KAWEIA, IN THE FAR NORTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 69

KAWEIA, IN THE FA R NO RTH.

(See Illustrations elsewhere in this issue.)

By Kingfisher.

About midway along tha coast, between [Auckland and New Plymouth, lies the town of Kawhia, in the western part of the King Country. It is probable that no part of Uew Zealand is so little known and yet co worthy of note. To those with a taste ior the past history of New Zealand, Kawiiia and surroundings are full of interest.

About a mite below the present township, on the shores of a fine harbour, on a small 'hill covered with ti-tree, is the traditional site of — The Landing of the Famous canoe

Tainui, — ■which brought the Maoris from their island home. Two- stones, evidently buiied deeply in the ground, are pointed out as indicating the spot where this sacred object is buried. The whole region is a sort of holy land to the Maoris, and this spot is probably the most sacred of all. The stones have evidently suffered considerably from weathering, and were probably much higher than at the present day. The larger piJiar, marking the bow end of the canoe, is just a few inches over 4ft in height. Just exactly 66ft from it a smaller pillar, 2ft 6in high, marks the position of the stern. A slight hollow or dip in the ground between these monuments seems to show that some excavation lias been, made there, evidently at a far distant time. It is also significant ..that the stones — a coarse indurated sandstone — are ■unlike any formation in that region. Not fa- from this spot are several magnificent pohutakawa trees, growing at the water's edge, which tradition says were planted by the original Maoris to commemorate their landing, and settlers of the early days tell ihow there were growing beneath these trees email yellow-leaved plants, quite strange to present New Zealand flora. These were reputed among j:he old Maoris to have sprung from the logs or skids over which the Tainui was dragged to riiore. Stock imported by the Europeans foimd these plants good to their taste, with tlie result that all teaoes of them have disappeared. Prom the great number of names distributed over the region, so that not a bay or headland, valley or luli, or stream is ■without its own signification, it is evident that the district was once well populated. The —Stories Told by Old Whalers of 1830,— --id before that date, bear out this idea. Tkey °* seeing Maoris dying of smalltox in dozens and' scores of pas round' the ■harbour where there has been no trace of living occupants for very many years. Nearly every Maori name has a meaning which, if traced to its source, is often found to embody interesting events of history. "Sfhe following is a typical example : Towards the eastern end of the harbour is an island called in Maori " Nga Toko Kai Eiri," or, —"The End of Strife."— The story runs that the Kawhia tribe had entrenched themselves here and erected a strong palisade of prariri logs around the shore — the remains of the logs are still to be seen — and were attacked many times during a number of years by tribes from the Waikato. On the last occasion, before the battle began, and while the enemy were lying around th© island in their canoes, a great palaver began between besiegers and besieged, the outcome of which was not strife and bloodshed, but the acceptance by the attacking party of an invitation to din© •with the defenders. It was afterwards mutually agreed that such engagements ■were much more agreeable to all. parties than tlie continued and indecisive fighting of heretofore, and so a treaty of peace was "signed." "The island was later, and still is, used as a tribal burying place, so that the name, "End of Strife," bestowed for a very different reason, is not altogether inappropriate even under present conditions. A hill across the harbour, facing the settlement of Kawhia~bears the name of " Moe a Toa," or, — "Sleep of the Brave." — It is here that the famous old chief Rau■pairaha stood- in the early dawn with his Tvanriors sleeping around him, and gave utterance to the still more famous Rauparaha's lament— lament at leaving such An earthly paradise as Kawhia, which one of our New Zealand poets has since put into verse. Islands are dotted freely over Kawhia Harbour, and one, Ihirant's Island, }jas some very suggestive features. Here olive trees are growing, and large shells 18in in diameter have been found imbedded in the soil. It is well known that Spanish explorers had been in tho South Seas long before even Abel Tasman, and their custom was to commemorate their visits by planting olive trees, as, e.g., in the Marquesas Isfands. Such large shells as those mentioned are foreign to New Zealand, but abound in the islands of the South Pacific As said, above, tha facts are suggestive, it nothing more. —The First White Man to Come to Kawhia — was a trader from Sydney, in 1810, or shortly afterwards. He brought two small trading schooners, landed his good* and two pieces of cannon, and settled here on the site of the present township. His subsequent marriage with King Potalan's niece gave him almost a royal standing among the Natives. Missionaries were the next to arrive, and it is claimed that Kawhia was the first place m New Zealand— not excepting even the Bay of Islands — to receive white missionaries. The Rev. Mr j Wgodl had a church and school built near i the pohutakawa trees mentioned above. Mr Woon was soon followed by t-he Rev. Mr Whitsly, who was afterwards murdered by the Natives at Whiteliffs, in Taranaki Later Mr Schnackenberg, a missionary, also established himself here. Plantations ot lemons and other trees surrounding clear places in the bush, together with some few grave-stones, mark thje places of settlement of these heroes. ■Mr Tharazyn, of Wellington, about this

time was employing several "vrhaling boats around New Zealand coast, and Kawhia Harbour became their frequent port of call for water and wood. On the site of the present township (the original trader having left) a Mr Charlton settled in 1840, or near that dat-e, and was really the pionser of the white settlers. Europeans now began to come in considerable numbers, and land was secured from the Natives, cleared, and cultivated. The establishment of sawpits soon allowed the building of houses, as well as the exportation of timber. As evidence of the considerable amount of trading that was carried on about this time, is a find of some £12 or £15 in English silver coins, all bearing the date of 1830, or earlier, which was made in the sand of the harbour shore some years ago. Between 200 and 500 whites were then settled in Kawhia. and a considerable export of tiax, wheat, timber, fruit, and pigs was maintained. Old settlers can remember seeing the harbour full of ships, waiting to cany off the produce of the district.

—The Outbreak of tbs Maori War— and consequent withdrawal of the while people killed all progress, and the place lapsed once more into its primitive state of wilderness. For 20 years the port wa? closed to Europeans. The Government th*n bought out Mr Charl*on, and laid out the present township. One or two traders found their way into the district again, but practically nothing was done in the way of enterprise till the last four or five years.

— Settlement of the Coimlry. —

Settlers are now crowding into Kawhia, and nearly the whole of the available land round the harbour has been taken up. The number of applicants for choice sections -has been in some cases as high as 200. Land of the game quality as that sold in Taranaki and elsewhere for £10 up to £15 an acre can be had here for £1 per aci*e. Everywhere the axe is at work, ond the passage of the seasons sees large tracts of the native bush being replaced by burned and cleared land, and, finally, pleasant stretches of good grass. Every inducement is offered by the Government to bona, fide settlers, and in the case ol Native lands the Maori Council have proved themselves quite ready to facilitate the acquisition of leases. Lack of proper metalled roads or railway will be a drawback to the full development of the bush ■country for some time yet, but every month sees improvement in. -this direction. In the townfVp the suppknter of the original wharc— the board and thatch hutis in its turn giving place to modern, wellbuilt houses and s£ops

Kawhia is reached from three directions — by boat from Onehunga in the north or Waitara in the *outh ; while from Tc Awauuitu, on the main line in the "Waikato district, coaches run at regular intervals. To a visitor landing at the wharf the first sight of the settlement is disappointing. The business part — stores, rfiops, and offices — is confined to a small strip of level land by the water's edge. At low tide an extent of mud flat is left bare in front of the township, and even here arc several builjings, so that at high water they present the appearance of lake dwellings. What will no doubt be the main street when reclamation works have changed the conditions is now under wat&r at full tide. At the back of the beach rise small rounded hills, nearly all bearing distinct traces of military occupation, during the troublous war time. It is here on eminences commanding fine views over the harbour most of the residences are built. The two large and re-cently-completed boarding-houses would do cred.it to much elder settlements than Kawhia. The shops, besides being up-to-date in architecture, keep well abreast ot their kin in the larger centres.

A Government school — now attended by some 30 or 40 children — has been in existence some years, and very recently the foundation stone of the first European Christian church of Kawhia was laid. Kawhia also boasts of a resident clergyman and resident medical man. Industries also are getting a footing. A butter factory has been working some considerable time, and a large sawmill is being erected 1 . The harbour swarms with fish, and a- company is being formed for the purpose of erecting cold stores for fish and poultry and other perishable products. Coal has been found in the district, and awaits exploitation; while just recently the discovery of a deposit of kauri gum in the neighbourhood gives prospects of, perhaps, considerable mining industries. Gum samples have been sent to Auckland for valuation and report For

— Natural Scenery —

i Kawhia can wall hold its own among the many beautiful places of New Zealand. The • view from the higher part of the township is very fine. The extensive harbour, 12 j miles by six, backed by rolling bush . covered hills, several islets in middle distance, and for a foreground the township j itself,, with its curious blending of new and ! old, forms a very pleasing picture. Nor is i beauty the only attribute of the harbour. The water is the chief medium of locomotion for the settlers. For this purpose quite a flotilla of modern oil launches is . constantly in use. The bar at the mouth is 1 covered by 27ft of water at high tide, thus allowing even large steamers entrance. Sand-banks — the curss of Xew Zealand , coastal inlets — are here in evidence, however ; aod, of course, are a great drawback both to beauty and utility. The climate is equable, and cold such as is known in the I south is unheard of here. Figs, vines, oranges, and lemons are some ofthe fruits grown. A hoL spring on <he oceon beach, i some five miles from the township, is the j object of frequent excursions by settlers, i young and old. . — A Curious Fact of Interest to Geologists, — as showing how various are the agencies in the constant change of the surface of the land, is told by the early settlers. When the whites first came to Kawhia the land all round the harbour was clothed with vegetation, but now. on the northern shore, from the heads to within a mile of the township, is a barren waste of sand, which

is drifting ever further inland. Only a scanty covering of native grass kept it bick originally, and the introduction of stockcattle, horses, and pigs— produced tho present state of things. The being eaten down and the roots loosened by trampling, soon gave the wind — ever blowing from the sea — an opportunity of spreading the sajid, and for nearly two miles has the destructive march continued. This movement was no doubt aided by the slow subsidence which has been proved to be taking ploce in this region. Old Maoris could point out to the first settlers rocks — now always covered by the sea — on which nets used to be dried. Ciaine is fairly abundant. Pigeons, pheasants, and ducks are fairly numerous, particularly the last-named. Formerly immense droves of wild horses grazed over- the large open tracts of this part of the King Country, but naturally their day is quickly passing. Of course there are

— Tw o Sides to Every Picture, — and there are not wanting in Kawhia pessimists who maintain that its b?st days have pflssrd, and that by no possibility can the present population of 500 increase" No one can speak positively of the future, hv.t this much is certain : tint if Kawhia does not before many yeai" elapse grow and increase to a place of very oonsidtrable importance the blame cannot be Lud upon Xciti;re.