Kiritehere-Moeatoa.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 339, 22 February 1911, Page 5

Kiritehere-Moeatoa.

The weather in this district is hot and fine, and has been so for the past month. The first meeting of the Kairimu Philosophical and Debating Society will be held in Marakopa in Mr Honore's schoolhouse, on the 25th inst. The starting of branch societies will be discussed, and all matters concerning same arranged. Mr Murray, District Engineer, is expected through in March. The Marakopa natives are engaged in the building of a new meeting house, which will be opened in March. They will meet on the Marakopa river to discuss ways and means to improve their race ostensibly, but really to remove the bones of their dead kinsfolk, which have lain in the sand in and around Marakopa for many years. The bones will be removed to a safe place where they are not likely to be again disturbed. A couple of years ago a skeleton was dug up out of a sand ridge at Marakopa. The place where it was found was dry and the skeleton perfectly preserved. It was, so a well-known local enthusiast said, the remains of a pre-Maori (the race before the Maoris came here) being about five feet and a few inches in height. In the Marakopa schoolhouse, in charge of Mr Honore, is a great collection of flintlock guns, a revolver or two—relics of the Maori war —stone club?, chisels, axes, spades, and other implements of industry and the noble use of convincing one's enemy. The schoolmaster showed me a couple of flintlocks, said to have been used by Te Rapahara. A cave said to have been used by this renowned warrior lies a few miles to the south further down the coast.

The water supply at Marakopa contained in tanks has failed, and its residents are, during the dry spell, carrying water from Bungatown. A good pipe line, laid down by the Marakopa Milling Company, five years ago, conies down from Bungatown, so named after the material of which its chief buildings are made, but which is now out of repair, having been fractured in a span across a creek. Half a day's work on the pipe line would see the tow-nship of Marakopa enjoying the advantages of a steady and "constant water supply. Messrs Wynyard, Klein and Woulds were out fishing for schnapper and hapuku off the Kiritehere beach near Tahi's farm the other day. The weather was hot and sultry, and more than 100 fish were caught in a short time. Three lines were kept busyhaul ing in the fish, which were often jagged on the hooks, as the lines were being hauled in. Great shoals of fish were passing the coast, driven inshore by the sharks. Tommy Woulds, who was standing in about three feet of water, got a bad fright. A shark came floundering through the surf in pursuit of fish towards him. Tommy dropped his line, and lost no time in making for the shore.

A pleasant "At Home" was held at Messrs Kinnane Bros,' residence _at Moeatoa and a most enjoyable evening was spent. Songs, recitations and a dance passed the evening away. Settlers are weaning iambs, which are thriving excellently. Feed is still green and plentiful. No second fires, with the exception of log fires, have yet been experienced. The settlers of the Ratanui settlement, which will one day be an important dairying centre, are without a decent road to their settlement. It is the experience of a life time, I assure you, to climb over the big hill from Mangaohae at Mr Herbert Thomas' place into Ratanui. When I was out there in January, I saw ladies dismount, though the track was perfectly dry, to climb some of the steep gradients on the RatanuiMangaohae bridle track. The making of a few miles of road between Mangaohae and Ratanui would save local and outside settlers and others the monotonous and deadly climb over the Ratanui hill. The settlers of Ratanui are contemplating erecting a hall, which will be a school house as well. The inspector of schools promised them a teacher if they would provide the schoolhouse and accomodation. Out of £()() therejias been subscribed £3O locally, to build the hall, which will be erected by subscriptions like the Marak'opa hall, the building and property of which belongs to trustees and subscribers. Local settlers are taking advantage of the dry weather to log up and clear fence lines etc.

Mr Fealy, telegraph engineer writes: "The work of putting up the Marakopa-Te Kuiti telephone line will be proceeded with as soon as the poles which are being; negotiated for are landed at Marakopa"