A GLIMPSE of the KING COUNTRY

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume I, Issue 7, 1 April 1900, Page 552

A GLIMPSE of the KING COUNTRY

Mftu By Alijon Hutcliinkon. w*^^ ||H

SllifiMr^^^ ie I^ u^ m^ iOns a )'c from Photos, taken hi) the Author. '^^^iMJInil

"^fjifjpf HE King Country." What visions (Ki|E, of the noble savage does that hfime jft ]¥ inspire ! There but a few years =v 4 since, scarce a white man had penetrated, and there the Maori, living in his pristine seclusion, held his

• Hapus, Ngatiwaliiao and Tuhoumugi; Tribe, To Arawa. (Ovor ninoty years of age). ground, if unconverted, at least untainted by what we call civilisation. " The Waikato." What inspiriting memories of the fighfiug

Maori, the relentless foe, the splendid hater and the staunch ally, does the term call up ! Those generations are no more, they have been gathered unto their fathers, their bones have been duly scraped, and we hope they are at rest.

Hiuigia te Maranm. Hapu, Tulioiuungi ; Tribe, Te Arawu. It is with mixed sensations that one is carried by the early train from Auckland, bound for the King Country of the present

day. The object of my journey is to study the Maori, and, if possible, secure some types of tho race in " sculpture " relief. I have

with me ray easel, a bucket of clay, with baggage for a month, and last, if not least, my wife. We are bent upon enjoying ourselves, and are prepared for anything that may come. The train is fairly comfortable, and the cultivated farm land for twenty miles outside Auckland is pleasing and cheerful. Beyond this, and till we join the Waikato at Mercer, wo pass through a dreaiy stretch of sterile land, serving, however, as a good off-set to that riyer. As at length the train winds in and out along its fertile banks, showing pretty peeps of Maori villages, here and there, nestled among the trees, with river and canoe in the foreground, the Waikato is shown for what it is— a really grand stream < At Te Awamutu, just a hundred miles from Auckland, we are told we have entered the King Country. Hero cultivation becomes scarce, and we enter a wild and more or less lugged country. This is still the home of

the Maori who owns the land, and it is cm this account that so littlo has boon dono to spoil a natural and interesting picture It is the King Couutry as of yoro, but tho Maori, how changed is he ! The lohare has given place to the sawn timber house; the* native dress lias gone, and in its place — but ii is needless to say more. Hero I. may state that the King Country is a misnomer as far as the native is concorned, for they aro as civilised as in any other part of Now Zouland. Te Kuiti, the present terminus of tho line, is our destination. Tho township, a single street made up of Maori billiard rooms, storos, and a largo accommodation house, which is crowded, ,is it is raco timo, and bookmakers and jockeys arc plentiful. Fortunately we have telegraphed for rooms. The surrounding country is wild and interesting, and tho Maori villages scattered about give promise of models. It is a bad timo to secure them, however, fortlio Maori is altogether interested

in the odds ou the raco course, and has no time for frivolous work. To Kuiti boasts of one of the finest meeting houses in Now

Zealand, its entrance and interior being richly carved, elaborating historical events, and has more than one wooden statue of great interest. Such a lohare rmanga must be of priceless value, and future generations will regret the inevitable decay and destruction to which it is doomed, and which is already in progress. The friendly Arawa tribe of the hot lake district, I found much more amenable for my purpose than the natives of the King Country. I was also fortunate in finding oilier models staying there from different districts. I was thus able to combine a good variety at Rotorua, securing the six types which illustrate this article, and which form the first of a series that I hope to complete from other districts in New Zrnland. I am particularly struck with the resemblance the M.iori bears to his Hawaiiiin

Hapu, Tamhainki ; Tribe, Te Arawa,

cousin. This is not only in language and idiosyncrasies, but. also in feature, so much so that it is easy to recognise the same

variety of type in both people. The Maori has the advantage in force of character ; this may be owing to the colder and more bracing climate of New Zealand.

It is sad to sco the decadence of the race in comparing the uld generation with the new ; this was very evident in my contact with the various ages. I noticed how the word of the old could be relied upon, how willing they were to suffer the tedious sitting, and do their part to help me. With the younger ones it was the reverse, they were unreliable and lacked character. From whatever cause this may arise no one who has studied them could fail to observe it, and I must draw the conclusion that the Maori, like all primitive people who come in contact with the white man, is rapidly losing his identity, and he will develop in course of time a different type of feature and character. Surely it is a privilege, while we yet have the opportunity, to hand down to posterity that which still remains, of what is most vigorous and noblest, in a race which has been called the noblest savage in the world ! "