WESTERN TAUPO.
Supposed forest country--The western table-land--Soil and
_flora_--Terania--Okarewa--Te Kaina Valley--Maoris on the
track--Pouotepiki pa--A tangi--The natives--A friendly
invitation--An old warrior--The women--Our quarters.
From Kuwharua our course lay along the northern portion of the Te
Pakaru Plain, and between the Kakaramea Ranges and the eastern boundary
of the Tuhua Forest. The whole country hereabouts had a park-like
appearance, and was everywhere covered with native grasses, save the
lower hills, which were mostly clothed with fern. We had now reached
the western watershed of Lake Taupo, the first stream flowing in that
direction being the Koromanga. Near to this point the native track by
which Hochstetter passed in 1859, on his journey to Maketu by way of
the eastern side of Lake Taupo, leads to Tokanu, and if we had followed
it to the westward it would have been our nearest route to Alexandra;
but as the country along its course had already been described by that
traveller, I determined to take a different direction, in order to
explore the great table-land of Western Taupo, and thence to penetrate
to Alexandra by the country to the northward of the great central
mountain chain ending in Titiraupenga, and which was represented
on the maps of the colony as covered with forest, and on that of
Hochstetter as a volcanic table-land "thickly covered with forest,
and unexplored." Indeed, so little was this portion of the country
known, that even at Tapuwaeharuru, where Turner questioned the natives
upon the natural features of this region, he was informed that it was
covered with dense bush, and that it would be impossible to travel
through it for any distance, and especially on account of the numerous
rivers and creeks that would have to be crossed. The information we
thus gained proved to be erroneous so far as the forest was concerned,
since we afterwards discovered that a broad, open table-land, averaging
in height from 1700 to 2200 feet above the level of the sea, extended
far inland along the whole western shore of Lake Taupo, while the
enormous area of country still further to the north and westward,
and described on the maps as before alluded to, turned out to be a
perfectly open table-land, covered with some of the finest grassed
plains in the country, and watered by numerous streams, some of which
were among the largest tributaries of the Waikato River.
The western table-land of Lake Taupo is bounded on the land side by
the Haurungaroa and Hurakia Mountains, which stretch in a northerly
direction as far as Mount Titiraupenga, and form the eastern boundary
of the mountainous region which covers a large area of the central
portion of the King Country. These two mountain chains attain to
an altitude of 2300 to 2500 feet above the level of the sea, their
eastern slopes forming the principal source of the watershed of the
western division of the lake, while the inland waters, with those of
the other mountains of the same system, are received mostly by the
Ongaruhe River, one of the principal tributaries of the Whanganui.
The whole of these ranges, which present a very broken appearance,
are densely covered with luxuriant forests. The country from the
eastern slopes of the Haurungaroa and Hurakia Mountains stretches in
a series of open plains to the shores of the great lake, the whole
western shore of which is bounded by steep, rugged cliffs, which rise
perpendicularly from the water, and assume in many places the form
of bold headlands, the highest of which, Mount Karangahape, attains
to an altitude of about 2300 feet, while Rangituku and Pukeakikiore
are volcanic cones of lesser height, still further to the south. This
portion of the Taupo Table-land was in every way different, so far as
its soil was concerned, from that on the north-eastern and eastern
sides of the lake. The enormous deposits of pumice so remarkable in
the two latter localities were absent here, the soil resembling in
every respect that of the Rangipo Table-land, and this feature will
apply equally to the open plain country we afterwards discovered to the
north of Titiraupenga. Here, too, there was a greater variety of native
grasses, while the soil, formed principally from the decomposition
of the trachytic rocks of the adjacent mountains and the gradual
disintegration of the stratum of pumice upon which it was deposited,
was in every respect of a better kind, and, under proper cultivation,
might be made to grow almost anything suited to the climate. In all
the native settlements in this part of the country we found such trees
as the peach, apple, acacia, and weeping willow growing in great
luxuriance, while the _flora_ indigenous to the island was represented
in its most varied forms.
After passing many miles through an open, undulating, fern-clad
country, we came to a region called Terania, surrounded by low conical
hills, and traversed in every direction with well-beaten tracks, which
had been made by the herds of wild horses frequenting the district, and
which led over the hills and through the valleys wherever we turned.
Darkness overtook us as soon as we crossed the Kuratao River, and we
camped for the night near to a small stream called Okarewa, on the open
table-land, which at this point had an elevation of 1700 feet above the
level of the sea.
We started at daylight from Okarewa, and continued a northerly course
along the table-land, which was for some distance dotted about with low
fern hills. We crossed the Whareroa River, and beyond this point the
bold outline of Karangahape came into view in the east, in the form
of a huge dome-shaped mountain, surrounded by lower hills of conical
formation. The table-land now indicated a general elevation, varying
from 2000 to 2200 feet, and kept very level between the two heights for
a long distance, the country rising gradually in the form of undulating
hills towards the dense forests to the west of our track. We forded
the Mangakara, flowing from the Haurungaroa Mountains, the river being
fringed at the point where we crossed it by a dense growth of bush,
which grew along the precipitous sides of the stream, down which we had
to ride before we reached the torrent below. Beyond the river we gained
the Te Kaina Valley, which wound through the table-land, here dotted
about with enormous outcrops of trachytic rock. Here the whole broad
expanse of the country had a beautifully picturesque appearance, which
was heightened in no small degree by the broad, shining waters of Lake
Taupo in the distance.
It was now clear that we were getting into a more densely populated
portion of the country, and we met many Maoris of all ages and sexes
along this portion of our track. Most of them were well mounted, and
were journeying from the north in the direction of Tokanu and other
settlements in the south. Each party greeted us, and asked us where we
were from, and when told that we had come up from the Manganui-a-te-Ao,
they one and all expressed surprise, and asked us how we had got
through at that season of the year. Some natives travelling in our
direction now joined us, and we learned from them that a _tangi_ was
being held at Pouotepiki, the _pa_ which we would have to pass on the
way, and that we would meet Te Heuheu there, and a number of other
chiefs.
We arrived at Pouotepiki late in the afternoon, and found the _pa_
situated in a beautiful position on an elevated portion of the
table-land overlooking the western bay of Lake Taupo, whose rugged
shores here rose up to a height of hundreds of feet above the water, in
the form of precipitous cliffs, and rugged headlands which flanked the
entrance to picturesque bays.
As we rode up a wild and curious sight presented itself. Our approach
was hailed with dismal wailing from the women, loud barking from the
packs of mongrel dogs, and by the grunting of innumerable pigs.
A crowd of natives at once gathered round us, and among them were
some of the wildest and most villainous-looking men I had ever seen.
They were not like the untutored savages we had found at Ruakaka,
but in appearance a desperate, half-savage, half-civilized race of
beings. There were natives from Tokanu, natives from Tuhua, from
Kahakaharoa, and all the various settlements for miles around. Some
wore only the blanket, others ragged clothes and battered hats,
while some of the younger men, as if anxious to make a show of their
smattering of civilization, were got up quite in a dandified way.
When the _hongi_[67] had been performed amid tears and lamentations,
half a dozen weird-looking hags stood up in a row and went through
a _tangi_,[68] which lasted an hour, during which time we stood in
front of them, beside the natives who had joined us on the way to the
_pa_. When this part of the performance had ended, one of the new
arrivals stepped to the front and delivered a long speech in honour
of the deceased chief, for the repose of whose soul the _tangi_ was
being held, interlarding his remarks now and again with snatches of
verse, which he sang in a doleful, melancholy tone, and what with the
wailing of the women, the barking of the curs, who seemed to object
immensely to our presence, the grunting of the pigs that sniffed
familiarly round us, and the noise made by the children, who laughed
just as loudly as their elders cried, the discordant sounds became in
the long-run indescribably unpleasant; still, as we were in Maoriland,
and had determined to do as the Maoris did, we went through the ordeal
of the _tangi_ with a reverential and solemn air. It is true we shed
no tears--probably because we hadn't got them to shed--but there was
no doubt about the crying so far as the women were concerned, for I
watched them carefully, and I noticed that the big round tears trickled
down their noses and then in a miniature cascade over their lips in
the most orthodox way, but whether these tears were what we callous
Christians call "crocodile tears" it is impossible for me to say.
When the formal greeting was over, we were invited into the
_runanga_-house, a spacious building about sixty feet long by
thirty broad, in which a number of natives were squatting about in
small circles, smoking and playing cards. Te Heuheu of Tokanu, the
great _rangatira_ of the Ngatituwharetoa was there--a thick-set,
broad-shouldered man, with an austere countenance. He was dressed in
European costume, and wore a wide collaret of _kiwi_ feathers round his
neck, while beside him sat his two wives, who were likewise habited
in what is recognized as the attire of civilized society. I noticed
that their dresses were not after the latest Parisian models, but
their round hats, made entirely of _kiwi_ feathers, suited their dark
countenances admirably. Both had pleasant features, and, like all the
women I had seen in the country, were remarkable for their splendid
teeth, which were as white and as perfect as Cleopatra's pearls, and
seemed to shine in marked contrast to their blue tattooed lips. The
chief Mohi, a herculean man, standing about six feet four inches, stood
like a statue, wrapped in a blanket, nursing a child, and beside him
was Patoro, a chief of the Ngatiraukawa, and, besides these, there
were many representative men of the Ngatituwharetoa, Ngatikohera,
Ngatiarekawa, Ngatitakaiahi, and Ngatihikera. Besides the natives
located in the _runanga_-house there were many camped outside, both
in _whares_ and tents, the principal occupation of all being smoking
and playing cards, and performing the _tangi_ whenever a new arrival
appeared.
There was one tall, gaunt old man among the throng, with a
fierce-looking, tattooed countenance, and a pointed grey beard, who
never moved about without a greenstone _mere_ in his hand, and when
afterwards we got into conversation with him, to ascertain the
history of this implement, he told us it was the last relic of his
tribe, and that the notch at the end of it had been made by cracking
an enemy's skull. Judging from the impression made upon the hard stone
by the skull, it occurred to me that its owner must have ranked during
lifetime as a kind of champion thick-headed savage.
Many of the women at this gathering were the finest, both as regards
appearance and stature, we had seen during our journey, some of them
being perfect giantesses in build. Among the finest and most attractive
was Tapare Huia Tauaiti, the daughter of Heure Harawira, a native chief.
[Illustration: NATIVE GIRL.]
When the natives learned that we had travelled alone, as they termed
it, "from the big mountains in the south," they invited us to remain
over night, but not before they had asked us many questions as to the
object of our journey, and how it was we had chosen so roundabout a way
when the Maoris always made it a rule to take the shortest cut between
two points. We several times felt pushed to find a reasonable reply to
their queries in this respect, but Turner, with his usual diplomatic
tact, invariably got out of the difficulty by remarking that when a
_pakeha_ got on to a horse, like the proverbial tailor, there was no
telling where he would ride to.
After a very acceptable meal of pork, potatoes, and thistles,[69]
which was served out to the assembled crowd in small plaited flax
baskets, we were allotted quarters in the _runanga_-house, where fifty
men, women, and children lay huddled together in the most promiscuous
way. Never during the whole of our journey did we spend so unpleasant
a night. At sundown the _runanga_-house was firmly closed, four big
charcoal fires were lit, and men, women, and children smoked until
the atmosphere became so stifling that it was almost impossible to
breathe. The great subject of conversation was the question of native
boundaries, the projected government survey through the country, and
the iniquities of the Native Land Court. More than a dozen speeches
were delivered on these topics, and it was amusing to see one gaunt
figure after another get up in the dim light, swathed in a blanket,
after the fashion of a _toga_, and deliver a long and fiery oration,
to which every one would listen in rapt attention, without questioning
a single statement of the speaker until he had delivered himself of
all he had to say. These expressions of opinion were carried on from
either side of the house far into the night, until one by one the dark
forms fell off to sleep, when the snoring, coughing, and wheezing,
coupled with the stifling heat, transformed the place into a veritable
pandemonium.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 67: The _hongi_ is to salute by the nose. Two individuals
saluting in this way grasp the right hands, and, bending forward, press
the end of their noses together, uttering at the same time a whining
sound.]
[Footnote 68: A _tangi_ (to cry) is a lamentation for the dead.
Assemblages of this kind often last over many days, during which time
the corpse is laid out ready for interment. It is also a form of
salutation, upon the meeting of friends, intended to lament departed
kindred. The cry is a most doleful one, and when uttering it the
mourners express all sorts of convulsive movements to betoken their
anguish.]
[Footnote 69: The sowthistle is much esteemed by the Maoris as a
vegetable.]