FRONTIER SETTLEMENT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 519, 20 November 1912, Page 3

FRONTIER SETTLEMENT.

MAROKOPA DISTRICT. INTERESTING RECOLLECTIONS. No. I. The Marokopa district, which takes its name from the stretch of waterway that meanders through a large and fertile area, is situated on what might be termed the southern shores of Kawhia harbour, extending to Te Rau Point on the south. It has a peculiar isolation, possessing its own historical facts, superb limestone feaves, beautiful waterfalls, strange formations, scenery unparalleled, nooks and ravines clad with native bush resplendent in this pristine loneliness, and as a matter of fact its own way of doing more things than one§ With a coast line bordering on the Tasman Sea, the district gets its fair share of rain, and on the whole enjoys a very good and healthy climate. AN INTERESTING RELIC.

In days gone by the Marokopa dis trict was one of the favourite haunts and hunting grounds of the far-famed Maori warrior, Te Rauparaha. It was to this district that this famous chief retired when in one of his weak stages, in order that he might again rally round him the various tribes and reorganise his plans of war with a view to marching southward to Taranaki to meet his enemies on the battlefield once again. This he successfully carried out at a later period. When in the district he decided to keep himself in close concealment, and he choose a sort of cave right under the bluff of Te Rau Point, where he erected a crude form of dwelling in order to carry out his plans. It is estimated that it is over a century asro since he erected this habitation, and with the exception of a portion of it which has been filled up with crumbled rock, the structure stands as good and strong as it did a hundred years ago. The poles and flax fibre used are to this day in a perfect state of preservation. This place is known to the natives as Teurungaparauwa. It was owing to the district in these days being the abiding place of this famous warrior

that it has become rich in native historical facts, and many are the stories handed down of the fury and fierce and bloody struggles that took place within this territory. Ample evidence of what must have been is to be witnessed by the number of old fortifications and trenches, and the large number of skeletons found along the sea coast up to the present day. The Moeatoa Hill—sleeping place of the brave —is to the present-day native a source of considerable mystery, as the tale has been handed down that in a cave in that hill has been buried a large number of natives, which also it is related, contains a valuable treasure of greenstone. Nobody seems to know the exact story, or where to locate this ancient burial ground, and many are the surmises as to where is the entrance to this cave. Some of the older natives say that it is by means of a subterranean passage from some point on the coast in the vicinity of Te Rauparaha's whare. In what they term the olden days, a large number of natives inhabited the district, but now their numbers are very few.

THE FIRST WHITE WOMAN. Almost a couple of decades ago the hearts of the people in the large towns of New Zealand were charmed by that great violinist known as Bessie Doyle. Being the possessor of an adventurous spirit, and having heard much of the famous King Country, Bessie Doyle decided to make a tour of it in order that she might have it to say that she was one of the first white women that travelled overland from Taranaki to Auckland through the King Country. Accompanied by Captain Buller, a wealthy Englishman, and a few members of her company, they arrived one day at Urenui, where they selected Mr J. Willison —one of the pioneer settlers—as a guide through this practically unknown stretch of country. The party started off and camps were pitched at Mokau, Nukuhakari, Marokopa and Kawhia, where several days were spent in exploration work. The then famous violinist took especial care to bring one of her violins with her, and at the various places called at she entertained the natives to some music. The sight of a white woman was, to many of the natives, a strange sight, but the violin aroused their curiosity even more, especially when the songs of birds were imitated. This ladv on her trip received many handsome and valuable gifts of greenstone and mats. Mr Willison states that the trip was negotiated without any great difficulty. Every possible comfort was carried on pack horses, and with the exception of some exciting occurrences in getting the horses through, nothing of any great interest transpired. It was aboard ap ocean liner some years afterwards on the way from America to New Zealand that Mr Willison had the memories of the King Country brought back to him. He was returning to New Zealand from Klondyke, whither he had been taken by the gold fever, and much to his surprise he overheard a conversa-

tion one night aboard ship about New Zealand which made him prick up his ears. It was a narration of a story of a trip through the King Country in company with the famous Bessie Doyle and Captain Builer, under the guidance of a man named Williaon. Mr Willison recognised the man as one of the party, and in his usual quiet manner, said nothing and allowed the narrator to proceed with what he terms a most amusing tale to a large number of interested listeners. Stories of the wild and barbarous natives in their scanty attire, various hues of war paint, war Bongs and war dances, the delightful scenery, and the many hair-breath escapes were related. Mr Willison did not make himself known at the time, but states that it was one of the most amusing and pleasant memories that had been his opportunity to recall. AN HISTORIC PURCHASE. Away back in the early parts of the 'forties, the Hari Hari estate of

almost ten thousand acres was one of the first purchases of native land in the district by the Crown, and was among one of the first in New Zealand. Stories are told of how a man-o'-war came and lay off the coast, putting a party of sailors ashore to carry out the survey of the block. Heavy weather came up, the ship cleared out, and the party were left to pursue their work as best they could. Ancedotes of some of the experiences of the saiiormen with the natives are related to the present day, the majority of which are of a more or less humorous nature. The party set about their work in due course. The boundary lines were thoroughly cut, and were such as could not very well be missed, and much in contrast to the survey lines run by those whose whole existence has been on terra firma. Some of the puriri pegs which were driven into the various ridges are still to be found, and in good preservation, for the very reason that they were big enough, one peg being enough for any man to carry. That sort of peg would not be looked on very highly by the present-day surveyor. The slow pro-

cess of one man carrying one peg to its resting place no doubt accounted for the great length of time in carrying out the work. The saiiormen finished their work, and one day the ship came along and took them away. This block of country was at a later date put on the market, and has since passed through the hands of several who did little or no improvements to it. A few years ago Mr Geo. Riddle bought the run—grazing run tenure —and improvements during the past few years have been going on apace. Settlers in the vicinity have since been in communication with the Government regarding the necessity of cutting the estate up into small farms for dairying, but for so far nothing tangible has resulted, and Mr Riddle continues to improve the property. THE EARLY SETTLERS.

A few yers ago from almost Awakino to Kawhia this whole tract of country was unpopulated, and was known more generally as the NeverNever Land. The only means of access was the old Maori tracks, and the travellers in those days were few and far between. It is really a little over ten years ago since the beginning of settlement began, which commenced in and around Te Anga, and spread in the direction of Kinohaku. The next country to be opened up was the Kiritehere Valley, followed by the Pomerangi, but the latter was not at that time taken up owing to the sections being too large, and the tenure lease-in-perpetuity. Ihe Crown, however, cut these sections in two, and put them on the market under the O.R.P. tenure, after which they were quickly taken up. From that time onwards settlement has been gradually growing, and with the exception of a block of country in the Whareorino survey district, all the country between Awakino and the southern shores of Kawhia harbour is settled.

Mr C. Haylock can be termed the pioneer settler of the Marokopa Valley, and he relates how he and his sons had to strip off their clothes and carry them on their heads through a large swamp to where his present fine homestead stands. Mr J. Willison and his wiife and family were the pioneers of Marokopa where the township now stands. They were the first settlero, and many are the thankful recollections of the generous hospitality received by early settlers at the hands of Mrs Williaon, who has been rightly termed the Mother of the District. As travellers grew and accommodaton became necessary this family, much to the inconvenience of themselves, shared their home wtih others in those lonely and desolate days. As settlement grew the neces-' sity of being able to procure stores was the next item of importance, and the Willison family started a store, and for a number of years brought their goods on pack horses from Te Maika. Other early settlers had similar hardships in getting their goods, and on the whole the early days were not the brightest. IN SEARCH OF GOLD.

After returining from his visit to the Klondike Mr Willison settled in Marokopa, and it was not long before a well known settler confided to him that hp knew where a gold reef was located. The old spirit was aroused in him. and early one morning in company with this settler the secret alone being theirs, they hit out to the Kairimu to make investigation. Dreams of untold wealth and happiness at the good fortune of having selected this new district for their abode were the predominant thoughts of these two explorers. On arrival in the locality indications were to be seen and excitement grow high. Creeks were followed and closely examined until the beginning of the reef was reached. It was good looking quartz, Mr Willison explained, but with his knowledge gained in the Klondyke he informed his friend that it was barren. After considerable examination it was decided to take samples away which they later had assayed and proved Mr Willison's contention. With the exception of an occasional laugh over the matter by both gold-seekers, thus began and ended the first gold hunt in the district.

Others have believed in the district as a producer of gold, and many prospectors have spent days "washing" in the various creeks. The late Mr Sneli, of Waitara, has always insisted that gold is to be found in the Moeatoa hills. It is only a matter of months, not years, Bince a find was supposed to be made in that district, when the utmost secrecy was observed. A large quantity of the quartz was forwarded to the School of Mines, where it was assayed, but proved to contain very little of the precious metal. With the exception of the few instances referred to, the gold possibilities caused very little excitement to the balance of settlers. Contentions by men who have followed up the diggings are to the effect that some day Mouatoa Hill will be found to be ons of the gold producing parts of New Zealand.