Simple Signs.

One of the earliest white men at Albertown noticed a row or two of white stones near the Molyneux River and years later inquiry was made about them. The Maoris told me that these stones were placed there to let succeeding parties know how many of the first party went to Lake Wanaka and how many to Lake Hawea. Sometimes a year or two would be missed, but the arranging of the stones was usually an annual affair.

Tradition says there was a Maori village at Croydon which used to signal Tuturau in a novel manner. The villages were twelve miles apart, but within sight of each other, and each had a big white flax mat to hang up to let the other know to expect visitors.

The ability of the human voice to convey a message over a relatively long distance is also noted in tradition and it is averred that Te Rakiihia, the celebrated KatiMamoe chief had a voice so clear and powerful it would carry two or three miles.