A TRIP TO PIPIRIKI, WANGANUI RIVER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 5, 30 January 1892, Page 106

A TRIP TO PIPIRIKI, WANGANUI RIVER.

HAVE been all over the world, said, lately, an enthusiastic visitor here, ‘and have “ done ” river scenery in all countries, but I’ve never met anything more beautiful than ybur grand river. Why, the Rhine itself isn’t to be compared with it.’ Had our visitor come after Stanley we might have suspected that he was ‘ getting at ’ us, but he preceded the great explorer, probably had yet to visit the ‘Congo,’ and was undoubtedly quite sincere in his admiration. Anyway his words recurred to me many a time, and oft last week during a trip up the Wanganui as far as Pipiriki, a small settlement about sixty miles from Wanganui town. I had often hankered after a trip up the river, knowing by report the extreme beauty of the scenery, but my couiage was not equal to the inconvenience, and even danger,of a canoe journey over some scores ot perilous rapids, even though the polers were natives of experience and muscle. Wherefore, the chance of a passage in Mr A. Hatrick’s new steamer, the pretty little Wairere (swift water) was seized with avidity, and now I can, to a ceitain extent, speak from experience in vouching for the appropriateness of the adjectives ‘ grand and ‘ glorious when applied to the river Wanganui. Hitherto the pleasure of viewing the charming scenes shut in by the curves of the sinuous stream has been the reward of courage and endurance, and therefore limited to the few whose health and nerves were equal to canoe risks by day and camp files by night. Now, however, through the enterprise of one of Wanganui’s leading business men, a more satisfactory state of things is about to prevail, and our grand river, for a distance of at least sixty miles, will shortly be thrown open for the delight of all who can appreciate the beautiful in nature The Wairere, which was built to Mr Hatrick s order by the well-known firm of shipbuilders. Yarrow and Co., London, and put together here in \\ anganui, made her trial trip about a month since. She is a pretty little boat, is nicely fitted up, easy to handle, and a good goer, and did the journey to Pipiriki without difficulty, but as her draught was found to be somewhat heavier than was expected, it has l>een decided to add sixteen feet to her length (now eighty feet), by which means her carrying capacity and passenger accommodation will be increased and her draught lightened. Mr Hatrick is under contract to carry mails as far as Pipiriki from March next, so we are looking forward to a considerably increased tourist traffic after that date.

But to my trip. We were fortunate and unfortunate on the day of starting. Unfortunate in that the river was somewhat low, thus making it more than questionable whether we should successfully negotiate the more difficult rapids, of which there are over fifty between town and our destination, and fortunate in that the Captain elected to stay the night at Parekino (a native settlement about twenty five miles up the river) to await the ‘ fresh,’ which he assured us would swell the river ere the next day broke. Captain Marshal is a man of considerable experience in river navigation, a half caste of powerful frame and selfpossessed demeanour. Some years back he was engaged on the Waikato, but for a considerable time past has superintended snagging operations here, with the result that he is fully acquainted with every obstacle, difficulty, and characteristic of our river and climate, and therefore, just the man for the post he tills. We smiled, incredulous, when he told us there would be ‘ plenty of water to morrow,’ that it was raining in the interior now,’ for to us the sky gave no indication of rain, and the river seemed to be sinking visibly, but the sequel proved his prescience, and riveted the confidence in turn aroused by his masterly handling of his bonnie wee craft.

Ami at Parekino we were consoled for the delay, for there was a great native meeting on for the discussion of matters of import to the Maori race, and we were thus afforded an opportunity of seeing ‘ the Maori at home,’ in the character of hospitable host. He had hosts to entertain, too, for there must have been at least a thousand native visitors in and around the pa—if it is not a mis application of terms to apply the name to such a motley and uninclosed assemblage of sawn timber whares. We were welcomed with beat of drums, for the Parekino natives are musical, and boast an excellent band, which, posted on a sandbank at the water's edge, played ashore a dusky reinforcement who, abundantly provided with dried shark and such like dainty edibles to assist at the feast, had patronised the steamer. The little view below shows the village as it appeared from the steamer’s deck, with houses a I' anglais on the edge of the bank, and the Union Jack floating oil the breeze, convincing proof of the hapu’s loyalty, despite the presence amongst them of the notorious ex-rebel and murderer, Te Kooti. The place presented a curious aspect as we approached, the people swarming like beetles on the edge of the bank to give their friends a right royal welcome. The entire village covers about ten acres of flat, which runs back level to the base of the hill. Alongside were pitched the tents of the visiting natives—scores of them—and the scene which greeted our eyes when we had climbed the sandy pathway was both lively ami novel. Standing, sit ting, squatting, lying, dancing, jabbering, were natives of all ages, sizes, and degrees of colour ; in all stages of civilization too, from matted savagery, to covert eoats and smoked eyeglasses. Here, in a temporary booth was a native vendoi exhibiting and vociferously cracking up his wares ; there a ‘ sporting card ' with a moveable target, bawling entreaties to • take a shot,’ the ‘ pool ’ being ‘ two pounds! two pounds!! two pounds!!!' Under spacious marquees the indolent were snoozing, in the open motley crowds discussed congenial topics, while in the background the women of the hapu cooked industriously, the air, as the afternoon waned, becoming impregnated with a variety of steaming odours, which, added to those already <h evidence, were anything but agreeable to our olfactory organs.

By and bye, we had a sight in this connection which interested anil amused us. Cloths in the shape of long strips of China matting, had been laid for the visitors on the level ground in their own quarters, and at a given signal the waitresses appeared, at least a hundred strong, each bearing in either hand a large tin baking dish tilled with steaming potatoes crowned with a lump of fish. Advancing with dancing step, and singing as they went, they laid the dishes in place with faces as radiant as if nothing in the world on a broiling day exceeded the pleasure of cooking and serving. Then gaily they made way for others with beef and pork, sausages, tea, and bread and butter. Before the feeding of the lions, however, we had some examples of native oratory, and of the sang fro id with which a native auditory receives and listens to even men of mark and influence, for on this day, the 4th, the Korero opened. The speakers, however, were few, and their speeches brief, and as tome they were ’Creek ’ I shall not attempt to explain their purport. Enough that Te Kooti opened the ball, and Major Kemp, whose last relations with the erstwhile fugitive had been those of pursuer and pursued, succeeded him, but nothing in the aspect of the listeners squatted round, nor any applause at the finish, afforded any indication either of the ranK of the speakers, or of the impression made by their remarks. * What is Major Kemp saying?’ I inquired of a finelooking, well-dressed native, whose kindly intelligent face invited confidence. ‘ I can’t explain to you,’ he replied with a perfect accent. ‘ He is using language that it would be difficult for me to make clear to you.’ ‘ What is the object of this meeting ’’ I ventured further. * Oh, it is for various things, but chiefly about the land laws, which press too hard on the native people.’ ‘ Is the meeting opposed to the Government?’ ‘ No, bnt the Government must give us better land laws. At present they are all in favour of the Europeans.’ ‘ Think you the natives should have greater facilities for disposing of their land ?’ * No, I think it should be made illegal for them to sell any land, for everywhere the Europeans have already got the best land, and we have not enough left for our people.' ‘ But I thought the natives still held hundreds of thousands of acres.’

‘ You consider. A European must have five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand acres for himself. Take the land we have, and divide it among our people, and how much does it give to each ? No, we must stop the sale of land, or

by-and-bye well be without any for our people’s children.’ Some further talk about land ensued, in which I had the temerity to pledge the Hon. Mr Cadman to bring in next session a really good Native Land Bill, and then we spoke of Te Kooti. * A bad man !* said we. * I don’t know that,’ he replied. *He did not want war, but he received great provocation, and his blood was np. A man does strange things when he is angry.’ *Oh!’ we urged, • a man need not commit murder. You would not have done so.’ * I don’t know what I might have done,’ he returned, calmly. * How can a man tell what he might have done under certain circumstances, or what he may do to-day or to-morrow ? Can you tell what you will do to-morrow ?’ * I couldn’t murder women and children !’ cried one of us impetuously. * No,’ he gently responded, ‘ because you are a woman. If you were a man it might be different.’ * I couldn’t kill women and children,’ I interposed, ‘ bnt I could kill a man, 1 think, if he angered me greatly,’ whereat he turned and smiled into my eyes as if he relished the announcement. ‘You know,’he resumed, presently, ‘the Maori people were much like dogs.’ * Ob, no,' we dissented in chorus. ‘ Yes ; they ate, and drank, and slept, and knew nothing. How could they know ? In former days they had no Bible, and no one to teach them right; but now they understand better, and they will not again do evil deeds. I think myself they do better than the Europeans. You have laws and gaols for those who disobey them. We have no gaols ; we do not need them. Our people are not thieves and pickpockets. They live quietly in their own villages, minding their own affairs. There are none of them in your gaols. And none of our people suffer want, or go hungry, for those who are rich share with the others. It is not so among Europeans. And the Maori is more hospitable. Any of these houses here you may walk into and be welcome, but what would be done to a Maori if he should walk into one of your houses ?’ ‘ I should not like to go into one of these houses here,’ I remarked, somewhat thoughtlessly. ‘ You would not like to ? No ; but that is not the point. You would be made welcome.’ ‘But—l mean —’ I hastened to explain, afraid I had ‘ put my foot ’ in it, ‘ I should fear to be considered intrusive.’ He laughed, a trifle sardonically, and just then a group of his friends, who had been watching, and no doubt discussing, his korero with the wahinepakehas, beckoned him away. We watched his departure with eyes full of profound respect. He was a handsome fellow, and hailed from the Wairarapa, but whether a ‘ personage ’ or not we had at the time no means of discovery. He was a man of some education, however, evidently, and of thoughtful, kindly temperament, and we parted from him with real regret, for

he had interested us greatly, being in all his little mannerisms as unlike the typical Maori as it is possible to imagine. The speechifying on this, the first day of meeting, did not last an hour, and had it not been for our Wairarapa friend we should have been somewhat ennuye of it, for we had been led to expect a formal reconciliation between Major Kemp and Te Kooti, and had been anticipating a great rubbing of noses. Nothing of the kind took place, however, and so little imposing or remarkable was the person of the sanguinary ex-rebel that—l am loth to confess it —we did not know till afterwards to whom we had been listening. European habiliments lack the graceful hang of the ‘ mat ’ of former days, and Te Kooti’s figure is not of the imposing order, though not altogether devoid of dignity. He stooped considerably, but appeared well preserved, and spoke with considerable vehemence. His attire consisted of dark pants and vest, a grey coat, and grey felt hat. He has maintained the strictest seclusion since his arrival, some two weeks since, the flap of his tent being kept securely fastened and guarded by the three graces, who divide his conjugal affections. It was subject for mirth to us when we learned that we had unwittingly, and, I fear, nnappreciatively, listened to his ‘ talk,’ to recall the little devices we had made use of to obtain just one peep into the canvas sanctum, how we had coaxed the three u-ahines and pleaded with their assistant, a dusky fellow of the bull dog order, for admission into the interior, for a mischievous half-caste fellow had said to us, ‘Te Kooti will see you. Go into his tent and hold out your hand. If he takes it you are welcome. It is all right. Go.’ Very good, dusky friend. We went, but the she dragons barred the way, and, moreover, put up an umbrella lest our prying eyes should penetrate the canvas. It is a singular coincidence that the friendly native who, when in pursuit, shot away two of Te Kooti’s fingers, was also at the meeting. I wonder if the two tangied for the * loved and lost.’

A most lugubrious tangi was going on during the speechifying, and for some time after at the other end of the pa, where several couples of willow-wreathed wahinen cried and wailed most heartrendingly, all unconscious, apparently, of the bystanding7»<ZvA«v, whose commiseration was evoked by the bursting sighs, streaming tears, and other signs of woe. To all appearance they were utterly blighted beings, and they indulged their grief with an abandon which seemed to betoken complete insensibility to mundane affairs. Just beyond the enclosure where they held their harrowing concert the Salvation band played merrily, ami ever and anon a lad would testify with a Hippant fluency as wonderful as bis extreme familiarity with the plans and purposes of the * Unknowable.’ At the foot of the drummer sat a European lass with a look of all too conscious goodness upon a passably good-looking face. The service seemed to afford fitful amusement to the natives, who crowded round when the band struck up, to disperse again •luring the testifying.

As evening approached various services were held, prayer, praise, and sermonising in the open, droning services in the meeting houses, etc.; while the village band discoursed dance music, which set the dusky heels a-tripping. Among the dancers was one minus a leg, and a merry soul he was. Mark Tapley was not a patch on him. Flourishing his crutch in the air, and pirouetting on one foot, he shook his stump, from which depended an empty trouser leg, as if in a fine frenzy of delight with life and his surroundings, his merriment and antics making all beholders roar with laughter. But to me the most ‘ amoosin little cuss ’in the whole village—where, whatever the object of the gathering, all seemed bent on making the most of the present hour was a copper-coloured mite of about two years, who, clad in a short shirt, ran about among the pakehas as if wishful to attract notice, and who, when reprimanded by a ‘ little mother ’ of—say six—squatted down, and with a little bronz.e paw on each knee, and a strangely puckered upturned face, gave vent to a pianissimo version of the old crone’s tangi. Just like a little graven image he looked, and we laughed till our sides ached without disconcerting him.

The visiting natives were very free with their cash, and a good story is told of how they helped the funds of the Parekino footballers. These fellows are ‘ whales ’ on the ball, bnt they felt themselves but * poor beggars’ notwithstanding, for their credit balance only totted upto £ll. So taking counsel together before the ‘ gathering of the clans,’ they resolved, in the true spirit of commerce to ‘come round ’ their guests to be ; and this was the way they did it. The captain came to town and invested their total capital in tobacco and cigars, and setting up a booth, they retailed their stock at an advance of a hundred per cent., not a bad return this for their trouble, and I guess their consciences smote them never at all when their visitors smoked their shilling cigarettes to the refrain, ‘ I was a stranger, and ye took me in.’ The visitors represented all parts of the island, and amongst other distinguished-looking strangers we saw Wi Parata and Mr Taipua, M.H.R.’s., Te Heu Heu, of Taupo, and others whose names I can’t spell. None of us would willingly have missed seeing the settlement en carnival, but by nightfall we had about enough of it and its beatific odours, and we returned to pass the night on board the steamer. At dawn next morning we resumed our journey, for the captain’s prognostications were correct, and a con siderable freshet had already added several feet to the depth of the river.

The scenery up to Parekino had delighted us by its diversified beauty, but for the rest of the way we were fairly entranced, save when drenching showers temporarily broke the spell, for, alas ! the rain which had Hushed the river continued to fall at intervals, but that notwithstanding, we alternately sketched and enthused until we reached Pipiriki, by which time we felt almost brave enough to hire

a canoe wherein to finish the upriver journey. Everybody knows that our river runs its devious way for over tw« hundred miles, and probably the aspect of our little town and noble bridge, with its river span of 160 feet, is familiar to most people ; but to the majority, the country above Parekino must still to a great extent be a terra incognita. Those, however, who have gone furthest are unstinted in praise of the scenery met with, and as for the river, each mile, it is said, of the way to Taumaranui, o|iens up new and grander features Such is certainly the case as far as Pipiriki, each reach of the river surpassing its predecessor, until adjectives fail, and the beholder is content to sit in mute admiration. As we ascended, the reaches shortened, the banks increased in height, the vegetation became denser, and more diversified, and the scenery altogether grander in character. All the conditions were favourable on the second day. The morning broke softly, despite the heavy showers which had fallen in the night, the sun’s rays shimmering on foliage still glittering with raindrops, and springlike in its greenness. For the first hour or two the sky was cloudless and the air serene, and between the rapids the still transparent water reHected like a glass the verdure overhanging it. Along the base of the river banks for miles grow weeping willows, planted, it is said, by the missionaries in their journeying* up and down, the work being doubtless still carried on by the freshets which are constantly depositing broken branches and twigs. Poplars are also in abundance, and with the willows vary very agreeably the foliage, besides aiding materially in binding the banks. Splendid tree ferns, too, flourish abundantly, giving a tropical touch, and here and there are lovely waterfalls, past which the steamers glide all too rapidly. The most beautiful is the Kakahi fall, about half a mile above Pipiriki. To our regret, however, the steamer did not stay long enough to allow us to see it. At intervals where levels occur are to be seen native settle ments. one of which is Banana, (London). It is a Roman Catholic mission station, and boasts a tiny wooden church. We were rather disappointed in the rapids The fresh had towed them down considerably, and they looked less formidable than we expected ; still, none of us yearned for a canoe. It was much more comfortable, and certainly safer, sitting in the bow of the snug little steamer from whose paddle wheels the foam Hew in masses as she breasted steadily the boiling waves. Several of the rapids are of great length, and some are dangerous owing to the way they shelve. < >ne, bearing the significant name of Kaiwhaka (canoe eater), shelves to the bank, under which it extends some considerable distance. The longest rapid is Moutoa, situated about forty-five miles above Wanganui. It seemed to us interminable, and ere we reached its hear! we had begun to wonder if the rest of the river was all rapid, when, all at once, a small islet, with a tall poplar standing sentinel like in its centre, appeared in view. Round-looking at first, its form gradually changed as the boat sped on. ‘ How like a grave !’ some one exclaimed. ‘ That is Moutoa,’ a bystander informed us. ‘ Like a grave? A grave indeed !’ we thought as a vision of blood-reddened waters and dusky faces upturned in the death agony rose before us, for was it not here, on this little isle, that the Friendlies in '64 made a stand against the advancing Hauhaus, who, frenzied with frantic zeal, were on their way down the river to attack the town of Wanganui. The rebels numbered about a hundred and forty, the loyal natives were more than two to one. The fanatics fancied themselves invulnerable, but the river was dyed with their blood, and our allies conquered. In com memoration of the action - a most important one in its results—the Province of Wellington erected here, not far from the bank of the river, a life-size statue of ‘Grief,’ bearing, amongst others, this inscription, ‘ To the memory of those brave men who fell at Moutoa, 14th May, 1864, in defence of Law and Order against Fanaticism and Barbarism.’ ‘ Beautiful, exceedingly !’ was the verdict as an extensive panorama burst upon our view just below Jerusalem (Hiruaharama the natives make it). By the way, what a wag must he have been who gave to these native settlements their names. Fancy names so suggestive of cultured magnificence as Athens, Corinth, Jerusalem, London, etc., etc., fastened upon these poor little collections of raupo and wooden huts, so limited in number that you speculate instinctively as to how many of the villagers roost in the trees. At Jerusalem there is a flourishing Roman Catholic Mission Station, and a sisterhood presided over by the accomplished and indefatigable Sister Mary Joseph Aubert, whose remedies, compounded of New Zealand herbs, are becoming so popular. Beyond this point the scenery became even more beautiful, and only one regret disturbed our perfect enjoyment of it, viz., that the Wairere hurried on as though her sole mission was to prevent the possibility of these lovely views imprinting themselves upon our retinas. Our stay at Pipiriki was very short, nor did the settlement present any features calculated to make us regret its brevity. Very uninviting it looked, the more especially as the rain was now coming down in torrents. One of the most dangerous rapids in the river is situated just above Pipiriki, and on this and other accounts a considerable time must elapse before there will be steam navigation above that settlement, but, of course, canoes may be hired from the natives for the purpose of continuing the journey, which is possible as far as Taumaranui, 180 miles from the mouth. On the return the little steamer seemed like a thing of life speeding on the wings of the wind, for the stream was run ning seaward swiftly, and she scudded with it at the rate ot fourteen miles an hour, doing the whole distance of sixty miles in four and a-quarter hours. M.B.