THE TRAGEDY AT THE WHITE CLIFFS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 121, 15 February 1919, Page 3

THE TRAGEDY AT THE WHITE CLIFFS

A TALE OF OLD. TARANAKI

REV. JOHN WHITELEY'S

SACRIFICE

In the middle distance of that fine seascape of seventy miles, as seen from the high land -at tho foot of Paritutu, tho. great Sugarloaf at New Plymouth, the eye is caught by two high cliffs of greyish white oil the coast line. Under their Maori name of Para-ninihi they may bo hardly recognised, but as the White Cliffs they give their name to the adjacent district, and also to that frightful tragedy Which fifty years ago to-day was the closing sceno in the war in North Taranaki. Tho cliffs aro over nine .hundred feet sheier. The beach at (heir base was tho only practicable road in thoso days to north or south, and only then at low water. When the tide is making it Boon reaches the foot of the cliffs, and should the unwary traveller be cut off, the Waipingao Gorge,which divides them, is his only refuge, and here he must wait for hours until tho tide again recede?. They extend for about two miles, and towards Pukearuhe, the southern cliffs drop suddenly to some four hundred' feet. At this place, tho scene of tho massacre, access is possible by means of a steep ascent on the side of the Waikaramarama Gorgft to a moro practicable road running parallel with tlie coast line, and a little inland. ' At the top of this gorge, and guarding the track, uns the old Maori stronghold, Pukearuhe, i.e., Fern Eoot Hill, in ISO!) the site of a blockhouse, and tho key to Taranaki from (he north. Tho beach' track is closed just north of Para-ninihi, and south of Pukearuhe by tho sea. /

The Maori War, though it still dragged on in the south of the province, had lapsed into a condition of uncertain peace in the north—the soldiers were withdrawn in 1867; though two detachments were sent a little later to New Plymouth they did not remain long. The settlers gradually 'returned to their farms and took up the work of again bringing them back into cultivation, though they did so at a very great risk. In December of 1868 the Superintendent of Taranaki received a copy of a telegram to tho effect that tho Ngatimaniopoto (Waikato) tribe h-ad i threatened that they would go to tho White Cliffs on their own account. Some precautions were taken by the Superintendent. but tlie.v were eoon abandoned as no danger was anticipated by the Provincial Government. On that Black Saturday- a taua (war patty) of about sixty men from the Awakino came along the beach .in broad daylight, tho main body halting at the beach at the mouth, of tho gorge, a small party going up to the redoubt. ''There they found two Europeans, whom they enticed away, by telling them' there were pigs for sale on the beach. Millie went first and was tomahawked on the nath leading to tho beach. Seeing that Eichards, the other man, did not follow, tho party returned and urged him to come and look at tlio pig?. The unfortunate man descended the hill, and was killed near where Milne fell. The taua then rushed lip to the redoubt and found that Lieutenant Gascoigne and his family were absent in their field of corn and potatoes. Lieutenant Gascoigne, looking up, saw tho Natives at the blockhouse, and at once proceeded towards them, carrying his youngest child. Mrs. Gascoigne and the other children followed him .On arriving at a little stream at the base of the hill on which the blockhouse stood, Lieutenant Gascoigne gave the child to his wife and went forward to meet the Maoris, Approaching, they shook hands with him and accompanied him to the door. Upon his raising his hand to open the door he was struck from behind and fell.. Soon after Mrs. Gaseoigno rai;io with- the three children, and she and the little ones were killed. The murderers then tomahawked the house dog and cat." The Murder of Mr. Whiteley. But there was yet one more victim to fall, and round him chiefest interest centres. On that Saturday morning, an old clergyman, the.Rev. John Whiteley, left the Methodist Mission Station at New Plymouth/ It was his custom to ride to some remote part of tho district every Saturday, preaching at all the villages and, settlements as he returned on Sunday. This day his destination was I'u.kearulie. He was not so very old, but he was worn with the stress of an apostolato arduous and stern, which covered a space of 37 years, at Hokianga, at Ivawhia, where the best of his days_ were spent amongst the Ngatimaniopoto tribes, and in the Taranaki district riding where possible, paddling his canoe along the rivers and creeks, or walking. There wa« a practical side to his preaching, for husbandry with European implements, and handicraft, with the use (f the hammer and saw, plane and square, formed part of his curriculum. Strong, active, abstemious, loving his people and beloved by them, no outpost was too remote, no weather too severe. At length he had finished the work it was given him to do. When he left New Plymouth for Pukearuhe.on February 13, 1569, he not unconscious of danger, . for he had written a letter of warning to tho Government concerning this very outpost. As the old missionary_ rode along, now on the margin of the high sea cliffs, with the spectacle of Puiapehu in front and Egmont on his right, both lifting their sunny crests from the bosom of tho dark forkts to the bright blue sky, and the dancing wavelets flashing the reflected sunlight on his left, now cantering along the sandy/ beach, amid the irridescent bubbles of the sea foam, little did he think how black a crime was being perpetrated on the spot he was rapidly approaching. Tt was late in the evening when he rode up the track to the •blockhouse. Presently a Maori voice hailed him: "Hokia!" (Go back!) and the old man answered,. "Why should I go back? My place is here." Again came the order from the Chief Weterc: "Go back, Whitoley, your place is not here." "My place is hero and hero I remain, for my children ar.e doing wrong." Again the order to go back was given without effect. Then an- evil voice—was it' a Pakelia voice?—cried out in the gathering gloom: "Ivahori a tangi nga tilcnka mate." (Dead cocks do not ciov.) Shots were fired and .the faithful old horee fell. Disengaging himself from the dying beqst. he knelt down beside it in prayer. More, shots were fired. Five bullets .pierced him, and so he passed. What that Inst prayer was is not known, but it would be'out'of harmony will: the man's whole life and character if it wero for himself. May we not believe that it was for forgiveness .-for his murderers The taua then burned the blockhouse and huts and returned to Awakino. Strangely enough neither tho flames of the burning blockhouse or buildings were seen nor tho report of firearms heard by anyone, although there were settlers living within a mile of the place. This may be accounted for by tho fact that the weather that night and the following day was very stormy. The bodies wero discovered on the Monday morning by a settler, who was looking for some stray cattle. Tie immediately rode into New Plymouth with the news, and the following day an armed narty proceeded to the Cliffs in the s.s. Wellington, and recovered the bodies, which were brought into New Plymouth and interred in the beautiful To Henui Cemetery—a place without peer of its kind in New Zealand.

Reasons for the Raid. The reasons given for tho vaid are as follow:—"In tho beginning of February, ISG9, Hie Ngatimnuiopoto were gathered in force nen'r tl\c Awakino Heads and it had been proposed to make « raid 011 Tarannki. The time was considered opportune as Hie district was practically in a defenceless state through Hie departure of the military and the military settlers, and the general e.xodus of the men from the place to the Thnmes, attracted by the wonderful output, of gold fiom the mines. Honi Welcre te Kerenga was the principal advocate of this course, but Wnhanui. the Jlnniopoto chief, opposed it. Wnhanui furlhei' taunted Wetere by saying that Wetere's family were ever noted for saying "Go into tho fight," but never sflid "i'ollow me." This taunt was the more galling because of its truth. Stung to fur.v by it. Wetere gathered the men of his hapu together and went to J'ukearuhe. Oil their return to Awaking after the mas-

sacre the assembled tribe gathered rsttlii\ ■tho party to hear of l))«ir exploits, it the. mention of tho killiiiff of the men nothing was said. When t/tey told of the murder of the mother and tier little children Wahanui expressed his saying war was not with women alit! children: that was murder, and not war.' Seeing the reception of this part of'their news, (hey hesitated, and then told of the murder of Whiteley. The old chief ,was silent with horror, and tho women broke into the wild wail for the dead. For a long time this continued, the men bowed with covered heads, tho women wailing. Then Wahanui ordered tho camp to be broken up, and his people to go into the wilds of The King Country, saying; 'Here let it end, for the death of Whiteley is- more than the death of many meu.'

The Victory of Sacrifice. With this death the fighting ended tween (ho two races. Mr. Whiteley lost his life because he, in that supreme moment, made his election, and played the man. The Maoris were reluctant to kill him; they knew he was their -friend, and being an Ariki of the tribe his person was sacred. For fliat reason, perhaps, his body alone was not mutilated. This may seem a trivial mutter to us, but to tho Maori to cut a dead body is Wi act of cannibalism. It was his duty .to ascertain tho fate of the settlers at the blockhouse—in doing his .duty he fell. Had he not boon true to his high colling, the flames of war would have again run over Taranaki, but lie was true, and so once mora the principle of vicarious sacrifice so frequently denied by mere sciolists was again exemplified— he gave his life, a ransom for many. He was committed to his last restin-place by his old friend and fellow-worker, the Venerable Archdeacon Govett. On a high terrace overlooking u beautiful valley he sleeps his long sleep. In tho slanting rays of the sotting sun tho flowers blow fair and memorial stones gleam bright in this lovely garden of God: the shadows deepen, and for a few fleeting moments Eden once more comes to earth. In the valley tho little stream which half encirclps this holy place murmurs softly over tho pcbblos, softly chanting its eternal requiem for the souls of the thousands who sleep therein, but for no truer, braver soul than John Whiteley, —"Omicron."