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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 5 (September 1, 1933)

The Fernroot Eaters

The Fernroot Eaters.

In the heart of the back country, such as the Matakitaki, on the Buller, Brunner and his Maoris were on occasion reduced to eating the pith of the korau or mamaku fern-tree, and in the clearings they got fernroot. Brunner mentioned in his diary having 30lbs. of fernroot as portion of his swag; that was in the Matakitaki district, Buller Valley. When they were restricted to this diet he and his Maoris suffered what he described as “excruciating pains,” and the illness sometimes compelled them to lie up in camp. That was in the mountain beech country; when they reached the lower and more level lands, where there were kahikatea and miro pines they obtained a better diet, the rich levels were full of birds, which Brunner page 27 shot or the Maoris snared. In June of 1847, in the Buller Gorge, Brunner was reduced to killing and eating his dog, and when that was done he and his companions were without food for nearly three days. The almost constant rain experienced added to their misery. When they reached the Coast the Maoris they expected to find at a village were absent, and instead of a good meal of potatoes, as they had anticipated, they were compelled to gather seaweed for food.