RIVER SCENES ON THE WAIKATO

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2635, 1 June 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

RIVER SCENES ON THE WAIKATO

(By " The Wakbkjal," in tub Leader.) Mousing came, and I saw the white mists steal up the slopes of Mount Taupiri, wreathe themselves round its summit, and then dissolve hi the sunlight. The Laoue was lying on a beaeh which fringed a deep, still, beautiful creek ; for the Manga warn is beautiful in spite of its sluggishness. Mount Taupiri rose almost sheer from the opposite edge of the creek. At the foot of the mountain, just where the Mangawara enters the Waikato, is the ancient burying grouud of the lower Waikato tribes, and in days gone by none save the high priests dared to tread on the sacred soil of Taupiri. No more fitting place could have been chosen by a people who held their dead in high esteem, than this burying ground of the savage and superstitious Maori. Sacred Taupiri, steep, and dark with forests, rises far above the surrounding hills ; the waters of tlis Waikato lap its northern base, the deep Mangawara winds about its, feet to tho east, and, apart from the tapu of the old heathen priests, apart from the graves of warriors and heroes, its beauty alone should make it sacred. When our troops conquered tho pa at ltangiriri, and drove the Maoris to take refuge in these hills, they dug up the bones of their people from the foot of Taupiri, aud carried them away to some secret place ill the forest and hid them where they think the foot of the white man will never tread.

I paddled fur up the Maungawara nut! the mullet leapt in fcout of the canoe as if to lioruld its couiinjr. Thoro is no perceptible current iu tho creek, ho there was no difliculty in voyaging up its course. Tho banks on either Hide are covered thickly with scrub, and one can hug the shore and row quietly in tho shade A few miles beyond my camp tho Mangawara widened out into a small lagoon and received tho waters of its tributary the Komokarau. Hero I found a party of Maories trying to catch mullet. There was an old pahtuuii in tho shapo of a ivovon fence which nearly stretched across tho Komakarau, the Maories hud placed a net across the breach in this fence, and men, women and children, happy, boisterous and naked, were in tho water trying to drive the fish down to the net. They were having fun, too, for an i:np of a boy dived, caught a stout old lady by the ankle and upset her in the water. When sho picked herself up again she spluttered and swore as if she wero angry, and whilst some of tho girls wero laughing at her that imp of a boy dived a<*ain, caught a tall young damsel unprepared, and brought her legs to the surface and her-head down into tho water. But the girl didn't swear ; she doubled like a snake, seized the boy by the hair, and cuffed him till he howled agaiu. The : boy scrambled out of the water and stood on the bank of the creek, but he was not safe even there, for a young girl, attired in long flowing hair, suddenly sprang from the scrub, waved a shapely arm to her companions in tho wator, then hurled herself against the unsuspecting imp, Both tumbled into the water, but the girl was uppermost, and kept so until I thought the boy would be drowned. That paid off an old scoro, I suppose, and the boy ceased to indulge in fun.

I didn't wait to see whether tho Maoris caught any iish, but paddled up tho Mangawara, over tho still, deep water. Thero was really not much to see up the crock, save beautiful fringes of raupo and (lax, masses of manuka Uossom, aud a numberless variety of shrubs on either side ; but Micro was a kind of pleasure in gliding over the still water, which fitted well the calm bright day.

I believe it was near the mouth of this creek whoro Kiki, the great Maori magician of the Wnikato, lived; this man's shadow, withered shrubs, and bU glance wan strong enough to slay a strong warrior. I know Kiki lived near the water's edge, for when parties paddled up or down the Wnikato, he would look at them through a hole in the side of his wharo and the men would die. Kiki becamo famous through this little faculty, and at last his fanio reached the ears of a rival sorcerer named Tain ure, who dwelt at Kawhia, and Tamure went into trainin" for the combat with the Waikato magic. Tamure with his daughter and two of his people left .Kawhia, secretly crossed over tho ranges juat above and reached the Wi'ina. Euro the party embarked iu a canoe aud

paddled down the river, taking care that the people in the villages on either bank should not see them. Tamuro was a good general sorcerer and a smart man ; he let the others paddle whilst he repeated incantations to collect good spirits, drive away evil ones, and keep off auy dangerous magic. They sailed for days down the Waipa river quietly and secretly, then they entered the Waikato and paddled fast down its swift stream until they roaohed tho residence of Kiki, and hero they landed. Kiki welcomed thorn with effusion and made his people cook food in an enchanted ovou for the strangers. Tamuro sat on the ground aud enchanted the threshold of Kiki's whiire. When tho food in the enchanted oven was cooked Kiki stopped out of his whare over tho threshold that was enchanted, and invited Tamuro to cat, trusting to kill Tamuro with the enchanted food, but Tumure protected himself against the power of tho food by incantations aud ato none of it (which was really the safest plan). TamureV young daughter did eat a cooked kumera, but she uttered spells over what sl-io ato. Then Kiki, the sorceror of tho Waikato, went into his whuro again and closed the door. Here was the chanco that Tamuro wanted, he hurled all his magio at his unsuspecting host, enchanted the whare, fixed old Kiki with shells, and then paddled away swiftly with his daughter and his two companions. Kawhia's magic was too strong for Kiki; it killed him ; so Tamuro was really tho stronger magician, for his spells had killed Kiki, and Tamuro went back to Kawhk. This story is given nearly in the same fashion in which it was given to ine. I could not remember all tho minor details, but tho chief portions will show what Maori sorcerers are like. I heard it from a Maori above Karakarika on the vVaipa who professed to be a descendant of the unfortunate Kiki.

I climbed to tho summit of Sacred Mount Taupiri one morning, and saw the wide stretch of country around me, a great plain covered with lakes and swamps to east, and on the cdi-'o of this plain the Waikato River winding along the base of the Hakariruata Ranges. The river swept into whero I stood, and entered a gorge in the hills which I could not seo from my elevated position, But I saw it again to tho west on tho other side of tho ranges, broad and sinuous, dotted with islands, and seeming- like a noble road over dark, level plains. A misty haze hid plains and rivers in the distance, a misty haze hung all over the land, for a calm had reigned over the earth for days, a warm, rich, midsummer calm, and the air was charged with its warmth, so that at midday it quivered with its own radiance, and covered hills and plains with the haze that softened all things to one's sight, and hid long distances from one's view. I looked carefully to the left and followed the course of the river path, uotiug the lakes on either side, and thinking of navigating their broad expanse of water.

When I left the Mangawara Creek and rowed out on the Waikato I found that the river ran through a narrow deep gorge, Mount Taupiri rising from the water's edge to the right and continuing the range to the north, other hills rising just as steep from the river on the left and stretching away in an unbroken range to Mount Pirongia. Here was the place where the Maoris should have made their stand to resist the invaders of the Waikato, here where the river is the only pathway and an ordinary rifle can command the water from bank to bank. Here the lower Waikatos, who fought so bravely at Raugiriri would have had Rewi and all the Maniototos to aid them, steep rocky hills for forts, and dense forests for cover. The story of the Waikato war would have been different then, although it wouid have ended just the same—in victory for the pakeha. Of course, it is better that the resistance of the Maoris was less organised and skilful than it might have been. Every Englishman must acknowledge that the sooner a grand and beautiful country passed from the bauds of a few savages into the power of a people who can appreciate it better than anybody else, the sooner would the justice of civilisation be fulfilled. As for myself, I can respect the brave and fierce resistance made by the Maoris and still bo proud that our people conquered them and added a noble region to the Brish Empire. There are only a few white settlers on the hanks of the Waikato between the Mangawara creek and Raugiriri, hut there is room for thousands. The allu vial Hats are fertile, the great swamps would make rich soil if drained. All the fruits of the earth would grow and flourish in such a climate, and the district only requires population, labour and cheap land to make it;i prosperous place. Now it is only a beautiful wild-looking country, stretching for miles ou either side of a noble river, where Maori vha res are thicker than weatherboard houses, and dug-out canoes more numerous than kauri-built boats.

Tho day's voyage was uneventful. It was only a case of sitting down and watching a passing picture. "By evening, however, 1 reached tho mouth of a wido creek, which opens on the right bank of the river. I had not forgotten tho placp, though it is years sinci; I saw it last; it was tho waterpath to the Waikari Lake. There is a low, pretty island at tho mouth of this creek, fringed with rnupo, toi-toi, flax, reeds and plants that would win admiration in any botanical gardens. 1 rowed along its shores until I saw the main creek leading to tho lake, and the western channel leading to the river, and at the mouth of this western channel there was a large party of Maoris, some of them seated in canoes, some wading in the water, and others moving about the island gathering firewood and cooking or preparing food. I dropped the anchor overboard and stayed the progress of the boatju>t for tho pleasure of looking at tho picture. One of the canoes was tied to a long fish spear, which was stuck in the side of the creek just on the point of the island. In the canoe was an array of Maoris, some old, grizzled and tattooed, drossed in flax capos, others young and bright faced, dressed in bright coloured, strauge patterned calicoes. Behind the canoe was a fringe of toi-toi grass, a huge plant with slender drooling loaves, and ornamented with long yellow reeds, which are crowned with a thick fleecy tuft like pampas grass or ostrich feathers. These reeds and feather liko tufta stood out against a red sunset sky. The people wading in the water wero full in the light of the selling sun, its lurid rays shone on the river beyond them, lit up the dusky faces and naked forms in the walcr, shone far up tho creek aud showed a clump of cabbage trees, like eastern palms, under which was auothor fire and another group of Maoris. I have never seen so fair a picture of shining water, stately roods, sunset colours and saving life—such a quaint, strange, foreign picture. Some of the natives waded out to the Laoue, and as usual asked many questions. "Where you go?" they asked, and when I told them to the lake and over the lake, here aud there sailing for days and days, they cried " Away,'' which is their cry for astonishment or wonder, and told me that the lake was very wide, and that groat waves rose with certain winds. They brought me some mullet which they had just caught, aud one of the women asked if 1 would let her smoke my pipe. I gave her some tobacco iu.ste.id, aud she was just as well pleased. The La one attracted much attention. The men

examined her curiously, cried out to their friends, who came in canoes or splashing through the water. The canvas canoe seemed to please thorn; they tried its weight, thfiy patted it and muttered, " Jcupai iti u-h<tka" (good little bra 1 -). My guu was on deck. One of the men seized it, and looked at it closely. I asked him if _h« would like to shoot with it, and ho said " yes." He had evidently never seen a breechloader before, for he could not make out how to load it. I gave him a cartridge, which I told him contained powder and shot. Ho tried to cram it into the muzzle of the gun, so I opened the breech and loaded it for him. There was a cormorant sitting on a tree watching the fishing operations. I told tho Maori to kill it. It was about GO yards away, but the Maori said, "Oh, that follow too far." But he aimed and fired. Tho bird dropped into tho creek and immediately theie was a wild rush towards it, canoes, swimmers and runners on the land. The bird was only winged, aud when tho Maoris wont it dived. Then there was a groat chase, bare heels flashed in tho red sunlight, strong arms churned the water into foam, such shrieking and laughing, such shouting and splashing was never heard in the creek I suppose. The bird was caught at last and a long procession of .swimmers up me swiftly towards me. Tho rays of the sun turned their faces to a rich bronze colour, and the tattoo marks showed like carved lines. The meu swam low in tho water and rolled their body as they swam, tha women swam higher and their hair floated behind them. The party reached tho shallow water aud waded only knee deep. The rod light from the west gavo them a weird appearance, the water dripping from their bodies seomel like showers of rubies, The full bosoms of tho women, tho brawny chests of the meu shone as if they were armoured with polished brass. They trooped past mo and gathered on the island, some of them called to me, asking if I would eat with them, but I excused myself, and hoisting the anchor I left tho island and pulled up the creek.