THE WAIPU PIONEERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22259, 6 November 1935, Page 10

THE WAIPU PIONEERS

STORIES FROM THE PAST A SELF-RELIANT LIFE MEMORIES OF THE FIFTIES ;

. . :^|il Discussing pioneering conditions in 1 "The GTael Fares Forth," the history * $ of Waipu and sister settlements, N. R. McKenzie says that privations such as were experienced by some®lff! the early pioneers of other parts New Zealand were unknown among t}JI 1 i|! ; original Waipu settlers. Their wants were simple. Stalwart men could I a hearty meal of mashed potatoes milk not because nothing else was pro. -'I curable but because they preferred plaitj" 1 diet. They despised anyone who was tooVi particular about his food. Their landfill supplied them with flour, maize meal <- : ' 5 from which the yellow bannock made, potatoes and other vegetables. Every, family kept fowls. "Wild pijr 8 native pigeons were plentiful in the bush. Wild ducks were numerous in thef-iv-streams and so were eels. Those near the sea coast had abundant fish. The pioneers were skilled boatmen, fishermen and fish-curcrs. Their chief fish» ing grounds were near the Hen and tl§ Chickens islands. The Domestic Arts When domestic animals were intro. ll duced a more varied food supply became possible without drawing on outside markets. Cheese and butter were made. Another article of diet rarely 5 - ; seen elsewhere was made from i&our milk. This was a form of curds. The sour skimmed milk was placed near a 3 fire, where it was warmed but not > boiled. In a short time curds were formed. The whey was strained off, the curds seasoned with salt and mixed with butter. The result was practically an unpressed cheese. It was highlp ; nutritious. When an animal was killed no part was wasted if suitable for use. Tripp was made and some, of the intestines prepared as casings for sausages called' black and white puddings, the former containing blood. Both kinds were 0 boiled and would keep for months. The fourth stomach sometimes supplied the rennet for junket and cheese. Fat not if needed for cooking was made into j§ candles and soap and the hides converted into excellent leather by the , local tanner or the settlers themselreii. Wild honey was often secured from the, .bush. Although the children foraged for thg fruit of the tarairi, tawa, karaka, ft titoki, ramarama, kahikatea, bushlawyer, etc., the edible bracts (Ta r ; 1 J whara) of the kiekie and the young buds of the nikau palm, the settlers did not adopt Maori foods. In regard to the karaka berry cliildren ate only, the pulpy covering, the seeds being highly >. poisonous, although the Maoris by a process of steaming or of steeping in salt water were able to prepare a wholesome food from them. The decay of teeth was virtually unknown among the pioneers. This and other physical troubles accompanied the adoption or a more artificial diet. First Brown Top The original seed of the grass brown top was brought by the Waipu migrants from Nova Scotia. The grass containing the seed had been used for filling mattresses and as packing for furniture. When it was replaced, as mattress stufFing, by the climbing fern, mange mange." it was thrown out and the «eed grew thus by chance. . The women carded and sptm their own wool. Black fleeces were prized for mixing with white to make a grey. Dyeing however, was done. the.dye being manufactured from a species of lichen growinc in the hush. The permanent home of the author's father Mr. Hugh McKenzie was built seventy years ago, it has housed three Generations and is still _ in excellent order. It was built of pit-sawn kauri, the blocks beine of nuriri and the roof of totara shingles. For chimneys bricks were made on the spot and lime for mortar burned there also. ; No Litigation

During the lifetime of the Rev. ISoirman McLedd, the leader of the com- i ; mimitv, there was no litigation; all agreements were made by word of mouth. When necessary the minister , conducted" or ordered an inquiry. He took disciplinary measures against ji offenders. This might mean a rebuke from the pulpit couched in very definite, sometimes even violent language or exclusion frbm attendance for a specified number of Sundays. Usually, however, a mere private expression of the minister's disapproval was a sufficient deterrent. An intensely "Presbyterian Sabbath was observed. One pioneer lady says: "We were not even allowed to go to the clear running brook for a drink of pure water on Sunday. Enough water to last till Monday had to be brought in on Saturday. It stood in the washtubs, the only large receptacles available. No matter how unpalatable the taste was health was not studied." . It is related that one of the old seafaring men was quite religious but never 'ffiitirely rid himself of his sailor's vocabulary. Once when he was saying "grace" his little grandson climbed up the window into a dangerous position. The old man finished his grace thus: "Donald you . come down from there. For ever and ever. Amen." In the very early days only the unmarried danced, the chief dances being the reel, the schottisclie and others popular in Scotland. Modern dances in which partners "hugged" each other were condemned by the older people, but practised by the young people nit first secretly. < Surname Customs "As is not uncommon in Scottish communities the owner (of the first, water-driven mill) ceased to be known by his proper name and was given the name of his calling," writes Mr. MeKenzie, "Henceforth he was 'the Miller' and the title was also given to his children instead of their legal surname. ... A study of the origin of these unofficial surnames throws light pn the origin of surnames in general. « The commonest form is that in which tho father's Christian name becomes the sou's surname. There were several Donald The father of one was named Alexander, so the son was known locally as Donald MacAllister, Mac meaning sou and Allistef being the Gaelic form of Alexander. Personal characteristics gave rise to another set of names, such as Murdoch Ban (Fair Murdoch), William Beag (Little William), etc." The first coav was brought to Waipw in 1854-55 by Duncan MacKav (Ban). Some of the Bettlers paid as much as £2O for a cow in Auckland. Heifer and bull calves which founded the later herds were commonly exchanged. The first horses were brought by Captain Duncan McKenzie ("the Prince"),. Captain Murdoch McKenzie ("the Captain") and John McDonald ("the Mate"). One of tho old worthies gained the disapproval of some of his people because of the pace at which he used to ride even when going to church.