TWO MAORIS KILLED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16839, 31 December 1928, Page 7

TWO MAORIS KILLED

THREE OTHERS INJURED ' :•! : THE TAREWA HILL TRAGEDY BRAKES TAIL: LORRY CAPSIZES. WHAKATANE PARTY’S ACCIDENT . - Further information concerning the tragedy on the Tarcwa hill on Saturday morning discloses the fact that the accident, which is the lirst fatal mishap on the main south road since a service car fell into the Waikari gorge, is OHO’ of the most serious in this district of recent, years, involving th 4 death of two Maoris, and injuries, some serious,- to three others. Latest reports received on Saturday indicated that three natives had been killed, but it has now been learned that only two were killed and two seriously but not dangerously injured, while a third sustained minor injuries, two of the seven Maoris on the vehicle, one of whom was the driver, escaping unhurt. The party, which came from Whaknfanc and was proceeding to a religious meeting at Nuhaka, comprised the following:— ' " KILLED. Tuta Tahawhera, married, aged about s(h , , . Wiki Maniapopo, aged about 52. ; INJURED.- , Ngaio Aniheta, injuries to the forehead, and abrasions on the face and hands. - • To Rangi Tamati, internal injuries, and injuries to one leg. ' Te Wliata Weteria, injuries to the right temple. UNINJURED. / Apiheta Ratene, driver of the lorry. Joe Matipo. The natives were travelling in a I-toh truck, and seated next the driver, Ratepe, were Aniheta and Tahawhera, the others riding on seats on the floor of The lorry" behind the cab. The party left Whakatane for Nuhaka on Friday morning, and at about mid; night reached the Takcpu pa near To Kflrpka, where they remained for the night. In the morning they again took the road, arid at about 10.55 a.m. the lorry was descending the Tarcwa bin... To tfle driver’s horror, the brakes failed when- the vehicle was running down the hill, and he called to the pas-’ sengers to jump. Only one, Wiki Maniapopo, did so, and apparently he, was killed instantly, striking his nejid on the bitumen surface of the road, and receiving shocking injuries. The lorry careered on down the hill, and in turning a sharp bend, apparently swung in towards the water-table and capsized end for end at a point about 1$ chain!} from the place where Maniapopo met his death. In turning over the lorry crushed Tahawhera, who probal?ly was killed instantly, and finished up facing towards Gisborne, about half a chain further on. The 1 K fatality occurred at a point about 36} miles from Gisborne, and about half a mile on the Morere side of the Cook County boundary./ . 'Another member of the party, a Whakatane native named Pineko, was travelling in another car some distance behindhand when he arrived on the scene the driver, Ratene, took his car and hastened to Mr. Bwarbrick’s house where he telephoned to the police and for medical assistance. V When word of the fatality was received in town tne, ambulance was immediately despatched, and without loss of time Dr. ii. 11. Gunn, accompanied by Constables Leckie and Hcaslip, left in his car to attend to the injured. Dr. Gunn’s car left town at about 11.50 u.m., but was delayed on the road for a few minutes by a puncture, and arrived at the scene of the accident at about 1.30 p.m., the ambulance having arrived a few minutes / earlier. Constable Staniland, of Nuhaka, had already reached the place, and had given temporary relict to the three injured Maoris. Dr. Gunn at once set about attend- / ing to. the injuries of Aniheta, Tamati, and Weteria, and about an hour later was able to place them in the ambulance, which was despatched for Gisborne, and arrived at the Cook Hospital at about 5 p.m. When Dr. Gunn arrived the three-injured men were conscious, but dazed, Tho constables spent some time in endeavoring to communicate with Gisborne, but met with no success, as the Morere and Wharcrata offices were closed. A lorry was secured, and on this the bodies of the two victims were placed for conveyance to the morgue. Constables Leckie and Hcaslip arrived back on town at about 5.15 p.m. Under the circumstances tho lorry was less damaged than might have been expected. The driver's cab was smashed to matchwood, the windshield was shattered, and the steering-wheel was broken, but otherwise the vehicle appeared to bo undamaged. THE DRIVER’S STORY CORONER’S INQUEST OPENED At 8 o’clock on Saturday evening an inquest into the circumstances of the fatality was opened at the Police Station before the Coroner, Mr. E C. Levvey, S.AI., and after the evidence of the driver, who identified the deceased, had been taken the inquiry was adjourned Sine die. Aniheta Ratene, the driver of the lorry, a laborer by occupation, deposed that the party left Whakatane at 6.15 a.m. on Friday to attend a religious meeting at Nuhaka. The luggage of the party, all the members of which belonged to* Whakatane, weighed between five and six hundredweight, and was stacked on the lorry. About midnight on Friday they reached a pa near Te Karaka, and remained there for the night, departing again at about 8 a.m. on Saturday. Witness descended the Tarewa hill in second gear, and the brakes were in use, but after turning a corner when nearing the bottom of the hill, he felt the brakes give way, and knew the lorry was about to run away. Aniheta, who was seated * next him, and Tahawhera, were with him m the cab, and witness told the latter to call to the others at the back to get off, as he knew the brakes were gone. Witness’ intention was to wait until the others had jumped off the lorry and then ruin the vehicle into the bank. The brakes were becoming worse, and in , negotiating the next coiner the lorry travelled at a high speed. At the next corner, a sharp hairpin bend, the , vehicle was running rapidly down hill, and swung across the road. He kept , ’ control of the wheel, and endeavored to steer the lorry round the corner, which ‘

was about the third from the bottom, but the vehicle turned over twice, landing again upon its wheels.

Witness was thrown out of the cab when the lorry made its second turn, and when he stood up in the road he found his leg was slightly injured. Maniapopo was missing, and the others, with the exception of Tahawhera, were either getting up or in a sitting position. Witness lifted Tahawhera, but found that he was dead. He asked where Maniapopo was, and on looking back along the road, saw him lying on the ground about two chains away. Witness ran back to Maniapopo, but found that he also was dead. Travelling also to Nuhaka with the party, but in a separate car some distance behind, was another native named Pineko, and as witness was examining Maniapopo, Pineko arrived on the scene, and witness asked him to get some water. Tamati at this stage suggested that witness should take PinekoV car and go for help, and telephone for the police and a doctor, and this he did, going to a house nearby. When he returned a number of other people had arrived on the scene, and were attending to the injured, and later they pushed the lorry off the road into the water table. Tamati informed witness that Maniapopo had jumped off the lorry when witness asked Tahawhera to tell them to do so! *

Ratene, questioned by the coroner, gave his age as 21, and stated that he had been driving motor vehicles for four years. He was an experienced* driver, but although fie field a license formerly when he was working for Ngaio Aniheta, he had not taken out a license this year; Aniheta was his grandfather, and witness used to drive for him. The lorry involved in the accident was usually employed in carting metal. No member of the party had had a drink, according to a statement made by witness in reply to Senior-Sergeant Mac Lean, and he explained that they were on their way to a religious meeting, and 1 did not drink. Witness had known Tahawhera, who. was a married man about 50 years of age', for many years. He had known Maniapopo, who was an elderly man with an adopted son, for about, three years. They were all- on their way to the meeting, and no charge was made for the journey.