NOTES FROM A JOURNAL

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 157, 1 December 1847, Page 2

NOTES FROM A JOURNAL

Kept during an, excursion to the Boiling- Spring* of Rotorua mid Rotomahana\ by, way of the Waikato and Waipa countries i in the Sutonier of Eighteen Hundred randr and Forty-sin and Seven.

(Continued.) Our parting glance of Rotomahana was even more impressive than our first glimpse, for the decreasing temperature of the evening, condemed the vapour is> suing from the Ngawha, until one end of the lake wai completely enveloped in rolling masses of white iteam almoit mingling, with the cloudi. that were, descending on the summits of the hills and .altogether a scene which will not be readily forgotten. ,"On reaching Kahunga, a strong north e«st wind caused so heavy a surf that we could not launch our canoe, and some large drops of rain gave notice of an impending shower, we were there, ore compelled most unwilling to spend the night* in this miserable settlement, where after in vain looking for a T place of shelter and finding each one more filthy than tue other, we accept" ed the chiefs invitation to sleep in hit ware, a long large building in wnicb, besidei ourselves about eighteen souls were to pass the night. There was\nq "ulaj crity shewn by the younger part of the. community , to procure fern for our bed, which we requested ,as a favour, to cover the dirty trash which lay on *t^p" ( f(oor, but the old chief who seemed to practice the Virtue of hospitality more than the younger part of .the tribe, volunteered to procure some, and when they ; laughed at him' and called out " Why old fellow you will bo staked in getting fern for your white men,'/ he answered good humouredly,from among the rocks covered with the stumps of cut trees where he was scrambling in the dark, "Never mind if I am hurt, my' white men will look to it." By the old chiefs exertion,* we managed to make a tolerable bed, but the place in.the centre of which was a large fire, was insufferably hot, and the odour from so many dirty bodies and blankets anythiag but agreeable, however there was an opportune hole in the raupo near me, which having quietly enlarged, I managed to get a little air and some rest, though severely tormented by fleai.' , J Jan. 9th.- The wind did not abate, until mid 3ay, although there was no rain, when after giringiiur friendly old chief a liberal present of tobacco, we had a pleasant passagte across, the lake to Rualttreo. ~Vfo spent the rest or the day very agreeablyin admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake from' Mr. Spencer's cottage, which, situated almost on the edge "of ,th« cliff, commanded a most extensive prospect. Hit garden lying on the northern slope of the headland, and Iringed by noble Pohutukawa wos'a betutifurspot. He had collected twelve varieties of flix, each, with a distinct name and appearance and available to the production of a fine sample, when carefully dressed: We enjoyed the view of a glorious suniet, gilding the cqronetted head of Tarawera, from the smooth pebbly beach to the east of the pa, which, with the delicious, coolness of the air from the water as it rippled^at our feet will make us remember the summers evening at 'Ruakareo. It would indeed be a most delightful residence in the summer months although the winter, it cold and boisterous ,'and no doubt in the future history of New Zealand, a visit to Tarawera will be a fashion-, able, amusement. We were r'epaid r for the discomfort 'of tke past ni^ht, by the luxury of good beds to which* we retired with the pleasurable assurance of rest,, an enjoyment which can only be properly. <» ppreciated, after sleeping in a New Zealand Ware., ;, <].* \A „ Jaw. 10th.' As the inhabitants of Ruakareq are,verjf. badly supplied with articles of European'mariufacture,, from having little intercourse with' the i coast,, Mr., Spencer Uas endearoured to encourage them tol-dresa, the fine flax with which I have mentioned the pa, abounds, but the chief obstacle to their doing so ; with advantage is their distance from a port, for .although there is a good path along the course of the Tarawera river to the Kupenga, where any article, of produce can be embarked in canoes, and conveyed to the * seaport of Matata $ yet the difficulty that traders find at all time* in inducing the natives to carry a sufficient quantity to a given spot at a fixed time, has as yetproved an obstacle to a regular system of barter an,d exchange bring established, and although" the fineness of the flax would always command purchases, no trader has bucceeded in procuring any.. There was however, an agent of one'of these' men 1 who lives at_Ma--tat'a, in. the pa, and people were then eng«ge&ittdressing come tehori for him. Could they, be induced, to,, furnish "a sufficient quantity at once to freight MpM^j. vessel, they would receive in exchange many article* which would materially increase their comfort. , -i We took leave, with regret of,o,ur, kind enter.tajne.fs,

highly impressed with the value of their exertions, and with * sincere with that tUe success which hai as yet attended them, may be : crowned with the complete civilization of the people ampng whom they reside. On our route to Okarika we could distinctly trace two terraces surrounding the lake, and could perceive that in many places horizontal strata of pumiceoui rock was overlying tbe lava walls which supported many of the bounding hills, this fact may permit the supposition to be hazarded.that the whole has been upheaved antecedent to tbe deposition of tbe pumice 5 indeed, tbe lake.blthough ten miles long, and eight in breadth, gives tbe observer an impression that it is but the era. ter of an immense volcano. Ihe smoke of the fires, for preparing the morning meal, marked the site of two other settlements of the Ngatituhourangi, which would otherwise have been invisible, one was placed on a promontory at the north eastern angle of the lake, and the other on the banks of the Ta rawer a river, at its point of issue from the lake. These people have little or no intercourse with the coast, and my fellow traveller who had visited them the previous winter, described them is unmitigated savages. This tribe may amount to hve hundred souls. A young and very intelligent chief who accompanied us, showed us with evident pride, a small patch of wheat growing in a hollow near the path, it looked sickly, and we explained to him that the ground was not sufficiently broken up for the successful growth of that grain and he promised to dig it well next year, hut he deplored the want of*' mill. ' ' " ' We reached tht pa Of Okarika early in the day nnd were met with the same hospitable welcome' as before •nd were urged to remain to visit a lake in a neigh* bouring valley which they told us was of a deep blue or ultramarine' colour, but want of time prevented us from visiting this, and many other lions of the Lake country. We here hired two men to accompany us and carry our baggage, to Auckland, for doing which, they were to receive a Sovereign each on their arrival there, with food and tobacco a discretion during the journey. One of them had never seen the capital and by the prolonged tangi he held with hii relations, they teemed to consider it quite an event in the annals of the family and one not unattended with danger ; and our attendant Peter the cidevant sailor •• spun a few yarns" to "astonish his weak mind." It showed indeed that this young man possessed a strong sense of curiosity, to undertake so long a journey, for of course he would have to find bis way back as he best could.— But adventurors of this kind are of much service in dispelling the absurd notions which the inland tribes entertain regarding us. So retentive are the memories of the natives from being unburdened with the variety of subjects that occupy our minds , that on their return to their pa, they narrate every circumstance that occurred, And everything they saw or did from the day of their departure to that of their coming hack, sitting up a whole night on these occasions surrounded by their wondering relatives. I recollect to have witnessed an amusing scene of this kind, on a former visit into the interior, where a chief who had just bad thehonor of dining with thelaie Governor Fitzroy, gave a pantomime discription of the whole affair, with a humour that threw his audience ' into convulsion* of laughter* Our fashion of drinking wine with each other at dinner seemed particularly to excite their mirth, and the young urchins of the pa, were continually bobbing down their heads to me and calling out •• win 6." We were landed on the northern shores of the lake, and as the day was beautiful, the scenery was quite enchanting. It is a perfect gem and its attraction! will not fail to make it much frequented at a future period. Ascending a valley thinly sprinkled with wood in which we crossed three brooks flowing into the lake, we entered a wood, whose shade was most grate, ful as the sun in this enclosed ground was exceedingly powerful, and would, together with the shelter ,make it a suitable place for vineyards, as the .soil isHight and poroui. Emerging from this wood which is of no great 'extent, we found ourselves on the crest of a hill, commanding an entire view of the lake of Rotorua, which is of an oblong shape and at least twenty miles in circumference. Two thirds of it is bounded by level land of unequal bread tbs extending inland ; the re- ' maining portion lying to (he north, by steep banks descending abruptly to the edge of the water ; and in that direction the outline of the hills is perfectly horizontal, occupied by that table land ami forest which wr had traversed in a former part of our journey ; but the haze ariiing from the extensive conflagrations in the surrounding woods, enveloped the whole country, ■o that we could but indistinctly note the details, and gave the scenery quite a spectral appearance. In descending, the path wound among conical hills, now only covered with tall fern, though formerly wooded, and we remarked in many places patches of tehori flax, evidently planted near ancient cultivations, around settlements which had been abandoned as soon as the wood was destroyed. From these hills we reached a terrace, one of those which I have before described as , bordering the shores of the lake, along which the path lay in a northerly direction : the soil was composed of pumice and ohsitlian gravel, and very poor, and only permitted the growth of stunted fern, and them, or wiry grass common to these regions. At length we reached a wood, behind which lay the Ngae, the residence of Mr. Chapman, of the Church Missionary Society, where we met with a very kind reception from Mrs. Chapman, her husband being, absent on some official business. The house is a cottage, formed of raupo, in the centre of which is a large apartment, supported by rafters, in the Native fashion, and tastefully lined with colored reeds— >it reminded us of au old English hall, and old English hospitality, if we omit the carousals it offered within its walls. We were not indeed enter* tamed with flagons of " nappy ale/ but Mrs. Chapman refreshed us with a bottle of delicious homemade, cider, prepared from the apples of their own Orchard. The grounds-about the house, which is em bowered with creeping shrubs, are tastefully laid out by trenching the ground, bringing up a good soil, and burying the volcanic giavel which forms a layer on the surface, Mr. Chapman has formed a fine orchard, filled with every variety of fruit tree. The apple trees tvefe actually so laden with fruit, that they required to be supported. There is also a garden, in which peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, and the smaller fruits, with every kind of vegetable, grow in the greatest perfection. This spot of smiling cultivation wai quite refreshing after passing through so much Sterile country, in a state of nature j and some fine cattle and sheep Which were grazing in a paddock near the house, objects so seldom seen in New Zealand, gave quite au appearance of " Home," to the scene. The office of a Missionary's wife is no sinecure, so incessant are tbe demands made upon them for medicine and other articles with which they are in tbe habit of gratuitously supplying'their husband's flock; The cry of Mata, Mata, eh, Mata I the nearest approximation to Mother, which the pronouncing organs of the Ne. w Zealanders can attain, isincessant ; and as no idea of regular .attendance for a supply of their wants ever enters their heads, the claims upon the Lady's time are without end, and one cannot but admire the untiring patience with which' the most frU

volous requests arc attended to, a. troublesome labour which nothing but. a high sense of duty could enable them to sustain. I may venture however to remark, that a little more of the " fortiter in re," by compelling the Natives to, adopt habits of order and regularity, would be more beneficial thaa yielding to the desultory and irregular manner in which they do everything. It must be allowed howaver that the Natives of Rotorua,are but just emerging from a state of the wildest barbarism, and that they would probably, become very restive if too tight a reiu were drawn There are two pas, inhabited by Native converts, on either side of the Mission station, but the inmates had a much less civilized exterior, than the Natives more in contact with Europeans, their manners were rude and forward. (To be continued.)