IN NORTHERN MAORILAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2106, 5 July 1894, Page 49

IN NORTHERN MAORILAND.

AUCKLAND FROM A SOUTHERNER'S POINT OF VIEW.

By Henry G. Vine. I

The pasEengera of the good ship Manapouri awoke on the morning of June 6, 1893, to find that a change had cooae over the fine weather they had enjoyed during most of the previous portion of the voyage. A decidedly cold brerze was blowing, and the hills that form the Coromandel Peninsula were capped with mist, whilst only by straining the eye to its utmost extent could the faintest glimpse of the Great Barrier be obtained through the mist with which it was enshrouded.

As the morniDg wore on and we entered the Hauraki Gulf the weather gradually became worse, till at last it culminated in a steady downpour of rain, which lasted the whole of the day. It was thus impossible for us to see, let alone enjoy, the beauties of the far-famed Auckland Harbour, and as we made fast to the wharf about 11 a.m., I could not help contrasting the scene of that morning with the one that greeted the passengers of the s.p. Tarawera on the morning of last Good Friday. Then we were favoured with a fine clear sky, and as we stood upon the deck we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery that was gradually unfolded to our view as the good ship headed for land, passing island after island in its course. Away to our right lies Tiri, made famous as the island on which the s.s. Triumph ran ashore a few years ago almost alongside the lighthouse. Then again here is Kawau, once famous as the island home of Sir George Grey. Away to our left lies the islands of Waiheke and Mototapu, whilst straight ahead lies Rangitoto, and in the far distance Mount Eden can be seen.

To a strarjger approaching Auckland for the first time, undoubtedly the most prominent feature in the panorama before him is Bangitoto Island. This i&land, which can be seen for a distance of some 17 or 18 miles from the seaward side, is an extinct volcano. The top of it consists of three peaks or cones, and the peculiar feature about ifc is that no matter from what point it is viewed it always appears to be the same shape. Although its fires are now extinct, I do not think it can be so very many years since Rarjgitoto was belchiDg forth its volume of fire atd smoke, as the vegetation with which its sides are clothed is very stunted ; and then the very name implies that it has been in a state of eruption since the arrival in these islands of the Maori, which, according to their legends, took place about 500 years ago. To my mind there is no doabt that as the advance guard of the Maoris approached these shores from that unknown island in the southern seas in their famous canoes, the Arawa and the Tainui, this island was in a state of eruption, and as the dusky warriors saw in the distance the lurid sky, caused by the reflection of the fire issuing from the crater of the mountain, they, being unaccustomed to such sights, exclaimed, " Eangitoto 1 " which in plain English mean the " bloody sky," and so the name has clung to the island ever since. Whether or not this is the correct origin of the naming of this peculiar island of course I oannot tell — I can only surmiße ; but of one thing I am certain — that to the weary, seasick traveller the sight of Bangitoto is an ever welcome one. Standing, as it does, like a sentry at the entrance to the inner harbour, it reminds him that, for the present at any rate, his troubles from the sea are almost over.

In addition to Kangitoto, the Hauraki Gulf is studded with numerous islands, some of greater and some of lesser extent. As most of these islands are very beautiful and, I understand, permission is given to the public to land on them, it will easily be seen that Auckland is not wanting in that great desideratum of all cities — good picnic grounds ; and on holidays, when the weather is fine, the numerous steamers belonging to the Devonport Ferry Company may be seen convey iDg crowds of pleasure-seekers to the various resorts.

Although the high ground of the city may be seen for some time, it is only after passing Bangitoto and turning to the right past Devonport, or the North Shore, that the city bursts fairly into view, and then our first impression of it is that it reminds us to a very great extent of the central portion of our own city, Dunedin, rising, as ifc does, tier upon tier, until it finally culminates in Mount Eden — the mountain of New Zealand from an Aucklander's point of view. For situation Auckland is almost without a rival. Situated, as ia it, nearly at the entrance to the Waitemata Harbour, its wharves are easily reached by the largest vessels that visit these shores, whilst in the anchorage there is an expanse of water of sufficient depth and extent to accomodate the entire British navy. It is a common sight to see two, and often three, of these noble vessels lying a little way off from the Queen street wharf. Doubtless with a view to inducing the Admiralty to make Auckland the headquarters of the Pacific squadron, the Harbour Board has constructed an immense dock, known as the Calliope dock. It is a strange coincidence that while this dock take 3 its name from Calliope Point, a point on which a email vessel named the Calliope was wrecked, the first vessel to enter the new dock was H.M.S. Calliope.

Standing on Queen street wharf, and looking away across the water to the right, you see one of the prettiest suburbs of Auckland — viz., Devonport, or the North Shore. This suburb occupies almost the same position in regard to Auckland as Anderson's Bay does to Danedin, with this difference, that Devonporfc is more numerously populated, and can only be reached by steamer; this, however, can be done very cheaply and quickly, the Devonport Ferry Company having a large fleet of steamers runniDg backwards and forwards, and the price of a family ticket is only £5 per annum. A pleasant background to this picture is formed by Mount Victoria, upon which is erected one of tho finest signal stations in New Zealand. On the hill to the right of Devonport the fortifications that command the entrance to the Waitemata

are built. Still standing on Queen street wharf, and looking away to the left, across the water, we see the suburbs of Northcote, Birkeuhead, and Chelsea, with all of which tne Ferry Company's steamers communicate. At. Chelsea, the works of the Colonial Sug<*r Edfining Compaoy are situated, and these, together with the cottages in which the workmen live, give the place a rather busy appearance. The cane from which the sugar is produced is not grown locally, but is obtained from the company's plantations in Queensland and Fiji, where, I understand, it undergoes part oE the process of manufacture, being brought to the Auckland works for the purpose of refining. In walking up tbe wharves one cannot help being struck with the solid manner in which they are built. They are all, with one exception, paved with wooden blocks, and being built T shaped with the shore, are wide enough for a large vehicle traffic.

A stranger visiting Auckland for the first time is almost sure to be asked by the first acquaintance he make?, " Have you been up the mountain 7 " As I remarked before. Mount Eden is the mountain of New Zealand to an Aucklander, and you [cannot hurt his feelings more than by disparaging it ; but if the visitor has an eye for the beautiful and can enjoy good scenery, to say nothing of having a regard for the historical places of his (for the time being) adopted country, there is no need for him to disparage Mount Eden. It is certainly not a very high mountain, but it commands one of the finest views in Australasia, if not in the world. Standing on its summit and looking in any direction that we please a glorious panorama unfolds itself to our view. Let «a turn our faces to the north-east-, and 40 or 50 miles away we eca the Great Barrier Island and the Ooromandel Peninsula. Let us look in the opposite direction, to the south-west, and we have a splendid view of the Manakau Harbour on the west coast, its port (Onehunga) being hidden from our view by just such another hill as that on which we are standing. While straining our eyes in a south-easterly direction, we can almost fancy that we see the smoking cones and boiling springs of the great fire belt of New Zealand.

But it is not only for its scenery that Mount Eden is famous. Standing on its summit and looking towards the centre cf the mountain, we find that we are standing on the edge of what was once an active volca.no. How long these fires have been extinct I cannot tell, but to me it seems awful to think of what might occur if anything should happen to stop up the outlet for the fiery element that exists only, comparatively speaking, a few miles to the south. Should anything occur to stop the activity of the volcanoes in the fire belb, there are between 60 and 70 craters within 10 miles of Auckland that would become, for anything we know, a perfect torrent of fire and lava. The inhabitants of Auckland have great faith in the inactivity of their Mount Eden, but history tells us that the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum had an equal amount of faith in Mount Vesuvius ; but still that did not stop the fire and lava from belching forth and burying both them and their cities. Let us hope that such a fate will not overtake the Aucklanders.

Standing on the summit of the mountain we see before us a cup -shaped crater of perfect shape and large enough to seat all the people of the city inside it. There are two peculiar features regarding this crater. One is that a person right down in the bottom of it, talking in an ordinary tone of voice, can easily be heard by anyone standing on its edge; and the other is that although it only appears to be a short distance across, it is an impossibility to throw a stone from one side to the other, even with a sling. There seems to be some unseen force atwuk which draws the stone in towards the centre. But Mount Eden has still other associations that tend to make it a source of attraction. Some 30 years ago the North Island was the scene of a bloodthirsty war between the white inhabitants and the Maoris, and Auckland city is not wanting in recollections of that war. Standing on the summit of Mount Eden and looking down its sides, especially the one facing Manukau, we find that they are terraced out. At first we take this to be a peculiar freak of Nature, but on making inquiries we are told that it has been done by the hand of the Maori, and is the scene of a number of their fortifications long since swept away. Standing on tha top of the mount on i morning with an old resident, he told me that he had stood on that very spot and seen as many as 9000 Maori warriors camped on tbe plain below him.

Whilst talking about the Maoris and their wars I may just as well mention another incident that the same gentleman told me, and one that he says he himself witnessed. A youDg Maori belonging to one tribe fell in love with a dusky maiden belonging to another. Finding that his love was reciprocated, he induced his sweetheart to leave her people and unite herself to him and his. This she did. Naturally the young warriors belonging to her own tribe, who had doubtless cast longing eyes at her well-formed, agile figure, were incensed at the loss of so fair a flower, and, aided by her brothers, sought out means to recover her, but without success. It was, alas 1 too evident that she meant to stick close to her newly-found friends. Atlastfortune seersed to smile upon the disappointed ones, for the two tribe 3 met in Queen street, Auckland, the youDg wahine being along with the tribe of her adoption. The young men of her own people being rendered desperate by the indifference with which she treated them, a council of war was hastily held, and they resolved to take her by force, and restore her to her home and family. Being assisted by the older warriors of the tribe, they rushed to the rescue, but of course were resisted by the husband and adopted brothers of the girl, and in the struggle that ensued she was literally torn to pieces by the contending parties.

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