A Trip to Australia: 1874 Ropata Wahawaha, the famous leader of Ngati Porou on the East Coast, visited Australia in 1874 at the age of 67. He described his experiences in a series of articles published in the Maori newspaper ‘Te Waka Maori’ (vol. 10 nos. 9–16). Here are some excerpts from his account of his travels. Hirini, Poihākena. Āperiria 14, 1874. E hoa, tēnā koe. He tuku atu tāku i āku kōrero whakaatu i taku haerenga mai ki tēnei kāinga, me ngā mea i kitea e au ki kōnei. I tūpono noa ahau ki te tira haere mai o te Mākarini* Sir Donald McLean, at this time Minister of Native Affairs, had a close association with the Maori people for many years, and had earlier been employed by the Government as native secretary and land purchase officer. ki kōnei. Ahakoa, nō te 4 o ngā rā o āperira, i te Hātarei, i te 5 o ngā hāora o te ahiahi, ka rere mai mātou i ākarana i runga i a te ‘Rangatira’ tīma, he rākau toru. Ao rawa ake, i te 6 o ngā hāora o te ata, i te takiwā o te Pei-o-whairangi e haere ana. Kātahi ka rere, ka paepae rāpea te haere, he hau waho hoki. Ka mahi rā koe e te matangirua; ko te ahi, ko te komaru — ēhara i te hanga! Ahiahi rawa atu, i te 6 o ngā hāora, kua mahue te Rerenga Wairua ki muri, ka haere i te pō. Ao rawa ake, tirotiro kau ana, kei hea rā Niu Tīrani? Heoi, ka mutu te whakaaro mō te kite i te whenua. Pō noa, ao noa te rā, me te pā tonu o te hau. I kī te Kāpene hei te Taitei te kite ai i te whenua, hei te 10 o te karaka o te ata ka tū ki Hirini; ā, ka pau te parakuihi, i te 9 o ngā hāora (i te Taitei), ka tapoko atu i te wahapū o Poihākena. Kātahi ka mātakitaki; koia rā anō hoki te take i haere mai ai au—he mātakitaki i te ao. Anā! E koru atu ana tērā wāhi me tērā wāhi atu, me ana kaipuke atu, me ana kaipuke atu, ki roto ki tōna taiapa ki tōna taiapa. Ko ngā kaipuke nui, rākau toru, e mataku nei te haere i ngā tahataha o tō tātou moana, e haere rā i whea? I tawhiti noa atu … Ao ake te rā, i te 12 o ngā hāora ka haere mātou ki te mātakitaki purei hōiho. I haere mātou i runga i te pāhihi; kātahi ka whakarongo ki te waha o te pāhihi. Me te rangi pāwhaitiri tōna rite. Kāore e rangona, he tāturi taringa. E rere ana e toru maero te mataratanga atu i te tāone. Ka kite i tōna tini o tēnei iwi o te Pākehā. Ananā! Me te kāhui pī. Ana Sydney, Port Jackson. April 14, 1874. My friend, greetings. I send, for insertion in the ‘Waka’, some account of my visit to this place, and the things which I have seen here. My coming hither with Mr McLean* was quite accidental. However on Saturday the 4th of April, at 5 p.m., we left Auckland in the steamer ‘Rangatira’, a vessel with three masts. At 6 o'clock next morning we were off the Bay of Islands. The wind was on our beam, blowing from seaward. Under steam and canvas our progress was astonishingly rapid. By 6 o'clock in the evening we had left the Rerenga Wairua [the place of the spirits' departure, North Cape] behind us, and we advanced in the night. Next morning we looked about us in vain; there was no sign of New Zealand. And so we gave up all thought of seeing land. The days and nights passed, with the wind blowing steadily. The captain said that we would see land on Thursday; and would enter Sydney Harbour at 10 o'clock in the morning; and at 9 o'clock, after breakfast, we entered the Heads of Port Jackson. Then I looked about me, for indeed this was my purpose in coming — to look at the world. Behold! there were bays and coves on every side, each with its shipping in separate berths. Large three-masted vessels, which would fear to navigate our waters, pass an immense distance into this harbour … Next day we went to see the races, about three miles out of town. We travelled by omnibus, and the rumbling of the wheels of the ‘busses was deafening; it was like the sound