MARSLAND HILL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144712, 22 June 1915, Page 4

MARSLAND HILL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—A good deal of interest has lately been evinced. about Marsland Hill, and tho origin of the name. Although I cannot throw any light on that subject, the following brief notes may prove of interest to those who know not this hill in its original picturesque form before tho military authorities spoilt it by cutting tho top off. All our old settlers will remember tho place as it rose in terraces dominating the town, for it was in former days a Maori pa of great strength, known by all the tribes of Maoris as Puknka. The present flat on top was the level of the fourth terrace from tho-top, tho summit of which rose some off er 60 feet above the present level, ana this summit was known as the Tihi, or Tot, of the pa, whexs the ariki or principal chief dwelt, and where the elders of tho tribe mot- in council to decide oir questions affecting the people. Pataka pa was built originally by a section, of the Taranaki tribe, generally called Nga-Potiki-taua, who had conquered this district from tho original Kgati-Awa owners about tho year 1720 or 1730. But about 1760 the latter tribe reconquered tho whole of the tost territory and expelled the Nga-Potiki-taua. At this time Marsland Hill was besieged and taken, and it was never occupied afterwards by the Maoris. Originally it must have been a conical hill, which, when first fortified, was laboriously terraced and palisaded by the Maoris, so that prior, to its adaptation as a site for tho military barracks there were either six or seven broad terraces surrounding tho hill, every one of which has disappeared, partly through the levelling of tho four upper ones and partly through the earth from this upper part having ’covered tho lower ones over. . On those terraces were the houses of. the former inhabitants, and their rua-kumara or underground storehouses for the kumara tubers, many of which terraces were in existence prior to 1855. The top, or Tihi, of .the old pa was-about 50 or 60 feet. squarel In the. process of levelling by the Iloyal Engineers, tho grave of ML. Charles Brown, father of the late Majors Charles Brown, was hurled under many feet of earth. This grave was piaoed just opposite St. Mary’s Church, about 40 feet above tho level of the present road, and was marked by a ponderous slab of stone. On August 13, 1855, Mr. Charles Wilson Hursthouso and myself wore directed by the then chief surveyor, Mr. Octavius Carrington, bo make a detailed survey of Marsland HiH, in anticipation of tho visit of the Commanding Royal Engineer, Colonel Badderly, who was to define the operations necosary to prepare tho ground for the qpcupancy of the mili-f-arypaud on the 16th we were engaged with Colonel Badderly in taking levels, etc., for that purpose. The kumara pits have been mentioned above; they wcio frequently hidden by the dense vegetation of fern and tutu with which the itill.was then covered. Tho Colonel, who was a stout old gentleman, in stopping backwards fell into one of these pits, and we two young cadets had to pull him out, which we accomplished not without difficulty. He was unhurt, for the vegetation broke his fall of a few feet, hut ho was in an extraordinary state of excitement' at his fall, which very much astonished ns, for wo could not understand any reason for it. The fact was, as we afterwards learned, tho Colonel was subject to>an extraordinary hallucination, and he supposed that he had damaged an unmentionable part of his body by his fall. I refrain from mentioning the’finale of this hallucination, for it would not bo believed. However, tfie Colonel took us both flown to his hotel and gave us a good lunch. A detachment of the 58th landed from Auckland on August 19, 1855, and camped on Poverty Elat; followed on September 17 by a company of the 65th from Wellington, who pitched their tents on tho sito of tho present Post Office and Supreme Court, which was then a grassy unoccupied spot. On November 21, 1855, Mr. Carrington, Captain Chosney, R.E., and we two cadets were hunting for a road to obtain posts to build tho palisades round tho top of Marsland Hill. Unfortunately my journal, from which tho above dates are taken, does not mention tho locality from which tho posts wero cut, and I cannot now remember where it was. There are a few pictures in ex-istence-showing Marsland Hill as it was before it was cut down, and I have in my possession a water-colour drawing by our great New Zealand artist, John Gully, showing the barracks (and hill) soon after they were built. John Gully, by the way, lived at that time on the hill west side of Robe Street, whore Colonel Ellis now lives. It is well known that part of the old barracks now forms the old mountain house on Mount Egmont. I remember also in the early ’fifties of last century the top <£. Marsland Hill was occupied by Lieut. Oakes, R.N., one of the officers of H.M.S. Pandara (Captain Drury), as an observation point connected with the marine survey of the coast. He was landed here by E.M. brig Eantomo, a very handsome specimen of a class of war vessel that has now quite disappeared from the navy. It was a beautiful sight to see the brig sail in under full sail and go about a little outside where tho out-haul buoy used to be, which was used in the old boat-landing service, just opposite where the present railway station is now. Trusting these few notes on the hill of which we old identities are so fond may bo of interest, —I am, etc., SLPSRCt-SMITH.