STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 583, 14 February 1882, Page 2

STORIES OF THE PENINSULA.

No. 18.—'

■" Chips."

Amongst the remarkable residents of Akaroa, our worthy friend " Chips " may fair|y be enumerated. He is a true Pakeha Maori, a race now fast disappearing from amongst us. He has a great reputation amongst the Natives, for two reasons. One is his great skill in building and mending bouts and other vessels, he being a ship's carpenter by trade; and the other his no less ability, according to them, of patching up human craft. As a doctor he has gained great fame, and no doubt the faith with which his prescriptions are taken tends in no small measure to their success. '* Chips " is not an old Peninsula resident, most of his life having been spent in the North Island. His whare is on Mr Checkley's ground, near Green's Point. The road, after leaving the Cemetery gates. is very rough, part ot it being a narrow track on the edge of a considerable precipice, and how "Chips" manages to get home safely in the dark nights of winter is a mystery. On one occasion he did slip over, and fell a considerable distance, but was saved by clinging to the long grasses. The boat-shed where "Chips" works is only a few yards from the whare. but is on Government land, being within a chain of .high water mark. It is a very primitive edifice, but is spicious, and well furnished with a great variety of the necessary tools. A visitor will generally find " Chips " at. work here, and in no degree disinclined to enter into conversation, He is a very intelligent man, of fair education, and, as will be seen by his narrative, has seen a great deal of the world. Adolph F. Henrici, known familiarly as " Chips," was born at Hamburg. His father, a respectable tradesman, wanted him to become a linen draper, but he had taken it into his head he would be a ship's carpenter, and with the aid of a school-

fellow lie secretly visited an old ship's ' carpenter on Sundays, from whom he learnt tbe trade. His father was still more displeased at an attachment he formed with a young girl in the neighborhood, and there was a separation, " Chips" going bis first sea trip in the year 1837, the ship being the Friendship of Sunderland, and her destination New York. The trip was unventfnl, and he then went to India in the Francis Smith. From there the) r went to China with opium and other cargo, and got into great Ironble because the captain's wife w'-s aboard, the mandarins searching the vessel. Tha lady escaped by being put into another vessel which luckily was not searched. The laws were strict against the introduction of opium, but the authorities received bribes and winked at tbe trade. After many adventures in this trade "Chips" went to England. From thence be paid a visit to his native town, but he did not stop long, proceeding to Bordeaux in an English vessel called the John and James. She- loaded for Mauritius, but calling in at the Capo of Good j Hope on her way, "Chips" left her to join the Thomas Spurks, Captain Sharp, bound for Wellington and Nelson (NewZealand) with emmigrants. This was in 1843, and in January 1844 tbe ship arrived safely in Wellington. Here "Chips" left tbe ship and worked for a time in the Hutt Valley. Getting tired of this he went whaling at Table Cape on the East Coast. There were thiei boat crews, no Maoris amongst them, a man named Dawsey, a half caste Negro, being in command. They only got one whale in the season, but she yielded Btons of oil. His greatskill as a boat builder now became known, and he was offered a good sum to go to Poverty Bay to repair a little vessel. He went there and remained some time, but a Native Chief living at Aburiri, known to tbe English as Jacky Tighe, persuaded him to go to Hawkes Bay where, he said, there were a number of boats to build. He then went and lived at Pakawhai on the Ngarorora River, wherehe resided with the Natives at a big pah and built many large boats. The Maories thoroughly appreciated his skill and a Rangitiefa, named Tokomanu, who was afterwards one of their representatives, wanted to give his sister to Chips as a wife. The Rev Colenzo, however, opposed this, and so enraged Tokomanu that be threatened to burn the Church and return all the Maori Testaments. Chips, however, who was not particularily enamoured of the lady, persuaded the enraged cbieftan to listen to reason and his Rister was bestowed on another Maori. About this time Bloody Jack came on a visit to Te Hapuka., a great Maori warrior living in the vicinity, who, though not of high Maori lineage, had raised himself to be a''Rangitiera Nui " by his bravery and skill in warfare. Bloody Jack came across the straits from Akaroa in a big * boat called the Mary Ann, which was the identical vessel for which he had sold the Peninsula to Hemplemen. On leaving Aburiri he pre-, aented the boat to bis bostTe Hapuka Now, this gift was not such a very great one after all, for the native vessel had fallen into terrible disrepair, and was perfectly useless without it was skilfully mended, an operation involving special knowledge. But Te Hapuka had seen what *• Chips " could do, and in his difficulty be turned to him. He had of course heard all about Tokomanu's sister, and knew " Chips " had no wife, and, being a wily savage of an economical turn, he offered to provide " Chips " with a female companion if he mended the boat. Three girls from Mobaka happened to be_ visiting at tbe pah, and he gave ** Chips " his choice of the lot. Nov; this, to say the least of it, was a trifle arbitrary, for he had no right to either of them, and two were "tapu" to Maori chiefs. The third, who was the one " Chips " fancied most, was only " tapu " to a native of no pretensions as to blue blood, residing at Mobaka. However, Te Hapuka didn't care whether he had a right to them or not; he wanted his boat mended, and "Chips" wanted some one to look after bis whare and cook for him, so the bargain was concluded, *• Chips" selecting the young lady who was betrothed to the Maori of "low degree." It will thus be seen that " Chips " gained his bride (his presont wife) by repairing the boat for which Banks Peninsula was sold to Hempleman !

To be continued.