COAL IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1922, Page 9

COAL IN TARANAKI.

EARLY REPORTS. /. WHAT “INSPECTION” MEANT IN THE “SIXTIES,” WANGANUI TO OHURA, .VIA TAUPO. (Bv “Juvenis/’y (VI.) During the afternoon a small rununga was held, and a young man was brought before it and asked his intentions with regard to a young lady who had cooked for us at Te Natara Huerai. He declined matrimony, giving as a reason that he did not like the girl well enough. Notwithstanding Tima’s refusal to marry, it afterwards appeared that he and Miss Anapumipi had come together at Taumarunui. During the night we heard a great row, and cries proceeding from Topini’s whare. On inquiry it turned out that he was beating his wife. Mr. Deighton informed me that the women require a beating now and then, otherwise they get impudent afld lazy, and are ve - - y aggravating when they begin to argue.

After breakfast we walked to Taumarunui, about two and a half miles down stream. Here is Ngahuinga, at the confluence of Ongarue with the Whanganui, of which the former is about half the size of the latter. j\. few miles up, Ongarue appears low and the Maoris report that, with the exception of one patch of bush, there is open country all the way to Ngaru. wahai. I was unable to get a' view of Mount Egmont from Tapuia Kumera. Here, though, food is cooked, potatoes are ' not scraped at a Maori kaianga on Sunday, but a great scraping goes on the Saturday night previous. I launched the canoe and crossed to the left bank to examine the strata; and found layers of grey sandstone, two or three "inches in thickness, separated by soft dark argillaceous shale. The Maoris were busy making paddles with an adze made in their own fashion. AMONG THE NATIVES. We were constantly told that the Maoris had been victorious at Taranaki; and Ria confirmed this by a dream she had had. It was a superstitious belief among the Maoris that, in time of war, if any one started in sleep to the right, it was an intimation that they had better look out; if they started to the front, it was a sign that the enemy was close upon them; but if they started to the left it did not matter. Considering the complete state of insecurity in which they lived, these superstitions are not to be wondered at. We met some men of the Ngfatimaniopoto tribe at the village, and it turned out that they were on a trailing expedition. Top‘ini was to receive some ammunition from them.

We presented the old woman who • had cooked for us with two sticks of tobacco, which she recived with frantic delight; and on the morning of February 11, we started at 5.30 a.m. down stream with two canoes. The scene was most picturesque. Topini sent us on in a canoe with four men, viz., Hori and son, Powaka or Box, Taniora, and Whakarongotahi. As we were starting, an old gentleman requested that some geological specimens which I had collected should be given up. After some altercation a big stone was thrown to him to show the rununga, and no doubt they were very much wiser. We descended the stream rapidly, carrying the sandstones and shales to a little below where the Otunui falls in on the right bank, and then came to the blue clay. We stopped at Whenuatero to dine. Here we got good peaches and a lo£ of fossils. At the Paparoa rapids we landed, while the canoe was guided below them. Those rapids are dangerous. Here the Paparoa river falls in on the right bank over a waterfall. THE OHURA FALLS. We encamped at Kepara, on the lett bank of the river, where a party of Maoris had just settled and were clearing bush. A canopy of canvas was spread under which we lay down to sleep. As during the night it began to rain, the Maoris and the dogs crowded in upon us, and the fleas became unbearable. Next morning we started in the rain, the river rising, and numerous small streams forming waterfalls into the river on both banks. At 10 a.m. we reached Maraikbwhai, Topini s chief residence, and got under cover. Here the Ohara, a large stream, descends on the right bank after passing over several low falls. Mr. Deighton informed me that he had ascended tne Ohura in a canoe for two days when the stream was deep. There were no 'falls, and no poling was required; the i banks were low and there was a fine I country full of game and pigs. Thence . we proceeded to the Ngatimanioj>oto country, and Waipa. The VVaipa river when he first came upon it was small, but navigable. Between showers I visited "the falls of the Ohura. The principal fall is a fine body of water sweeping over a ledge of blue shale at the height of about twenty feet. There is a smaller fall above, and one below. A seam of coal, I was told, is found here. I did not see it myself, and did not even know of its existence at the time, and the rain being so constant, checked exploration. WAR MEMORIES. We sketched the tombstone (in the form of a canoe) of one Mukere, a woman who had lost her son at Taranaki. Yesterday we passed the grave of Te Oru, the chief who killed Cap-, tain AVakefield at the Wairau. It was at Maraikowhai that, the great fight between Topini and the Ngaitui commenced. The dispute which originated the -war was as to the right of the latter to put up a mill on the Ohura. At that time they occupied a pa on the north bank of the Ohura, within musket shot from Maraikowhai, from whence they opened fire upon Topinrs people. They were driven from this, and retreated down stream to Kirikiriroa. where they were attacked by Waiata, then Ria’s husband. He was killed and his party driven oil with the loss of six or seven men. The Ngatitu then abandoned Kirikiriroa and built a strong pa at Puketapu. further down the stream. This pa was attacked by Topini in person, anti reduced by sap, with small loss on either side, many prisoners being taken. Topini went to Whanganui to meet Governor Browne to consult him in regard to the disposal of his prisoners, but unfortunately the Governor was taken sick at Taranaki, and was unable to visit Whanganui at that time. What bA came of the prisoners 1 forget, but T think most of them were released. MAORI LOQUACITY. _jVe found the young men at MaraL

kowhai very “fast” and “slangy/' and disposed to ibe familiar and impudent. I suggested to Mr. Deighton that it might be as well to stop this; whereupon he gave them such a lecture as had a most improving effect upon them. Soon after dusk Topini arrived. We were all in the same whare when he returned; his appearance gave rise to a great deal of talk. The roar of water was loud during the night, the usual noise of the rush of the \\lianganui being increased by the falls of the Ohura.

In the morning we found the rain had caused a heavy freshet in the river, and in consequence we had to put topsides on the canoe before starting. We got away, however, and I found myself covered* with fleas, which I had probably brought from Kepara, where, during the rain, Maoris and dogs crowded in upon us. At Maraikowhai we were supplied with tea and sugar for breakfast, from some remains of these articles that had not been used up. The Maoris are as talkative as Frenchmen, but in different fashion.’ A Frenchman converses, a Maori makes a speech, and is answered by another speech. ■ NUMEROUS WATERFALLS. There was a fog in the river when we started,’ with a slight drizzling rain. We passed' Kirikiriroa, a most romantic spot, where the river winds very much. Every hundred yards or so we passed waterfalls falling into either bank, the average breadth of the river being about seventy yards. It is a melancholy sight to see the dogs at a pa hanging about the fires and the ovens, and with great risk to their toes, scratching out a piece of potato skin from the ashes. Ugly, mangy brutes they are, no doubt; but what else could be expected? Many of tliem are staunch big dogs with good courage, and deserve better treatment. During one hour we passed one hundred and eight waterfalls, taking no note of the smaller ones; they were so considerable in many cases as to give us a splashing as we passed. How many of these falls may be permanent, I cannot say; there had been heavy rain, and the waterworks at the time were in full play. Merrily wc swept down stream, our crew having little to do except to keep the canoe in the right direction. We shot rapids and occasionally paddied down reaches. Near Puketapu we observed the upper sandstones resting on the blue clay. Here I got fossils of the lower tertiaries.

Puketapu did not prove to be the strong place that I had expected; it is commanded in every direction. I was shown the lines of Topini’s sap, but I thought he might have made the Ngatitu clear out without a sap at all. Subsequently we passed the Tangarakau, falling* into the right bank. It is apparently a fine stream, and would seem to take its rise near the sources of the Waitara. We passed an eel weir quite covered by the water, and therefore showing the height of the water. It is much safer to descend the Whanganui in a freshet than when the river is low, for in that case the canoe is more apt to thump on a boulder to the hazard of splitting the canoe into halves.

Just below Puketapu we met a canoe : laden with dogs going on a pig-hunting , expedition, and soon afterwards we per-. ceived another canoe toiling up a rapidIn this was Hori te Maire, the Maori of L’tapu, who had been the chief obstruction to our ascent of Tangarakau. We saw him in good time, and as we shot past him in the rapid, we threw out a volley of ‘‘chaff” which astonished him so much that he nearly lost his pole, and was in danger of being swept down the rapid. INDOLENCE OF NATIVES. These Maoris live in a state too pleasant and easy to last long. They have few wants and few cares, and pass their time between sleeping and occasional bursts of work and talking. Formerly their continual wars gave them both care and anxiety, but at present they are in too happy a state for this world. We passed first a long stretch of cliffs without any visible villages, and then Terarapa on the left bank and Utapu on the right bank. Hero and at the long reach the upper sandstone comes down to the bed of the river. We stopped at Kahura in the long reach to get peaches, ascending the cliff by a ladder. We were hailed occasionally from the top of the cliffs as we passed along. A hostile force on the river would be entirely at the mercy of an enemy lining the cliffs.

We passed the mouth of Maunganuiateao and shot the Ngaporo rapids under a very strong rush of water, with a shingle bank covered. We passed the caves, a great body of water coming over the fall, and reached Pipiriki at 6 p.m. when wc went to Mr. Booth’s house to take tea. Here we found the Rev. R. Taylor on his missionary tour, who gave us the latest English and American news, and also information on many curious things connected with the interior.

During the subsequent war, Pipiriki was occupied by the Colonial forces. This was a most imprudent military operation, as the safety of the garrison entirely binged upon the ability of the friendly natives to hold the lower country. The result was not disastrous; but this wa sthe consequence of good luck, not of good management. Mr. Taylor had been as far as Tangarakau, whence he had dispatched his son Basil to the Waitara. He estimated the thickness of the Tangarakau coal scams at 8 feet, and that e of those at the Ohura at 3 feet. He told me that on his remonstrating with the Maoris as to their lizard-eating superstition, he was informed Hint the pakeha wanted the lizards to destroy the Maoris, so that they might obtain possession of their land.

CHURCHES GOING TO RUIN. It appears to me that the Maoris have kicked over the traces of their religious teachers, whethei” Anglican or Roman Catholic, who occupy the missionary field of the Whanganui river. Tn . every village is an enormous church, j ! built in the first fervour of conversion, j i but with few exceptions, these churches . i are in a semi-ruinous condition. e ob- I ] served that the Roman Catholics had i taught some of their church chants to | • their converts, to which they kept time : {With their paddles. Both religious; : bodies, however, had failed in ensuring; ! victory to the Maori arms, and as they ! ' are very practical, matter-of-fact peo- • pie, they are chary of what does not • produce the expected results. In epnj qesuence of the dearth of those, they | wore now ready for a new religion, aq/1 i they had not long to wait, for Hau Ilau--1 ism soon afterwards broke out in full ’ force. This has since fallen, and pos- , ! sibly seeing the hopelessness of con* quest, the Maoris may settle down in I one form or another of the Christian ' faith. We glided past the villages we

grace. If superiority to pain, if daring had latelv visited. ‘ The scenery below I this was of little interest after what we I had passed through. Many of the hills ■ are covered with fern and their outline lis tame. A' 6.30 p.m. we arrived at ’ Whanganui. '