Past Impressions.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 995, 27 March 1891, Page 11

Past Impressions.

(BY MR JOHH PLIMMER.) There are some incidental and accidental circumstances of the past—ox-, rather, let me say of the commencement of the colonisation of New Zealand, that strike their imprints so deep oix the memory that they can hardly be erradicated by time, and a great many of these things cannot be brought within the scope of national history—having happened to private individuals while following and performing the initiation of colonisation. If you think any of these kind of things, which have happened to me personally, are worthy of a place in your highly-valued paper, the Mail, I will try to record a few of them as faithfully as my memory can give them after 1 a lapse of fifty yeai’s. I arrived in New Zealand in 1841, in the barque Gertrude, Captain Stead. The voyage was as pleasant as could be expected in so small a vessel, 550 tons officers and crew. The passengers, excepting about twenty young men and women, were married couples and young children, under the New Zealand Company’s regulations. Young, strong, and hopeful, where are they now 1 I seem very like an old tree left standing

in the midst of a clearing. Though, all around me is flourishing, not one of my old companions of the voyage is to be seen, and the young ones have grown xxp out of my knowledge, and are scattered about the land/ I well remember the surprise and concern depicted on the faces of the people when we came to an anchor in this our beautiful harbour 1 . As many ships had arrived before the Gertrude, we naturally expected to see some signs of a town. There was none. Those who had previously ai-rived had settled at the Hutt, and were just begining to see that they had made a mistake. There was no house in view but Colonel William Wakefield’s, on the site where the Government House now stands. The Gertrude was anchored off Kaiwai'ra, and the fii-st person who came on hoax'd was Mr, now Sir Francis Dillon, Bell, a pleasant, freshlooking youngmanofabout 20 years old. He was the receiving agent of emigration for the New Zealand Company at Wellington. He said we were to land at Kaiwai'ra, and I was one of the first that landed to see wliat sort of a place was prepared for our x’eception. It was a lax’ge raupo shed, of Maori architecture, into which as many of the married couples as there was accommodation for were located. There was a great wide chimney, built of wood and clay, and we made ourselves as comfortable as we could under the circumstances. But here something happened. About half-a dozen Maoris, the biggest men I had ever seen, entered unannounced, with no clothing on except Maori mats, which seriously discomposed the women and x-aised the ire of the men as they squatted down round the fire, as composed as if they had been well-dressed and invited guests of the evening. This was my first introduction to Maori-land and Maories; and we had to make the best of it. As a matter of course, our luggage, consisting of boxes, barrels, and bags was put on the beach at high-water, and we had to get them into the shed how we could, and when I examined ' mine next morning I found several things had been stolen during the night. Amongst the rest was a 2001 b sack of biscuits. This pi-oved to be a very serious loss at that time, and I thought I would change my lodgings. So I hastened up to Te Aro Flat, and was introduced to an agent, who had an acre of land to let. So I agreed to give him £4O per annum for it for twentyone years. When I returned I met a man driving bullocks, and gave him 30s to take my luggage on to the acre I had secured. Next day I hired two me to cut and carry me some sti-aight poles, which I reai'ed up and built a wood collier's’ cabin, in which we managed to live very comfortably for twelve months. I had two good feather beds in hogsheads, so I cut down the young ti-tree, laid logs on each side of the cabin, which formed a good foundation for the beds ; this was soft, sweet, and wholesome. Next morning I made some chai'coal, and made the fii-e on the floor in the centre of the cabin. The gas permeated through the turf which covered the cabin, so we felt no incon venience. Having brought all kinds of builders’ tools and wood-splitters, maixls, wedges, I began to think of building a house in the best way I could, as there was very little sawn timber to be got. I picked out trees that I thought would split easily such as honeysuckle and goi-goi—to serve for scantling, and filled up all my time, and that of an apprentice I brought out with me. With his assistance we made good pi'Ogress till one day, about three weeks after our arrival, I had a new feature of life amongst the Maories. I had fallen a large tree, some three feet in diameter, with a beautiful head of foliage. The tree in falling had struck the bush fence of a Maori garden, and I went to see if it had done any damage. But while I was stooping down a Maori chief named Emori had crept up the other side without my hearing him, and as I raised my head he struck at me with all his might. But, by good luck, I turned and saw the tomahawk and ducked my head, so that he missed my head, but not so my hat. As I had my little boy with me, I thought if I run he would kill the child, so I made up my mind in an instant that I would fight him, and ran to the butt of the tree to get my axe, and ran along the bole of the tree to meet my foe. But lo! he seemed paralysed. In striking .with all his might, and my hat offering very little resistance his foot had slipped, and he had ti-apped himself amongst the branches, and was perfectly at my mercy. But I shall never forget the hideous look of his tatooed face,

which had turned a nasty dark yellow; and as I swayed the lai'ge felling axe over his head he shrank back in the bushes till I thought the fright had killed him. Just at this moment Motoraha, the head chief, appeared on the scene with more than a hundred of the Maories, and I thought my time was come. But when they saw the position the chief was in they could not control their mirth, and the sang out: ‘ Kapai the pakeha. Neweynewey malarora V and the old chief came and held out his hand to me, saying ‘ Kapai, kapai, the pakeha ! Me very hungry, hornai a herinxi. Me very hungry,’ so I gave him half-a-crown, and glad to get out of the scrape. Meanwhile the bellicose chief had escaped, and was so ashamed, that I never saw his face again. (To be continued.)