STORIES OF TONGARIRO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 82

STORIES OF TONGARIRO.

Br E. M. Duxi.or. I The groat volcanic group called Tonga- ■ riro. of which Mount Runpehu is the highest pe.ik. reaching an elevation of 9000 ft, is conspicuous from one of our principal tourist routes since the Main Tiunk rail- , way line has rendered that part of the country accessible. For many years after f European settlement in Xc-w Zealand, in fact until quite recent years, the im- ! mediate neighbourhood of Tongariro was j tapu, and difficulties were placed in the 1 way of those who wished to appro? ch it. A succession of mighty chiefs called Te Heu Heu dominated the land. They claimed descent from NgaTiue, the firstI Maori discoverer of New Zealand. The -' ncccpted story told how long ago war ra?ed in the land of HawaukL The chief, Te Ngahue, was defeated and fled to the <- ore escaping from en°mies who fain would have slain him. Embarking in his canoe, he put out to sea and disappeared from view, a mere speck upon the horizon line. Month folio-wed month as the moon , waxed and waned, and the friends of Te Xgahive mourned him as lefit, and never dieimcd of eeeina his face again. The ' leaves were budding on the trees when '(•is canoe disappeared, following the ray cast upon the waters by the descending sun. The long hot summer came and went and the leaves were falling when one evening a stran«e canoe appeared in view stealing shoreward «. Out of the lengthening sunray came the mystic bark. and the watch-cis on shore shaded their 1 eyes with their hands as they watched its steady advance. As it drew nearer they discerned a f-mg'e inmato. The form became more and more distinct, and by- | find-by the amazed beholders lealised that it was Xga'iue leturning to li is native shore. They thought it was a spirit, and I r-ef rained from lutiiiuiji to the beach to ciejt the lone-lost wanderer. It was indeed Ncaln'e, an:l alive. He drew the canoe to shore and called to them to come and see. "It is indeed I, myself," he J cried. "01 ha\e come back to you with tidings of great joy!" j His enemies had all departed, and only friends remained, who listened wond^ringly to his talc. He had indeed sailed 1 away, fund had voj a^ed on for many a day : ard night. His heart was sore within i him. and all hope seemed dead. One day ! he discerned upon the horizon a faint blue 1 mist, which, growing more and more distinct, resolved itself into a land rising from I the sea, veiled in clouds and sea mists. The mists dissolved. There lay a lovely i land, a land which seemed a dream. The ' lone voyager thought it but a vision of f his fancy. Nearer ard nearer drew the , bark of ' Ngahue. The scent of forest, I fern, and flower gladdened his senses ; I the sound of surf upon the shore rejoiced ; his ears ; the singing of innumerable birds , rang out Uke bells upon the sea. He leaped upon the shore, and drew his boat to land. He had indeed reached a lovely country, a land of foTest and of streams, of bird and fish and fruit and flower. The toe waved from every mountain side, a.nd the long flax fronds shook and swayed in the breeze as they murmured a greeting to the sea-worn mariner. Long, ' long did Ngahue repese, lost in amazei ment and joy. Plenty of food and water was at Land, and he tested and grew fat and sleek and strong. No enemy was seen, no human being yelled in threaten- , ing or defiance : no dangerous animal or noxious thing lurked in the forest or ! prowled upon" the shore. It wa<: summer ' time, avd the rata and the polmtukawa I drooped their crimson blo.-soms to meet the tide ; and fre.sh givenery decked the I forests, and berries ripened under the sun's j warm rays, so that there was lUtle need of I care for sustenance. Rut when t lie long , hot summer waned and a coolness and ! freshness came up from the sea the heart I of Ngahue yearned for his friend^ and for j the sweet companionship of hie wife and i child. Lonu; he pondered ere he put once more to sen, and. guided by sun and stars, dared rgain the pathless ocom. Here, then, he had safely ariived to tell his friends of the beautiful home which awaited them afar. They listened wonderingly to Ngahue's story, and were soon pei&uaded to make , ic.id'y to follow the ocean track which he indicatad. All that winter they made t earnest pit-paration, and when spring returned once more they all set sail in many | great canoe 1 -. Often their hearts, fail.'d them, but Ngahu- 3 cheered them on until at la-t he proved his w-jid* wei c true, , as pointing to the hori/on line he bade 1 them take heart f^r one last effoif. Land . appeared in \iew, e\cn as lie had told r the.n. like a fi'int blue cloud afar. And; 'f> it came to i>.ie* that. follow incr ' X'-fi'i'K*, iveuv nuunei- 1-eop^d at la -t to land. " ! They sat fbem clow ayem the yellow strati' 1 ., ' Between the £iu> avd n:o )'. u\>o \ the m>oi<?, Mo.-t weary o eeir>p<l the wro'\ the oar. ■\Venr«- the vand'nn? *]<>Vt- of ba>rc:i fo.nn. And all at once they targ • "Our le'ai.tl | IlOUi£> I 1^ far beyond the wave — I We will no longer roam " ! And <-o they -came. I'd by Te X'jahue. the .WiC-e^ti'- of Te Heu H< v. At Ifi.-t tlnv made their wny inland. i n'ld e-i.tUi'-'.er! tl'-i'tehes at I'-ip bn>-e of ' ;> wonde.fn' moiiii'iin — vondeifi.l ind^fl • i j for it '-iippli'-"! t'em with licit fiom U> s \ 'wiii'ci'- <.-)l'l. wn'i ;ni[i!e fiic^ and con j ' slant «ti'"i> of rl" r hot v.'ater. m wiii'h j t'i \ Ivit'.ed. and bj'l'n^ walei in -v!-: h | ■the- rcoked l,p-d«s and f'°'i a'i<! t':o ficsii ! of their eneiii'e-. foi v.t ai n .d -ti ife aiore . as they foiqc-ifu! of the w.>uiiiv.' g". en tlem by an old cl.'^f as tl^\ 1. ft theli i i,a,ti\e 3a,ml : " Depait in peace' Lea\e war and fctriie beliind yoj.*' Tho mountain was the resting pl.u-e of innumeiable eea birJs, which flucl^rl . thither fiom the seds in Lree'lin,,' time. «o tliat in the e^rly morning the giound was ' thick v.ith fledglinpb. easily <au -lit and' putif'd ond eorviri? a^ deliciou* food. And j the tiibe of the Te Heu Hru« w r..v d I [ fat and strong and held the lai.'l, and j IdoJciid the mountain ea-.n-d and tapu 1 to all cxcfcpt their own kin* '

f Only at last the sacred Tongariro served 1 a base trick on Te Heu Heu, for although he defied its thunders and shook his mere towards the mountain, reciting the deeds of his ancestors and his own mighty prowess, showers of mud, stones j and debris buried him and his clan, and covered up his kainga. leaving no trace of him or of his .abiding place. Only his \ relatives came and digged deep until they ! found his famous mere, which may be j seen unto this day. Such is the story of j Te Heu Heu, the mighty chief of Taupo . and Lord of Tongari.ro. The latter name is often applied to the whole group of which Ruapehu is the topmost peak. The peak of Ngauruhoe is always burning, smoking, steaming, and ! sending up a column of cloudy vapour to the sky ; the cone of Ruapehu is snow i and ice clad, and is only active in that it contains a crater lake which has been a source of great interest to observers, on : account of the variations of its displays. ! Many have climbed at different periods, and have gained a good of the crater kike, and leports differ concerning it. Some have found it hot, some cold, some tepid, some bubble-boiling and throwing off clouds of steam. ome have been ie troubled, uprising, shaking to overflowing, and th-e conclusion arrived at is that the crater lake is a geyser, subject to intermittent action, as was Waiinangu, and as other geysers are. A wonderful stream ha.; its birth in or near the crater lake of Ruapehu. It ib known as the Waoigaehue, and though it runs a rapid course of 60 miles from the heights on the mountain to the sea, it is coloured and impregnated throughout its, whole career with sulphurous hues and odouiis. and mineral elements. The stream is subject also to risings and fallings, and unexpected flood nigs and overflows, as it is affected by the gey^er-like actions of the crater lake. The great Waikato River too ha& its original MHiroe and birth in Ruxtjiehti, close to that of Wangaehu, fiom which it is divided only by a narrow ridge and by an eminence known as the Black Rock. The mountains of the volcanic group present a magnificent asnect when viewed trom the great plain stretching away helow. The scene inspires ths beholder with awe. so that it iis not difficult to realise that the Maoris considered the spot sscied. Yet there is now some settlement, European as well as Maori, in the near neighbourhood. The village of Tokaanu i& at the end of the northern slope, and on the shores of a small river. There are come stores, houses and hotels, and it is a tourist resort on account of the numerous hot sprm.gs, gej-sers, and minera.l deposits near. There is a great deal of the beautiful pink 6inter, which lines many of the baths and forms miniature terraces. Trees and plants grow well, as they do in volcanic soil when it has crumbled, go that there i« a pleading vegetation. The grounds of one of the chief hotels are well provided with trees and lawiis, which slope down to the river. The inhabitants of Tokaanu are generally free from alarm, as custom has habituated them to extraordinary eights and sounds. The hot springs near and above Tokaanu are considered to possess special curative powers in cases of rheumatism, neuralgia, and other complaints of the kind. There is y, settlement higher up the elope of the mountain called Ketetahi, wlieie springs are said to effect marvellous cures. An instance is given of a mar deemed by his Mends incurable who was carried up to Ketetahi as a last resort. After a few days he is said to ha\e walked down and resumed his former woik, suffering nc relapse. Against such cures oue may perhaps reckon the dangers of boiling spriugs, hot mud holes and pools. We noticed many very little Maoi i cluldien pLuin^ about Vie.v th^se dangerous place*, ami some of our paity a.->ked the guide if tho children did not sometimes suffer. "Oh. they A\ get burned sometimes,"' was the unconcerned reply, and many worse stories aie told of acci- ( dent and death. Gicat care is needed to j escape danger in the neighbouihood of j such places Not only may the crust of i the c irth be weak, but splashing of boil- j ing water occur, clouds of scalding steam arise, and in some localities there is the risk of poisonous vapours. People do not regard such dangers much, however, in their explorations. More than one or two pei sons have even been lowered v.ith ropes into the crater at Ruapehu, with ; the view of obtaining samples of the waters of the lake for analysis, and j also, doubtless, as a deling exploit. The ' lake ?t times oiyps ioith clouds of , noxious \apours ami sulphurous fumes, ' highly dangerous to em-Minter. ' A'i mttM -tir<j feikue between the'peak* of Runxhii dad X^i'uuilioe is the Rua i> Taranaki, a huge crater-like " hole." which the Mjons, and some European*, believe to be the .spot from which Mount Ei;mont. or Tnianaki. had his birth. Mount Ec;niont is ioprfrpnt"d <t- having bf>n bodily shot out of the Rua, or li jle. ,md. flyin.ir acro«-.« countiy, to have ff'it'erl flown in his~ piesent position. The _ fame idea is accepted, in some quarter, concealing Raiigitoto. the remaikable ex--lirct voL ink elevation in the Auckland liarboui. which is said to ha\e pir>"-crliHl in the same manner fiom Lake Tak; Ipuna. a fold fathomless crater lake of ( opsule l ;J)le size. sWuated pome miles p< •*>■=<; kind pnfl s"n in a cl'rect line from ]^„nirit.);'). Tv thorny appears increrl- t ib!e (o i^ire minds, but some scientists rre rj "J Ij suppoii it. It is eater to imagine a p*. 1 ': ■ o tin >i n an being, hem efoi/di n:uti\<- (Imu as continuing its f'isplav. v bit !i tho fl<-nosils on Run 31---toto would m 'lien io. Nature' 1 ii'iv.pr'. lio\v"\fi i . h,.i < *•' identlv bren m 't'lpr-n---dons in th< {.'"! A c to hjfne the imagination of o.'.hnaiy mmf lc -