FIRST DISCOVERIES OF GOLD IN N.Z.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XVI, Issue 2108, 24 September 1906, Page 2

FIRST DISCOVERIES OF GOLD IN N.Z.

AND EXPLORATIONS IN THE

MIDDLE ISLAND.

MR JAMES MACEAY'S ACCOUNT

[All rights of publication reserved.]

f Continued.!

Some of the We&t Coast people saw camping places there, burnt firewood, etc. They then organised a fighting expedition, went through the Maruia Gorge, and surprised, exterminated and devoured the small remnant of the Waitaha people; hence I subsequently named this place Cannibal Gorge (that being the literal interpretation of the term Te Kopi o kai tangata.) Tarapuhi's geography on this occasion was at fault, and instead of directing us to the valley leading through to the Ruhu Stream he put !us on to a branch of the Grey River, rising near to the Inangahua tributary of the Buller River. He left us there, and travelled down the Grey from Totara Flat in the canoe by which we had ascended it to that point. We journeyed up a stream, which I named the Alexander, after my real brotherlike first cousin, Alexander Mackay (subsequently the Commissioner of Native Reserves in the Middle Island, and afterwards one of the most efficient Judges of the Native Land Court, and now retired and living at Feilding). On the second day's travelling, seeing no sign of a pass, and low lying country indicating the position of the Maruia Plain, I left my companions and ascended a snowy mountain, which I named Mount Alexander, from which I obtained a view of the whole country down the valleys of the Inangahua and Buller towards the sea. Back towards the Grey was all clear enough, but we were evidently entangled between the branches and head waters on the watershed of the Grey, Inangahua, and Maruia rivers. It was frightfully cold, and our commissariat consisted of about ten pounrls of potatoes (frost bitten at that) ; and woodheus (the then principal food of explorers), being very scarce in black birch bushes, we had caught none for 24 hours. We resolved to retrace our steps to the Grey. We were feeling weak, and it took two days to arrive at the Ahaura branch of the Grey River, It commenced to rain heavily, and having had in 1857 a specimen of floods in the Grey, and knowing that no branch streams of importance came into it from the Paparoa Range (this runs parallel to the coist between the Grey and the Buller riversj, I suggested crossing the river and camping on the western side of it. We started, and when close to a steep bank came to an island with piles of driftwood on it. My companions differed, and said, "Let us stop here with this beautiful firewood." I replied, "No ; in 1857 the Grey roso, and we had to shift three times while eating our breakfast." We then discovered that our Afaori companion Papara was a Kaiapci man, and knew nothing of bush travelling or of the West Coast difficulties. " On this island wa3 a large tree six feet above the then level of the river, and it had a branch at least twenty feet long, the top of which was 15 feet above the log. We then camped in the wet, mossy, black birch bush, on a precipitous bank 80 feet above the river bed. It rained the whole night in torrents, and when we arose in tha morning the island was submerged, and the branch of the tree was only six feet out of the water. Wo bad about a dozen potatoes left; no woodhens or edible fern tree (raamaku) were procurable in the desolat* black birch forest. We pushed on through the bush as far as a point opposite tho junction of the Arnold River (Kotukuwhakaho), the outlet of the Bruuner Lake, We had two ' potatoes each for supper. Nejft morning' we canght a woodhen and had it and a potato each for breakfast. We were weak, and as the foot of a person sinks nearly a foot deep in the wet spongy moss, the progress of our starved party was slow. At dark we arrived opposite the Mavrhera Settlement. We called in Maori, land, having a single barrel gun, the nipple of which had been blown ont, I fired several shots with a match. We saw no light in the settlement, and received no reply. At grey dawn in the morning we arose half dead, and called again to the Maoris on the south side of the river. Eventually we saw two women go cautiously to the river bank and wok towards us. We then called out who we were. We received the joyful answer, " We will be there immediately." In half an hour they launched a canoe and paddled across to where is now Cobden. They told us that they had been dreadfully frightened at the reports of tho shots, never dreaming of our returning, and thought we were a fighting party of Te Rauparaha's tribe. They had delayed to cook a'pot of potatoes and some dried white bait. I warned my two companions to eat sparingly at first, but the pangs of: hunger were so strong that they disregarded it. On our arrival at the settlement my companions were prostrate with stomachic pains. We ascertained that the remainder of the Maoris were at -Holdfcika on an eel fishing expedition, and that the two old woman had been left in charge of the settlement. I had to doctor my mates with hot flannels, etc, and when they recovered, I took another moderate repast and travelled off to Hokitika, swimming the Tara*makau, and ferried in a canoe across tho Arahura River. The Maoris were astonished at my return as they thought we had.by this time reached* eivilisalioo, and as they termed it te kai a te Pakeha (European food).

[To be Continued, j