MAORI CENTENARIAN DEAD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1896, 3 November 1913, Page 6

MAORI CENTENARIAN DEAD.

« OLD TIMES RECALLED. (By 'Mejrap-li.—Frees Association.) Glsborno, November 2. A lifo that has extended over a full contury came to a termination yesterday with tho death of Mrs. Donaldson (Maora Pahi), of Manutuko. The deceased lady, who was a child two or three months old when tho Rev. Dr. Marsden preached his first sermon in Now Zealand olio hundred years ngo, was born in this district, and had spent her wholo lifo hero. She enjoyed good health until a few weokk ago, and retained all her faoulties to tho last. Her recollections wcro most interesting. She well remembered tho arrival of Captain Read, tho fh'Bt trader to establish himself in Gisborno. As showing her great ago, it may bo mentioned that deceased married' her first husband in 1834, being thon a grown-up woman, In 1836 thcro was a war in the north, and de-coased, who was very strong' willed, was most anxious to go to tho front with tho other Natives, who were leaving Gisborno. They refused to tako her, but she sucoedod in hiding in their canoe, • and was not discovered until thoy had proceeded somo little distance on their voyage. When discov ; ored, tho men threw hor overboard, tho boat being about half a milo or so from tho land, and Maora, who was a fine swimmer, had no difficulty in getting ashore. Her prowess in the water was further illustrated by an incident at Young' Nick's Head. She was very fond of diving in tho sea for crayfish and pawas, and on® day, whilst diving amongst rocks at Young Nick's Head, sho was observed by other members of tho party to have disappeared. An alarm was raised, and they saw a .black object struggling under tho wntor, and it was fully two aad a half minutes before their companion reappeared. Sho had been caught by tt hugo octopus, and it was only hor strength and skill, and tho fact tliat sho carried a knife in a belt round her waist, and used this with advantage, that enabled liflr to escape. Deceased was. a very bravo woman, and remained staunch to tho Christian faith through tho many sovero trials that professing Native Christians iv'ero put to in tho early- days of this district. Sha was tho mother of a numerous family, of whom Mrs. Woodbin'o .Johnson, of Wairakaia, is her tenth, and Mr. Thomas Halbert, of Manutuko, her fourteenth child.