Title: The Southern Districts of New Zealand : a Journal, with Passing Notices of the Customs of the Aborigines

Author: Edward Shortland

Publication details: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1851, London

Part of:

• The New Zealand Provincial Histories Collection
• New Zealand Texts Collection

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence

Chapter XI.

Jan. 11.—Our new acquaintance began to prepare for the journey at an early hour, packing up nets and whatever other moveables they required. They seemed to think nothing of leaving their houses without any one in charge, although they might not, perhaps, return for a month.

When all was ready, we took the path along the banks of the river, by which I had come the day before, and kept it till we arrived at a spot where there was plenty of “raupo,” the page 201 material with which our canoes were to be constructed. Here some of the natives commenced building huts, and digging fern root, while others set to work, like reapers in a field, cutting the “raupo” with tomahawks instead of sickles, and laying it out on the ground to dry.

It must not be supposed, as some have believed, that the fern root, wherever it grows, is fit for food. On the contrary, it is only that found in rich loose soils, which contains fecula in sufficient quantity for this purpose: in poorer ground the root contains proportionally more fibre. We were now encamped on an alluvial flat in the valley of the river, thirty or forty feet below the general level of the plain; and I observed that, even in this favourable spot, a great deal of discrimination was used in selecting the best roots, which were discoverable by their being crisp enough to break easily when bent: those which would not stand this test being thrown aside. Here a quantity sufficient for several days was procured, and was packed in baskets, to last till another spot equally favourable could be reached.

The process of cooking fern root is very simple; page 202 for it is merely roasted on the fire, and afterwards bruised by means of a flat stone similar to a cobler's lap-stone, and a wooden pestle. The long fibres which run like wires through the root are then easily drawn out; and the remainder is pounded till it acquires the consistence of tough dough, in which state it is eaten, its taste being very like that of cassada bread. Sometimes it is sweetened with the juice of the “tutu.”

Jan. 12.—Natives still busy cutting “raupo.” In the afternoon they commenced building the canoes, or rather rafts, which they call “mokihi.” Huruhuru proposed to make his large enough to carry himself and wife, with two of my natives, myself, and all our baggage. His goods were to be intrusted to his slave, who was to navigate another “mokihi,” with the assistance of my new attendant Poua.

By this arrangement, I could not help feeling that Huruhuru had neglected all his own property in order to take better care of me and my two natives, whom he looked on as more especially his guests. I have always found his countrymen act in a similar manner; it being with them a point of honour to look first to the safety of page 204 the Pakeha to whom they are acting as guides or attendants. They would think it a disgrace to return home with the imputation of having failed to do their utmost to rescue him from danger.

Our mokihi was made in the form of a canoe. Three bundles of “raupo,” about eighteen feet long and two feet in diameter at the centre, but tapering towards the extremities, were first constructed separately, each being tightly bound and secured with flax; and were then fastened together so as to form a flat raft. Another bundle similarly made was next laid along the middle of this, and secured in that position, forming a sort of keel; the hollow intervals left between the keel; and sides were filled up with “raupo,” packed carefully and tightly in layers, and secured with bands of flax. The bottom of the mokihi being thus finished, it was turned over, and two smaller bundles were laid along its outer rim, from stem to stern, for topsides; and all the vacancies within were filled up with layers of “raupo,” tied down with flax.

This sort of canoe is remarkably bouyant, and is admirably adapted to the perilous navigation of the immense torrent Waitaki.

Jan. 13.—Mokihi completed; but as the wind was strong from the N.E., Huruhuru put off launching them till the morning. Huruhuru's leisure in the evenings was employed in giving me information about the interior of this part of the island, with which he was well acquainted. He drew, with a pencil, the outline of four lakes, by his account, situated nine days' journey inland of us, and only two from the west coast, in a direction nearly due west of our position.

From his description, it appeared that there were extensive grass plains in the interior of this part of the island, similar to that which we were now traversing, and, no doubt, well adapted to pasture sheep. The lofty ranges of hills, however, separating them from the coast, and the absence of any kind of harbour between Bank's Peninsula and Otakou, must always prove a serious impediment to the profitable export of wool from these otherwise valuable tracts of land. We may, however, carry on the imagination to another century—when this now desert country will no doubt be peopled—when the plains will be grazed on by numerous flocks of sheep, and the streams, now flowing idly through remote valleys, will be compelled to perform their share of labour in manufacturing wool.

Not many years ago, a party of natives, about forty in number, came down the west coast in two canoes from Cook's Straits. They were commanded by the chief Te Pueho, a brother of Te Kaeaea, formerly well known at Welling- page 208 ton by the name of Taringa-kuri or Dogs-ear. Leaving their canoes on the bank of a small river called Awarua, they took advantage of a mountain path from that place to Oanaka; and, falling by surprise on a few families residing there, killed most of them.

Among the prisoners was a boy, the son of the chief person of the place, whose name was Te Raki. The father with his two wives and another child was then on the banks of the lake Hawea. To secure them, and so prevent the possibility of any intelligence of their proceedings reaching the rest of the tribe, they sent two of their party with the boy as guide. But he contrived to prevent his father being taken unawares; and Te Raki, a powerful and determined fellow, killed both of the men sent against him, and escaped with his family.

The war-party with the assistance of some of the prisoners, whom they reserved for slaves, then built themselves “mokihi,” such as I have described, and descended the river Matau, till they reached the sea coast.

At a point of this river, not far below the lakes, there are some falls and rapids, which it page 209 is impossible to navigate. It was therefore necessary to land above them, take their canoes to pieces, and transport them to the banks of the river lower down, and rebuild them. This, Huruhuru said, was the only impediment to the navigation of the river on a “mokihi.”

From the sea coast, they made their way overland to Mataura river; where they surprised another party of natives. On this occasion some escaped, and carried word of what had happened to Awarua (the Bluff), and thence to Ruapuke, the strong-hold of this division of the tribe; and a few days after, several boats, with a large armed party, headed by Tuhawaiki, in their turn surprised and killed Te Pueho and many of his men, and made slaves of all the rest.

Huruhuru said that Te Raki and his family still lived at Hawea a few years ago, when they had been visited by some of the natives of Waitaki.

This evening, Huruhuru made me a pair of sandals, such as are in common use among these natives. They are called “paraerae,” and are made either with the leaves of the flax- page 210 plant, or of the “ti” (cordyline Australis). The latter are preferable, being much the toughest. Mine were a pair with double soles, called “torua,” calculated to endure several days' walk along a beach, which is so destructive to shoes. They no doubt owed their invention to the necessity of protecting the feet from the snow, and the sharp prickles of the small shrub “tumatakuru” (discaria toumatou, Raoul), which is very common on the plains, and often lies so much hidden in the grass, that you first become aware of its presence by your feet being wounded by it.

Jan. 14.—Huruhuru came to my tent before day-break, to say that the weather was favourable for crossing the river. As it was quite calm, he was anxious to get on the other side before the wind rose. My eldest native, however, who, ever since the day of his preaching at Moeraki, had assumed a more grave and important manner, made many objections to our crossing on a Sunday. But considering the present to be a case of necessity, I determined to be guided by the advice of Huruhuru, who was to pilot us through the intricacies of this dangerous page 211 navigation; for the “mokihi” being heavy and unmanageable, and offering a large surface to the wind, it is impossible to guide it at all unless in calm weather. We accordingly loaded our canoes, and took our seats as directed. All this while my obstinate native, on whom any arguments I used were of no effect, sat with his head nearly covered with his blanket. He refused to assist in any way—saying he would remain where he was—and only changed his mind, and came on board, just as we were shoving off.

We soon found ourselves in the strength of the stream, carried along at a rate not less than six miles per hour, the water boiling up all around us. None but a practised hand could have steered such a craft through the various shoals we had to pass. The art, I learnt, was to distinguish and keep in the main channel of the river, where the water is always deep enough. Once we went wrong, and touched on a shoal, which nearly caused our rolling over— the only danger to be feared. Huruhuru's son guided his small “mokihi” with the greatest ease, its light draught of water permitting it to pass through any channel. After being thus page 212 hurried along for about four miles, the main stream approached the north bank, and we took advantage of an eddy to draw close to it. Here we landed, and encamped for the rest of the day.

My native had now recovered his good humour, and came to help me fix my tent. I did not give him credit for having opposed me on purely conscientious grounds. It had been my habit to confide to him the duty of reading prayers every evening and morning, which were selected from the daily services in the Book of Common Prayer; but since his elevation to the dignity of a preacher, he had added thereto an extemporary effusion of his own, following the practice of the native teachers. At first I made no objection to this innovation. As he became more prolix however from day to day, and parts of his composition were often very absurd, I thought it right to forbid him the use of extemporary prayer, and to confine him to our old forms. When he remonstrated, I threatened to read prayers myself, and so obliged him to yield. This had occurred only a few days before our disagreement about crossing Waitaki on a Sun- page 213 day, and had so much displeased him, that I believe it greatly influenced him in then acting as he did.

After breakfast I thought to try my new sandals, and set off to walk to the mouth of the river. My path lay along the edge of a cliff, about forty feet above the valley through which the river flows, and which I judged to be about one mile broad. The plain on the south side of the river had, on the contrary, as far as I had seen, a much less elevation. At places, where there had been a recent slip, owing to the flood having undermined the base of the cliff, I observed, from the exposed surface, that the ground on which I trod was, throughout its entire thickness visible, composed of rounded stones of various sizes, with a thin layer of soil above.

One could not avoid reflecting that this material must have been washed down from the mountains many ages since, at an epoch when the relative levels of the land and the ocean were different, and deposited below the surface of the sea, till some extraordinary effort of nature had raised the land bodily to its present level. The pebble, which now lay half imbedded in page 214 the face of the cliff, ready to drop from its prison, seemed to tell this history as faithfully as if its wanderings had been recorded from the time it first rolled an angular block into some mountain torrent, till, having been gradually worn down to its present form while journeying towards the coast, it had found a resting place in deep waters. There, for a greater or less period, it had been buried amid the natural ruins of past ages; and now it was about to recommence a state of motion and activity in the torrent below, till it again reached the ocean probably in the form of sand or mud.

When I had arrived within two miles of the sea coast, my progress was stopped by a valley, like that through which the river flowed, meeting it at an angle, as if it had itself been once a similar channel. Here the “tumatakuru” grew so thick that I found it impossible to get on with my sandals. I could distinctly see breakers off the mouth of Waitaki, and what appeared to be a shingle bank off the south Head, which is low. The north Head is a cliff, similar to that forming the northern boundary of the valley of the river.

Near these Heads is the best place to cross; for the numerous channels, into which the river is divided higher up, are there united, and you get across at once; but in times of floods the river is so rapid that there is danger of your being swept out to sea. An idea may be formed of the immense body of water which flows down this river during floods, from the fact that vessels, three or four miles off the coast, have dipped up water quite fresh while crossing its stream; and, when the wind blows on shore, so formidable a tiderip is raised that the natives fear to cross it in their boats. In the winter season, Waitaki has been forded; but it is always hazardous to attempt it; and not long since a European was drowned in trying the experiment, in opposition to the warnings he received from the natives.

From this spot we travelled northward, along a plain extending between the base of the hills and the coast, the breadth of which appeared to average five or six miles. The soil was here richer than on the plains of Waitaki, and was covered with grass, “tutu,” “tumatakuru,” and “ti,” which latter will not thrive in bad soil. We also found the “taramea,” a small plant with fleshy sharp-pointed leaves, not unlike the American aloe in its mode of growth. From these leaves a scent is obtained by holding them over the fire till an oil exudes, which is collected in the bottom of a dried gourd. It is highly prized; and is sent to the natives living on the north side of Cook's Straits, either as barter, or as a present from one chief to another.

In the afternoon, we encamped in a dry channel of the river Waihao, and were fortunate enough to shoot some “putangitangi” for supper. This bird has obtained the name of paradise duck, from the beauty of its plumage: its flesh, however, is not nearly so tender, or of so delicate a flavour, as the common grey species.

I marvelled much that the natives should have built their shed facing the N.E., a fresh breeze page 218 blowing from that quarter so as to fill it with the smoke of their fire; but when I noticed what I thought was their carelessness, they laughed at me, pointing to the hills and saying that the wind would soon die away, and be followed by one from the opposite quarter. At night I was unpleasantly convinced of their superior judgement in such matters, by the chilling wind which blew through the door of my tent. During the rest of my journey, I found that the land and sea breezes might be looked for, by night and by day, with great certainly all along this coast, and did not forget to provide accordingly.

Jan. 16.—I took leave of this friendly family with much regret, sorry that I was not able to reward them for their services as they merited. They, however, shewed no sign of dissatisfaction; and Huruhuru would not part with us till he had conducted us to the beach, about a mile and half distant.