"KAPAI!"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 52, 26 November 1918, Page 6

"KAPAI!"

THE "PUHAU TEA" CUBE.

Two sick ''Maoris in a private hotel were waited on by voluntary workers yesterday, and after they (husband and wife) .were made comfortable and the room was made clean and sweet, the sufferers were asked if there was anything they wanted. Yes, there was something puhau—puhaii tea. This was rather a facer, for the workers who had been dabbling ip aspirin, standard medicine, barky water, and lime juieo for a whole week. What was puhau? After 60me timo it wns discovered that puhau was rnriki.- v But what wns rariki? .Could anyono get any, and where?

A Maori in attendance said he could get some pretty quick, and lie at once repaired to that garden or dead hopes, the Te Ato Railway Station yards, and there gathered some rariki—that soft, juicy weed which gives off a kind of sour.milk when crushed—and brought it back to the hotel, had it cooked over and the water thrown away; twice and again the water was thrown aw,-,y, but the third time the water was nuhau tea— ftnpai!

The Maoris also a tiny craving for a little fish. Fish is very scarce, and,, therefore, very dear, but nothing sticks Mr-. Poster, of Wellington East. A gentleman who had been taking an enforced holiday had been fishing, and many herrings were his reward. He cleaned and scraped them, and left them as a thank offering nt the Wellington East headquarters. The very thing— they would do for the Maoris. So the helpers took them over to the hotel, had them cooked, and served up to the dusky sufferers. Kapai! .