NOTES FROM A JOURNAL

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 159, 8 December 1847, Page 2

NOTES FROM A JOURNAL

Kept diirhig an excursion to the Boiling Springs of liulorua and llatomahana, by way of the Waikato and Waipa countries, in the Summer of Eighteen Hundred and Forty-sin and Seven.

(Continued.) Jan. 11. — After prayers in the home, lervlce being held in the Native Chapel, by one of their own teachers, in the absence of the Reverend Mr. Chapman, we embarked in hit bout, manned by tix stout Maori lads, and pulled across to the iiland of Mokoia, which lies directly oppoiite to the Ngae, four miles distant. It is of a conical shape, its baie about two milei in cir cumference, its apex tour hundred feet high, and cleft owardi the centre by a wooded ravine. There in a considerable extent of flit ground on the southern tide, which was covered with kumera gardens, cultivated with all the care which the Nativei beitow on that plant, and which seemed to thrive well in the light volcanic day of the island. The tides, fora third of the vr»y up, are cut into terraces, similar to (hose seen on all their strongholds which occupy declivities— they are in fdCt, fighting platforms, and during the period of their wars, • were always defended by strong palisades. There were a good many huts scattered over them, and on the flat below, we entered one of these, to pay a visit to the principal Chief of Koturua, named Akairo. He was a fine-looking middle-aged man of a dignified exterior, and he wore as emblem of bis rank, a dog-skin " kakabu," or mantle, but as he is taid to be inimical to Europeans, more particularly tioce the arrival of the Government, who, he maintains, have come to enslave the people and take away their lands : he received us with a surly indifference, scarcely condescending to take any notice of our salutation. On drscending from his house we came to one of the terraces, where a Native congregation, seated on the ground, were listening ' to one of their teachers, who, robei in hit blanket, and standing with extended hand, holding a book, while expounding the Scriptures, reminded us of the figure of ' St. Paul, in Raphael's cartoon of the Apostle preachiDg at Athens. There are several boiling springs at the foot of the i hill.of a slightly acid,but not a strong sulphurous taste, They bubbled up from rock of the same deicription as atOhiniinutu.and as at that place were conducted into a number of wai ariki, or hot baths, in which' the Natives were enjoying themselves. Indeed the use of theie hot baths seem to occupy * great portion of th«ir time, and, li<<e smoking, has become an inveterate habit, very prejudicial to their health. As all p Iceha are dubbed physicians, we were taken, to see two tick Chiefs, one suffering from a malignant disease of his foot, the other, from the effects of a seven day* 1 abstinence from food* to which he had subjected himself on the death of his wife, to whom he was much attached : the first appeared to be a hopeless case, which the surgical knowledge possessed by the Missionaries cou'd •carce treat, and the latter seemed 10 feeble at to preclude a hope of recovery. We could only offer them our sympathy. Mr. Chapman resided on this island for some time after his house at Ohinimutu had been plundered, twelve yean since, by the Ngatihoua, in a taua made by them on Roturua, under the famous Waharoa. He was absent at the time, and the first notice he had of the disaster, was a rencontre with the victorious Ngatihonn returning to Mata Mata, carrying off his household furniture, and ts there was not enough to give each individual a distinct portion, they had actually broken up his chairs, some were brandishing the legs a» trophies, others had made prizes of the backs or the cushions, while tome rejoiced in a frying-pan, or a tea-kettle, as their " spolia opima." We were pointed out the site of this asylum, on a terrace sur*] rounded by picturtsque karaka treei. * , This island was the scene of a horrible massacre about twenty years since, during the invasion of Roturua by the celebrated Hongi, the Ngapuhi Chief. He had landed at Maketu, the sea-port of Roturua, where he had stormed the pa and slaughtered the inmates, when the Ngatiwakaua and other tribes residing about the lakes, terrified by this event and the reports of his prowesi, had fled with their families to Mokoin for refuge, whither also- they had conveyed all their canoes, thinking that by this measure they had placed them-

■elves beyond hit reach, and were rejoicing in their apparent security : but their rejoicing was o< short da. ration, for this fierce Chief determining not to be baffled, had managed to draw his canoei over-land, to the ex. treraity of the chain of lakes that extend eastward from Rotorua, by which means he reached the lake itieif, mnd to the astonithment and affright of the crow ds ou the iilund, his fleet was seen one morning, making straight for it. Panic-struck, the Ngutrrakaua made scarce any resistance, and a horrible slaughter took place on the island, while numbers vrere drowned or killed in the wuter, in attempting to swim to the main land. Sated with blood, the Ngapubi at length gave ■ quarter to the reiidue left alive* after consummating their atrocities by a cannibal feast. Honjji, br a strange impulie of generosity, however,' set at liberty the principal Chiefs who had survived, but carried all the rest prisoners to Maketu, with the intention of conveying them as slaves to the Bay of Islands. But as the Ngapuhi were compelled to remain some time at Maketu, to repair the damage the canoes hud sustained during their rough transit overland fiom Rotorua, they were so much engaged that they Emitted to pay such attention to, the safe keeping of their captives as their numbers demanded, so that a great many managed to escape and returning to their homes, re-established the tribe, wbiah would otherwise have been broken up. The immense fires that were burning, as I have hi* fore remarked, in every direction among the forests, emitted clouds of smoke, which, wafted towards the Ngae by a westerly windf produced an atmosphere, increased in temperature by the heat of the day, that was perfectly stifling, and shrouded every object under a lurid veil, so that we gladly returned to the shelter of the house ; in the evening however I strolled to the hills that rose behind, and found the soil at the back to be of good quality, particularly in the woods, which | were'of vigorous growth, consisting chiefly of Tawa and Kimu, with Kahikatea in the hollows. The country adjacent to the lake would indeed be very suitable for European settlements, if unoccupied by Natives, but it his the disadvantage of being distant from the coast, at Maketu, to which there only is access by a billy ■ route that takes eight hours to travel, although, doubtless, a good road would shorten the time now - occupied in making the journey. I was told that the sea can be distinctly seen from the hills behind Ohinimutu. Rotorua would be a most agreeable summer residence, for the scenery is pleasing, and there is good hard riding-ground round the greater part of the circuit of the lake. Of course hot and cold bathing could be enjoyed at pleaiure. The Natives are at present rude and uncivilized, but time would make a change in this respect, and it may be anticipated, that at no very distant period, when the true character of its waters hs remedial agents has been ascertained, and its beau* tful localities and salubrious air are known, it will b» a part of the country much' resorted to by invalids, and by those whose leisure will permit them to vary their residence. Boating and riding parties— excursions to the other lakes which cluster round Rotorua, would afford sufficient outdoor amusement, and temporary establishments might be well supplied with provision! of all kinds, ind with the luxury of five fruit, during ths summer, which is the only period a residence could be lecommended for invalids, or persons in delicate health, since I was informed that a very great deal of raid falls in the winter f which would naturally arise from physi» cal circumstances connected with the formation of the country — a large basin with a surface soil of more than, ordinal y t< mprrature, and surrounded by hills of considerable height. , Jan. 12.— We left the Ngae at day-break in a dense fog, to visit some Ngawha yarned Tikiteri, about three Miles to the north.east of the Missionary station. After half an hour's walk, a valley opens to* the east, up which we ascended along the courie of a stream— it might be about a quarter of a mile in breadth, gradu* t ally incoming narrow towards its termination, and bounded by low bare hills, its bed being covered with fern and grass. A sulphurous odor which tainted the air announced our approach to the Ngawha, some of which were in action at the head of the valley. We now ascended a ravine, whose sides were formed of aluminous rock of a chalky whiteness, and down which, poured a tepid stream from the plateau above, where the principal springs have their source — this we sooa re.elud, and it presented a very striking scene. Over its whole surface, winch was nearly level, boiled up springs of various sizes and quality— some clear and transparent, others muddy and discoloured, oa whose •urface rose large bubbles, from the assent of sulphuretted hydrogen, for on applying test-paper of lead, over these as they burst, it were instantly blackened, while others again were of pure mud, lazily rising up with that Stygian aspect which characterizes them. The spaces between the different springs were either formed of clay or aluminous lock, variously coloured, sometimes by incrustations of sulphur, which indeed often lay about in heaps, at others the clay was burnt perfectly red like a brick, or the rock was blackened by the sm»ke of some internal furnace. Clouds of seam rose from every part of the plateau, and mingling with the dense fog which hung around, gave a vivid idea of the fabled kingdom of Pluto. It repuired considerable caution in moving over the treaclierou* crust that covered the beds of burning sulphur, and boiling fluid below, for from the little spiracles, of which there were numbers in every direction, pure, sulphurous acid gas was emitted, that formed beautiful chrys'als of sulphur round their edges, and showed the near approach to (he surface of the burning mineral it* self and thin coating of clay that covered it. * The Natives often resort here for the cure of rheumatism, and other diseases with which they areaflicted. They form, on these occasions, a 6team-ba,tb» over the spircles, by means of layers of manuka which they so dispose as to prevent themselves from being burnt or scslded, yet to have the benefit of the vapour, and they cover these with rude sheds, many of which we saw in various parts of the plateau. They make use of these «ulphureous steams for another, although not a very delicate.yet an equally necessary purpose.for they spread their garments on the manuka, and thut destroy the Termin with which they are usaally covered^ AH the springs, by the application of tests, shewed 7 the presence of more or less sulphur, or sulphuretted eydrogen in their composition, and generally also the xistence of a free acid, as the litmus paper .did not lose its red colour by exposures heat. They varied much, however, in taste, some being acidulous, some sulphurous, though not so strongly so as their smell would indicate, and others were saline. , -■. The vallty I have described would appear well situated for the site of the hospital which his Excellency the Governor propoies to erect in this part of the country, as it would not interfere with the Natives, [who do not live near it : there is sufficient space for the necessary buildings, and tbe various waters might be oon- | ducted from the plateau into the baths by mea* 1 of earthenware or even wooden pipes, when Euroy •** were patientsffor their efficacy in obstinate rheu;?. affections, have been tested by several settlers from Tauranga and other ports in the Bay of Plenty, who have received great rel'iof, and in one instance I was informed, a perfect cure was completed by their use—

and the Natives, though making the hoipital their reiidence for interntl treatment, might use the steambaths after their own fashion. ' There are some very large Ngawha four miles further eastward, whose steam we saw ri«in R in clouds on our way ba<k to the Ngae, as the fog bad b«n dispersed by the tun. Their waten are all clear, but potsest the powers of petrifying, or rather covering with an aluminous deposit, every substance put into them. I was shewn a portion of the rock they form, it was of a bluiih crey colour, and admitted of a very high polish. After breakfast we took leave of our kind hottest, M>«. Chapman, who liberally furnished us with bread, and a fine shoulder of mutton, a luxury iddom met with in the interior, and we set out for Ohinimutu, following a path along the terrace which I have described, at bordering the lake for some miles. The soil was tterile and covered with dwarf-fern and tui, and part of the way we retraced the route we had pasted over a few days before ingoing toTarawera. Before entering Ohinimutu, however, we struck off to Titlt the famous Ngawha of Wakawerawera'which I have mentioned, it is three miles to the south of that pa, at the bast of the hills which bound the basin of Rotorua, and even at mid-day, when the sleam arising from the other springs was tcarce visible, its lite was discernible from the immense column of vapour which rolled up the tides of the overhanging hills. In pawing over the plain, which was compoied of the utual sterile soil incident no this portion of the country, I observed wherever it was hollowed out by water-courses, that horizontal layers of alumina were exposed below the thin surface of volcanic mud and gravel, an evidence that the whole phin must, at one period, have been a vast lakejrf boiling water. . , The ftgawha are hid from tight until just upon them, and then a scene is exhibited of the strangest ardwi'dest character. The valley in which they have their •ource it .filled with rounded knolls, rent and furrowed in every direction by their powerful a/ency. and tinted of every variety of colour, among which the springs burst forth in violent ebullition, being of all sizes and forms— the principal one it a geyssr, which tends up, every five minutes, a jet of boiling water to the height of fifteen or twenty fe«t, surmounted by a cloudy pillar of steam, accompanied by a hollow hitsing roar j and ■evernl fearful-looking, funnel-shaped crater t, were filled with dark boiling mud, which, although thick and •limy, wat thot up to some height, and fell back into the horrible aperture, with a sullen sound. In fact, the eye was bewildered by the constant succession of these boulloirs of either quality, and the volumes of vapor ascending and rolling around in every direction, yet inthemidttof all tht3 volcanic turmoil, acleir mountain river holds itt course, gliding twiftiy along between deep banks. It is of courss tepid at its exit from the valley, from receiving the perpetual overflow of so many boiling springs, but in the upptr part of the valley, it ia cold as ice. So near the surface is tlie burning material which beats the waters, that our bare footed guide complained of the heat, and on thrutting my stick into the ground close to our path,, itt point came out to hot at altnott to burn the hand when applied to it. We were consequently obliged to ute great caution in traversing the ground, for fear of treading on tome portion of the cruit weaker than the rest, and thus beiHK lubjected either to tevere scalding, or burning, a mischance that happened to Pere Rene, the Catholic priest at Ohiniwutu, ioroe time before, who having gone to visit the Ngawha, unattended, and not returning to evening prayers, hu flock, who are much attached to him from hit amiable disposition, went in search of him and found the reverend man lying on the ground, in great agony, having bern scalded on one leg, up to the middle of the thigh, by the ground having given w«y ovtr a boullotr. The Natives resort here occasionally in the winter, I presume for the sake of enjoying a higher temperature than at Ohinimutu. It would be neediest to describe the place more in detail, it may suffice to say that a visit to Wakawerawera, thould never be neglected in passing through this part of the country. (To be continued.)