ♦•/ * tolerable road even in the winter. After traversing apevfectlevel for some miles, broken only by one hollow, which conducts the drainage of a swamp to a creek of tin* " amnki that pierces far inland, we read ed a low undulating ridge, I ehintl which lies the Native settlemer/ ■ » Tukake, which we skirted for some distance, until v»e approached the first rise of the wooded ranges, that branch off from the hi'ls bordering the Wnirao river, at the foot of which is situated a solitary settler's house, with several enclosed fields under crop, and to which a long line of fine milch cows were slowly wending their way to the evening's milking. Due West from this spot, and near the shores of the IVlanukao, two volcanic cones shoot up, terraced in the usual manner, these were strong-holds of the Akita, and the Ngniwi, two powerful tribes, now reduced by the former ceaseless attacks of iheir fierce and warlike neighbors, to a small remnnnt who inhabit Pukake and I'apakura— the open nature of the country and the easy access to it on all sides by water, rendered them very vulnerable to the inroads of the Waikato and Ngtipaua, awl even the more distant Ngapuhi, who extended their maiauding and murderous excursions to every part of the island, in those days, when every man's hand seems to have been against his neighbour. War appears to have been a passion, not, it wonld seem, carried on in any systematic manner, but dictated by caprice. Tribes apparently in alliance would suddenly join a common enemy, in making war on their quondam allies— indeed the whole island was one scene of rapine and bloodalied, and that too, to a comparatively iate period. The dray-road which we had hitherto followed, ascends the ridge to the farms of some settlers, lying farther inland, who, finding that their distance from Auckland, and the difficulty of conveying their produce there, did not repay them for their outlay, abandoned them. They had imagined that by pui chasing land from Mr. Clendon, at a much lower rate than that fixed by Government, as the minimum price for land more conveniently situated, they would overcome the disadvantage of distance. Now, this is an error into which immigrants are very likely to fall, for the bare idea of possessing the fee-simple of land, is so seductive to men accustomed only to rent it, that it seems to blind them to every inconvenience attending its locality. In fact, wild land in a new country, is of very little value when the expense of bringing it into cultivation is calculated, unless it is contiguous to markets, or of extraordinary feitility — and indeed anomalous as it may appear, a country may be too fertile, as, in many parts of the United States, crops may be raised with such ease and in such abundance as to create the evil of a supply exceeding the demand, and unless the producer has some extraneous outlet for what he raises, as a foreign market, it is rendered absolutely valueless. It is perhaps fortunate that the soil of New Zealand is not generally so rich as to make the growth of grain almost sponta neons, but exacts so much labor, and consequently so many hands to carry it on, as will always afford occupatiou to a rural population, and prevent an over-abund-ant supply from the expenses of cultivation, at the same time that the price of grain, if raised by Europeans, will never become too low for the advantageous investment j of capital, nor for the employment of labour at a reasonable rate. i

We diverged fiom this road to fol'ow a more direct Native path to the settlement of Papakura, which cros. sing the spurs of the range, sloping down to the Manukno, each being separated from the other by a swampy stream, filling up the hollows, makes winter travelling very unpleasant, as [ had before experience^, from the necessity of wading through them but now, from the absence of rain for so long a period, they were nearly dry. The soil of these hills appeared to be a strong clay, now baked by the sun as hard as a brick, bat the vigorous growth of the fern' and shrubs that covered it, shewed its productive powers. After n walk of two miles over this undulating ground, we reached the forest that crowns their summits, on the skirts of which was situated one of the deserted farms to which allusion has been made— the fields were fast returning to^ a state of nature, in a country where the growth of indigenous shrubs is t.o luxuriant, but they still shewed patches of English rye-grass, of which superior pasturage some fine cattle were taking advantage. A steep descent through a wood leads to a stream and the ruins of a saw mill, which had been erected by the proprietor of the deserted farm, who with incredible labour and perseverance had carried the materials from a branch of the Tamaki to this spot, under the impression that the cheapness of the land would induce the formation of an extensive settlement, but as he did not possess the capital, nor could he command the labour necessary to form a substantial dam, the first winter flood carried his work away, and there being no appearance of the anticipated settlement, he did not repair it, and it remains a monument of unfortunate speculation. A)i extensive semicircular opening in the forest on our let, shewed the site of two other abandoned farms, but they are prettily situate i on a gentle slope, with a good asp n et, and no doubt at some future time will be again biought under the plough. After cioss'ng this openi'ig anl a few hundred yaids of forest we emerged into open ground, and came in sight of the clump of ta.ll trees which surround the settlement of Papakura, lying at the head of a branch of the Manukno, and at the embouchure of an extensive valley, which runs far Eastward into the bosmn of the wooded hills. From this spot the whole of the Manukao was brought into view, glancing under the setting sun, whose level rays were pouring a flood of light between the Heads of Manukao, as the lofty hills that form the portals to the estuary are called, now in deep shadow, purpling the fern, and gleaming on all the salient points of the wooded hills, which lie between the Manukao and the Waikato It was a glorious scene, but wanted life to give it that interest which a cultivated country covered with towns and villages always imparts. A gradual descent oyer undulating lern hills, leads to Papakura, and about a mile and a half from the settlement, a small riveT, brawling oyer a rocky bed of coarse saudstonc, descends from the neighbouring hills. It was dark before we reached our destination, in doing which we strayed from the path, and had to find our way as we best could, through tall fern and scrub, and the remains of faiJen trees, which always encumber the ground around a Maori settlement, ■\\ho in clearing for cultivation, take the wholesale method of burning the trees as they stand, plantingbetwecn the stumps, and sometimes not even drawing aside the fallen branches and half-burnt trunks. As Papakura is only an occasional residence of the tribe to whom it belongs they were absent, but our Natives who had preceded us, opened the doors of the " ware" without ceremony, and we found a good bed of fern, and a fire, in the one we were to occupy. In excursions of this nature, the "menage" is necessarily very limited. A tin pot serves as tea-kettle and tea-pot, and each man carries a "pannikin" fora cup and drinking vessel, a few tin plates, knives, forks, and spoons, complete the equipment. Tea, sugar, and salt, generally carried in canvass bags, a piece of bacon, some biscnits, occasionally a little rice, form the Commissariat—potatoes are always to be procured at Native settlements, and a small pig may from time to time be puichased, which if cooked in a "hangi", or Native oven, though apparently a rime process, yet by the joint action of fire and steam, produces a very savory dish, and is infinitely preferable to rough broiling or frying, a mode of cooking to which, from habit, Englishmen usually resort. The incidental expenses of the journc)', are chiefly defrayed by tobacco, which though an inconvenient, is yet the ' current coin' of the interior : from twenty to thirty pounds, according to the intended length of the journey, must be carried, and it is necessary to keep a sharp eye on the bag, to prevent ' Bank robbery*. Two or three pounds in silver, is also required. The best dress is a blue woollen shirt, strong duck trowsers, and in summer, a straw hat. A carpet-bag containing some changes of linen, &c, and an extra pair of shoes, with two good blankets wrapped up in a Maori mat, v; (he personal bacrgage, and if luxurious, a small tent, capable of baing cai ried by one man, may be added. If possible it is better to hire Natives to perform the whole journey, to avoid the inconvenience of procuring baggage-carriers at the various settlements, where, as in moie civilized communities, the Natives are quite read}' to take advantage of a necessity, and much time is lost in making such arrangements. There is an old proverb which says that " only a fool pays before-hand, and a rogue not at all." A sensible man, and a Gentleman, would be guilty of neither, but he maybe so importuned, as sometimes to pay a portion of the arranged sum before the journey is completed, if he should chance to do so, he lays himself open to be abandoned, as the Natives often get weary of a protracted journey. The best plan is to make an agreement to pay at the termination of the tour, and to strictly adhere to it. Wrapped in our blankets, and making a pillow of our carpetbags, we slept soundly until the morning. (To be continued )