MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1940, Page 10

MAORI MEMORIES

WONDERS OF THE FOREST. (Recorded by J.H.S. for the “Times-Age.”) The volcanic eruption of Tarawera. which destroyed New Zealand’s wonders of the world, the Pink Terraces, and the White Terraces, with the hot and cold lake between them, also burned a hundred thousand acres of primeval forest, which, like the Terraces, can never be replaced. Along the road to Wairoa, now the burned village, we were driven in the four-horse coach through numerous arches 15 to 20 feet high, formed by the growth of giant fuchsia shrubs (konini), lovely creepers and rare orchids oevering pines, rata and totara trees of enormous size—the ground carpeted with many kinds ol fern.

Here. too. we found that now rare “vegetable caterpillar” (hotetc), a grub about 2A inches long, with eyes. legs, and a mouth intact. From its head had grown a small creeper six inches long, which had probably caused its death. It seems to be that the caterpillar had eaten the tiny seeds of the rata vine or the bracken fern (aruhe). or that the seeds had been caught in the moist folds of the insect’s neck, and there entering the body had grown. Another strange feature of this fairy forest at night was Ihe countless millions of glow worms (piritana) sparkling on every moist rock and tree trunk. Their light was clearly visible on a dark calm night half a mile ahead. A voice or a footfall caused a “black out," and a minute's silence was their "all clear.”