A VISIT

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 712, 29 May 1852, Page 3

A VISIT

To one of the Islands in the Bay of Plenty, celebrated and dreaded by the New Zealanders as the residence of the Tuateras — Nararas, or large Lizards — by a party of Officers of the 58th Regiment; to which are added a few notes on the Natural History of the Ani nals.

[From the New Zealander, April 24.] On the 18th December, 1851, our party arrived at the high hills overlookirg Wakatane in . the Bay of Plenty, en route for Terawera. Fourteen days on board a small native vessel had made our breathing short, and our feet tender, so that the hard sand and the high hills which lie between Ohewa and Wakatane made us all feel tired, although we had only walked seven miles, and the sun had not yet risen high in the heavens, le was a delightful* New Zealau 1 morning. .A thousand feet almost perpen-licularly below wheje we sat lay the Wakatane River, twisting itself like an eel over the level plain through which ie flows. On either bank there are several native settlements and a few European houses : a fairer prospect is rarely seen. To the settlement nearest the mouth of the river, we descended by a precipitous path, and not feeling inclined to face the long sand walk between Wakatane and M.itata that day we pitched our tent. It was about noon when we had finished oar morning repast, and had listened to the history of the ancient feuds between the tribes at O,)otiki and Onr*a (Whakatoheas,) and tfie tribes ac Wakatane, chiefly Ngatiawas. We were told how the Bonaparte of the New Z^alanders, llongi, had, about thirty years ago, attacked the Wakatane people when they were without firearms, and the si mghter he had committed. We had admired the waterfall which tumbled and boiled over our beads, and had sketched the curious and strange shaped tattoo marks which several of the women have at this place round their lips ; still it was a long time to sun-down, and, as we had no books to read, we set -our thoughts to work to suggest how we might spend the remainder of the day ; at Sast it was happily proposed that we should visit one of the four small volcanic islands, distant about eight miles from the coast, and which are celebrated and dreaded by the natives as the homes of the fearful Tuateras. ! There was no difficulty in getting a canoe, and the permission of the old chief to visit the island ; but when we came to enquire for acrew to paddle us, It was a different affair. Two natives of the place would only accompany us ; and our own natives — strong active fellows, who bad seen the world, and bad drank grogin Auckland—although very anxious to oblige un, were truck with terror at the idea of facing the Tuaj.

ten or Narara in his own home : the den of a man-eating tiger, or a mad dog, could not be more dreaded. The trip was almost about to be given up for want of a crew, when a final display of silver, tobacco, promises of more, and an assurance that they were only required lo paddle the canoe to the island, not to land on it, got us six doubtful volunteers, a small crew for such a large canoe ; but it was the middle of summer — the sea was like a lake — there was no wind — it was one of those sunny days which they only *Tcnow who have visited and lived in the Bay of Plenty. One of our party, a lover of ease and a dreader of water, remained behind ; two of us only -em"barked. As (he canoe was paddled along, we were entertained with stories about the great size, numbers, fierceness, and hideous appearance of the animals we were about to visit. We were told that if they got a bold of one of us they would never let go, and that there was poison in their teeth. Oilier dismal tales were told — for example : An old chief, wealthy with such riches as a New Zealander values, was anxious Jo marry a young girl, who not only disliked him, but loved a young and handsome lover. For many , months she refused the chief's hand : the terrors 'of death, on shore, had no influence in coercing •lier. The chief therefore told her that if, within a certain time, she did not agree to the nuptials, he would convey her to the island nearest the prow 'of the canoe, and leave her there. It was a dreadful alternative, but she preferred death among the lizards to a bridal bed with the old ■chief. She was conveyed to the island, and left there. Night came on, and with it the lizards. She, in the madness of despair, took to the water, and swam to a small islet near — but the lizards pursued her, and eat her up. Eight miles is a long distance .for a large sea •canoe with a few paddle's : at last we reached the island — it was low water, and there were heaily two hundred yards of rough rocks, covered with sea-weed and shells, to walk over. We landed, •and look with us the box which had been prepared for conveying the captured lizards to Auckl«nd. For the first time it flashed across our minds that the lizards had no other existence hut in the imagination of the New Zealanders ; but this was not the case. As we approached the dry part of the island, thousands of birds rose to greet us, and flew screaming close above our heads, so close as to make us involuntarily bend our necks to avoid them, just as soldiers do when tbey are binder musket fire for the first time. The birds were in a natural state, and bad no dread of man. The locks under our feet were covered with the white dung of these animals, and I caught myself -stepping -on an egg as large as a pigeou's. On looking more carefully, we observed the ground was covered with eggs, and with young birds unable to fly. What struck us most was that all the eggs were solitary, there were not two together; some were exposed on the bare open rocks, others were slightly hid in the crevices of rocks. What is the cause of the birds scattering their eggs, said we ? A native, who had conquered bis fears; and had crept np close behind us, muttered to himself, "He manu wangainga tahi," the bird with one egg. It is the Titi bird of the natives, the Pelicanoides urinatritc of "Cuvier. We were much pleased to find that one native accompanied us, and more particularly our friend Woon, alias Mr. Marama. He was an active young New Zealander ; h§d fought with his father, that brave aud good old man Moses Towai, for us during Heki's war jn the North, when but a boy. His mother was, a Taranald woman, and he bad been ?it school, and had been baptized by that zealous friend of the Maories, the Rev. Mr. Woon, after himself. We must beg the good missionary's pardon for giving his namesake a nickname, for we called him Marama, the Maori term for moon, the name we thought he gave us in Auckland on •entering our service. As I was picking op an egg of the one-egged bird, my fellow traveller called out, Here is one! I immediately ran to where he was, and saw about eight inches of tail, covered with scales, sticking out between two large stones. I put down my jiand to pull it out, but, although not very fastidious, or nervous, the sensation the* skin of the brute made on my hand was so horrid, and so unlike anything I had ever felt before, that I instinctively drew it back as if it had touched a piece of red hot iron. Fortunately I bad a pair of leather gloves in my pocket, one of which I •put on, the other I gave to my companion, and again took bold of the tail ; it was however, quickly twisted out of my fingers by the animal turning sharply round and looking me steadi'y and fairly in the face, as if be were asking me, What made you touch my tail ? and in such a position as if he w-ere ready to spring on me should my answer not prove satisfactory to him. We bad now an opportunity of seeing the animal face to face : what struck us most was his large mouth. If, said we, the brute bites, or is one half as savage as the Maories tell us, his bite will be no joke. Partly dreading to return without a lizard, and thus give our followers and the village an idea that we were afraid of them, and parily struck by a benevolent expression the animal had about his face, which made us think his appearance was against him, I, with considerable dread, thrust forward my hand and grasped him about an inch behind- his mouth, and dragged hini out of his hole. iHow he twisted^-how the slimy, cold, horrid sensation of his tail flew up my nerves, to my heart like an electric spark, I cannot describe. He was quickly put into the box, and shut up. On we walked. In half an hour we bad got into our box nearly forty Tuateras of different sizes, some nearly two feet long, others three inches. One small lizard, not a tuatera, got a bit of my finger into his mouth, and I felt his bite, but the skin was untouched through the glove. We could have collected many more, but we were stopped in our hunting by the old chief who navigated the canoe, pointing to the setting sun, and a dark cloud in the horizon, and telling us to come on board. This, we regretted, because the island was swarming with lizards. Almost every stone we turned over a number of small ones icamperzAiiiom below it. They were not all Tuateras, Bat-sd«je> wer|"« harmless lizard died Moko-nuka-^he TiUqua Zelandica of naturalisti. The large Tuateras kept among the rocks — they had retired for the night. ] n the daytime they are seen basking themselves iv the sun on the bare rocks ; noon is therefore the best hour to visit tlie island. We may here observe there are four small islands, on two of which Tualeias are found. They are called Burima and Moutoki. The laigest is abcut lalf a mile in circumference at

high water. They are all of volcanic origin, and are scantily covered with soil ; but it is sufficient to grow a few of the most hardy New Zealand shrubs and creepers, among the latter of which we observed the delicate flower of the Pohue, or Panapa (the Calystegia Scpium of naturalists), the long fleshy .root of which was formerly u source of food to the New Zealanders. There was no fresh water on the island, but what was contained in the crevices ol rocks from rain. All our natives had liken courage at seeing our success, and bad landed from the canoe, and loaded themselves with the eggs and young of the one-~ egged bird. It was almost dark when we had got ail comfortably seated in the canoe. The wind, which had sprung up, was against us ; the rough walk in the morning, aud the long paddle to the island, made our return a difficult and tedious affair, for the natives fell asleep with the paddles in their hands. A slight shower of rain began to fall, and we now regretted that we travelled on temperance principles — it was the only time, however, we bad really reason to do so during the whole of our trip. A little grog would have deferred the natural sleep for a few hours, have given fresh strength to the men, and got us to land by ten o'clock ; as it was, it was almost dawn before we reached Wakatane, and got safely over the numerous rocks which are found at the mouth of the river. Tired with paddling, we threw our blankets over us, and 1 ' fell instantly asleep. It might be about six o'clock in the morning when we were awoke by a loud shriek from at least a hundred Maories. This made us spring to our feet, and put our heads out of the tent to find what the row was about. To our astonishment, we saw a crowd of men, women, and children, scampering off as fast as iheir legs would carry them in all directions. We thought they were all mad, or the earth had opened in the midst of them. The cause of the disturbance was this — The object of our visit to the island had spread over all the settlement, and as we did not return at sundown, the superstitious ones thought we had been devoured by the lizards. At daylight, therefore, the natives collected and waited on our fellowtraveller to enquire if we had arrived, and to hear our slory. Seeing a box carefully tied up with flax close to the tent door, one of them opened it, aud out rushed a Tuatera : the shrieks and dispersion already described were produced by this cause. In a short time most of them returned, and we showed them what harmless auimals the Nararas vrere. One of the European settlers at Wakatane is a monkey. He is the property of almost the oldest European inhabitant in New Zealand ; and, as these animals are proverbial for being keen observers of mankind and animals, we had a siring tied to the tail of the liveliest and largest lisard, and introduced it to the monkey. It was a curious scene. The moukey walked round and round the lizard : be looked at his face, and then at his crested tail ; every time the circle at which he kept diminished. It was evident he bad never been presented to such an animal before. Like a child, just beginning to discriminate objects, he was anxious to touch the lizard ; at last he got courage^ and placed his band on the tip of the Narara's tail : the anin al, according to custom, gave a twist round, and looked the monkey in the face. This was enough. Jacco bounded to the top of his pole like a flash of lightning, and there remained with all the signs of terror depicted on his countenance. He was a brave monkey ; had lived long with a chain round his body ; and bad spent the early part of his civilized life on 1 board i a man-of-war, where the young sailor boys had taught him the ait of self-defence. He was a match for any dog in all the Wakatane river, and the delight and terror of all the little urchins of the NgatiaviM. Notwithstanding all this, the hideous and igpulsive appearance of the lizard struck him with terror. Jacco, we were told, was an epicure, so we placed a favourite dish of his close to the mouth of the lizard. The dread of death, or rather the love of life, triumphed over the gratification of the palate. He merely eyed the food with much the tame expression as a hungry schoolboy looks at the tarts in a confectioner's shop. In about four minutes be saw the lizard drop his eyelids over his eyes. This was enough. There was not a moment to be lost : down the pole Jacco stealthily stole, and, with a quietness which would not have disturbed a mouse, he grasped the food from under the jaws of the lizard and retreated, chattering in the greatest delight, to the top of his pole, where he devoured 'his cleverly won meal with great gusto. After about an hour, Mr. Jacco saw that there was nothing to be dreaded from the lizard, and he treated him with contempt, not that he attempted to ride on his back •or pull his tail so long as we were there. We had now got the liaards, but, alas ! no native could be procured for love, tobacco, or money lo carry them : we therefore left them at Wakatane to be forwarded to Auckland by the first European vessel. No maori craft would have anything to do with them. It was with considerable regret that we left Wakatane. We were all anxious to slop another day, but our month's leave was nearly out, and we had a long journey 'before sijs 5 ijs : so, on the 19th December, we were ferryed across the Wakatane river, and after bidding farewell to our kind friends, the Messrs. Fulloons, we commenced our dreary march over the long sandy beach which lies between Wakatane and Matata. We saw a shark almost diiven on shore by a large wave, but with this exception there wai nothing to amuse us. The shells on the shore were all known to our conchologist. We looked in vain to see what is said to be seen on the hard sand between Opotiki and Wakatane — a green and white penguin, the Korora (spheniscus minor) taking a pipi shell to a great height, from whence it lets it fall on the beach, and then descends itself to pick out the flesh from the broken fragments of the shell. So, for want of something better to do, we aroused ourselves by observing the impression which our natives' feet made on the soft sand of. the sea shore ; and we came to the conclusion that a gi eat number of New Zealanders are flat footed — that their feet are short and broad— that they turn in their toes — that a European cannot walk with ease in tbe footsteps of a Maori— and that they are shorter legged, and take shorter steps, than the majority of Europeans. After these-philo-sophical deductions were arrived at, we thought that an account of our visit to the Narara Islands might prove amusing and instructive lo the New

Zealanders. Unfortunately, it wad out of our line of country to compose, so we talked over what we would say as we walked along the sand, and wrote down in one of our note-books what was said when we rested ourselves. It made a long road short ; and we hope it may be inserted in the native newspaper, and thus assist in removing an ignorant superstition from the minds of the N-ew Zealand race. On our return to Auckland, the following notes j on the natural history of the Nararas were made. Of the box of Nararas we left nt Wakatane only j three reached Auckland alive some had died, others had escaped, and the large ones, we were ■ told, had eaten up the small ones. Mr. Gray, of the British Museum, places the T.uatera in the^rder Sauria '(Fam. Agamidai), and names it the Hatteria punctata. It is the gigantic lizard alluded to by Captain Cook ; few specimens have been sent to England. Dieffen- 1 bach states that he bad great difficulty in procuring a specimen, although he offered large rewards, and was always looking for one ; at last he got one from the late Dr. Johnson, Colonial Surgeon, Auckland, which was procured fiom the Rev. W. Slack, Tauranga. The Narara is about eighteen or twenty inches long. One was seen, but not caught, which must have been two feet. It is four inches round the chest, and weighs, .when in condition, about sixteen ounces. Like the chameleon, its colour varies; when seen on the island they were of a dark olive colour, with many white points on their backs ; now, in confinement, they are more of a light black colour. The whole body is covered with scales of different shapes and sizes ; those on the back of the animal are small, those on the under part of the animal are small under the mouth, larger and squarer on the trunk, round on the pelvis, and long and thin on the tail. Head quadrangular ; forehead, low; expression of face, mild but stupid. A soft but sharp crest runs from the head to the apex of the tail along the back ; it is however interrupted on the neck and over the pelvis : — the head and dorsal crests are white, sometimes olive ; those on the tail are less prominent, and dark brown. The skin is loose, and is thrown into folds : A large pouch is found under the lower jaw, which I never saw distended. They have four legs, with five toes very partially webbed ;on each toe there is a sharp claw. The tongue isfla', broai, and fleshy; the point is free. In the lower jaw there are 28 small rounded py-ramidal-shaped teeth ; in the upper jaw there are 26. The two front teeth in the upper jaw are large and prominent ; the back teeth have a groove between them, into which groove the single range of teeth in the lower jaw fall when the teeth are closed. The eyes are large, prominent, and are furnished with eyelids : the iris is much the same colour, as the body, the pupil is dark, and in a bright light looks like a slit made with a knife ; it is sensible to light. The flesh of the animal is white, and has a fish-like smell. The spinal cord is large, and extends to the apex of the tail. The animal has considerable sensibility — it lias been seen to^raise its forehand to drive off a fly. They hear perfectly : when not very torpid a little noise makes them open their eyelids. They can run with considerable rapidity even up a straight wall. The sight appears to be tolerably acute, but the, eye can be touched with a blunt body without producing winking. Respiration is effected by lungs which are large, and extend into the abdomen ; the. ribs are elevated and depressed on each expiration and inspiration. There is great variety in the number of respiration* in a minute; during the heat of the day, when the animal was running about, I counted 26 respirations in a minute — when asleep at night, eight or ten. One wa§ kept under water for a considerable time, and it appeared quite comfortable, and was perfectly lively when brought up, but respiration through the mouth did not take place when under water. When some of the animals were caught they made a sound as if clearing their nostrils by a forced expiration — a low hiss. They make no attempt to bite, although they twist their heads round as if they were about to do so, but they scratch very severely with their claws. I put a thermometer into the mouth of one to see the temperature, and he bit it in two parts. They can remain a long time without food, but I have seen food pass through one in two hours. The Maories say they live on roots, leaves, seaweed, shell-fish, eggs, &c , two were kept alive for a long time on boiled potatoes. They eat their young. In the box we left at Wakatane there were at least twenty lizards from three to six inches long; day by day the European who had charge of them said, they decreased in number ; there was no way of escape, and be found the points of the tails of the young one^in the box. They appear to like water; a Narara escaped from the box, and almost every night it was seen to visit an open well when the ground about was damp, but I never saw them drink water, and the island where they live must i be often days without fresh water. When thrown into water they swim readily, but they try to get j out as quickly as possible. They evidently burrow in the ground. I have seen oue scratching a hole in the sand of the box with its fore clans. Two Nartras could never be got to fight. The Maories say. they lay eggs, but none were seen on the island. Several young wete caught as if they were just hatched ; they were then perfectly j shaped, three~or fout inches long, soft skin, and brownish white colour ; there was then no crest on the back. They are not cowards ; their means of defence appear to rest on their hideous appearance, the cold slimy sensation which their bodies give out, and their claws. A great part of their life, is passed in sleep. The Maories say they bask in the sun in the day time, and retire to their holes at night. A fire lighted at night attracts them from their holes, and they crowd round it. Heat makes them lively — cold, stupid and sleepy. The "temperature of the surface of the skin is a- degree below the temperature of the air. A thermometer well down the throat, rose two degrees above the temperature of the air. Nfcraras are said to have been very numerous formerly on the mainland of the North Island of •New Zealand. This statement rests on tradition, and from their lemains having been found on Mount Eden; near Auckland. We were told at Terawera, near the centre of the island, that they are sometimes seen in rocky places, aud one cave was pointed out where a large one was said to live. In the valley of the Mokau River similar holes are pointed' out, but no European has, lbe--Jieve, ever seen them on the mainland. At present they are only known to exist on a few small rocky islands in the Bay of Plenty, md in the i

Gulf of Hauraki. The extinction of these animal* from the mainland may be attributed to dogs and 'pigs — to the latter animal they would fall an easy prey, and afford a pleasant repast. Wherever pigs are found Nararas are, not found. In the large island off the mouth of the Wakata- ! ne River, called Moutohora,- Nararas were formerly numerous, but, since pigs have been put on it, they are now only found on the high and almost inaccessible parts of the island. In South America, pigs have proved very destructive to all the snakes in the country. Nararas, we are told, were formerly used as food' by some tribes, but I never met with a New Zealatider who had made a meal off one ! Nararas belong to the same order of animals as those which have produced so much interest among geologists, for having existed in the world before the creation of man, and for having been swept away from the earth thouiands of years before the human race sjtood upon it. Nararas somewhat lesemble the licards figured on tlie ancient monuments of the Egyptians. The awe and terror in which they aie held by the New Zealantlers may in' some degree be produced by the superstition that the lizard is the favourite form which the spirits of the dead assume on visiting the earth, and most racet of men have an instinctive dread of thi3 order of animals. In all ages fabulous stories have been related, and more particularly in Eastern writings, about the ravages which this order of animals have produced. In China, a dragon is the national emblem. In England we have the famous history of St George and the Dragon. The New Zealanders have their stories of large animals in the shape of Tuateras, called Taniwhas, living in caverns and destroying travellers, against which monsters war parties were sent, and the brave deeds done on such occasions still live in the songs end traditions of the people.