STEWART ISLAND NOTE. (From Correspondent.) HALFMOON, January 4.

Otago Witness, Issue 2652, 11 January 1905, Page 11

STEWART ISLAND NOTE. (From Co rr espondent.) HALFMOON, January 4.

"Hari hou.tau" — which, by interpretation from tho aboriginal, signifies a " Happy New Tear "" — are the salutations forwarded to you from the island. I have authority for saying the Witness branch of your issues is far and away the oldest outside institution with which the island is associated, and that many and varied are the memories conjured up in relation thereto. There be those in possession of a green old age who can recall the time when a Witness any period within three calendar months of publication was esteemed a "Witness up to date. I "We. had," said one of these " f cssilisations" j looking down- through his long dim vista of i bygone years, " a Government agent — on© j Captain Greig, who visited the mainland once | _a quarter to square- the yards and haul in j the main braee — i.e., his quarter's screw. | He always managed to bring back a copy of the Witness, and the chances were it had to do duty as a news budget until the next quarter's salary matured." Now the ' weekly issue has-been, made promptly available for tho island; so you will see I am justified in asserting, that the associations are ' long and varied. May the shadow never grow less. . 'At -The Neck a pleasant gathering on the lines of a family reunion was enacted on the eve' of New Year's ,I>ay. The- district indicated is one in« many respects distinctive. Aboriginalism is -seen to better advantage than at_ any othei place in Southern New Zealand. The explanation is 'rKTlie^Neck lias at no time been inundated by' the 'invading, pakeha. ■ Thre residents, have been left, m-'a" 1 measure, to +he freedom of their own will to assimilate" Native customs to European habits, instead of the former being crushed cut at one fcll'swoop by the overwhelming forces. Under the place name of Wehin-gao-te-wera it made its mark in the councils of the ancient Maori. It" was here tn*e grand korero was held' as to the propriety of allowing pakeha seal gangs to squat down along the coast. It was here the Murder Cove (Long Island) -Massacre was concerted.. ?.nd from here the canoe flotilla, carrying out that behest, set sail. Jarhes Caddel, the memorable pakeha-Maori, was , brought thither under the spell or niva of ' the Wbaka-Tapu, for noa or purgation, there being no ariki or high priest of sufficient" standing in the .neighbourhood capable cf ■ imparting the rite. In later years, . under , Tuahawaiki's (Bloody .Jack's) regime, Rua- : puko became* the " council chamber-" or runahga of the tribe ; but we are dealing with a period long prior thereto. .- These, digressions enable" me to point out - that The Neck is a place of more significance than "may be obvious. There are 10 or . 12 resident families, composed of from three to 10 individual members. They carry every- shade of heredity, from" thepurebred Maori to the -faintest possible streaks, merging into the " paleface." They are for the most part a leisurely class, squatting down upon their hereditary hold- , ings, following seafaring' pursuits, varied by those of the ." landlubber." Some of them own a few'head of cattle, but the majority prefer small flocks of sheep. "- They confine intercourse and social relations "pretty closely amongst themselves,, with periodical visits to" Half moon, extending them .-occasionally-" to the Bluff and Invercargill." -'Even the lastofnees of the dead arc transacted at their own doors, so", that they don't as a rule obtrude themselves upon the stranger. ' The. gathering- was an enjoyable affair. ] .It was held in the schoolhouse, 60 being _ t present. - The local "teacher (Mr Andrew '• Burns) was chairman, Miss Wixon presiding i at the harmonium. The chairman con- j gratulated his audience, iri view of the j auspicious occasion of their meeting. He wished them the compliments of the season, ] hoping " the forthcoming year would orown ' with success - the laudable^ endeavours in ' which they were jointly engaged — for the social and material well-beine of the place. ] His remarks — happy and well-chosen — were applauded.- A weti-selected list of songß , and sentiment was discoursed with a talent : and attainment that proved the schoolmaster had not been abroad. No audience could have been better conducted. Anything esteemed indecorous in the Maori character was conspicuous by its absence; on the other hand, there was none of the stiffness and formality of the European and his select circles. In some respects the Maori has become more pakeha than the European himself. I am quite sure of that in its application to the r specimens of pakehaMaori that still linger on these coasts. He (the * pakeha-Maori) appears to resent the civilisation movements as excessive, and, in his own person at all events, seems anxious to return to the good old barbarous times. In the younger generation the antiMaori movement is most pronounced. Their, desire is tojook European, and their highest aim to act the European. Females in paiticixlar are most anxious to eradicate the -traces of fcheir-rich, nut-brown blood, and I have heard it hinted that the. puff -pot is resorted to. Early missionary] sm eet the example. They talked about "easting ouj; the unclean thing." "'I for one am sorry, to say- they have, succeeded in doing it with B. vengeanoei'We are getting through our holiday season with the nonchalance of the nation that takes its pleasures gravely. In that behalf we have to acknowledge the " order-jn-council" prohibiting the issue of publichouse "licenses. It is no doubt an inconvenience to the traveller, and to some extent interferes with the tourist trade. In other respects it is a boon! Apart from the proprieties, it operates in the direction of the public safety. ''Seafaring is the general pursuit; yachting excursions are its chief delight. Under the old order of things various mishaps occurred. Now, however, if the excursionist is deprived of his beer, he has the satisfaction of feeling that his boating, excursions are in the hands of steady, sober men. The argument does not lopk much in print, bufc in a stiff gal© at sea it tells for all it is worth. Saturday's -steamer was well freighted with passengers via the Bluff. The majority •waited over the week-end, and that made Ealfmoon exceedingly lively, nay, brisk. Bed accommodation was under tension — " make-ups" and "shakedowns" having to 'be resorted to. Not fewer than a dozen pleasure sailing crafts were in the waters of the inlets on Sunday ; many of these on feoard camping out during that and subsequent nights. Thes© and other facts lead one to believe that a steam craft would meet with moderate success hereabout. It would' •be mainly a summer trade>, but then there are four sawmill's, besides other traffic to loot out for, during the other months of *he year. The s.s. Rose Gasey, a Dunedin trader, was one of the visiting craft. She made an inside cruise of 24 hours, and is

] understood to have been chartered prij vately. Others of tho visiting crafs came from Dunedin by,, way of Port Pegasus and Port Adventure. Although, the weather has improved, it is non& too good. We* have had a shift of I wind, dv© south, and mere than one iceblast has cut over us. To-day (Tuesday) is , bright, but the wind is piercingly cold— as i cold as it vras during the depth of winter, j The water amongst the skerries is dashing ! Jujjh and foaming-— a sure sign th<- weather ; has been heavy down towards: the ic© i regions.