FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 45, 19 November 1912, Page 1

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

SOME EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. THE OLD DAYS REVIVEO. [BY B. A. CRISPE.I [This series of articles was kindly written, especially for the " Times," by Mrs H. Crispe, of Mauku. Our lady contributor was amongst those women pioneers through whose courage and self-sacrifice the people of this district to-day enjoy their peace and prosperity.— Ed.]

NUMBER 1. An Austrian man-of-war, H.M. frigate "Novaru," arrived in New Zealand at the end of 1858. It had been fitted out under the orders of His Imperial Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian for a scientific expedition round the word. The late Baron ven Hochstetter sailed with the party in the capacity of geologist. Id his own words he says: "By the kind anangements of the commander of the expedition, and the timely preparations of the Colonial Government and the colonists of New Zealand I was placed in such a posi tion that I could fully devcte myself for the space of nine months to one of the most remarkable countries in the world, which is wont to be called the Great Britain of the South Sea." AN UNKNOWN PLACE.

In 1859 Dr von Hochstetter, whD had been on a tour through the Waikato, passed thrcugh Waiuku and Mauku en route to Auckland. When writing to a friend in the early seventies, he remarks:—"l see by the New Zealand paper jou sent me that the new Waikato railway is to touch at the Pukekohe township. Will you tell me when next you write, Where is Pukekohe? I cannot see the name on the map nor can I call to mind any townshln of that name." The Baron was duly informed that at the time he travelled through New Zealand there was no such place as Pukekohe. Now it is known as one of the most flourishing townships near Auckland.

OLD PUKEKOHE. Yes, but when I think of you, Pukekohe, as I first saw you! A fcrest—dense, tangled, with typical New Zealand undergrowth. Ju&t a nanow track from Mauku that one could barely ride along, and one's hat was constantly being caught by overhanging mongenionge. Then, again, there was the danger of one's self and steed being lassoed by stray supplejacks. It was not safe to diverge from the beaten track, so thick was the undergrowth that one was apt to lose one's bearings. After riding for, it seemed to m?, miles on this track we suddenly came to a large opening of about 40 or 50 acres, which might have been called an oasis in the forest, so luxurious was the clover with beautiful cabbage trees doited here and there. But the romance, to my thinking, wan taken off when we discovered dozens of half-wild pigs of all sizes rooting and grunting. The sows with their families were basking under the shade of the cabbage trees—coarse, long-legged, long-nosed animals they were, most unromantic creaturea in that otherwise romantic-looking place. That is where part of Pukekohe now is as I first remember it. Wild cattle, too, abounded in these forests between Mauku and the row highly-cultivated and fertile Pukekohe Hill. A party out wild cattleshooting one day killed their quarry on the said hill, having completely lost their bearings during their run. One of the party, the late Mr H. Crispe, climbed a tree to get the i.l'. '/the country, and was amazed t'j extensive view revealed f r i r l;ib lofty position. iJUK :IRAVE PIONEERS. i'li.TC v'.or a few isolated settlers doited atoi. at the °'ltre of the iji n h --iru. \j\ .it.ora, ' r •, .(J out :.i r q emid-i rcany ■ v-.< hi. ■ rv.-l ;:,e ' "}*& r.-. ■

in winter anyway. I've been told that on some occasions an ordinary adjective woujrd hardly describe them, FIGHTING AT PUKEKOHE EAST. These few undaunted pioneers braved the discomforts and loneliness with true British rluck. Even when war in 1863 broke out they met at night in the historic old church at East Pukekohe until it was attacked one morning by the Maoris, and the intrepid little band nearly lost tinir lives. Ammunition and water were almost expended and the brave little garrison were making up their minds to sell their lives as dearly as possible when timely help, in the shape of a detachment from Drury, arrived on- the scene of action, and those of the brown rebels who were not shot down by them, fld. IHE PIGEON OF PEACE. On that memorable morning a white pigeoD, like a veritable guardian angel, sat unconcerned en the roof of the church while the Maoris fired volley after volley at tbe building. The bullet marks are to be seen on the church to this day. THE LITTLE GARRISON.

From an interesting letter which appeared in an Auckland paper some time ago, signed D. McFarland, I copy the following: "The little garrison numbered nineteen settlers, name ly— Joseph Scott. Alexander McDonald. J. Comrie. J. McDonald. Geo»ge Eastern. James Easton. John Roose. Elijah Rcose. 'J nomas Hastie Hodge. Nine special cons tat lea and bushmen. Moat of those named \a the foregoing list have now gone to their long rest." SETTLEMENT OF 1865. In 18G5 and 186G, the war being over, the Government began to bring emigrants to the country, and land for some was prepared at Pukekohe. Mr Palmer, with a party of Natives from Waikato under him, surveyed the land. The 50-acre opening was calkd The Paddock, the centre of

which is about where the Pukekohe cemetery ground it. The land wa3 cut up into 5 «r.d 10 acre sections on which two lots of emigrants were located. The North cf Ireland families were given 10 acrea of land, and the Cape families 5 acres—the latter from where the Convent now is up to tha butter factory, the 10-acre sections from this point to the Hill and caking in The Paddock, which was the only cleared piece of ground. The others had all bush, and too trees had to be fell.d and cleared to make a apace for a dwelling. Being dumped down into this rough, unbroken lard in a new country, it was a hard time for all concerned. The cottages were of a primitive type at first, generally of two or three rooms, thatched with nikau, with Mother Earth for a floor. Yet with a will these sturdy settlers began to conquer the soil, and in those early days, as now, they planted potatoes in The Paddock in what is called lazy beds. Iraces of the mounds could be seen quite recently. In the meantime the semiwild porkers had been given notice to quit. Tbey belonged to Mr Hawke, and he killed and cured a lot. Others got away and bred truly wild families, and afforded sport for hunters for many years afterwards. DIFFICULTIES OF ThANSIT. The only outlet was thrcugh East Pukekohe, and goods cost £3 a ton from Auckland to Pukekohe, so one can imagine what a price the necessaries of life were in those days. One or two small stores were started, and twice a week drays would gu as tar aa Otahuhu one day, to town and back the next, and tbe third day home. This was usually the programme carried out in the winter, though with bad weather, short days, and roads ignorant of metal, frequent breakdowns and "sticks in the mud" happened, the drivers were not to be envied. By wading knee deep in mud and humping bags of flour and sugar off the dray to lighten the load they endeavoured to coax the tired horses on to flounder out of the unlucky hole they had fallen into. These and other mishaps were frequent occurrences between Drury and Pukekohe.

HARD TIMES COME. As usual, following after a war, began a period of depression. Ihe troops left for other shores, and until the land began to make some return things were very slack. The superintendent at Auckland was applied to for relief, and the Provincial Council gave the men work at roadmaking r.ear East Pukekohe. Tbe married men got six months' work and the single men three months, which helped them along. The meD were under the charge of Mr B. Hairis. now Major Harris, M.L.C., and for years the member for Franklin. Many of those who worked under him still remember his uniform kindness and good nature. Ihe wives in the meantime worked hard to improve their little homes, keeping fowls and a cow or two, and bravely facing their hardships. Notwithstanding the many disadvantages, expressions of discontent were rare, acd some of these early settlers can count their descendants to the number of 60 or 70. The two sets of emigrants generally went by the name of the Cape Settlement and The Padlock oi Pukekohe Settlement. Among the road-workers were two men, each hailing from one of these places Though unrelated e3ch bore the rather uncommon name of Jeremiah Hickey, and tc distinguish them they were styled Jeremiah Hickey No. 1 and Jeremiah Hickey No. 2. There were also two James Grahams, and these were familiarly spoken of aa "Big Graham" and " Wee Graham." (To be continued.) [The next article will deal with the growing of cocksfoot seed, touch on the difficulty with which children and teachers got to school, and show the early importance of the timber industry in Pukekohe. -Ed.]