by twisted fence wire. Kerosene was poured on to the sack, and when they were set alight they made good bright, but smoky, lamps. Other times old tyres were cut up and used instead.

Eels—Dried, Fried or Baked And then the slaughter would begin. The fat glossy-skinned tuna would be lying, maybe lazily searching for food, in the shallow flood-covered paddocks. They were either speared or else bashed across the tail; this stunned or killed them. Then they were threaded onto a long piece of number eight wire, which I usually had to drag along. The next day they were cleaned and strung along the clothes-line to dry. The large ones were cut up and dried for tuna pawhara. Then for days we would feast on eels, rolled in flour and fried or else baked crisply in the oven with onions, seasoned with herbs. Nowadays I buy smoked eel from the fish shop. I like it steamed on top of a pot of potatoes, served with a rich garlic flavoured sauce, sprinkled with parsley. Even those who shudder at the thought of eating tuna will enjoy it, provided they are not told beforehand the name of the fish.

Many Ways of Cooking Paua There are numerous ways which we can dish up our Maori kai and kai moana in an attractive and appealing way. Take paua, for instance. Here is a rich flavoured sea food that is more often than not neglected by our Pakeha friends, simply because of its messiness when you are preparing it for eating, and because they lack the knowledge to cook it. I've cooked it many ways and love it still. After the hard flesh is placed in an old clean tea-towel or cloth, and softened up by a hammering, it can be crumbed, dipped in beaten eggs, then fried in fat or butter.

Good with Garlic and Spices It makes wonderful fritters, and I prefer paua soup to toheroa soup. Minced, it makes good rissoles. I also cut it into small pieces, marinate it for a while in soy sauce, a cheap sweet wine, a clove of squashed garlic, onions and mixed spices. Then it is rolled in flour and fried in soya bean or peanut oil. Serve with a large dish of pan-fried rice, flavoured with diced bacon, peas, tomatoes, onions, or anything else you fancy. It is delicious. For special occasions I like a dish of paua baked in cream, the way my grand-parents used to do it. Para, the root of the giant king fern, I'm not very fond of. Kina or sea-eggs I still don't like. I cannot remember the name of the huge giant snails found in the bush. I remember the old folks telling me how they were put on the hot embers. The shell was cracked and the flesh inside was then eaten. I have seen the shells of these giant snails many times, especially after heavy rainfall. No doubt some of the older readers would remember its name.

Kawa Mara and Pikopiko Another I've come across, though not amongst the Ngapuhi where I lived, is the custom of leaving the kaura, or crayfish, in a container of cold water until it seasons itself, and the flesh comes away from the shell. Then it is eaten raw. This is called kawa mara. But I think that if it were marinated it probably would be more to my taste. A few years back. I was told by a very respected old Pakeha woman, who with her husband had carved a farm out of the bush and wilderness, that in the early days she had cut the tender fronds of the king fern, and chopped it up, with whatever fruit was in season, for fruit pies. She assured me that it had a marvellous taste. I think a lot of the older folk ate these, and called it pikopiko. But I have yet to try this out.

Karaka Berries, Pipi, Titi Karaka berries are soaked and boiled or steamed in hangis. My cousins loved these. Too often the humble pipi, because of its abundance, is neglected. But not by me; I never refuse a dish of them. Soft young shoots of the titi or cabbage tree are a taste that one acquires. Puha cooked by itself with a little fat added, a dash of butter, pepper and salt, is better than spinach to me. The days of hot steamy, newly cooked parawa rewana, baked in camp ovens, I will never forget. The long hours of rubbing salt into frozen sides of home cured, smoked bacon have gone. So have the casks of pickled pork, for it is cheaper for the farmers to have their pork cured at the works nowadays.

There Must Be Many Others There must be countless other dishes that I do not know of. It would be good and interesting to hear from other readers of ‘Te Ao Hou’. Kaanga piro is a dish that I do not like, yet I don't mind cooking it for others, for I am informed that despite its unholy fragrance, it has a very flavoursome taste. I believe that potatoes, done the same way as corn for Kaanga piro, are quite a dish also. But as these two products, like our New Zealand lamb, were introduced by the Europeans, we cannot lay claim to them as our own—