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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 78

The Hauhaus—an Adventure—the Great Earthquake

page 23

The Hauhaus—an Adventure—the Great Earthquake.

In the year 1864 the new "religion" of the disaffected Natives had taken a great hold in the Otaki district. It was called "Hau," and its disciples "Hauhau," and it had been revealed to their prophets that they were the ten Lost Tribes of Israel. They worshipped around a pole planted in the ground, chanting in an unknown tongue as they marched or danced in a circle, all fixing their eye on the apex of the pole where "the Jehovah spirit" was supposed to be sitting. As the ring revolved the excitement of the devotees grew wilder till the movement became a furious race, In their excitement, often foaming at the mouth, and yelping, "Hau, hau," they were more suggestive of a pack of mad dogs than of human creatures. Their own name for the sex was "Pai marire," and these words were often repeated among much quite unintelligible gibberish. This is a sample of one of their chanted incarnations or "prayers":—"God the Father (hau), God the Son (hau, hau), God the Holy Ghost (hau, hau, hau) instruct us. Attention ! Jehovah ! Stand at ease ! (hau). Fall out ! (hau, hau, hau). Big rivers, long rivers, big mountains and seas, Attention! (hau, hau, hau)." This formula was repeated daily at sunrise and sunset, and from our house, a mile away, we could hear the horrid cries of the fanatics at their worship.

In connection with this superstition I had an adventure which nearly cost me my life. Hearing that an old Maori friend was lying ill at the pa, and that his death was daily expected, I rode to the place, fastened up my horse, and went to the tent where my friend was lying. Entering, I sat down by him; he took my hand and, "I am very ill, I shall die." I asked him what remedy he had been taking, and he replied that the Hauhau prophet had been treating him. Pointing to a shed, some distance down the hillside, he said, "That is where the prophet is living." As I turned and looked I saw the tohunga coming out of the shed, a red [unclear: sash] around his waist, feathers in his hair, and a Native spear in his hand. He came slowly at first, blowing and puffing like a mad dog gibberish, jumping, shouting, and flourishing his spear; then he rushed savagely towards the tent. Hearing his cries, my friend said "Run, run ! You are in danger, he does not like you here; it is against his law for pakehas to see me." I saw plainly enough the savage meant mischief, so I bade my friend a hasty good-bye, leaving him panting with weakness and excitement. I page 24 ran smartly to my horse, unhitched him and mounted, just escaping the spear the prophet threw after me. I had seen that my friend was beyond human help, and was not surprised to learn two days afterwards that he was dead.

In 1852 my brother, George Bevan, kept an accommodation house at the mouth of the Waikawa river, and carried on the rope-making as well. He did a large trade with the Maoris in flax and other produce, and had his own schooner, the William, trading between Wellington and the coast. The master's name was Thomas Cribb, and he had with him a Maori sailor named Moko. There was in those days a good deal of trade also between Otaki and Wellington, and several small schooners conveyed goods and produce to and fro. One of these, the Emma Jane, belonged to Hector Macdonald, and my father bought her for the Waikawa trade. She had not been running long before she was wrecked in a heavy gale while lying off Kapiti. Old settlers at Otaki often used to come to Waikawa and spend days at our accommodation-house, and there were many travellers who passed on foot along the coast in these days. At that time the Ohau river ran into the Waikawa, making it a large river and convenient for sailing vessels. At the river mouth, where there are now only-hills, there was a piece of beautiful flat land with a large lake, one of the most picturesque I have seen. It abounded in fish, and was full of native ducks and other game. Hundreds of Maoris found occupation in fishing and collecting pipi (a Native bivalve) on the sea-beach. When the schooner William was seen crossing the bar, crowds of Maoris would assemble on the beach to see her come in, and to render assistance as required. As soon as she entered the river they would call for the guide-rope, which the skipper would throw to them, and they would draw her up the river to our accommodation-house. Next day they would all come over from the pa to see the new goods.

At that time the Ngatiwehiwehi and the Ngatitukorehu of Ohau were powerful hapus, and the people were very industrious. We carried on a large trade with them, buying flax and other produce; keeping stores of various kinds to supply their requirements. It was a pleasure to see the beautiful crops they had under cultivation—the more remarkable as they tilled the soil with sharpened sticks, being unable to afford the implements of the pakeha. All the flax was prepared by hand, the phormium leave being scraped patiently, bit by bit, with mussel shells; yet, by this primitive method, working hard all day in the flax swamps, they would produce hundreds of tons of fibre. One of their chief enjoyments was to sell produce. Hundreds of baskets filled with potatoes or flax would be piled in long rows, and a smart man of business—his sole garment a red or blue blanket, a steelyard

page break
The Otaki Maori Church.

The Otaki Maori Church.

The Interior of the Maori Church.

The Interior of the Maori Church.

page 25

balance, in his hand, and slate and pencil suspended between the folds, of his robe—would attend to the checking as accurately and ...expeditiously as the most experienced tally-clerk. The Natives had large numbers of horses and cattle running wild on their tribal lands. The sea yielded fish in abundance. They would go out in large fishing canoes, and return laden-with hapuka and snapper. Their farm and garden produce included honey, pumpkins, melons, marrows, cucumbers, and other gourds, onions, wheat, maize; they grew choice varieties of fruits—plums, quinces, apples, cherries, grapes, peaches. The mention of peaches brings back some of the pleasantest recollections of those good old times !

Every village had its little Church, and the Maori people were as attentive to their religious ordinances as they were diligent in their daily occupations. Looking, as I sometimes do, on the decaying ruins: of an. Old time West Coast kainga, I find something very touching, in the view. Involuntarily my thoughts wander back to the happy, peaceful, industrious people, so numerous then, and now so few, and to the terrestrial paradise they inhabited sixty years ago. Never can I pass these once-populous .sites without deep emotion, and memories crowd upon me of my good Maori friends of old. When I came to them first, I never saw a person suffering from any bodily complaint, and when they sustained injuries their wounds healed with wonderful rapidity.

At Otaki, from about 1854 to 1862 Mr. Eager and his sons carried on a store, doing an extensive trade with the Natives. About 1856 Foley's circus visited Wellington, and my brother arranged with Mr Foley to bring his company to Waikawa. This was the first show of the kind that the Maoris had seen, and their excitement was intense. Hundreds came in from all parts of the district, and for a time they seemed unable to think or talk of anything else. "Pablo Fanque" in his tight-rope dancing specially took their fancy—particularly as regards the women, who seemed as if they would all fall in love with him.

It was on the night of the 23rd January, 1855, that the dreadful earthquake occurred. In our district it was preceded by a violent storm of rain, which fell in torrents, and the air was very hot and sulphurous. Then came a roaring noise and a terrible shock, followed by many others. Mr. and Mrs. Kebbell and two other travellers on their way to Wellington were at our accommodation house at the time. They had arrived just before the rain storm, and their horses had been put into the stable. When the first shock came I was seated by a large double brick chimney, with a child on my knee. I ran outside, and was thrown on my face, the child falling some distance ahead of me. All in the room ran out of doors, and all were similarly thrown off their feet. Mr and Mrs Kebbell were in the parlour, and were unable to get out, page 26 as the door was jammed, and would not open. The parlour chimney came down into the room, and they had a very narrow escape. We had to knock the door in before they could Mr. Kebbell asked for a Bible, and began to read, but had far before another violent shock came. We all fled from house, leaving the open Bible on the table. We were all in a terrible state of confusion, and could hear the cries of terrified animals and the horses neighing in the stable. The kitchen chimney, near where I had been sitting, was shaken to the ground, and the room was full of bricks. Next morning Mr.and Mrs. Kebbell returned to Manawatu to find what harm they had sustained. They found that their flour-mill was levelled to the ground, and decided not to re-build it there, so they removed such of the machinery as was not destroyed, and re-erected it in Wellington. We were so distracted that we could neither eat nor sleep. In the morning we saw that the sea-waves had come up to the front of the house, leaving hundreds of fish stranded sand. The hills were cracked in all directions, and our fine lake had disappeared for ever. All that remained of it were hundreds of eels, high and dry, where the beautiful expanse of water had been only a few hours before.