LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Issue 5, 9 May 1840, Page 3

LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — Supposing that some of your readers may feel interested in the account of a journey which I lately undertook through a part of this country hitherto undescribed, I venture to send you the following copy of a rough journal kept during my progress. I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, E. JERNING-AM WAKEFIELD. Port Nicholson, May 4, 1840. MARCH 14. — Having engaged eight natives, slaves of a chief of Wanganui, to carry my baggage, and accompanied by another, an inhabitant of Pari Pari, a settlement on the main land near Entry Island, I started over the hills immediately beyond the Koro Koro stream. Our way lay over hilly forest land and the path was much obstructed by the karewau or suple-jack. On the way I shot a young huia. This bird is about the size of a small fowl, its plumage is black, with the exception of the tail feathers, which are tipped with white, and are much esteemed by the uatives as ornaments for the head. The beak is long, and curved, and a yellow wattle grows from each side of its insertion. The natives imitate the bird's note, from which it takes its name, and thus attract it until almost within their grasp. These birds are peculiar to this part of the country, and their skins are frequently sent as presents to the natives of the northern parts. We at length reached the top of a hill, from which there is a view of the valley of the Porirua river, and the sea in Cook's Straits. The valley is narrow, and entirely covered with timber of the thickest growth. After descending the hill, we proceeded along the flat land of the valley, and crossed the river fourteen times, but in no place above our knees. Towards sunset we emerged from the wood, which had served to protect us from a heavy rain, into a salt marsh thickly covered with rushes and flax. Here we got well drenched, and were only just in time to get along the beach of the river, as the tide was setting in very fast with a gale from N.W. Just as it was getting dark we fortunately found two small temporary huts, where three Englishmen and some natives, bound for Port Nicholson to fetch the cattle of the Polynesian Company over here, had stopped on account of the rain. They told me that it was yet some distance to the settlement, and as my porters were very tired and cross, I determined on stopping here for the night. A pigeon shot on the way made a very good supper, and notwithstanding the rain which dripped all night through our leaky hut, the length and roughness of the walk secured me a sound sleep. Blankets are invaluable to the traveller; though wet through, they will always be warm. 15. — My boys, as native attendants are always stiled by both natives and white men, started away early to a native settlement where they could get some food. As the tide was yet over the beach, I preferred the boat of a sawyer, who luckily came into the creek, and went down the river about three miles to a settlement which has been called Parramatta by the Europeans living there. It is situated on the north bank of the river, at the point where it divides into two branches, the one to the southward, along whose valley we came yesterday, and the other to the N.E. The weather cleared up abont 12 o'clock, and I walked round to look at the land about here. At this point there is a considerable quantity of level and clear land, and the soil seems equal in richness to that of the valley of the Hutt. I found here a surveyor engaged by the Polynesian Company, to whom Captain Hay has sold a considerable portion of land hereabouts, which he claims to have bought of the natives. These latter, however, deny the validity of the bargain, and refuse to allow the surveyor to proceed with his business. Early in the afternoon the Pari pari native, whose

name is Puki Totara, came over to tell me that the rest of my boys would not bring my things here, but had resolved to return to Kai Wera wera, where they have been building a house for which they hope to recieve payment. I accordingly recrossed the river, which is here only 200 yards wide, and walked about a mile along the south bank to a native settlement called Waitawa, where I found them and my baggage in a house building for Mr. Berners, of Mana. Here I also saw Nayti, whom many of your readers will remember as the man who created so great an impression during his residence of two years in London, and who came out here in the "Tory." He addressed me in English and excused himself for wearing a blanket and mat, by saying he had been too ill to wear English clothes. I was told; however, by an Englishman here, that he has given away every thing he possessed. I paid some of the boys who return to Port Nicholson some pipes and tobacco, and persuaded the others to go on tomorrow. The wind shifted in the night to south east, and blew a fresh gale. 16th. — Nayti brought me a pig as a present, and promised to come to Port Nicholson. About mid-day the gale abated, and we sailed across the river in a canoe to a place called Motuara. The Porirua river is about three quarters of a mile wide at its mouth, which is situated opposite the north end of Mana, or Table Island. A reef of rocks lies nearly in the middle of the embouchure ; and the channel lies to the southward of it, in which I am told there are about two fathoms water at high tide. Inside this bar there are four, five, and six fathoms. I picked up another boy at Waitawa, and we struck into the wood above Motuara. A long walk, but along a path well-beaten and little obstructed by the karewau, brought us into some fine potatoe grounds on the brow of a hill, from which we had a fine view of Kapiti, or Entry Island, and the adjacent part of the Straits. After walking another mile through the potatoe grounds, we arrived at a settlement called Puki Rua, situate on the slope of the hill close to the sea-beach. There were but fewpeople in the pah or village, the head chief, by name Tunia, or the Wild Fellow, being away with many of his followers. I was much amused by an idiot, who greeted me on my first arrival. He was fantastically dressed in a woman's gown, one grey worsted stocking, one shoe, one black glove, and a handsome mat over all. He shewed me into the ware umu or, cooking-house, whicli is usually assigned for the reception of visitors ; and then, lashing an iron hoop which he wore round his neck to one of the door-posts, he began to repeat a long oration of which I could not understand a word. He -was busy all night making speeches in front of the house, to the great amusement of the other natives. 17th. — Proceeded along the beach, which is shingly, and studded with large rocks, which reach a good distance out. It is altogether a rough coast. The hills rise steep from the beach to the hight of 400 or 500 feet. We soon came to a small temporary settlement, where a chief called Hiroa and his attendants were making a canoe and paddles. We stopped here an hour, the tide being too high for us to pass round a projecting point of rock some way further on. Even after this delay, I had to be carried past it on Puki's shoulders. About five miles from Puki Rua is Pari Pari, where the boys struck work for the day, pleading fatigue. This pah is pleasantly situate on the terrace of the cliff, where the hills rise more gradually from its edge. I was presented with some delicious water-melons, a treat indeed, as the weather was very hot, with a light N.W. air. 18th. — Bought several melons for fishhooks, and started along the beach. It continues to be shingly and rocky for half a mile further, when the steep hills recede from the sea shore, and a sandy beach, backed by low,

barren, sand hummocks, succeeds. We crossed several small rivers on our way ; at the mouth of each of these is a small native settlement, and at each of them I was pressed to aire. kiuta, or turn into the pah. But, wishing to get on to a place called Waikanai to-night at any rate, I pushed on. The principal of these small pahs are Wainui, Wareomutu, and Warerua. We reached Waikanai early in the afternoon. This pah is situate at the mouth of the river of that name, and contains a population of 400 or 500 people. I was recognized by many old acquaintances who had seen me here when the " Tory" was lying at Kapiti, and when I came over with our surgeons to cure those wounded in a recent fight with a hostile tribe. A Mr. Hatfield, of the Church Mission, has established himself here since I was here last. I did not see him, but the natives spoke much of him, saying that he was a son-in-law of Mr. Williams, but that he would give them no books. After a short rest, I walked about half a mile up the south bank of the river, to a small pah called Arapawa, the special residence of those belonging to the Wanganui tribes. Here I was again lodged in the cooking-house. A little after dusk the women started off in a great hurry to the main pah, and the boys came to borrow my fowling pieces, and prowled about the place all night. On my enquiring what it was about, they told me that the Ngateraukawas were coming. This is the name of the tribe inhabiting the country a few miles to the northward, a party of whom attemped to surprise this pah in October last. The inhabitants of Waikanai are all of the same tribe as the natives inhabiting Port Nicholson, viz. : Ngateawa. There has been a deadly feud between these two tribes for many years. I was told in the morning that the supposed invaders had been discovered to be only kuki or slaves stealing potatoes from the fields. 19. — As, beyond this place to the northward, a large tract of coast is inhabited by the Ngateraukawa tribe, I can get no boys to carry my things along it: and a chief called Te Rangi Wakaruru, with whom I agreed in Port Nicholson for tho hire of a large canoe, has not yet arrived. I accordingly went over to Motu Ngarara, or Lewis's Island, which is one of the three small Islands lying between the south point of Kapiti and the main, leaving orders for the boys to bring me word as soon as the old chief should arrive. The mouth of the Waikanai is choked up with sandbanks, so as to be inaccessible to a whaleboat at low water ; while even at high water in rough weather it requires a good pilot to get in. Once inside the bar, a boat may procefed for about six-miles up the river. It is situate nearly due east of the middle of Kapiti or Entry Island. This Island is about eight miles long, and may be five or six broad in the broadest part. Inside the southern point two small Islands, called respectively Lewis's and Mayhew's Islands, form an excellent harbour for a few vessls. They protect it .from southerly winds, while from west, north, and east, shelter is afforded by the high land, of Kapiti, the main land, and a small Island and reef, called Evans's from the name of a man who heads a .whaling party there. This third Isladd is about a mile from Kapiti, and three from the main land. A reef of rocks stretches about a quarter of a mile to the southward, but there is a very good roadstead, in deep water about three quarters of a mile north of the Island. The Inner anchorage, however, close inside the easternmost of the two Islands nearest to the main, is perfectly sheltered and in a more convenient depth of water. On Evans's Island, six boats are fitted out for whaling : this party is headed by Mr. Evans, who is supplied by a Sydney house. On Lewis's Island, an American of tliat name heads a party of four boats. On Mayhew's Island, a store is kept, which has been established by an American captain of that name, who has purchased the Island.

At different stations on Kapiti itself, fourteen or fifteen other boats will be fitted out this season. The Island of Kapiti is one mass of steep wooded hills, with the exception of a few level spots in its interior, and a small tract of poor land situate at the northern point, and called Waiorua by the natives and Long Point by white men. While on Lewis's Island, I gave some of the natives whom I had seen before, some prayer books in the native language, at which they were much pleased, declaring that the white missionary at Waikanai wuld give them none, unless paid in pigs and potatoes. All the inhabitants of these islands have become converts since I saw them last ; and on the 22nd, I attended the native service on the main island, when one of them wlio has lately returned from the Bay of Islands, preached a sermon to his audience. 23. — A canoe having arrived with some of my boys, to announce the arrival of E Rangi at Waikanai, I returned there to-day. As it was too late to set sail for Wanganui to-day, I amused myself by pursuing some pukekas [ over the swamps and potato-grounds at the back of the pah. This is a bird about the size of a pheasant ; its plumage is a beautiful dark blue, except a few white feathers under the tail. The beak is red and straight ; and its horny substance is extended into a sort of vizor over the front of the head. The legs and feet are remarkably long and strong. These birds ab0und hereabouts : as the land consists of alternate swamps and ridges of light sand, on which are the potato-grounds; the pukeka lives in the swamp, and comes out to feed on the potatoes. They generally rise by twos and threes when you have got within gunshot of them, so as to afford better sport than most of the New Zealand birds. One of these birds, though not very tender or rich, makes a very good meal. As I noticed before, the hills recede from the beach a little to the northward of Pari Pari ; and the tatika or flat tract gradually widens, being about ten miles wide at Waiknai, one half of this breadth being clear, and the other thickly wooded. But that half of it which is clear seems to be of little value ; the greater part of it consisting of morass, in which you sink up to the knee at every step, while the remainder is light, dry sand, on which however the natives manage to grow their potatoes. 24. — Having paid for the hire of my canoe, we started at about ten or eleven a. m., amidst shouts of "aire" and discharges of muskets from the shore. It was a broad, strongly built canoe, with an extra top-side for sea travelling. My crew consisted of seven paddlers, and two helmsmen, one of whom steered with a paddle, while the other managed a clumsy imitation of the steer-oar used in whale-boats. This is an improvement lately adopted in all canoes intended to go to sea. Three women, a child, and two dogs, completed our muster-roll. Among the paddlers is a man named E Au, a son of Te Rangi Wakaruru. A fresh south-east breeze favoured us until we had got from under cover of Kapiti, when a heavy S.W. swell began to set in, and the wind soon shifted round to that quarter. Canoes are bad vessels for running before the wind ; as it is impossible for the most skilful steersman to keep them straight. Accordingly, when off Otaki, (a river about ten miles north of the Waikanai, where many of the Ngateraukawa tribe reside,) we shipped a sea; and in reefing the sail, the natives, frightened lest their enemies should come out and catch them, managed to break the yard. It was soon fished, however, and we proceeded before a fine breeze. The next river is called Ohau, but is, I believe, very insignificant. About an hour before sundown, we passed the entrance of the Manewatu river, at whose mouth, I am credibly informed, there are three fathoms' water at high tide. There are somegroves of fine straight timber close to the mouth of the river, which form a good landmark from sea. Near here, too, the range of hills takes a sudden turn to the eastward, and thus the level land extends very far inland, until the hills to the south of the Tonga Riro mountain again confine it to the breadth of thirty or forty miles. The wind now died away, aud they paddled hard to reach the next river, which is called Rangi Tiki, before dark ; but in vain. On the rise of the moon, about an hour after sunset, we saw four fires made on shore, in answer to our repeated signals with a musket : but on approaching the shorewe made out a very heavy surf, and as no one could discover the entrance of the river, it was determined to remain at sea all night. A short prayer was repeated by the natives, and they took it by turns to watch and sleep. It was fortunately a dead calm all night, and the moon shone upon us for a great part of it. A very heavy dew fell ; but the blankets again kept me warm. [To be continued.]