LOOKING BACKWARD

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 89, 8 January 1918, Page 8

LOOKING BACKWARD

EARLY DAYS IN MIRAMAR FIRST MAORI SETTLEMENT CRADLE OK WELLINGTON'S HISTORY. Miramar was not always Miramar, nor was it always a peninsula. Thereby hangs a strange -talc, concerning the first coming or man to the Wellington district. Where now run the speedy electric cars, where the motorears whizz, and the girls ot the Y.W.C.A. camp was not always tlio calm, peaceful strip of irregular Mother Earth it is to-day. It is, as a matter of cold fact, the cradle of Wellington s history. Mr. Elsdon Best, who is steeped in the lore and history ol the Maori and his lands, tells ot ™J es ® things, as wo would write of the latest cricket match. His stories lead olio into the history of the tribes, blossomed with many an early romance, scarred with many a blood fray. About 700 years ago, lie relates, t(io island tribes gathered at Tahiti for. a grand trial of strength and skill in canoe-racing. It was a great gathering, as there was keen rivalry botw een tlio competitors. At' first there were races 011 the lagoon, followed afterwards by races 111 the open sea. And during the latter a great stonu arose, and played havoc with the canoes. Some managed to regain the lagoon, but the majority were blown to sea, some to bo overturned then ciews drowned, and others to be driven across the Pacific. Among the crew of one ot the canoes that was blown westward was Whatonga, the beloved of his grandfather. And when the old man heard that his grandson had . been driven to sea 110 made up his mind to ' search the islands for him. Ho cventu- [ ally reached Samoa, to find I the castaways there, but not his beiov- | fid. Ho went 011 to Karotonga, and there learned that some had gone on still, further westward and south—even to the "great moisture-laden land" (New Zealand), whither the old man went, and, arriving safely, made inquiries for his grandson, and finding 110 immediate trace of him, settled -at Whakatane (Bay of Plenty). In tlio meantime "Whatonga had made a trip back to his native island, and being advised that his grandfather had gotio in search of hiiu, ventured once moro upon tlio hazardous ocean voyage to tlio "moisture-laden land," J' 10 shores of Taranaki, was told or the elderly voyager at AYhakatane, coasted round, and fell into his grandfather's arms, greatly rejoicing. So'they lived together in peace until people were strong enough to make a settlement lor themselves at Mahia. Ihen, when Whatonga became an old man, full of years and honour, lie bade his sons Tara and Tautoki go, seek out and cxploro tho southern lands (between Hawke's Bay and Cook Strait). So tho two set forth with a small party, coasted down, and passing between Barrett's Reef and Pencarrow Head (To a Kupc) camc into tho silent land, and settled at first oil Matui (Somes Island). Tara and Tautoki were'taking 110 chances. Tlicro might bo enemies oil the mainland, and there might not. Better to bs suro than sorry. Tho Island of Miramar.

Then, feeliug round, tlicy landed on what is now Mirnmar, but it was then an island, not a peninsula. That is not a belief—it is a fact. •It was clearly stated in the report of Tara and 'i'autoki to old Whatonga--a very wonderful report, spoken in beautiful Maori, of the land, climate, aspect, and topography of the "Wellington district, so interesting that it induced old Wha-. tonga to come south. There lie saw what was in the report—that there were two entrances to Wellington Harbour —the deep one to the east, tlio shallow one—Te Awa-a-Taia —to the west. So faithful was the report that it even mentioned the latter entrance as broken and dangerous, and liable to shoal up. And it was even so. Old Wliatonga told his sons wliero to build their main ' fortress pa—it was at Kakariki —on the hill overlooking Worser Bay (on Seatoun Heights), near the Worser Bay School. The reason for tliat was its strategic position—it overlooked the entrance and bay on the one side, the valloy leading from tho other entrance on the west, and the area contained a reliable spring (Te-Puua-a-Tara). W' laton S a > wll °. was a wise mail, told his sons to cherish the water by building a double palisade down to the spring, so that it would be available in times of stress, and always to keep a good store of dried fish and 1 other food on hand to be able to hold out against- a siege. Cunningly lie pointed out that after a time they would find that a great ally would come to their assistance. That ally was hunger in the enemy's camp—then they could make a sortie on the weakened foe and "chew him up." Aiid it came to'pass that the pa Kakariki was besieged for several weeks, and then a prolonged southerly gale prevented the besiegers from catching their food, hunger seined them, and the besieged made a gallant sortie that made an end of the business. So did Whatonga's wise advice prove golden, and his words—that hunger in the enemy's camp was a great ally—prove true.' Oh, subtle Wliatonga! It happened in this wise:

A Famous Fight. As the people of Tara and Tautoki grew, thev became separated. The people of Tara made a settlement at Te Rae-akeako (Pencarrow), and from there-spread round to the and became the tribe known as Ngatitara (named after Tara). whilst Taiitoki's soil's people settled 'Wellington and established the Rangitane tribe (which also settled Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds). Not strong enough at first to venture far, a system of outposts was established fJoug the mountain ridge that runs from Point Jerningham to Island Bay, with pas at Roseneath, Mount Victoria, and Island Bav. In the latter pa a woman dreamed that a hostile foe was advancing over the Te AYharau Range (tho hills at the back of Kahvarra), so scouts wore sent to the locality to watch and wait. And eventually they reported a hostile force which came over the hill, and skirted the« Waifcifci beach-between Sydney and Charlotte Streets. And as they looked across tlO blue waters of the buy. and saw the smoke rising from tJte distant hill-top pas, thev .consulted as to which one should be attacked. They decided on the Island Bay one. lie defenders ' were driven back across the waters or Te Awa-a-Taia, and held the pa Ivaka- ! riki having previously sent their women and children across to Pencarrow), with the result above narrated.

"Long Pig." Twelve generations a2O tlio Wairarana was settled from tlio people who had crept up from Pallisor Ray, elid the Ncati-iras (now/ the tribal nama) had peopled Wellington by establishing a minilwr of pas, and bad also sent (.migrants across tn tlie Sounds, where t1i,,.7 were seen by Cook (mi Queen Charlotte Sound). Tn 1820 the Nsrnl;awns bocnnio trunulent. and gave tho local tribe a lot of anxiety, bill, it v.:is five vpsirs later that the warlike Ngapuhis (from the Sfarth of Auckland) en me on a sportinß raid down tie vest coast of the North Island, nicked u» Te Rauparaha and some Ngatitoas. nnd marched a thousand strong on Wellington. Here they found the land such

poor food-producing territory that they wero forced to live on their prisoners.

Why Wellington was so Easily Bought.

"Doos it over occur to you how easily the New Zealand Land Company —the Wakefields —acquired Wellington?" asked Mr. Best. "That tlicy were able to come and say 'Hero are a lew beads and toys, some gunpowder, buttons, blankets, and riiles—you givo us "Wellington!' Yet that is how it was done! The real reason however, was that the Natives ol' the Wellington— tlio Ngati-awa—were between the devil and tlio deep sea. They were at odds with the Ngatitoa—the Otaki and Porirua Maoris —on the one side and the Ngati-iras on the other, both ready to ciush the holders. The Ngati-awas had been already weakened by the desertim of a number of her fighting men. ihi.'se had seized a schooner called tile Rodney that was lying out off Somes Island, and had loft for the Chatham Islands to escape impending disaster. At this time along came Colonel Wakefield and made his bargain. Under ordinary circumstances it would havo been the maddest expedition—for the emigrants had begun to leave England before the news of the purchase <if Wellington .'ould have reached the 0 d Country—and the end might easily havo been a tragic one for all concerned. What luck those Wakeiields had!"