AN HISTORIC MANUKA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2599, 22 October 1915, Page 6

AN HISTORIC MANUKA

RELIC OF THE OLD TIMES. At the side of tho new bowling green at Eastbourne, stands a manuka treo, which, if the story told of it be true, forms an interesting link between the present and pre-pakeha times. For the sake of its associations, this tree has been allowed to remain in the grounds. Dr. F. Wallace Mackenzie supplies tho .following data anent the treo and personages past and gone, who have watched its growth. His story runs in this wise:—

. "Manutahi was a son of Manahai, who was a grandson of a famous warrior .of the Ngati T'ahu tribe, which invaded the South Island somowhere about two hundred and fifty years ago. This' warrior's 'name was Tarawhai. Tarawhai married a girl of the Ngar timamoe tribe, and until Manutahi came to Okiwi his dependents had lived at the Mataura, in Southland, near tlio falls, where t-licy used to catch lampreys. About 1830 Manutahi joined a whaling ship which sailed for Cook's Strait in search of black whales. After about four months' he left the ship at ICapiti—crossed to tho mainland, and found his way to Porirua. _ There he married a niece of To Pelii, who had como south from ICawhia with a fighting party of tho Ngatitoa. Tlio next year ho went across and settled at Okiwi. Tliero was a considerable num- i her of Natives there, and the pa was b'.iilt on the sandhills, part of which were recently removed to make tho bowling green. At that timo the rea came lip to the base of the sandhills, which wore bare, and the couth wind used to drift the sand so that it tlireat6"e<l to cover , the whares. To prevent this the Jvatives inado a protection of manuka. Gradually the sand piled up at the hack of this, so they laid down bundles of manuka oh top of it, and soma of the seeds grew and so formed a shelter. When the Europeans cam® to Wellington the pa gradually broke up, and tlie people scattered. Manutahi went hack to Otago and remained there for the rest of his life. "Twenty years ago there was a large clump 'of manuka trees on tho sandhills, but about fifteen years ago an old sailor, called-Wilson Barnes, or "Jack" Barnes, went to live there, and ho graduallv cut the trees down for firewood till . only one remained. That tree is there at the present day. and will probably be allowed to remain as a link with the past." 1