AUCKLAND TRAVELLING IN THE OLDEN DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8064, 27 September 1887, Page 6

AUCKLAND TRAVELLING IN THE OLDEN DAY.

• Our Te Ropurn correspondent writes :—A ■• a time when so many persons are prophesying failure of the village settlers up North because ■ of their great difficulties, distance from market, absence of roads, etc., the following narrative of travelling in the early days may not be without interest. The narrator is a lady very well known in the Kaipara for her hospitality, energy, and ability. She, with her husband and family, settled In the Wairoa about thirty-seven years ago. By their industry and courage they have made an independence for themselves.' For seven years they only had one pound of tea. This is how she got to Auckland "in 1853: Our party numbered fivefour men and myself. I was captain, and had charge of the tiller. Oar boat was an open four-oared one. The journey was in the middle of winter, about Jane. We had to go down the Wairoa River, aoross the Eaipara Heads, up the Raipara River, across from where Helensville now is to Riverhead, and so down to Auckland. We started from our place, folly titty miles up the Wairoa River, on a Monday morning, and got down to Mangawhare the first day, and camped there. Of coarse, we had to travel aocording to the tide. Tuesday morning we started off, and got down the river as far as Wakapaiti, a Maori settlement. I had prepared myßelf for the journey with an outside pettiooat made of blue twill blanket. When the rain soaked it through, it was frightfully heavy. Whilst camped at this settlement, Mr, M— had the misfortune to jump over a Maori grave, quite unintentionally. The Maoris at once began to talk amongst themselves about getting utu. We decided to get away as soon as possible. We would not go into their where for a good while, because they wanted payment; but camped outside. We put everything into the boat, so as to be ready to start at the first opportunity, and early in the morning got quietly away, and reached Tnuhara the same day (Wednesday), near the North Eaipara Head. There we had to stay from Wednesday till Saturday, waiting for an opportunity to cross the Heads. The wind was furious. There was no settlement there then, and, in consequence, we had not even a roof to cover ourselves from the rain, or shelter us from the pitiless blast. We did not know the moment we might have to put off and cross the Heads. One opportunity lost might mean days of weary waiting. We slept on the bare sand. Of course we did not go to any trouble, knowing we might have to leave at any moment. We had eaten all our provisions by the time we got the All that we could find to eat were a few refuse potatoes that bad been left by the pigs, the remains of a former Maori camp. We boiled salt water to make salt to eat with them. We also found a few perriwinkles. The weather all this time was very cold, as well as strong and wet, and with our wretched provisions, and total lack of shelter, our position was not to be envied. Three weary days and nights we spent thus. What with the wet and the sand, my blue blanket petticoat was a load in itself. At last, on Saturday, at midday, the wind died away, and we instantly started and crossed the Heads. It rained all the way across. When we got across, the tide was ebbing down the Kaipara River. We camped for a while at the South Head. When the tide had turned we made another start, and got up to where Helensvilla now is in one tide, arriving there about midnight. The only provisions we could get to eat were onions and pumpkins, not very lively fare after a hard pull on a winter's night. Fortunately old William White, one of the very early missionaries, arrived there, and gave us some provisions. We started to cross the portage to Riverhead on Sunday. Of course there was no railway dreamt of in those days, nor even a road ; nothing but the merest track. It rained all the way across. From the foot of Constitution Hill to the Waikuku River the water was knee deep. We crossed the Waikuk River on the tops of trees that had fallen aoross. My blue blanket petticoat was torn to shreds by this time. We got to Riverhead on Sunday evening, and slept there. On Monday morning we started for Auckland in a little open boat, hired from Tom Deacon, at a pound the trip. We had a head wind all the way, with violent squalls. It took some hours hard pulling to round Kauri Point, the wind was 89 furious. Once the boat filled, and we had a very narrow escape indeed of being drowned, when almost at our journey's end. We managed to get the boat ashore and bail her out. We got to Auckland without any further 'mishap. There was no wharf or landing plaoe at that time. We had to wade through the mud knee deep, about where Albert-street now ends, near Jerry Waite's Point. The journey thus took us a week, including three days detention at tho Kaipara Heads. Such was our journey to Auckland before tho Crimean war.