THE START.
Reason of the journey--How I succeeded--My interpreter--Our
horses--The Hursthouse difficulty--Departure from
Wairakei--Tapuwaeharuru--The natives--Release of Hursthouse, and
capture of Te Mahuki--The council of war.
In undertaking my journey of exploration through the King Country, I
was prompted by no other desire than to advance the general interests
of New Zealand, by making known more fully that portion of it which
was virtually a blank on the maps, and thus to add, as far as lay in
my power, to the geographical and geological knowledge of a vast and
important region, which was reputed to be rich in natural resources
of a valuable and varied order. The object was, in fine, of a purely
scientific nature, and was prosecuted throughout solely in conformity
with that view.
In setting out upon the undertaking--as I had selected to do the
journey only in company with an interpreter, and without the
protection of friendly natives, whose aid, in fact, it would have been
impossible to obtain--I was aware that a difficult and, by reason of
the unsatisfactory state of the native question, a dangerous task
lay before me, but I was likewise aware that I was no novice in the
matter of travel. I had penetrated into some of the wildest parts of
Australia, explored the principal islands of the Coral Sea, been into
the interior of China and of Japan, crossed the United States, visited
Mexico, travelled in Canada, voyaged up the Nile, camped with the
Bedouins on the plains of Arabia, and hunted in the forests of Ceylon.
In all these countries, whilst exploring their natural beauties and
varied resources, it was my practice to mix freely with the native
races, while I made their habits and customs my special study, and with
the knowledge thus acquired, it seemed to my mind that it would not
be altogether impossible for me to get along with the Maoris, whose
intelligence and courage had been a general theme for admiration ever
since the arrival of Cook.
When entering upon the journey, I determined to follow a certain line
of action throughout. I resolved to ascend Tongariro, to scale the
summit of Ruapehu, and then to enter the King Country at its furthest
extremity, and return northward to Alexandra by the best route by
which I could secure the most extended knowledge of the region to be
traversed. If turned back by the natives at one point, I was prepared
to try another. I was determined that no efforts should be spared to
accomplish my object, and that no obstacle should impede my progress,
save forcible opposition. To guard as much as possible against an
occurrence of the latter kind, I resolved, above all when in contact
with the tribes, to go fearlessly among them, to respect their customs,
and follow, as near as possible, their mode of life, and, in fact, for
the time being to become a Maori. Only in one instance was I forced to
break through this rule, and that was in order to accomplish the ascent
of Tongariro. This mountain, as before pointed out, is strictly _tapu_,
and I was aware that all the persuasive diplomacy in the world would
not secure me permission to ascend it, I therefore had to accomplish
this task unbeknown to the Maoris having settlements in its vicinity.
Following strictly the natives' habits, when camping with the tribes,
we would at sundown turn into the _wharepunis_, or assembly-houses, in
which the members of the _hapu_ meet to eat and sleep, when the small
door would be closed, the solitary window scrupulously fastened up, the
charcoal fire lit, and when the dismal slush lamp would give forth its
flickering light, as if struggling for existence amidst the clouds of
smoke which mingled with the stifling air of the apartment; then men,
women, and children would squat down in their blankets, and, lighting
their pipes, conversation would begin. It was on these occasions that
we gained most of our information about the country and the habits and
customs of the interesting people among whom we were travelling. They
were always desirous of ascertaining what countries I had visited, and,
with the able assistance of my interpreter, I related to them some
of the principal features of interest I had seen in various parts of
the world. During these descriptions not a word was ever spoken--men,
women, and children sat in silence--but at the conclusion of my
narrative the most extraordinary and often ludicrous questions would be
asked. In turn the natives would tell us all we wished to know about
their country and indicate the mineral deposits[38] which they knew to
exist in various localities, while they would likewise recite legends,
and sing songs in a mournful, melancholy way. Then, one by one, they
would gradually settle down to sleep, and in this way, amid loud
snoring and a stifling heat, we would pass away twelve dreary hours,
until the cool breath of morning came and gave us relief. It was, in
fact, by following this course that we gained the confidence of the
natives, and made them our friends.
When I was fully prepared to set out on my journey, as I could not
speak a word of the native language, my next desire was to secure the
services of an efficient interpreter. During my travels through the
Lake Country I had become acquainted with Mr. J.A. Turner, a younger
member of a family of European extraction, who from the early days
of the colony had been settled near Whatiwhatihoe. It was in company
with Mr. Turner that I examined the wonders of Wairakei, and made
the descent under the Huka Falls. It was on that occasion, too, that
I remarked his spirited love for travel and adventure, his quick
perception as a guide, his thorough knowledge of the Maori language,
and of native habits and customs; and while I admired his genial
manner, I secretly determined that when I started on my journey to
explore the King Country he would be the first man whose services I
would endeavour to secure. In this I was fortunately successful.
As I shall have occasion to refer frequently to the horses we took on
our journey I will give their names, with a brief description of each.
Charlie, the horse which I rode, was bred on the Kaingaroa Plains, east
of Lake Taupo, and was caught by Turner from a mob of wild horses.
He stood about fifteen hands, was of a dark iron-grey colour, and
possessed good points. Tommy, ridden by Turner, was a black pony, of
about fourteen hands, bred near Auckland, and, although his points
were not perfect, he was strongly built, and plucky to a degree. Our
sumpter-horse, also bred near Auckland, was a gaunt, white-coated
animal, well built, but somewhat long in the legs, and narrow-chested.
His principal failing was an inordinate appetite. Moreover, although
a fine-looking horse in many ways, he had the gait of a camel, and,
I think, like the "ship of the desert" is said to do, he cursed his
father when going up a hill, and his Creator when coming down.
When everything was in readiness, and just as we were about to start
from Wairakei, an event mingled with alarm occurred in connection
with the native difficulty. Several of the principal Kingite chiefs,
who had up to this time remained in sullen isolation, agreed to allow
Mr. Hursthouse, a government surveyor, and his assistants, with a
body-guard of friendly natives, to enter a part of the northern portion
of the King Country, but immediately upon the party reaching the
small settlement of Te Kumi, a few miles across the frontier-line,
they were set upon and made prisoners by a band of Maoris headed by
Te Mahuki, a fanatical follower of Te Whiti, the Maori prophet. No
sooner were the surveyors in the hands of the desperadoes, than they
were taken prisoners into the settlement, stripped of every particle
of clothing, brutally maltreated, and chained up in a hut where they
were detained until intelligence of their capture reached Alexandra.
This brutal outrage upon a government officer in the face of the many
delicate phases of the Maori difficulty, was naturally received with
consternation throughout the colony, as at first glance it appeared
little short of an act of open rebellion on the part of the natives.
A few days after this event, on the 5th of April, we set out from
Wairakei, and following along the banks of the Waikato for about six
miles, reached Tapuwaeharuru, a small township at the northern end
of Lake Taupo. Situated far from the centres of population, this
settlement is not an important place, beyond its being one of the
principal strategic positions of the armed constabulary. The flat,
elevated plain upon which the township is situated, is formed entirely
of pumice, and has a hollow, cavernous-like sound when riding over
it, a circumstance which no doubt gave rise to its native name, which
signifies "the place of sounding footsteps."
From time immemorial Tapuwaeharuru has been the centre of a large Maori
population, and all around this portion of the lake may yet be seen the
remains of old _pas_ and other evidences of the fast-decaying native
race. There is still a considerable number of natives living in the
vicinity, and the township is usually full of them. Many of the men are
tall and finely built, and, in fact, this portion of the country has
been at all times renowned for the splendid physical development of the
native race, some of the tallest and most powerful men in the island
hailing from these parts. The women, likewise, are comely in appearance
and strongly built, while they follow the peculiar custom, which I have
not seen elsewhere, of tattooing the legs as well as the lips in thin
cross-lines of a dark-blue colour.
We reached Tapuwaeharuru early in the day, and noticed as we
entered the township that a body of the armed constabulary were at
work repairing the earthwork of the redoubt. We soon learned that
Hursthouse and his party had been released by a body of armed natives
under Wahanui, the principal chief of the Ngatimaniapoto, and that
Te Mahuki and his band had been taken prisoners to Auckland.[39] It
was evident that the natives were much excited over the latter event,
and the armed constabulary had received orders to hold themselves in
readiness to take the field at any moment. Tawhiao, the Maori king,
was on his way from the East Coast with 300 mounted Waikatos, and was
expected to arrive on the following day, and it was reported by the
natives that he would enter the King Country by the northern shore of
the lake, and call a meeting of all the tribes to discuss the situation.
At this juncture I sent Turner to sound the natives whether they
thought that he could enter the King Country at Tokanu, and pass
northward to visit his family at Whatiwhatihoe. Two of the natives whom
he knew from Tokanu told him that he might by chance get through, but
if he happened to come across any of Te Mahuki's followers or other
unfriendly natives, he would probably be treated in the same way as
Hursthouse, or perhaps get a bullet through him. The general impression
was that the Hursthouse affair, and the imprisonment of Te Mahuki and
his band, would cause a serious disturbance between the Europeans and
natives. At this stage we held a council of war. It was clear there
were only two alternatives--either to go on and chance everything, or
beat an ignominious retreat. I made a firm stand against the latter,
and Turner, realizing the position at once, said, "Wherever you go,
I'll follow." That settled the question, and that night, when the moon
was high, we pitched our first camp on the eastern shore of Lake Taupo.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 38: The natives at Ruakaka told us of the existence of gold
in the Kaimanawa Mountains, and in the Tuhua country, as likewise of
extensive deposits of coal on the Upper Whanganui River.]