CATCH 'EM YOUNG

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 232, 1 November 1940, Page 5

CATCH 'EM YOUNG

mutton Girding on the SI f -WHALE' f '*>|1 1910 SEASON PROSPECT'S^ Did you know th t at last year' 1 3500 prime young ijru'tton birds .vl were taken from" Whale Island •'J by the local Maoris? If not, then you can have only a vague coa- /■ ception of what the seasons means or what financial harvest it yields to those enterprisiing natives who shift camp, and off the shackles of civilisation to revel in a carefree existence for the best part, of a week, living next to nature and enjoying: those natural and abundant K foods so dear to the Maori palate ~ . . ■ V . 'V \ The 19-10 season opens officially on November 1(5 unci if the. same , number are attracted as were last year (133) there should be plenty of fun and good hunting along communal lines. The birds of co.urse are , it protected until the season, and then J may be hunted by Maoris only. The " method of capture is. therefore rath-^_ H er unique and peculiar to ius of the native race. Those who take part look forward to the excursion with the keenest anticipation. Whole families are transplanted, the women to attend to the cooking and other simple 'chores' about the temporary camps, while the men folk engage in the rather thrilling sport of mutton-birding, / Fishing and Swimming. But there arc other delights -at the 'Whale' for those who love a • rough and tumble in the surf at a ' place where bathing suits don't mean a thing, and where at the end of a deep dive one can, often as not return to the surface with a struggling crayfish, held firmly by the back and kicking helplessly. The crays, as everybody knows, are in the . pink at that time, of the v year, and will by December cast their final shells and-become things of no account. ' i Then there are pawas in plenty, A for the rock pools, about the water- ja front are ideal spots for this wily vj shellfish to camp in. Those Maoris * who love the Succulent sea-egg will ; ■ also have their appetites satisfied, for the urchins simply crowd -the underwater ledges and cavities. The Wahines will have a busy time preparing the dainties when, they are brought by the ltitful to the hangis on the beach. ~ , Rush for Places. There is no haphazard method of hunting the mutton bird, for .those engaged thereon, have adopted, a system and Style .all of' their own. At 7. a.m. on the day of opening the hunters assemble and at a given sig- v nal on the stroke of the hour, the --"i parties rush, to their, various plots. . These of course have been previous- v s ly held in mind, but it, is the luckyfirst arrival who can legally claim the rights to any particular spot. Too bad if by disability or. ageing limbs the "best hunters are unable to reach their favourite perches hefore some young stripling /who ; though gifted with stronger legs may have little or no knowledge of . the game. It is a literal application V-" of the old adage 'first' come, first

served.' Catching the Woolies. Then commences the business proper. The burrows of the hapless . mutton birds are sorted Out and sticks of tea-tree thrust into thft hole and entangled in the fluffy down of the plump and helpless nestling. Amidst much and screaming from the wildly circling parent birds the youngster is drawn up and quickly despatchedTo many pakehas the sport appeal s cruel and heartless, but to the Maoris it is an age-old heritage, which in the hard old days realised one of the stable foods for the coast dwelling tribes of the Bay of Plenty. The plucking and cleaning is done on the spot,.and the fat, ■ greasy body stowed away for shipping to the mainland when the launch calls for the catch. . Around the Camp Fi're. In the evening there is music, songs and stories, the Maoris providing an impromptu -concert •in which, all are welcome to join in or to .■contribute'" individual items. This year there will be many gap> in the old ranks of the 'hunters,' for fully 50 per cent of the eligible * young Maoris are either in camp oY serving abroad, but tlic fame of y" 'mutton-birding on the Whale' has j gone abroad and already the oigan- ..... Kser has had applications from Te Puke, Kutarere, Mntata, Te Teko„ Waiohou, Ruatoki, Waimana , ancl t - Opotiki. These new enthusiasmsshould more than make up the\dc,ired complement. And now remains but to hopes