TAUPO—NUI—A—TIA

Taupo Times, Volume II, Issue 52, 14 January 1953, Page 10

TAUPO—NUI—A—TIA

TALES OF THE TAUPO COUNTEY SIR GEORGE GREY'S VISIT

(By

R.H.W.)

Sir George Grey's secretary, Mr G. S. Cooper, has recorded that the Yieeregal party's first night on ihe shore of Lake Taupo, at Waipahihi, was an ;uHcomfortable one, with a very cold lyind off the Lake/ Next morning, Jaiiuarv 2nd, 1850, they were taken i n canoes to Jerusalem, at the pres■ent Acacia Bay, where they were met by the Rev. Mr Spencer and all the inhabitants of the pa. Following breakfast, a conference was held, the hospitable missionary dividing his time between this and the supervision of the roasting of "a huge piece of pork, cut in rather a novel manner; it was, in fact, the back of an immense pig, containing the whole of both loins, and might have weighed about thirty pounds.w Following dinner it was found that the Lake was again too rough to allow of eontinuing the journey, so tents were pitched in a sheltered position. Next morning, although breakfast was eaten at three o'clock, there was diflxculty in igetting the canoes and their cre-ps xeady, and it was' not until 6 a.m. that the voyage to Pukawa, on the south-west shore, was eommenced. A direct course to Pukawa could not safely be taken in canoes, and the party paddled across to the east*ern shore and coasted along it to reach Motutere at half-past nine. Here there was an old pa but with few inhabitants. A fine canoe had been sent hither for Iwikau, the chief, and his guests, and in this they reached Pukawa at 3.30 p.m., having travelled by the course taken about 26 miles. On the arrival of the party a ceremony was begun, with speeches of welcome, first for their chief, Iwikau, .and then for the Governor and his party, following which there was a dinner, consisting of roast pork, kumeras, potatoes, taro, preserved pigeons, kaka and tui, dried fish and fern root. The party were interested to fmd that in a fenced enclosure in the pa stood a small pataka containing the bodies of Te Heuheu and his wife, who had perished in the landslide which had destroyed thq* village of Te Kapa over three years before. Cooper's account states that this pataka had a side fitted with hinges which allowed it to be lowered, exposing the interior, wherein "were the bodies of the late Te Heuheu and his wife, carefully wrapped in a handsome kaitaka mat, having been in this position for nearly two years ,and a-half." On the morning after ihe Governor's arrival the pataka had been opened for the holding of a tangi, preparatory to the removal of the bodies to their place of burial on Tongariro mountain, and the visitors noted that a sister of the dead chief, in leading the lamentations, followed ancient custom "cutting her body, face, arms, neck and legs in a most frightful manner with a piece of obsidian, which caused the blood to How ♦cojpieusly from each gash." Although Ihe plan of placing the bodies on 'Tongariro was later carried out, it was at this time being strongly opposed by Te Herekiekie, a chief of Tokaanu. And Pirikawau, the Governor's interpreter, having reported ithat the Tokaanu people were busy making ball cartridges to enforce their views, Sir George Grey decided not to carry out his propcsed plan of climbing the mountain, in order to avoid being mixed up in possible trouble. It is interesting to note that when the Governor's party visited Te Herekiekie^ ' kianga at Tokaanu they j found there more cultivation than any j other place visited. Some three or f our hundred acres were recorded as being under crop, with wheat of astonishing growth, beside potatoes, kumaras, taro, pumpkins, maize and melons. They also saw the finest '

specimen of Maori architecture yet seen, a beautifully carved house 50 feet in length and 20 feet in width. On January 7th, at 6 a.m., the Governor's party, "after taking an affectionate farewell of friends at Pukewa," started on their long tramp to Taranaki, which was reached twelve days lafcex\