UNKNOWN

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 84, 13 April 1904, Page 4

UNKNOWN

OBBAT SCENIC ASSET. |; EASTER EXCURSIONV 'an historic river. W. -: te (Continued.) j-V lleanwhile the steamer proceeds up the stream. At turn of the winding water some fresh burst upon the view. Here g the toll and stately pine ; the rata, J jring oi the forest ; now and then i the beautiful riinu, with its drooping foliage ; tree-ferns of several -varieties, whose fronds of a rich green blend with the deeper verdure "of the forest giants. Jlile after '-•mile of ever-changing scenery, beau- . tiftil and more Ix-a-utiful it gj-ows, grander aad still more grand as - the banks of the stream become more rugjged and the wlater more still, so that all the slopes ot the wealth of beauty are laithiu y fleeted in the watery or below. ' As rangv follows rattgv, until those bus'lad hills in the distance svirnc a bluish-giej uc, , : of the foliage in the .^r 1 ® , n : seem inexpressibly ** charm is heightened b» the fa that we are traversing deep, _lw.a\> ' bush without as much as stirring twig. Forest belore us, forest i* S, forest on either * -

we Jnake our way aui.drt.is » a Hers without trouble, iheie is sense of delightful mcongrmty "this that appeals to all. He ture has left nothing undone. At ' ST beauties of our much-stoned New Zealand bush are stored in th'S rmrrow compass, and brought with- ' in the reach of totosts by the deep stream—in some places soundings give us ten fathoms-which we are ■ now traversing, a very highway < the tourists' delight. ' Incompatible Mokau," remarks one of the - party, •awakened for the lirst tune •_ Irom his reverie as the sharp crack t of a rifle rings out on the still aii, efeid a sha'g, revolving in its de- ' scent, falls splash into the river, f - /'i,'\e been rn many places, cou- ' tinued the arousod one ; "I've been } ur> and down the Wanganui Kiver r> trough the heart of the island, and C visited beauty spots in other lands, 5v iMtt to Mokau I give the palm. I Another traveller remarked that what had impressed itself on his KS mind wa9 the fact that immediately Oa leaving the jetty the steamer fortt, ged her way through such exquisite scenery. "There is the yellow rata in flower," called out one of the i party, who was evidently converU sant with the locality, and all hands looked, many for the first time, on I this rare flower. This led to eulogjstip remarks cm the rat£, whose; •v 1 r icU blooms make the Mokau trip |L even more delightful} during thv §£" spring and early summer. PSf A STOIUED RATA.

I Here a local resident related a - Maori tale regarding a tall rata * "ttait stood upon the bank ol" the river, a tale that showed the cun--r mug* of the Maori in early times as -.now. A chief whose kainga was some lew miles up the Moteau River i; ma (gathering pipis (shelMisli) on mini-flats near the mouth of the . stream, when he was hailed by a v. Stranger, travelling on foot from -the north to TaranaJri, who asked - to be ferried across to the south 5' side* The old fellow consented, but ujked.the new arrival to, wait a until his bag had been iilleil ■with pipis. The stranger, who was •a chief, agreed, and when enough pipis had been gathered, stepped into the canoe. Its owner started S" 08 up the river, and to this the 3; traveller objected. The Mokau chief, Iff however, explained that he could not dream ol allowing his distinguished -visitor to pass on his way without if- accepting sup or bite, and invited I • the stranger to come up to his kaini~- get. On arrival there instructions ;r were given to the women to get the fires going and stones heated for *<--* cooling. "What are we to cook ?" the wahines. ''Don't ask Questions ; X'lll give, you something fev,. jto cook ; tell me when the hangis are ready," replied the chief. Hy-and-S&k* liye tie women conveyed the intelli-fev-gence that the stones were prepared, jpT-and again enquired what was to be jf --cooked. The old -fellow promptly " tomahawked his visitor, and gave orders that his body be roasted imT? • mediately. This was done, ami a % least ensued. Then feai' smote the Surely when this vile ■£. abuse of hospitality became known r - ..to the tribe to which the murdered Visitor Uelon-god there would 'be £ itroutde. So, out of fear. that tribes 1 -;would seek revenge, this man slept no more in his kainga, but at the r J *>ot ol this giant rata, with his canoe tied to his toe. Eventually js" ihe kainga was raided and destroy- £ edrby avengjing trilies-men. AT THE MINES, tv- And now we are at the mines, f/* "There is the reception committee," Says one. And really it appears like S;~ it, or else that a couple of in- ? valids are sunning themselves on a seat against the trunk of a sicklylooking tree. Closer examination rfct veals the fact that these are dum- , mies. Over t-heir heads is a notice, r "Miners' Accident Fund," and on (he & seat beside them a dish for the 1%ception of contributions from the £* pleasure-seekers towards a most defe, serving object. Hoars of laughter (£.>. - greet the solution of the mystery, % t>ut soon the ingenuity of the miners x. is rewarded by a shower of silver f- : coins. The great attraction here is a f- journey into the bowels of the earth, .in inky darkness, until at last the workings are reached. Probably few m mines in the colony are so dry, and Kr- B ?J ve!1 ventilated as this. Great gfc. difficulties prtsunted themselves in §t. V* P"»eer stages of the mining inf|T du3tr >' here, but now the mine is a K- remunerative concern, and as the |? work is extended tho seam of coal f Ix*omes much better and more lalua-ble. Everywhere around tile Sto /h 6 mi ° e iSfthU 8« co »- witbin and the return to the light bailed with gladness.

gk THE IiETULN- TIUI\ Sl . " ur ramblus are completed-un--0 fortunately the time allowed i s only U two or three hours—the cargo of i3tty , ta,S *' COUI 1 and 11 'S time to commence the return journey. To turn the sl ip !* J" stream whose width is only a few feet greater than the vessel's 1 buT'r d t"" al ! UOM ' lmpossl ' biu . task, but Upturn Jensen, by dexs tcrous "* <>< his helm ami a judi- ■' n »~t of the tnXl bro^"11 rtunrt Bmrp a,Mn time in a stylo lliat ■pawn admiring remarks from manv those on board. The downward ■®Mr)p was as pleasant as the ascent, perhaps more so. Luncheon had to ue partaien of, and the photogra■ppherswcie kept busy securing groups passengers and of the many scen■pte. effects. The promoters, Messrs and Smyth, provided lunch for Kgtettoae who desired it, but there were who had brought their own ■K&mpers, and these had anal fresco Maimchetm in the cabin, full justice done to the varied preserves confections which are now obBj&fcainaWc from retailers in portable relieving picnickers of much and worry when packing baskets. V WAimion HACK. ' Mjfe-Pnce more on terra firma at MoKSpCftU, a lazy afternoon 'results. E.\■||&ition£ there were, of course. Le■Pgiqdary lore is brought up and airTalking of Maori warfare led narration of a story which HBgKFed how ready were the natives in strife, and how trifling toe excuses for inter-tribal ■KM' to one case the Slanlopofishiirg beyond the bar of and returning, displayed who resided on side of the stream, a crying out in dethat tl sy (the Ngatiawas) catch lish like that< The

j Ngutiawas, who must' have boon j "spoiling lor a fight," claimed the ' iish as a god, and demanded that it s! ouhl ho handed ovt>r to them. '1 his was refused, and after several koreros on the shore, the tribes went to war. As a result, the Ataniopotos were almost exterminated, I/ut were eventually assisted by a Waikato tribe, who wished to retain the llanioplulus 'as a sort of bufter between them and the warlike N'gaiiawas, ami eventually drove these people far to the south. The two last pahs held hy the Ngaliawas were those at Kuwuii (neat Ml- Hatteivbur.v 's) and Tongaporutu. I'lie country oi the Maniopotos extended then' from Waipa to the White Ulifls. Another leg Mid cropped up in tailing of llotutaua. It is among the Maori traditions that tile iirst in-ler-tribal wariare was caused by the slaughter oi a couple oi infants. These were the twin children oi Wha'uroa, a -daughter of a Ngatiaua ;hief named Waipipi. They had been >laced for safvty in a hole at the ;oot of a tree, and were there dis:o\ered l>y a -Maniopoto, I'etonganl»u by name, whilst hunting for kiwis. This .occurred at the old kainga Toterewa, near Te Awamuiu. Fighting followed, and eventually Wharevvakahuri, the son oi l'etanganga, brought his warriors down through the Te Kuiti country to Mokau. The Kgatiawas took refuge 011 Alotutawa, but were dislodg'ed, and fearful carnage ensued in a tierce hand-to-hand struggle 011 the mud flats and on that piece of land adjacent to the present Alaori pah. Such are the tales which have been gathered after considerable trouble from the older chiefs, most of whom have now departed this life. The following beautiful legend wajr related with regard to

THE KARAKA TREE. "Listen, stranger, 1 have told you of the sacred tree the Tainul, which is to be iouml only in the valley 01' .the river of the sleeping waters, J Kit there is another tree which I have heard you praise, and truly it is a good thing in the sight of Maori and Pakeha—l mean the Karaka. Now the Tainui is found only about Mokau, but the Karaka is in the whole land, and the manner of its coming and dispersal was this. You see below us ill the l>end 01 the river the twin peaks of rock that at eMb tide are visible above the water. Now these rocks were called by us the old mooring-stone, but you Fakehas call it liie dumbbell. Look closely at its sides ami you will jet see the marks made liy the headlines of the canoes which were tied to it when my ancestors came from 11awaiki. Now when the canoes came first into the rivvr the tide was lull, and the chiefs stemmed the craft in the fairway and offered sacrifice to the Taniwha, or river god, and then first the Tainui was fastened to the mooring-stone, and the headline of each canoe, as it grated on the shingle, was tied in order of coming to the stone. Nor was this a matter of no moment for the choice of land for the different hapus deluded cm the order of tying, beginning at the Ifol (*mi and going upwards. Now at night one canoe which had been delayed, steered by a chief named Te Karaka, rami l softly to land, and when Te ICaraka saw the stone and the headlines he stealthily tied his own rope at the bottom of all, ami went and slept the night through with his people. In the morning the river and the headlands were named, the name of the river meaning in the I'akeha tongue •'swimming asleep," for as they entered at full tide its movements were slo-w like those oi a lazy swimmer. Now when it came to claiming the land Te Karaka called out loudly that the land in sight was lus, for he had first touched the laud. The others laughed, and said, 'he porangi (he is mad). He came alter us all,' and there was much disputing. But Te ICaraka was a wily man, ami what man can tell what is impossible to a Taniwha. So lie said, 'The Taniwha otought me in in front of all, but he hid me from your sight, by which he indicated the land was to be mine, If you do not believe me let us look at the stone, for what man would alter the order of the tving ' Now they all ran to the stone and there found it was as he 'tZ t ,1 '• " iay be that al! k »«»' the truth 01 the matter, but Te Karaka was a man of great mana and II to cross. Now the matter was linaJJy left to the Tohungas to tannine, and they, not wishing (o kll a great chief on account of the n°h°nu i""'' and U 11,n >'String to uphold his contention, said, 'Te Karaka, you heard the words 01" the Taniwha in a dream only, for even he cwuid not blind our eyes, but there is truth in dreams, and your name shall be known far and wide.' Ho they gave him a wile and slaves and kits of the berries you call Karaka, but which were not so called aL the first, and said, 'Go. It is true your name shall be throughout the land.' bo he departed swiftlv, fearing the anger of the gods lor the wrong done. Oi his wandering are not the Karaka trees a sufficient mark, for everywhere lie formed his camp, after the eating, the kernels of the berry were put in the ground and the land being good they grew. And that he wandered before resting over the whole land is not the tree witness ? And as for ,l,e name 01 the tree, it was in this wise. Whoever had heard the story, and they were many, on seeing the tree said, 'Ah, Te Karaka,' and so the saying of the Tohungas was true and his name spread throughout the land. Ami so the tree finally came to be called by his name, and is so called to this day. See how the waters below us chafe the niooringstone. Like me it is old, und soon will be dust. Heikonei ra."

A "TArU" STONE. During the afternoon, at low water, a visit was paid to the famous anchor-stone of the Tainui, which now lies just below that peculiarly shaped concretionary store formerly named "The Tea-pot.'' This anchor-stone is alleged to he thai to which th« Tainui was mooix-d on her arrival from Jlawaiki. This was removed to Waitara some years ago, ijut oil the forcible representations of tile natives it was returned to its ijcdin the river.. The anchor - stone of the Tokomaru is also somewhere in the vicinity, but its exact whereabouts is not known.

! Returning 1 to the township, nieuii hers of the party were lain to rest ■awhile alter the unwonted exertion I—some with love of chalk and cue ! visiting the billiard saloon, which, j by the way, does nut close at ten jo'clock like those in New Plymouth. | Billiards seemed to be the favourite ! pastime of the young mm at >IoI kau, and consequently there were some splendid e,\pon«n\ts of the game with whom to try conclusions. For everyday life in the settlement there is little else to occupy the mind of the rising generation. On Friday night there should have bim a dance, for the excursionists and settlers alike. The Tainui's party, however, included none of the fair sex, and as there was not a superabunbundance'of ladies in the district the project fell through. To 1a? sure, there were the wahiues at the kuinga, but they did not present a fairylike appearance, ami it would he hard to imagine any ai them becoming patrons of the terpslchorean ai*t. In imka.s'and poi dances they woul'd dou'bitless acquit themselves with credit, but they were too indolent-looking ami too careJess l'or au#ht elw. This is one of the saddest phases of native life. It is hard to imagine that even a few years back these people were active uml ferocious walrriors, when now they are content to pass their lives in idleness, and, in many cases, in filthy surroundings. Amongst the very old people the it-counting of tales oi early days will occasionally bring back a flash of the old vigour. An instance of this was afforded on Saturday, when a very ancient and tatooed Jtfaon was cajoled into describing a conflict in which he had taken part. More and more excited he got as the words rolled off his tongue with that deli

cate intonation characteristic o£ the older natives. Contortion followed contortion, and as hisi blodß mounted 'to fvver-ht'at tlie gnarled old stick that did duty as a support in his old age was us«l first as a Hprtai',4. then as a club, laiml live old fellow lived the buttle over again, thrusting and clu'Ubing, and then the s'igiti (leant smack of the lips which ibroug'ht 'hack to him the memory of the feast of human flesh , which followed the sanguinary affray. Then his face regained its usI ual calm, his shoulders sank forward, the lire died from his eyes, ami, leaning' 011 his stick, this old representative of the lighting Maninpotos passed down the road, apparently as indolent and careless as his lieighljours. By about ei'g'hl o'clock gwod-'l.fj es toad Ueen said to the many l'riends uuvde in the short visit to Mokau. Mr .Nicholls, of tho JUokau Ilmisv, ami Mrs IV).\, proprietress of tlie Taiiuii buardinigviiouse, had done all in their power to render (heir guests comfortable and the stay enjoy a'bie. In this (hey succeeded. The menu was varied ami substantial, ami in each case (he chef de cuisine was evidently a master (or mistress) of the culinary art.

110.MKWAKD ISOI.Mt. The Tili in iis shrill clarion gave warning that the tide was suitable lor commencing liie return journey. Hearty cheers v.eH' exchanged Willi tin' residents wliu had assembled nil thu wharf as the steamer moved oil'. Soon shi' was in till' narrows, anil Captain Jensen had to negotiate the liar. A dillicult feat this, steering Ijj liglus shotting over the stern, a reversal ol tile usual conning' pro--cess, hut I here was 110 want of skill, no error <»i judgment, ami soon the Tainui was bounding towards Waitara. JI was a glorious moonlight night, ami the 11111 home was most enjoyable, (lie wharf at Waitara being readied by midnigiht. Jlere Air West mel the New Plymouth party with a brake, and drove tliem into town.

All joined in expressing their heartiest thanks to I hose who arranged lhe trip, and their unbounded enjoyment of the scenery in the country which they had visited. For relaxation for the busy man this could hardly be surpassed >as a short outing. The pleasure might have been enhanced by making the up-river trip with the same tide that floated the ■vessel into the river, giving the excursionists a longer period in which to ramble amongst the wildly grand scenery in the vicinity, beyond the mines, as the gorges become narrower and yet more narrow, the scenery grows inexpressibly beautiful i' m '. ther up the river there are many places 01 interest, nolalily the old mission station, the site of which is easily fixed by tile large numbers of iMigbsh trmt trees which still thrive and bring lortll fruit. The vmreti tion changes, too, many trees beinn'rlrTn 1 - Vh , lCh ° re not <m,n<i I" "t ho laranak, dt.strict. Altogether ' e are quite justified in placing (he M„ y a,,,O, "SSt the lirst flight of \ew A aland beauty spots, ami can " re commend residents „ ml visitor from other parts to take full a^.itage the next excursion planned.