PENINSULA PRICE 8/6 HALEWOOD'S NEW AND SECOND-HAND BOOK-SHOP HKBKFm CHRISTCHURCH TALES OF BANKS PENINSULA Second Edition. AKAROA : PBINTED BY H. C. JACOBSON, " MAIL " OFFICB, 1893. PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. When I began to compile the following collection of Peninsula narratives, I never for a moment thought that they would assume such dimensions as to warrant their being published in book form, and I merely wished to collect some information that might be interesting to the readers of the " Akaroa Mail," and also be of use to some future historian of New Zealand. Banks Peninsula is one of the few places in this Island that has a history, and many of the original settlers are passing away, so that it was desirable to procure their records without loss of time, It has been a most pleasing task, and the uni- versal kindness and sympathy shown to me by all to whom I have gone for aid has been deeply felt by me. The Rev. J. W. Stack's Maori History is a most important part of the book, and no othor European could possibly have collected so full and accurate an account. It was from papers in the possession of Mr. J. Aylmer and Mr A. L McGregor that the story of Hempleman and his claims and diary was written. The description of the French Settlement was principally furnished by Mr Waeckerlie, one of the original settlers ; and Mr. S. C. Farr wrote the Voyage of the Monarch. To Mrs, Brown I was indebted for much of the narrative of the Early Days, and Billy Simpson's tale was told by himself, Mr. G. J. Black gave most of the information regarding Robinson and Walker, tut " Chips " was the nar- rator of his own autobiography. Mr, J. D. Gar- 1490735 17 PREFAOB. wood assisted in many of the articles, and wrote the Loss of the Crest ; and the Rev. R. R. Bradley, Mr. P. Moore, Mr. T. Adams, Mr W. Masefield, and others, gave the information from which the other articles were prepared. It will thus be seen that my task has been com- paratively an easy one, aided as I have been by so many kind friends ; and I can truly say, in conclu- sion " Here is only a nosegay of cut flowers, nnd nothing is my own but the string that binds them." H. C. JACOBSON. PREFACE TO MAORI HISTORY. I am indebted to Mr, and Mrs Tikao, Wiremu, Karaurko, Hjtkopa te ata o Tu, Te Aika, nnd many other well-informed Natives , for the materials to compose this history of the Maori occupation of Banks Peninsula ; and having written down the narrative from their verbal statements, I have often followed the Maori rather than the English idiom in my translation, which, however distasteful it may prove to the reaJer, will afford satisfactory evidence in future of tho source from which my information was derived. J.W.8. Duvauchelle's Bay, July 28th, 1883. PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION It is now nearly ten years ago since I published the first edition of the Stories of Banks Peninsula. They were so well received that in a few weeks all had gone ; and from that time to this I hnve been, collecting fresh matter with a view to the publication of the second enlarged edition ihat is now before you. There is a sort of mournful congratulation in looking over the preface of 1883 congratulation in having secured the information before those who gave it had passed away sorrow that so many who were then in strength and health have since ceased to live. Mr, Justin Aylmer, Mr. Garwood, Mr. Moore, the Rev. R. R, Bradley, Billy Simpson, and a host of others who aided me in my first pleasant task have since joined the majority, and had I waited a year or two longer it would have been impossible to procure the records which are now before you for the second time. Greatly enlarged as the edition is, I have not had room for all the matter at my command, and live in the hope of yet publishing a third and larger issue in the years to come. Need I record my thanks to the public for their kind reception of my former effort, and ray hope that a similar fate may he accorded to the second. H. C. JACOBSON. Akaroa, June 4th, 1893. CONTENTS. STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA PAGB. No. 1. Maori History ... 1 No. 2. European Account of the Massacre in Akaroa Harbour ... ... ... 56 No. 3. George Eempleman and bis Purchase of Akaroa 61 No. 4. George Hempleman's Diary 79 No. 5. " Headed Up " 84 No. 6. The French Settlement of Akaroa ... 87 No. 7. Early Days 109 No. 8. Arrival of the First English Ship ... 114 No. 9. Early Reminiscences 121 No. 10. A Lady Colonist's Experiences 130 No. 11. Billy Simpson 138 No. 12. Jimmy Robinson ... ... ... ... 151 No. 13. Jimmy Walker 159 No, 14. " Chips " 168 No. 15. Thomas Richard Moore, M.D 178 No. 16, French Farm and the Survey 179 No. 17. John Henry Caton 182 No. 18. The Chief Paora Taki's Story 184 No. 19. Story of a Snake Ilunt in Akaioa Harbour by Mrs. Tikao .. 188 No. 20. The Mysterious Disappearance of Mr. Dicken 190 No. 21. Harry Head 193 No. 22. Tho Loss of the Crest ~ 197 Till CONTENTS. :F.A.:R,T THIS SEOOITJD. STORIES OF THE BATS PAGE, No. 1. LeBon's Bay ........... 201 No. 2. Okain's Bay ......... ( ... 207 No. 3. Little Akaloa ............ 212 No. 4. German Bay ............ 218 No. 5. Robinson'8 Bay .......... 221 No. 6. Duvauchelle'a Bay South ........ 225 No. 7. Pigeon Bay ............ 231 No. 8. Head of the Bay ........... 237 No. 9. Island Bay ............... 241 No. 10. Little River ... ' ......... 245 No. 11, Charteris Bay ........... . 249 No. 12. Gough's Bay ........... 253 No. 13. Feraki ............... 262 MORE STORIES OF OLD SETTLERS Mr. Philip Ryan ............... 268 Mr. Thomas White ............ ... 272 Mr. William Isaac Haberfield ......... 275 PENINSULA STORIES IN VERSE Akaroa .................. 295 Oar Jubilee ........ , ......... 298 The Legend of Onawe ............ 301 The Legend of Gough's Bay ......... 305 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. No. 1. MAORI HISTORY OF BANKS PENINSULA. (Contributed by the Rev. J. W. Stack.) To all who know how attentively the Maoris noted the physical features of the country, and the prolific character of their geographical nomenclature, it is somewhat perplexing to find that an isolated region, with a conformation so marked as Banks Peninsula, does not possess a distinctive Maori name : unless, indeed, the present inhabitants have lost the know- ledge of it, and confined to a part a name which originally embraced the whole. I am inclined to think that this is the case. In ancient times the whole island was spoken of as " The fish/' and even now the northern part of it is called " Mua upoko " (the front-head), while the southern part is called "Muri-hiku" (rear-tail). I think it is highly probable that when the first explorers, looking south- wards from the neighborhood of Kaikoura, saw the Peninsula looming up against the sky, they took it to be the limit of the land's extent, and called it accordingly the Hiku, or tail-end of the fish, But the combination of Rangi (sky) with Hiku may point to another derivation, since Hikurangi is the name of a mountain at the head of the Waiapu Valley, near East Cape. The name may possibly B 2 STORIES OF B '.NKS PENINSULA. have been applied to this peninsula from some fan- cied resemblance in its appearance, when first sighted from the north, to the well-known mountain near the ancient home of the Ngatikahunu tribes. Whether the Peninsula was ever inhabited by people of another race it is impossible to say, owing to the absence of conclusive evidence either one way or the other. My friend Dr. Von Haast rather inclines to the opinion that it was, being led to the conclusion by some discoveries he made in the moa bone cave near Sumner. But there is nothing to be found in the existing traditions relating to the locality, which can be relied upon as affording any evidence that the Maoris knew that the country was occupied before they came here. The demigods of whom they speak as having been the first discoverers and explorers of these islands, cannot be regarded as the representatives of an aboriginal people, because the stories relating to them are common to all sec- tions of the Polynesian race, and evidently belong to persons and events connected with Maori history in distant ages t long be/ore the migration from Hawaiki. There is reason to believe that Banks Peninsula has been occupied by the Maori for a period of four hundred years, though the existing historical tradi- tions of the people only reach back for half that period. The absence of the earlier traditions is, however, easily accounted for by the fact that two successive waves of conquest swept over the entire South Island after it was first peopled, the conquer- ing tribe in each case being careful to obliterate as far as possible all traces of the former inhabitants, in order to render its own title to possession more secure. The Waitaha, who came originally from Hawaiki to Maketu, iu the canoe Arawa, were the first Maori inhabitants of these parts. They gradually made their way from the Bay of Plenty to the South Island MAOKI HI8TOUY. 3 (then known as Tuaiuki), where they multiplied so rapidly that they are said " to have covered the face of the land like myriads of ants." The Waitaha were conquered and destroyed, some- where about the year 1577, by the Ngatimamoe, a tribe from the East Coast of the North Island, whose ancestors came to Poverty Bay from Hawaiki in the canoe Tokomaru. The Ngatimamoe did not long enjoy the fruits of their triumph. In litlle more than a hundred years they were despoiled by Ngai Tahu, also an East Coast tribe, descendants of the crew of the canoes Taki timn, Kura haupo, and Mata horua, and were by them subjected to the same cruel process of extermination by which they had secured their own conquest of Waitaha. Before entering on the narrative of Ngai Tahu's doings on Banks Peninsula, it may be interesting to relate what the Maoris say about one monument of the former inhabitants that still remains, known as the PA OF NGA-TOKO-ONO (THE PA OF THE Six). Between Fisherman's and Paua Bay, on the edge of a bold cliff, may still be seen the remains of the most ancient Maori pa in this locality. The date of its occupation can only be a matter ot conjecture, but if it belonged to the Ngatimamoe, as generally reported, it must be from three to four hundred years old. When Ngai Tahu first arrived, the pa was in much the same condition that it is now : nothing but the earthworks remained to mark where it once stood. In answer to their inquiries respecting its origin, they were told that it was the pa of Nga- toko-ono, and that the tradition about it was, that six chiefs once dwelt there, who went out one day in their canoes to fish, about a mile from the coast, when they were caught by a violent north-west wind, and were blown out to sea and never heard of again. 4 STORIES OF B VNRS PENINSULA. Some light has lately been thrown upon the late of these men by the Chatham Islanders, who saj that their ancestors arrived at Wharekauri after being blown off the coast of their own land. They also speak of some of their ancestors coming from the foot of Te-ahu-patiki (Mount Herbert), and that the reason for their leaving was owing to the defeat and death ot their chief Tira, who was killed while endea- vouring to punish his daughter's husband, who had been guilty of adultery. On reaching Wharekauri, they were kindly received by Marupo, the chief of a Maori-speaking race. By the advice of their hosts, the new arrivals resolved to give up fighting and cannibalism. The Maori refugees carried kumara seeds with them, but on planting them they died, so they returned to New Zealand for a further supply, The question naturally arises, How did lira's people know of the existence of Wharekauri ? It seems highly probable that, after discovering the islands, Nga-toko-ono or some of them returned to inform their friends, who gladly availed themselves of a safe refuge from the relentless Ngai Tahu, whose suc- cesses in the northern parts of the island were begin- ning to cause them anxiety regarding their future safety. PARAKAKARIK1. Not far from the pa of Nga-toko-ono may be seen the outlines ot the protective works of another ancient pa, known as Parakakariki. It was situated at the end of one of the spurs on the south side of Long Bay, and was an important stronghold of the Ngati- mamoe. It was captured and destroyed by Mold, who, in the celebrated war canoe Makawhiu , coasted round the Peninsula, and completely subdued all the Ngatimamoe inhabitants. This chief, who resided, after the Ngai Tahu migration, at Ote Kaue, near the mouth of the MAORI HISTORY. 5 Wairau River, was induced to undertake the expedi- tion fegainst the Peninsula by the report brought to him by his wife's two brothers, Kaiapu and Te Makino, who had accompanied Waitai on his voyage from Wairau to Otago, when that chief, offended by Maru's determination to spare the Ngatimamoe, seceded from the Ngai Tahu confederacy. These two men had noticed, while coasting southwards, the vast extent of the plains stretching from the Bea shore to the snowy ranges, and had also been par- ticular to mark the position of the numerous Ngati- mamoe pas passed daring the voyage. When their canoe touched at Hikurangi, they had learnt that their old tribal enemy Tu te kawa was living not far off at Waikakahi, a piece of information which after- wards led to important results. After accompanying Waitai to Murihiku, and taking part in various encounters between his forces and the hostile tribes by which he was surrounded, Kaiapu and Te Makino were seized with a longing desire to avenge the death of a near female relative, and, in order to accomplish their purpose, they resolved to risk the journey overland to Wairau. As they travelled over the plains between the Wai- taugi and Waipara Eivers, they remarked with covetous ejes the luxuriant growth of the cabbage palms, so highly valued for the favorite kauru food prepared from the stems. They were astonished at the immense numbers of wekas and rats which they came across in the long tussock grass, and were equally astonished to find all the streams and lakes throughout the country swarming with eels and lampreys and silveries, and the great Waihora Lake full of flat-fish. They passed safely through the hostile country, and reached the outskirts of Ote Kaue, when they made enquiries for Moki's house. They were told that they could not mistake it, as it was the loftiest 6 BTOKIES OF BANKS 1'ENINSULA, building in the pa, with the widest barge boards to the porch. They did not enter the )>a until every one had retired to rest, when they made their way to the house indicated , and eat down close to the break- wind near the porch, where they waited till some one appeared to whom they could make themselves known. About midnight their sister came out, and after sitting a few minutes in the yard, rose to return to the -house. Hoping to attract her notice without making any noise, one of them opened a parcel of tara mea scent, which he had concealed about him. She no sooner perceived the delicious fragrance than she arproached the spot where her brothers were crouching, feeling her way towards them along the break wind. As soon as &he reached them they caught hold of her, when she gave a sharp cry, but they at once silenced her fears by telling her who they were. She was overjoyed by the discovery, and quickly re-entered the house to inform her husband. " Rise up, rise up, O Moki !" she cried, " here are your brothers-in-law, the sons of Pokai whao ; they have returned, and are awaiting your pleasure out- side." Moki told her to bring the travellers in, aid to prepare some food at once for them, but not to make their arrival known to the pa till the morning. Marewa knew how important it was for her brothers' safety that they should take food under Moki's roof, because it would ensure his protection in the event of their meeting with persons inclined to kill them ; for in these stormy times it was the common practice for individuals to avenge their private wrongs, and in doing so it was quite immaterial whether they killed the person who had done them the injury, so long as they killed some one connected with him ; unprotected people were therefore always in great danger of losing their lives. It was not surprising, therefore, that under the circumstances Moki's wife displayed the greatest alacrity iu providing refresh- MAORI HISTORY. 7 ments for her husband's guests, selecting the mate- rials from her choicest stores, ^he listened till dawn to the story of their adventures by sea and land, and then she went to carry the news of their arrival to the other great chiefs of the place. Te Rangi Whakaputa was the first to come and welcome them. He asked whether they had seen any good country towards the south. They replied that they had. " What food," he asked, "is pro- curable there ?" " Fern root," they replied, " is one food, kauru is another, and there are wekas and rats and eels in abundance." He then retired, and Mango took his place and asked, " Did you see any good country in your travels ?" " Yes," they replied, " Ohiriri (Little River), that is, a stream, we saw, and Wairewa is the lake." " And what food can be got there ?" he asked. " Fern root," they said, "is one food, but there are many kinds ; there are wekas and kaka and kereru and eels." Mango replied, " Inland is a pillow for my head, on the ceast a rest for my feet." Te Rua hiki hiki, son of Manawa, was the next to enter and interrogate them. He, too, asked, " Have you seen any land ?" They re- plied, " We saw Kaitorete, a plain, and Waihora, a lake." " What food can be got there?" " Eels," they said, " abound there, and patiki and ducks and putangitangi are food to be got there." " That shall be my possession," said Te Rua hiki hiki. But there was another and still more powerful incentive than the acquisition of a rich food-produc- ing district to induce Ngai Tahu to undertake an expedition to the south, and that was the desire to vindicate the tribal honour. No sooner did Moki and the rest of the leading chiefs learn from the two travellers that Tu te kawa was still living at Waika- kahi, than orders were immediately issued to prepare the great war canoe, Te Maka whiu, for sea. This canoe was made out of an enormous totara tree 8 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. which grew in the Wairarnpa Valley, the stamp of which was shown until quite lately by the old Maoris there. On the completion of the conquest of Ngati- matnoe, the canoe was drawn up at Omihi, where it was subsequently buried by a landslip, the projecting bow only being left exposed. It was regarded as a sacred treasure under the immediate guardianship of atuas, and one man, who presumed to chip a piece off as a memento, paid the penalty of his sacreligious rashness by dying immediately afterwards. TU TE KAWA. The fead between the chief Tu te kawa and the ruling family of Ngai Tahu was caused by his having put Tuahuriri's wives to death at Te-mata-ki-kai- poika, a pa on the south-east coast of the North Island. Tuahuriri had from some cause incurred the ill-will of a powerful member of his own tribe, the renowned warrior Hika-oro-roa. That chief assembled his relations and dependents, amongst whom was Tu te kawa, and led them to attack Tuahuriri's pa. When they were approaching the place at dawn of day, and just as the leader was preparing to take the foremost post in the assault, a youth named Turuki, eager to distinguish himself, rushed past Hika-ora-roa, who uttered an exclama- tion of surprise and indignation at his presumption, asking in sneering tones " how a nameless warrior could dare to try and snatch the credit of a victory he had done nothing to win." Turuki, burning with shame at the taunt, rushed back to the rear, and addressed himself to Tu te kawa, who was the head f his family, and besought him to withdraw his contingent, and proceed at once to attack the pa from the opposite side, and thus secure the victory for himself, and for ever prevent such a reproach from again being uttered against any one of his family. Tu te kawa, who resented keenly the insult MAORI HISTORY. 9 offered to his young relative, instantly adopted his suggestion, and FO rapidly did ho effect the move- ment, that his absence was not discovered till he had successfully assaulted the pa, and his name was being shouted forth as victor. A few moments before the assault took place, Tu te kawa said to his nephew, " Go quickly and rouse Tuahuriri." The young warrior ran forward, and on reaching the pa called out, " O Tu." " What is it?" he asked. " Come forth." " Wait till I fasten on my waist- belt." " Wait for nothing ; escape, they are close here!" "Where?" "Just behind my back." Without stopping to put on a garment or to pick up his weapons, Tuahuriri rushed out of his house, climbed over the wall, and ran for his life to the shelter of a neighbouring wood. Tu te kawa was the first to enter the pa, and at once made his way to Tuahuriri's house, where he found his two wives, Hina kai taki and Tuara whati. These women were persons of great distinction, being related to all the principal families in that part of the country, and their lives ought to have been quite safe in the hands of their husband's relatives. But Tu te kawa turned a deaf ear to their appeal for protection, and killed them both. Though accused of killing these wooieu unnecessarily, it is very probable that he may have put them to death to save the family honour, as it was no disgrace to die by the hands of a near kinsman, and he had good reason to suspect that Hika-oro-roa, having lost the credit of the victory, and having failed to secure the husband, would take his revenge on the wives. Tu te kawa might have argued, if they must die, it was better he should kill them. When the war party were re-embarking in their canoes, a few hours after, Tuahuriri came out to the edge of the forest, and called to Tu te kawa, and asked him whether he had got his waist-cloth, belt, and weapons. On being answered in the affirmative, 10 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. he begged that they might be returned to him. Tti te kawa stood up in his canoe and flung them towards him, telling him at the same time what had hap- pened to his wives. After picking up his weapons, Tuahariri turned towards his cousin, whom he wished to reward for having saved his life, and called out, " O Tu, keep out to sea, or keep in shore, rather keep in shore." This was a friendly intimation intended to save Tu te kawa from the destruction about to fall upon his companions in arms ; for no sooner were the canoes under weigh than Tuahuriri retired into the depths of the forest, and there invoked the help of his atuas to enable him to take vengeance on his enemies, and by their agency he raised the furious wind known as Te-hau-o-rongo mai. This tempest dispersed Hika-oro-roa's fleet, and most of his canoes were upset, and the crews drowned , in the stormy waters of Raukawa (Cook Straits). Tu te kawa, forewarned, had hugged the coast, and so escaped destruction. After crossing the straits, he landed on the South Island, where he decided to remain, and so escape the inevitable consequences of the attack on Tuahuriri's pa. He had nothing to fear from the Ngatimamoe, to whom he was related on the mother's side ; and further, he knew that his presence amongst them would be welcomed, because he was willing to employ the armed force that accom- panied him against the remnant of Waitahi who continued to maintain their independence. Passing down the coast, Tu te kawa took up his residence at Okohana (Church Bush), near Kaiapoi, where eels were plentiful. He employed the few Waitahi whom he spared from destruction to work the eel fishery there for him. Hearing after a time that the eels of Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) were of a better quality, he removed to the shores of that lake, and built a pa at Waikakahi ( Wascoe's), while his son Te Rangi tamau built another at Taumutu, Surrounded by his MAORI HISTORY. 11 allies, and at such a distance from his enemies, Tu te kawa felt quite secure But after the lapse of many years, and when he had grown old and feeble, his followers grew alarmed for his safety, owing to the rapid advance southwards of the Ngai Tahu. They urged the old chief to escape while the oppor- tunity of doing so remained, but all their entreaties were in vain ; his only reply was, " What will then become of the basket of flat-fish spread open here ?" (in allusion to the lake). They soon had ample evidence that their fears were well grounded, for the war canoe Te Maka whiu, manned by the choicest warriors of Ngai Tahu, and commanded by the experienced leader Moki, was rapidly approaching his retreat, with the avowed intention of avenging Tuahuriri wives. When the expedition arrived at Koukournrata, a Council of war was held, to decide whether to approach Waikakahi by sea or by land. Some advised an immediate advance on the place overland. This was opposed by Moki, who said he had been warned that Tu te kawa was sitting like a wood pigeon on a bough, facing his foes, and that if they approached him from the direction he faced, he would take flight before they could catch him. After much discussion, it was decided to go by sea. The warriors accordingly re-embarked, and pulled southwards. As they approached Okain's Bay, Moki observed the groves of karaka trees growing near the shore, and wishing to become the possessor of them, he whispered the following directions in his attendant slave's ear : " When I order the canoe to be beached, take care to be the first to reach the shore, and [at once cry out aloud, ' My land, O Karaka !' " The slave pre- pared to carry out his master's instructions, and, as the canoe iieared shallow water, he jumped overboard, and tried to wade ashore in advance of anyone else. But he was forestalled by Mahi ao tea, one of the 12 8TOKIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. crew, who, suspecting Moki's design, sprang from the bows of the canoe on to the beach, shouting aloud, " My pa, Karaka ! my bay, Kawatea !" Encouraged by the success of the attempt to secure an estate for himself, this young man, who was only a chief of secondary rank, resolved to proceed overland to the destination of Te Maka whiu. Accompanied by a few followers, he made his way from Okain's to Gough's Bay. In the forests he encountered Te aitanga a Hine mate roa, a wild race (thought to be enchanted black pine trees), whom he overcame and destroyed ; and between Poutakaro and Otu tahu ao he fell in with Te ti a Tau whete ku, enchanted cabbage trees, that moved about and embraced each other like human beings. He also came across Te papa tu a Mauheke, an enchanted broadleaf tree. After a very adventurous march, Mnhi ao tea rejoined the expedition at Karuru (Gough's Bay), where he found the canoe already drawn up on the land, and preparations being made for the advance on Parakakariki. He learnt that after his departure from Okain's the expedition had moved on to Otu- tahuao (Hickory), where they encamped. There an incident occurred which had caused considerable amusemeut. One of the leading chiefs had pre- sented a basket of dried barracouta for distribution among the crew. Those whose place was nearest the stern got the first helping, and by the time the basket reached those who occupied the bows, only a few fine fragments remained. These were handed to a conceited chief named Whakuku, a sort of captain of the forecastle, who, on seeing what had fallen to his share, said to his companions, "Hold tight, hold tight to the fish dust!" (meaning that when his men fell in with Ngntimamoe, they should take care to secure for themselves something better than the leavings of the persons of higher rankj. He dubbed the cave where they took their meal " The cave of MAORI HISTORY. 13 fish dost eating," to commemorate his having been fed with the dust of Hikatutu's fish basket. While the plan of attack was under discussion, Moki, the commander-in- chief, suddenly called out to Turangipo, a noted veteran, famed for deeds of valour performed on many a battle-field in the North Island. Turangipo asked what Moki wanted. " You may eat," he replied, " the head of your Lady Paramount." Turangipo remained silent for some time, pondering over what was meant by this strange speech, He felt convinced that Moki was employing some spell to paralyse his energies, and rob him of any chance of gaining distinction in the coming encounter with Ngatimamoe. He conjectured that Moki, annoyed at the failure of his attempt to secure for himself the karaka groves at Okain's Bay, was now bent on making sure of better success at Parakakariki, and that, in order to gain his end, he was endeavoring to cast a epell over the man most likely to defeat his purpose. Turangipo was, however, equal to the occasion, and, having exhausted every means he could think of to break the spell and neutralise its ill effects, he resolved to try its potency on Moki him- self. "Moki," he cried. "What?" replied he. " You maj eat the head of your Lady Paramount." Moki made no reply, and, from the course of subse- quent events, it became evident that he neglected to employ any precautions to neutralise the spelL While these two chiefs were exchanging these ques- tionable civilities, the bulk of the warriors were wonderirg what their object could be in bandying such shocking expressions, for such allusions to the sacred head of a person of rank were regarded as blasphemous. Their speculations were interrupted by Moki suddenly calling out, ' Who is for us ?" (meaning who will act as scout). Whakuku instantly replied, " I am ; I will act as scouL" " How will you proceed ?" "1 will get above the pa, and, if you 14 STOEIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. hear my voice sounding from high np the hill , then you will know that the pa is guarded ; if my voice sounds low down, the pa is not guarded." Whakuku then proceeded at once to reconnoitre. He was fol- lowed by the main body, who, as they approached the cliffs to the north of Fisherman's Bay, saw several canoes anchored off the coast opposite the mouth of Long Bay. Moki, wishing to know whether the presence of his force on the coast had been observed by Ngatimamoe, fastened his white whalebone weapon to his foot, and dangled it over the brink of the cliff ; but the fishers failed to take any notice of it, and Moki accordingly concluded that they were un- conscious of the approach of enemies, and resolved to continue his march without waiting to conceal his movements under the cover of darkness. He pro- ceeded till he reached the woods on the south side of Long Bay. There the final disposition of the force for the meditated attack on the pa was completed ; and, having found a suitable place of concealment, the men waited impatiently for the promised signals of their scout. Whakuku did not keep them long in suspense, for he soon succeeded in reaching a position overlooking the pa, where he at once com- menced to imitate the cry of a wood-hen, ko-ee, ko- ee, ko-ee. The women of the pa listened, and said one to another, " Hark ! what bird is that ? Sorely it is a female weka that is crying in the wood above us." He then climbed to a point still higher above the pa, where he commenced to cry tee-wake, tee- wake, tee-wake. The women said again, " Hark ! Surely that is the cry of a male weka." He then descended, and concealed himself in a shallow cave close to the pa. His companions, on hearing his signals, interpreted them to mean that although there were many women in the pa, they were not altogether unprotected. So the order was passed along the line to delay the assault till dawn. The MAORI HISTORY. 15 warriors with difficulty restrained their impatienqe, and as soon as the first rosy tints appeared in the eastern sky, they rushed out from their place of con- cealment, and took the pa by storm. Moki, who wished to secure the coveted distinction awarded to the warrior who killed the first foeman in battle, took care to occupy the foremost place. As he rushed forward, he encountered what he imagined, in the dim light, to be two of the enemy. He struck a furious blow with his taiaha, first at one and then at the other, shouting out at the same time, " By my hand has fallen the first foeman." But, to his extreme mortification, he discovered that, instead of men, he had only aimed mortal blows at two upright blocks of stone that came in his way, and which were ever afterwards known as " Moki's pair." His failure on this occasion was attributed to his having omitted to remove the spell which he provoked Turangipo to cast upon him. That warrior having discovered the mistake Moki had made, rushed past him, and, having entered the pa, secured two women, Te maeke and Ta whera, as his prisoners. Te ao tu tahi, the principal chief of the pa, was killed by Mahi ao tea. His son Uruhanga made an attempt to escape by a path along the cliffs, but, being observed, was pursued. His superior knowledge of the dan- gerous footway might have enabled him to get off safely, but for Whakuku, who, concealed in a cave above him, was intently watching his approach ; and, the moment he came within reach, Whakuku plunged his spear into his shoulder, and hurled him down the cliff in the direction of his pursuer, calling out at the same time, " Your man." " No," replied the other, " yours." " No," said Whakuku, '' you may have him, but do not conceal my name." Aiter the fall of Parakakariki, Moki returned to Koukou- rarata, carrying his prisoners with him. Having drawn up his canoe, and placed a guard over the 16 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. prisoners, he advanced by a forced march over the hills to Waikakahi. WAIKAKAHI (WASCOE'S). The shadow of Moki's form across his threshold was the first intimation Tu te kawa had of the arrival of the Ngai Tahu. The old chief, infirm and helpless, was found coiled up in his mats in a corner of his house, and Tuahuriri's sons, mindful of their father's last words, " If you ever meet that old man, spare him," were prompted at the last moment to shield their kinsman, but the avenger of blood thrust his spear between them, and plunged it into the old man's body. It may be necessary to explain here why the Ngai Tahu chiefs hesitated at the last mo- ment to carry out the avowed purpose of the expedi- tion. Tuahuriri's injunction, and their desire to carry it out, were quite consistent with the Maori customs relating to feuds of this nature. Tutekawa had spared Tuahuriri's life, and therefore merited like protection at his hands. But Tu te kawa had killed Tuahuriri's wives, and their death required to be avenged, hut not necessarily by the death of the person who killed them ; it would be sufficient atone- ment if one of his nearest blood relations suffered for the crime. This practice will be fully illustrated in subsequent pages containing the account of the Kai Huanga feud. Having ascertained that Te Rangi tamau was away at Taumutu, and not knowing what course he might take to avenge his father's death, Moki gave orders that a watch should be kept at night round the camp, to guard against surprise, but his orders were disregarded. Te Rangi tamau, whose suspi- cions were aroused by observing a more than ordinary quantity of smoke arising from the neighborhood of his father's pa, set off at once for Waikakahi , and arrived there after dark. Waiting till the camp MAORI HISTORY. 17 was quiet, he passed through the sleeping warriors and reached his father's house. The door was open, and, looking in, he saw a fire burning on the hearth, and his wite, Puna hikoia, sitting beside it with her back towards him. Stepping in, he touched her gently on the shoulder, and placing his finger on his lips as a signal to keep silence, he beckoned her to come outside. Then he questioned her about what had happened, and finding that she and his children had been kindly treated, he told his wife to wake Moki after he was gone, and give him this message : " Your life was in my hands, but I gve it back to you," Then, taking off his dogskin mat, he re entered the house, and placed it gently across Molu's knees, und then hurried away to the citadel of Waikakahi, which stood on the hill between Bird- ling's and Price's Valley, a few chains from the point where the coach road passes. The spot is still marked by the ditch and bank of the old fortress. When Puna hikoia thought her husband was sate from pursuit, she woke Moki and gave him Te Rangi tamau's message. Moki felt the mat, and was then convinced the woman spoke the truth. He was greatly mortified at having been caught asleep, as it was always injurious to a warrior's reputation to be caught off his guard. Issuing from the house, he roused his s-leeping warriors with a mighty shout, and the expression used upon the occasion has since become pioverl ial " Ngai tu whaitara mata hori," O unbelieving Tu whaitara ! The next day negotia- tions were entered into with Te Rangi tauiau, and peace restored between him and his Ngai Tahu relations. NGAI TAHU TAKING POSSESSION. After the destruction of Parakakariki and the death of Tu te kawa, the various chiefs of Ngai Tabu engaged in Moki's expedition, who had not already 18 STOKIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. secured a landed estate elsewhere for themselves, took immediate steps to acquire some part of the Penin- sula. The rule they adopted was, that whoever claimed any place first, should have the right to if, provided he went at once and performed some act of ownership there ; and also that he should be entitled to as much laud around it as he could traverse before encountering another selector. Te Rangi Whaka- puta hastened to secure Te Whakaraupo (Port Cooper) ; Hnikai hurried off to Koukourarata ; Mango to Wairewa ; Te Rua hikihiki landed at Wainui, and commenced at once to dig fern root, and prepare it for food ; he then passed round the coast, leaving Manaia at Whaka Moana, and others of his party at Waikakahi, taking up his own per- manent residence at Taumutu. Tutakakahikura, one of Mrs Tikao's ancestors, leaving his sisters and his family at Pohatupa, walked quickly round the coast by the North Head of Akaroa Harbor, and up the shore as far as Taka Matua, and thence round by Parakaknriki to starting point. While crossing one of the streams that flow through the present township of Akaroa, he encountered O-i-nako, a Ngatimamoe chief, and a fugitive from Parakakariki. They engaged in irortal combat, and O-i naka was killed, and the stream was ever after known by his name. Te Ake, the ancestor of Big William, landed at the Head of the Bay, and after trying in vain to reach Wainui, owing to the rough nature of the coast, he retraced his steps, and tried to get round the other side of the harbor, but on reaching the grassy slopes between Duvauchelle and Itobinson's Bay, he felt too tired to go any further, and took possession of the point and its surroundings by planting his walking stick in the ground ; hence the placeobtained the name of Otokotoko( walking stick). Fearing that his boundary towards the south might be disputed, Te Ake begged Te Rangi Taurewa to MAORI HISTORY. 19 cross over in his canoe to a headland he pointed out, and there to hold up bis white whalebone weapon, while he himself stood at Otokotoko and watched him. His friend did as he was requested, and the headland has ever since been known as the " Peg on which Te Rangi Taurewa's patu parao hung" south side of French Farm. The beach below the point was called " The shell of Hine Pani," after some Maori lady who found a shell there, which she greatly prized. Some years after these events took place, another section of Ngai Tabu, under the command of Te Wera, a fiery warrior, destined to play an important part in the history of his tribe in the South, came in search of a new home They landed at Hikurangi, but finding that the place was already occupied, they feent to Whaka Moana for Manaia, a chief of very high distirction, the Upoka ariki, or heir to all the family honors of more than one hapu in the tribe. On his arrival, a war dance was held in his honor, and there was much friendly speechifying. Te Wera, after indulging in some rude witticisms on the per- sonal appearance of their " sqaint-eyed lord," ex- tended his right arm, and called upon JVianaia to enter. Manaia rose up and passed under his arm, and so peace was confirmed between them ; but, to cement their friendship still more firmly, Te Wera gave Irakehu, grand-daughter of Te Rangi Whaka- pufa, to Manaia in marriage, and she became the an- cestress of Mr. and Mrs. Tikao, Paurini, and the other chief persons in the Maori community here. Te Wera nnd his party then sailed away to the South, and established themselves for a time near Waikouaiti, where they wer2 as mucii dreaded for their ferocity by other sections of their own tribe as by the Ngati- niamoe, whom they were trying to exterminate. For many generations the Maoris on the Penin- sula remained in peaceful occupation of their new 20 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA, homes, undisturbed by foreign attacks or internal strife. Occasionally the bolder spirits amongst them would go away to take part in the wars against Ngatimamoe, which were carried on for many years in districts further to the South, or else to take part in some quarrel between different sections of the Ngai Tahu tribe located elsewhere. Among those who went off in search of military honors was a cer- tain heretical teacher named Kiri mahi nahina, who left Akaroa for the seat of war near Moeraki, and fell at the battle of Tara ka hina a tea. This tohunga had told Turakautahi the younger that Tiki made man, whilst the fathers had always maintained that it was lo. Te Wera adopte 1 a novel method to prevent the survival of this man's false teaching, through his spirit escaping and getting into some other tohunga. When the battle was over, he made an oven capable of containing the entire body, and then he carefully plugged the mouth, ears, nose, and every other aperture, and having cooked the heretical teacher, he managed, with the assistance of some of his warriors, to eat up every portion of him, and so successfully extinguished the incipient heresy. The condition of those who remained quietly at home was enjoyable enough, for it is a great mistake to suppose that the old Maori life in peaceful times was one of privation and suffering ; on the contrary, it was a very pleasant state of existence ; there was a variety and abundance of food, and agreeable and healthy occupation for mind and body Each season of the year, and each part of the day, had its specially alloted work, both for men and women. The women, besides ?uch household duties as cooking and cleaning their houses, made the clothing and bedding required for their families. They gathered the fhx and ti palm fibres used, and prepared and worked them up into a great variety of garments, many of which took several months to complete, and which, when finished, MAORI HISTORY. 21 were very beautiful specimens of workmanship. The men gathered the food and stored it in wbatas or storerooms, which were attached to every dwelling, and built on tall posts to protect the contents from damp and rats. Besides such natural products of the soil as fern root, ti palm stems, and convolvulus roots, they cultivated the kumera, hue, taro, and karaka. Fish of various kinds were caught during the proper season, and cured by drying in the sun. Wild pigeons, kakas, paradise ducks, and mutton birds were cooked and preserved in their fat in ves- sels made out of large kelp leaves, and bound round with totara bark to strengthen them. Netting, carving, and the grinding and fitting of stone imple- ments and weapons, occupied the old men, and much of the leisure time of the young. They beguiled the long winter evenings by reciting historical traditions and tribal genealogies, by repeating poetry and fairy tales, and by songs, dances and round games. It was only when they tell ill, or were harrassed by their enemies, that the Maoris of olden time can with any truth be represented as having been miserable and unhappy. TE MAI HARA NUI. The Ngai Tabu chiefs who exercised the greatest influence over the fortunes of their people in modern times were Te Mai hara nui, Taiaroa, and Tuhawaiki, better known by the whalers' sobriquet, " Bloody Jack." Ali three took a prominent part in the latter history of the Peninsula. Te Mai hara nui was the highest in rank, while his cousin Tuhawaiki came next ; but, though slightly superior by birth, both were inferior in mental and moral qualities to Taiaroa, a noble man, whose conduct stands out in pleasing contrast to that of the two cousins. For while they will only be remembered by the story of their cruel and evil deeds, he will always be esteemed for bis 22 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. brave and generous actions in war, and his wise and kindly counsels in peace. Te Mai hara nui wns the Upoko Ariki, or heir to the ancestral honors of Ngui Te Rangiamoa, the noblest family of Ngai Tahu, but he gained still further distinction from the fact that several other noble lines met in his person. As the hereditary spiritual head of the tribe, he was regarded with pecular reverence and respect ; the common people did not dare to look upon his face, and his equals felt his sacred presence an oppressive restric- tion upon their liberty of action, for even an accidental breach of etiquette while holding intercourse with him might involve them in serious loss of properly, if not of life. His visits were always dreaded, and his movements whenever he entered a pa were watched with great anxiety by the inhabitants, for if his shadow happened to fall upon a whata or rua (the storehouse for food) while he was passing through the crowded lanes of a town, it was imme- diately destroyed, with all its contents, because the eacred shadow of the Ariki having fallen upon it, the food became tapu, and fatal to those who partook of it There was little in Te Mai hara nui's personal appearance to mark his aristocratic lineage, his figure being short and thick-set, his complexion dark, and his features rather forbidding. Unlike most Maori chiefs of exalted rank, he was cowardly, cruel, and capricious, an object of dread to friends and foes alike- At the same time he was a man of great energy and considerable force of character. Be WES distinguished during his early years as a traveller, being continually on the move up or down the east coast of this island, engaged in visiting his numerous connections He was amongst the first to discern the advantages to be secured by encouraging trade with Europeans, and entered keenly himself into business transactions with the traders who came from Sydney to procure flnx fibre. To facilitate his MAORI HISTORY. 28 intercourse with them, he took up his permanent residence at Takapuneke (Red Hou>e), in Akaroa Harbor. He married Te Whe, a descendant of Manaia, and the eldest sister of Mrs Tikao's mother. By her he had three children, two sons, Te x^era and Tutehounuku, and a daughter, Ngaroi- niata. His eldest son died when a child. The next son, on attaining manhood, went off in a whaling ship, and was absent for many years, during which he was mourned for as dead, and did not return till after his father was carried off and put to death, at Kapiti, by Rauparaha. The peaceful course of Te Mai hara nui's life at Takupuneke was interrupted by the outbreak of a terrible blood feud amongst liia near relations, a feud distinguished, not by the inci- dent that caused it, but by the fearful atrocities that were perpetrated during the course of it, deeds that shocked even the hardened hearts of those who com- mitted them. KAI HUANG A (EAT RELATION). The Kai-huanga feud was the first serious out- break amongst the Maoris of the Peninsula since their conquest of Ngatimamoe. For nearly one hundred and fifty years they h*d been increasing in numbers and wealth Tu te kawa's son had revealed to them the secret pass he had found to the West Coast, and expeditious were annunlly sent across tie mountains to procure greenstone, which, when manu- factured, at'racted purchasers from North and South, who exchanged mats and potted mutton birds, and other things, for the coveted greenstone. The development of trade with Europeans promised a continuance of prosperity and peaceful enterprise. This promise was destined to be ru-iely broken by a feud that not only disorganisec the entire social sys- tem of the various Maori communities here, but nearly annihilated the population of the district. 24 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. The immediate cause that roused all this animosity, and provoked so much bloodshed, roust seem to Europeans most trivial and inadequate, but there is little doubt that mutual jealousies and old grudges were working below the surface in men's minds, and forcing on hostilities which, when once begun, led to further reprisals, and so the quarrel deepened and widened after every encounter. The immediate cause of the quarrel was owing to Murihaka, the wife of Potahi, putting on a dogskin mat belonging to Te Mai hara nui, which he had left in charge of some one at Waikakahi. This act was regarded as an insult by the immediate relations of the chief, since everything in the shape of apparel belonging to him was held to be exceedingly sacred. The greatest consternation prevailed throughout the pa as soon as it became known what had happened. At length some of the men grew so exasperated at the thought of Murihaka's sacrilegious act, that they fell, not upon the perpetrator of the deed, but upon a poor servant woman belonging to a relative of hers, named Rerewaka, and put her to death. When her masters, Hape and Rangi "W hakapaku, saw her dead body lying on the ground, they were much enraged, but instead of wreaking their vengeance on those who committed the murder, they went off to a village of Ngati Koreha, at Tai Tapu, in search of some mem- ber of the murderers' family. They succeeded in finding Hape, whom they killed. This man was married to Hinehorahina, of Ngati Hurihia, sister of Tawhakiterangi, one ot the principal chiefs of Tau- mutu. His widow took refuge with her brothers, who were greatly pained at witnessing her grief for the loss of her husband, of whom she was very fond. As they watched the tears streaming down her cheeks, day after day, while she sat pounding fern root lor their daily meals, they meditated over some scheme for .avenging her loes. At last they decided what to do, MAOKI HISTORY. 2o They collected a small war party together, and then made a sudden attack upon Waikakahi. where they killed Puiaiti and Te Moroiti, the latter being a chief of Ngati Irakehu. His death brought the Taumutu people into collision with the greater part of the inhabitants of the Peninsula, and involved them in what proved to be a ruinous struggle with superior forces. They followed up their first attack on Wai- kakahi by a second a few weeks afterwards, when they killed Te Rangi e pu, another Irakehu chief. Te Mid hara nui was absent from the district at the commencement of the feud, having gone to Kai- koura to fetch a large war canoe which his relatives there had presented to him. He first heard of the outbreak on landing at Te Aka Aka (Saltwater Creek), where somo persons met him, and told him that some of his family had been attacked, and several ot then: killed. He made no remark to his informants, but when he reached Kaiapoi, a few hours after, he said to his uncles, who resided there, " It is my turn now ; Ngati hui kai is there, Ngati hui kai is here, Ngati mango is there, Ngati mango is here ; Ngai tua huriri, do not move." This was an intimation that he would avenge his relatives' death, and that it was his wish that the Kaiapoi people should not interfere. There was some proba- bility of their doing so, as many Kaiapoi families were connected by marriage with the Taumutu people. Having given expression to his determination, he proceeded on his journey towards Akaroa, followed by about twenty Kaiapoi men. On reaching Wai- rewa, steps were immediately taken to raise a war party, whic-h was subsequently led by Te Mai hara nui against Taumutu. A battle was fought at Hakitai, which resulted in the defeat of the residents and the death of many persons, amongst whom was the chief Te Pori and several Kaiapoi women. More of the latter would have fallen victims, but E 26 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA, for the presence in the attacking force of the Kaiapoi contingent, who made it their business to protect, as far as they could, the lives of their kinswomen. It was in this way that Te Parure, sister of the chief Taiaroa, escaped death or dishonour. She had taken refuge with her children in a whata, but having been seen by Taununu, was pursued, and would have been captured but for Te VVhakatuke, who came up just as Taununu was mounting the narrow ladder leading to her retreat, and, clasping his arms round that warrior's body, held tightly on to the ladder, and pressed him with such violence against it that Tau- nunu was glad to desist from his purpose. Te Whakatuke, fearing the consequences of deserting his post, continued to keep guard till the engage- ment was over. So ended the first attack on Tau- mutu. Te Mai hara nui withdrew his forces, and dismissed them to their several homes. The severe defeat sustained by the Taumutu people at Hakitai did not crush their spirits, nor weaken their determination to retaliate on the first fitting opportunity. But to accomplish their purpose it was necessary to obtain ussistance, since they had received convincing proof in the late engagement that, single-handed , they were no match for Te Mai hara nui's powerful clans. Accordingly, they com- missioned Hine haka, mother of Ihaia Whaitiri, a lady connected with many influential chiefs in the South, to proceed to Otakou and Murihiku, for the purpose of enlisting her friends' sympathies on their behalf, and raising from amongst them an armed iorce to aid them in the coming struggle. She was successful in her mission, and returned in a few months, accompanied by a considerable body of men. But they were not destined to achieve any great vic- tory or to inflict any serious loss upon their oppo- nents. On the arrival of their reinforcements at Taumutu, a messenger was despatched to Kaiapoi MAOBI HISTORY, 27 to invite the co-operation of all who wished to avenge their women killed at Hakitai. About a hundred warriors responded to the invitation, and set off at once for the seat of war. The combined forces then marched up the coast to attack Wairewa. The engagement which followed afterwards known as Kai-whare-atua was almost bloodless, but is memo- rable for being the first occasion on which firearms were used in this part of the country. The Ngati pahi, who possessed two guns, occupied a proud and envied position in the fore-front of the expedition. Though few ventured to touch the novel and dan- gerous weapons, all took a deep interest in their use, and hoped by their means to secure an easy victory, not so much from the execution in the ranks of the enemy likely to follow their discharge, as from the terror certain to be inspired by the report of firearms hoard for the first time. These anticipations would probably hav ity that presented, he carried his purpose into execution, and succeeded, as we have seen, in thwarting the attack on Wairewa. Foiled in their designs, the Taumutu forces returned home, but the Kaiapoi contingent, after proceeding some distance on their way, began to fear the jeers and taunts they were certain to encounter if they returned empty-handed, so they turned back as far as Kaitangata, where they met and killed Iritoro, son of Whare-take-take and Hinei Wharitia. They little imagined ths serious conse- quences that would ensue, or they might have selected another victim. This man's mother was sister to Tau nunu, a chief who had some time before mi- grated from the neighborhood of Kaikoura to the Peninsula. He was attract d to these parts by the presence of numerous and influential relations, who were in possession of the land. Upon his arrival, several places were assigned to him, and he selected Eipapa, in Lyttelton Harbor, as the site of his forti- fied pa. The chief no sooner heard of the death of his nephew than he planned and carried out a scheme of ample vengeance. The Kainpoi warriors had MAORI BISTORT. 29 barely reached their homes before he was on the war path, intent on surprising "Whakaepa (Coalgate), a populous offshoot from Kaiapoi. His movements were so secret and so rapid, that he captured the pa without a struggle, and put everyone to death. It was not till some time after Tau nuou's return to JRipapa that the Kaiapoi people learnt the terrible fate that had befallen their friends at Whakaepa. The whole population was roused to trenzy by the news, and it was resolved to send as large a force as could be mustered to punish Tau nunu ; but, receiving intelligence that Taiaroa was marching up the coast, accompanied by a considerable body of men armed with muskets, the Kaiapoi leaders deter- mined to await his arrival, and get him, if possible, to unite his forces with theirs. Their proposal was ultimately accepted, but instead of proceeding at once to attack Ripapa, the combined forces first marched egainst Wairewa. Taiaroa repeated the warning he gave the inhabitants on a former occasion, and apparently with a like result, for when the besiegers arrived, they found that most oi the inhabitants had escaped to their canoes. Pikoro was the only man on the spot they discovered, and he was killed, together with Tauakina, Te ata ka hua kina, and Kaihsiere, sisters of Te Mai hara nui. But Taiaroa's well-intentioned plan for securing the safety of his friends was not destined to be successful this time. The Murihiku musketeers were unwilling to be again deprived ot their prey. Having, after a short search, discovered two or three canoes, they pursued the fugi- tives, who, in their overcrowded vessels, were readily overtaken, when the majority of them were either shot or drowned. The cannibal feast that followed this engagement was regarded at the time as pecu- liarly atrocious, on account of the close relationship between the devourers and the devoured, and it was from what took place on this occasion that the feud 30 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. came to be known in the annals of the tribe as " Eat Relation." Leaving Wairewa, the expedition marched up the Okiri Valley, and over the Waipuna Saddle, and down the Otutu spur, to Koukourarata. The scouts in advance came there upon Te ha-nui-orangi, an elderly chief, who was sitting in the sunshine quite unconscious of the existence of danger. His youth- ful companions were all asleep under the trees, at a short distance off, but before they could be alarmed he was killed. The noise of the struggle roused the young men, who flew too late to his rescue, but they caught one of his assailants, Te Whaka moa moa. The rest of them took to flight, and rejoined their main body, who, hearing what had happened, decided to push on at once to Purau, fearing if they were to delay that night Tuu nunu might receive warning of their approach. It was arranged that all who were armed with muskets should embark in canoes, and proceed by water to Ripapa, while the rest should climb over the hills, and assault the pa on ihe la&d side. Taiaroa, who was desirous to give Tau nunu a chance to escape, hurried forward, and was the first to get within hearing of the pa, when he shouted out, " Fly ! escape ! guns are our weapons ! " But Tsu nunu bud anticipated an attack, and h&d already taken the precaution to cross the harbor a day or two before. Many, however, adopted Taiaroa's friendly advice, and tried to escape in their canoes, but were not quick enough in getting out of musket range, for the attacking party that went round by water reached Ripapa almost as soon as their companions arrived by land, and they at once opened a destructive fire on the escaping canoes. The result was that few who tried to get away by water succeeded ; but, with the connivance of Taiaroa, many of the inhabitants passed through the assailants' ranks and reached the hills at the back of the pa, where they stopped pur- MAORI HISTROY. 31 suit by rolling great stones down upon all who attempted to follow them. After the destruction of Ripapa, the Otakou and Murihiku warriors returned home, carrying with them the entire population of Taumutu, for they feared to leave them behind to encounter the vengeance of the survivors of the pas that had lately suffered so severely at their hands. But they were soon fol- lowed to Otakou by Te Mai hara nui, who, with treacherous intent, employed every argument to induce the Taumutu people to return home. He assured them that all angry feeling had now sub- sidedjthat his followers were appeased, being satiated with vengeance. " Return," he urgred, " to protect your rich preserves of flat-fish at Waihora." He was so pressing in his entreaties, and so positive in his assurances of friendship and security, that Tawha and the rest of the people consented to return, with the exception of Pokeha and Tihau, who were dis- trustful, and remained under the protection of their {Southern friends. Having gained the object of hia visit, Te Mai hara nui did not want to accompany Tawha, but hurried back in advance to complete his treacherous designs. In passing up the coast he spent a few days at Te Waiteruati (Temuka), where he was hospitably entertained, and presented with a quantity of potted birds. Only having sufficient men with him to carry his baggage, he begged his entertainers to provide him with porters to carry the pokas they had presented to him as far as Akaroa. His request was readily acceded to, and several men weie ordered to accompany him. The party travelled amicably up the coast, but oa reaching the head of the harbor, Te Mai hara nui, without apparent cause or provocation, perpetrated one of the base and cruel deeds that have rendered his memory infamous. In spite of the remonstrances ot his friends and fol- lowers, he fell upon the unfortunate carriers, and 32 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. killed every one of them with his own hands ; and then he cut up their bodies and sent portions to all the different pas and hamlets on the Peninsula. While t,his tragedy was being enacted in Akaroa Harbor, Tawha and his people were journeying towards their home, and were already nearing the mouth of the liakaia. On being apprized of the fact, Te Mai hara nui despatched a messenger to Kaiapoi to order a detatchment of warriors to come to his asssistance. About two hundred obeyed the summons, without knowing what their services wore wanted for. The narrative of what followed, I give in the words of Hakopate atao Tu, an old Kaiapoi chief, still living. " On reaching Wairewa, we met Te Mai hara nui and a large gathering of men. As soon as we were seated, the Ariki rose up and made a speech to us ; then we learnt for the first time that we were meant to attack Taumutu. We were ordered to commence our march at once, and Te Mai hara nui kept in advance of every one, to prevent any of the chiefs who accompanied him from going forward to meet the returning refugees and exchange pledges of peace with them. It was on this march down the Kaitorete spit that our old Kaiapoi warriors first handed a musket. It was very amusing to watch their efforts to conceal their nervous dread of the weapons ; their hands trembled and shook as they took hold of them, and at the sound of the report that followed a pull at the trigger, they dropped the guns upon the ground exclaiming, ' Eh he ! how wonderful are the works of the pakeha !' But they soon got over their fears, and learnt to use muskets with deadly effecti We camped the first night at the spring midway down the spit, and the next morning rose early and marched past Taumutu before breaking our fast. On the march Te Mai hara nui caught sight of Te Rehe, a Waiteruati chief, who accompanied the Kaiapoi contingent, and made a MAORI HISTORY. 33 rush at him with the avowed intention of taking his life, but my eldest brother, Te Whakatuka, came to his rescue, and an angry dispute followed. Both were armed with muskets, which they pointed at each other, and dared each other to fire, The quarrel caused intense excitement, and there is no knowing what the result might have been, but for the inter- ference of some old chiefs, who came up and parted the combatants. Te Whakataka was so offended with Te Mai hara nui that he went to the rear with his followers, and threatened to return home, but was dissuaded from his purpose, and shortly caught up to the army at Orehu, where, they stopped to cook food. The place chosen for the camping ground was in a hollow overgrown with tall rushes, between a range ot low sand hills. Sentinels were stationed on the high ground towards the south, and, laying our weapons aside, we all busied ourselves preparing food. Before our meal was over, we noticed the sentinels making signs, and, thinking they were hungry and asking to be relieved, some one called out, ' Come and get something to eat.' ' How can we eat ?' was the reply. ' dere they all are close at hand.' Who ?' ' Why, the enemy.' We no sooner heard this than, forsaking our food, each one picked up his belt, and fastened it round his waist, and seized his weapons, and stood ready to meet the foe. Our leaders held a short consultation respecting the order of the battle. Tau nunu cried, ' t will com- mand the coast side.' Whakauira said, ' I will com- mand the lake side.' Te Mai hara nui said, ' Then I will command the centre.' All the warriors then ranged themselves under their respective leaders, and were ordered to lie flat upon the ground. We were not kept long in suspense. A number of men clad in red shirts, and armed with guns, soon appeared on a ridge at a short distance in front of us, coming towards us, At the sight of such formidable aatago- p 84 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. nists, Te Mai hara nui's courage completely forsook him. He became very excited, and cried out, ' Who can overcome them ? Can these youths, inexpe- . rienced in the use of firearms, cope with those vete- rans?' Then he got up quickly from the ground with the intention of running away, but Whakatuka, who was crouching beside him, seized him by the legs and pulled him down again. ' Sit still,' he said, ' and keep quiet ; wait till I stamp my foot, and then rise.' Te Mai hara nui's teeth chattered with fright as he sat cowering in the rushes, while being forcibly restrained from publicly exhibiting his cowardice. A great crowd of men, women, and children shortly appeared, following their advanced armed guard. As soon as the latter caught si^ht of us, they uttered a warning cry and fired. Then we all sprang to our feet and rushed forward. Those who had guns singled out the noted chiefs whom they recognised, and continued to fire till they fell. Tawha was the first who was shot. He was claimed by Tauawhara. When the Taumutu people saw that their leader was killed, they took to flight, and all we had to do was to follow and kill as fast as we could. As I ran along I saw in front of me old Upokohina, a first cousin of Te Mai hara nui, trying to escape. He was carrying one little child on his back and leading two others by the hand. He called out to the man who was pursuing him, ' Do not kill me.' Te Whakatuka, who was at a little distance, heard him beg for his lifr, and asked who it was. When he knew that it was Upokoliina, he called out, ' Keep him till I come up, and take him as payment for Tokomaru/ for he wanted to avenge the insult offered to his friend Te Hebe and himself a few hours before. But Te Mai hara nui, who chanced to be close by, defeated his purpose, for, hearing Te Whakatuka's words, he ran forward, crying out in a loud voice, ' Spare iny cousin !' Upokohiua sat MAORI HISTORY. 35 down and his pursuers stood round him. When Te Mai hara nui came up, he at once rubbed noses with hi? relative, and with each of the children ; then, without a moment's warning 1 , he buried his hatchet in the side of the old man's head, who fell over with a groan ; then, withdrawing the hatchet, he struck each of the children on the head, cracking their skulls like birds' eggs. Then, turning to Te Whakatuka, he said, ' But for your exclamation I should have spared my cousin and bis children, but I could not permit you to boast hereafter that you had either slain or spared any of my family. Our honor demanded their death at my hands.' " The slaughter at Orehu was very great, and the cannibal feasts that followed lasted several days. It was the last great encounter connected with the Kai- hunnga feud, but the last victim was the chief Tau nunu, who was killed by Kaiwhata and Kaurehe at Otokitoki (close to the spring on the email promon- tory at the mouth of Lake Forsyth). These two persons were accompanying Taiaroa on one occasion to the South, and finding Tau nunu alone, they toma- hawked him, together with a woman named Takapau- hikihiki. This murder was never avenged. The appearance of Eauparaha at Kaiapoi put a stop for a time to these internal quarrels, and forced Ngai Tahu to combine together to resist the common foe, and so ended the disgraceful Kai-huanga feud. RAID ON PANAU (LONG LOOK-OUT). But it must not be supposed that these places were then occupied for the first time. One result of the Kai-huanga feud was to drive all who could escape from the destroyed pas to take refuge in the bays on the north-east side of the Peninsula. Those places were then so difficult of access by land, that the refugees who took possession of them hoped to be quite secure from pursuit. In the course of a few 36 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. years several populous settlements sprung up, and of these Panau and Okaruru (Gough's Bay) were the chief. The inhabitants of these settlements might have continued in peaceful possession of thf-m, but for the repetition by some of their number of an act similar to that which originated the Kai-huanga quarrel, and which brought upon them the anger of their near neighbours, who were as familiar as them- selves with the paths that led over the forest-clad hills to their several retreats. The circumstances that brought about a renewal ot hostilities were as follows : During Rauparaha's first visit to Kai&poi, two chiefs, Hape and Te Fuhirere (the latter was the father of Big William), accompanied by several other persons, some of whom belonged to Panau and the other bays just referred to, went to visit their friends at Kaiapoi. While on the way, one of their companions, a woman named Te Whare Rirnn, said, " My atuas (familiar spirits) tell me that our path is obstructed ; there is darknrss before us ; destruc- tion is in front of us ; death is in front of us " Te Puhirere replied, " Well, my atuas tell me we are safe ; there is no danger." He did not know (as Big William said when telling the story) that he was being sold to death by his atuas for a slight he had put upon them before starting on his journey. Just before leaving home, his atua had cried out for food to be placed on its shrine. It had said, " I hunger after eel." Te Puhirere told his wife to give the atua what it asked for, but she grudged to give it the best fish, and not knowing the risk she was running by not doing so, being a new wife the old and experienced wife being dead she gave the atua a very small and thin eel. Her conduct exasper- ated the atua, who, to nvcrge itself, delivered Te Puhirere and his companions into their enemies' hands, by permitting them to continue their journey without warning them of the great risk they were MAORI HISTROY. 87 running. None of the party had the least suspicion that the approaches to Kaiapoi were in the hands of a hostile northern force. They journeyed on to- wards their destination till they reached the cause- way through the Kgawari swamp, where they fell suddenly and unexpectedly into the hands of an ambuscade. Both Hape and Te Puhirere were killed, but some of their companions, by jumping into the swamp, succeeded in making good their escape, and found shelter in the pa. After the massacre of Rauparaha's chiefs by the inhabitants of Kaiapoi, and his withdrawal from the neighborhood, the survivors of the Akaroa party returned home. When passing the spot where they had been attacked, they found the clothing of the two chiefs who were killed, and not liking to lose such good mats, they picked them up and carried them home, and appropriated them to their own use. In time it came to be generally reported that Hape and Puhirere had been kcipirautia, or dishonored after death, by some persons who were known. When a full report of what had happened reached the ears of Te Mai hara nui, he expressed the greatest indignation at the indignity perpetrated on his deceased relatives by those who had dared to wear their mats. He summoned the warriors of Ngai tarewa, Ngati Irakehu, and Ngati hui kai, and led them to avenge the insult by attacking in succes- sion all the pas erected by the refugees at Panau and elsewhere. A few only were killed ; the major- ity were spared, and employed by their captors as slaves. Two of these prisoners, who had fallen to the lot of Paewhiti (old Martin), did not agree very well with their master, and ran away to their friends at Koukourata. Tamati Tikao, who was then a boy, remembers how angry his father Taupori was because the runaways did not seek his protection ; for he had 38 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA, be^n invited by "Ngatata to leave Kaiapoi and to reside at Kcukourarata, in order to shield him from any attack by the Akaroa people. When the two men who deserted from Paewhiti were seen emerging from the bush above the Whatamaraki, every one expected they would soon arrive at the settlement ; but- it soon became evident that they had passed on to a neighboring village of Ngai te rangi. Taupori could not contain his indignation at what he regarded as a grievous slight offered to himself by the travel- lers, and he demanded that Ngatata should send at once and fetch them back. His demand was com- plied with, and a canoe was immediately sent to con- vey them back. On arrival, they were placed before Taupori, who asked them why they passed him. u Did you not know," he asked, " that I was here for the express purpose of protecting JN'gntata and bis friends ? Did you doubt my power to protect your lives ? I am in doubt now whether I shall not kill you both, for the insult you have offered to me." They then stood up one after the other, and replied to Taupori, and succeeded after a time in soothing his wounded pride, and inducing him to spare their lives. One of them, Te More, decided to remain and live with Taupore, but his companion asked per- mission to return to his friends. But another runaway was not so successful in pacifying Taupori's eldest son, Te Whare rakau, who felt injured in reputation by his distrustful con- duct. Te Whare rakau had gone with his eldest boy to Pigeon Bay to fell totara trees for making canoes. He was engaged working on two, one called Te Ahi aua, and the other Te poho a te Atua, when a man named Kahuroa made his appearance, accom- panied by his wife and children. When Te Whare rakau saw him. he asked him to stay and assist him in his work. The man consented to do so, but during the night he went away with his family, and so MAORI HISTORY, 39 quietly as not to awaken Te Whari rakau. Thia made him very angry (pouri), because he had inad- vertently endangered his own life and that of his son by entertaining an unfriendly guest, who might easily have killed him in his sleep. He was vexed with himself for having allowed such a person the opportunity of saying that he could, if so disposed, have killed Te Whare rakau ; that, in fact, he had spared his life. On returning home he told his father and their friends, who tried to quiet him, but without avail. Some time afterwards he happened to be in a canoe, containing, amongst others, no less a personage than Momo, the great chief of Kaiapoi, and, while they were pulling along the coast, Te Whare rakau caught sight of Kahuroa on the beach. He immediately asked to be put on shore, that he might pursue him. " What !" said Momo, " would you slay your own kinsman?'' " What else can I do ?" he replied. " Why did he deceive me ? He might have killed not only me, but my son too. A little and we should both have fallen victims. For this he must die ; I cannot let him live to boast that he spared my life and that of my son." Saying this, he ran after the unfortunate man, and, having caught him, killed him on the spot. CAPTURE OF TE MAI HARA NUI. About a year after the raid on Panau, Te Mai hara nui was captured in Akaroa Harbor by Te Ilau- paraha, the noted warrior chief of Kapiti, who cam*?, accompanied by one hundred and seventy men, in an English trading vessel, for the express purpose of securing his person. The anxiety displayed by Rauparaha for the capture of this particular chief was caused by his determination to obtain the most distinguished member of the Ngai Tahu tribe, as payment for his near relative Te Pehi, who, in his opinion, was treacherouslj put to death by members 40 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. of that tribe at Kaiapoi, but who, in the opinion of those who killed him, was lawfully executed for his treacherous designs upon those who were hospitably entertaining him. Considering the circumstances that preceded the death of Te Pehi aud his com- panions, the Kaiapoi residents had reasonable grounds for being suspicious respecting the inten~ tions of their visitors. For Rauparaha arrived with a large armed force, uninvited, and without warning, before their pa, and red-handed from the slaughter of their clansmen at Omihi, whom he had been pro- voked to attack by a silly threat uttered by ono of their chiefs. The threat was, that " If Rauparaha ever dared to come upon his territory he would rip his body open with a barracouta tooth." The defiant words were no sooner reported to Rauparaha than he accepted the challenge, and having fitted out a fleet of war canoes, and manned them with his choicest warriors, he crossed the straits, and coasted down as far as Kaikoura, where he attacked and killed the vain boaster, and destroyed every pa in the neigh- borhood. As the population was too numerous to be put to death, he sent a large number away to Kapiti, in charge of a detachment of his canoe fleet, while he himself proceeded further south with the remainder. Landing at Waipara, he drew up his canoes, and marched overland to Kaiapoi, where his arrival caused the greatest consternation. He tried to quiet the alarm by assurances that his visit was a friendly one, and that he had only come to purchase greenstone, To convince the people of the truthful- ness of his statement, he sent several of his officers of highest rank into the pa, and amongst them his esteemed relative and general, Te Pehi. By entrust- ing them with so many valuable lives, Rauparaha succeeded in reassuring the people, and allaying their fears. For although they learnt the sad fate of their friends at Omihi from one who escaped, they were MAORI HISTORY. 41 obliged to admit the justice of their punishment, for a mortal insult such as the Kaikoura chief had offered to so renowned a warrior, could only be wiped out with blood. For many days the inhabitants of Kuiapoi treated their guests with profuse hospitality, and dealt libe- rally with them in their bargains for greenstone, when all at once their worst suspicions were revived by Hakitara, a Ngapuhi Native, who had lived many years with them, and who had been staying by invi- tation in Rauparaha's camp. He returned early one morning with the news that he had overheard during the night, the discussion, in a council of war, of plans for the seizure of the place, and that they might be quite sure that treachery was meditated against them. His report received confirmation from the altered demeanour of their guests, who grew insolent and exacting in their demands for greenstone. The Kaiapoi Natives, after a short consultation, deter- mined in self-defence to strike the first blow, and at a concerted signal they fell upon the Northern chiefs and put them all to death. Rauparaha was over- whelmed with grief and rage when he learnt the fate of his friends, but, not having a sufficient force to avenge them, Le retired to Waipara, after killing a few travellers who fell into his hands, and there he re-embarked in his war canoes, and returned to Kapitk Safe in his island fortress, he occupied himself for some time in devising a scheme of revenge. The plan he at length adopted was to engage the captain of an English vessel to carry him and a body of his men to Akaroa Harbor, where he hoped to secure Te Mai hara nui. The following is the account of the voyage given to me by Ihaia Pouhawaiki, who accompanied Rauparaha's expedition : " We sailed from Kapiti in Captain Stewart's brig. There were one hundred and seventy men, under the command a 42 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. of Te Rauparaha, Te Rang! hae ata, Te Hikoy Tangia, Mokau, Te mai he kia, and others. On reaching Akaroa Harbor we carefully concealed our- selves in the hold, while Captain Stewart refused to have any communication with the shore till Te Mai hara nui arrived. For seven days and nights we waited for that chief, who was away at Wairewa, superintending the preparation of a cargo of scraped flax for one of his European customers. Captain Stewart sent repeated messages to him to hasten his coming, and on the eighth day he arrived, accom- panied by his wife, Te Whe, and his little daughter, Nga roi mata. He was cordially welcomed on reach- ing the deck by the captain, who took him below to the cabin. He was hardly seated before a door opened, and Te Rauparaha entered, accompanied by several of his companions, who at once seized Te Mai hara nui, and taunted him with his simplicity in permitting himself to be so readily entrapped. After the seizure of Te Mai hara nui, the shore canoes were encouraged to approach the vessel, but as soon as the occupants came on board they were led to the hatchway and thrown down the hold. Amongst those who were caught in this way were Apera Pukenui, the late chief of Port Levy, Paurini, and many others. Canoes continued to come off for many hours, as there was no suspicion of foul play, it being a very usual thing for Maoris to remain for some time on board the traders that frequented the port. On the second day after Te Mai hara nui's capture, Te Rauparaha attacked Takapuneke very early in the morning. The place was unfortified and undefended. About one hundred persons were killed, and fifty taken on board as prisoners. After the destruction of this kainga, the vessel sailed away for Kapiti. During the voyage Te Mai hara nui smothered his little daughter, Nga roi mata, appro- priately named The Tears, lest she should become MAORI HISTORY. 43 the wife of one of his enemies. His captors were very much enraged with him doing so, and fearing he might commit suicide, and escape the punishment in store for him, they secured his hands, and then fastened him by a hook placed under his chin to the cross beams of the hold. The torture occasioned exquisite suffering, which was watched with satisfac- tion by his yindictive enemies. On reaching Kapiti, Te Mai hara nui was handed over to the widows of the chiefs killed at Kaiapoi, who put him to death by slow and nameless tortures." Base as the means adopted for his capture were, and cruel as his fate was, it is impossible to feel much pity for Te Mai hara nui. His punishment was hardly worse than he deserved, since the treatment he received at the hands of his enemies was little more than a repeti- tion of the cruelties he had himself perpetrated on members of his own tribe. ONAWE. The remarkable pear-shaped promontory which divides the upper end of Akaroa Harbor into two smaller bays, is a locality possessing special interest to the Maori annalist, not only from its having been from ancient times the reported abode of an atua or guardian spirit, but more particularly because it was the site of the last occupied Maori fortress on the Peninsula, and the scene of a terrible encounter with Eauparaha's forces. The summit of Onawe was called Te-pa-nui-o Hau (the chief home of wind}. There, amongst the huge boulders and rocks that crown the hill, and cover its steep- sloping sides, dwelt the Spirit of the Wind. Tradition tells how jealously it guarded its sacred haunts from careless intrusion. How it terrified the unwary or too daring trespasser by demanding with, startling suddenness, and in strange unearthly tones, " What doest thou here?" instantly following up 44 STOEIE8 OF BANKS PENINSULA. the question by the peremptory command, " Tarn back !" a command which none dared to disobey but those favored persons who possessed the gift of spirit speech, which enabled them to hold intercourse with supernatural beings. Unfortunately for all in these days whose curiosity to hear a spirit's voice might tempt them to violate the privacy of its nbode, the articulate utterances of the Spirit of the Wind have long ceased. It has been mute ever since the report of a musket was first heard at Onawe, and the Maoris conclude that the loud and unaccustomed noise scared the atua away. When the inhabitants of Akaroa became alarmed for their safety on account of Rauparaha's evident intention to extend his conquests to the south of Kaikoura, they resolved to erect a fortified pa, cap- able of containing all who might require to take refuge in it. They fixed upon Onawe as the most suitable site, though subsequent events proved their want of judgment in selecting a position so easily assailed. The remains of the defensive works which still exist attest the size and strength of th pa, and awaken a suspicion in the observer's mind that the Maoris received the assistance of Europeans in their construction. But this they most positively deny. They assert that the fortifications were entirely designed and executed by themselves, and that any departures from the ancient lines of construction that may be observable, were caused by the alterations necessary to meet the introduction of firearms. A deep trench surrounded the pa, the earth taken from it forming the walls, along the top of which a strong fence was erected. All round the inside of the fence was a covered way for the protection of the defen- ders. The approach to a spring on the south side of the promontory was by a covered trench, pro- tected by walls running parallel to each other ; but MAORI BISTORT. 45 to ensure a supply of water in the event of this road to the spring being cut off, a number of large canoes \vere dragged up into the pa, and filled with fresh water, and covered over with matting to prevent loss by evaporation, Iluas and whatas were stored with provisions, and every precaution taken to enable the occupants of the pa to sustain a siege. The various preparations for defence were barely completed, before the startling intelligence was brought that Rauparaha had invested Kaiapoi with a large military force. The inhabitants of Akaroa and its neighborhood flocked at once into Onawe, and prepared lor the worst. Tangatahara was placed in chief command, and under him Puaka and Potahi. They were able to muster about four hundred war- riors, most of whom were armed with muskets, the rest having to content themselves with steel hatchets, or the more primitive weapons used by their fore- fathers. During the six months the siege of Kaia- poi lasted, the occupants of Onawe suffered constant alarms from the reports that reached their ears of atrocities perpetrated by Rauparaha's foraging par- ties. This condition of suspense was brought to a close by the capture of Kaiapoi, and the arrival of a party of fugitives with the news of its destruction, and the important intelligence that they had leit Rauparaha in the act of embarking his men with the avowed intention of conveying them round to attack Onawe, Every one was now on the alert, and many were in dread expectation of what was to follow. Shortly after receiving this timely warning, the senti- nels descried at a very early hour one morning, a large fleet of war canoes pulling up the harbor. Rauparaha evidently purposed to surprise the place, but his design was frustrated by the watchfulness of the defenders. Finding his plan had failed, he retired, ordering part of his force to camp in Barry's Bay, and part at the Head of the Bay. Ngatitoa 46 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. landed near the short wharf in Barry's Bay, where they commenced to prepare for cooking their food ; while Ngatiawa landed near where Mrs Shadbolt's house stands, and prepared to do the same. Innu- merable fires were ? oon blazing on the little heaps of stories, gathered into the shallow basin-shaped holes scooped in the ground, and on which, when suffi- ciently heated, the food would be placed, and covered with matting and earth to cook. Observing that Rauparaha had divided his forces, and that between the two divisions lay a thick wood, and a stretch of swampy ground, it occurred to Tangatahara that by falling suddenly upon Ngatiawa, now they were off their guard, he might overpower them before Ngati- toa could come to their assistance. He accordingly sallied forth from the pa, and skirted along the edge of the rising ground on which Mr Callaghan's house now stands. But the enemy's sentinels posted in the wood quickly discerned his intentions, and raised the alarm by running to the top of the hill and call- ing loudly upon Ngatitoa to come to their help. Their cries were heard, and their comrades at once rushed forward, firing as they came floundering across the muddy beach that separated their camp from the promontory. Checked by the failure of this attempt to surprise the enemy, Tangatahara turned to meet the advancing Ngatitoa, and returned their fire. Tahatiti was the first Ngai Tahu shot. On seeing him fall, his companions began to retreat slowly towards the pa. Big William, then a boy about twelve years old, ran back to report the fatal result of the enemy's fire. On reaching the gap in the cliff, near the gate of the pa, he caught up to Tama, who, having been wounded in the knee, was hobbling towards a place of shelter While the retreating band of Onawe warriors were standing about the gate, a number of Kaiapoi captives sud- denly appeared amongst them, accompanied by their MAORI HISTORY, 47 captors. Their appearance very much disconcerted the defenders of the place, who were loth to fire upon their kinsmen, and yet realised the danger of permit- ting any of the enemy to approach too near. Rau- paraha himself, accompanied by quite a crowd of Kaiapoi notabilities, came boldly up to the walls, where he had a very narrow escape, for Puaka, recognising him, pushed his musket through a loop- hole, and levelled it at him, and must have shot him dead but for Tara, Pita te Hori's eldest brother, who was standing by Rauparaha, and pushed the muzzle of the gun aside. The Kaiapoi captives, partly at the instigation of their conquerors, and partly moved by a jealous dread lest Onawe should escape their own fate, urged the inhabitants to sur- render. In the disorder and confusion occasioned by this unexpected parleying, some of the Northern warriors got inside the gates, and commenced killing every one about them. A panic ensued, and for some minutes Onawe was the scene of the wildest confusion and bloodshed, the shrieks and cries of the dying mingling with the loud and furious shouts of the victors. Big William relates how, terror-stricken by the fearful sights and sounds that surrounded him on all sides, he sought a hiding-place in one of the covered trenches, but, having been seen, was followed by a young Ngatiawa warrior, whose handsome face made an indelible impression on his memory. Find- ing he was pursued, he picked up a spear and pre- pared to defend himself, and as the young man ran towards him in a stooping position, he thrust the spear at his face, and succeeded in piercing his cheek, and nearly putting out his eye. Unexpectedly checked in this manner, the Ngatiawa called fran- tically for a gun to be brought to shoot his assailant, but another warrior running up the trench behind him, seized William, and, having tied his hands and feet, carried him down to his canoe, and eventually 48 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. carried him off to Kapiti, where he grew so ranch into favor with his master, that he was treated more like a son than a slave, and finally allowed to return to his home in Akaroa. Amongst those who escaped were two refugees from Kaiapoi Aperahama Te Aiki and Wi Te pa. They happened to be outside the gate when the slaughter began, and at once sought shelter in the scrub that covered the hill sides to the water's edge. They were observed by two men in charge of one of the northern war canoes, who pulled to the beach just under their hiding place, exclaiming " Our slaves, two for. us," And they might have been caught, but for the courage of Wi Te pa, who for- tunately had a loaded gun with him. Creeping down through the bushes, he stood concealed just above high water mark, and as the man in the bows was preparing to jump on shore Te pa fired, and nearly blew the top of his head off ; his companion, seeing what had happened, pushed the canoe back again into deep water with all speed, and the two fugitives made their way to the hills, where they were joined by the late Pita Te Hori and others, and having evaded the parties sent by Rauparaha in pursuit, succeeded in making good their escape to the south. The majority of the inhabitants of Onawe were either killed or carried away into cap- tivity. In the evening of the day on which the pa was taken, the prisoners were all examined, and the old men and women were picked out and put to death on the flax flat, now Mr Callaghan's paddock, in Barry's Bay. There the bodies were cut up, and so much carried off to the camps as the northern warriors required as a relish for their fern root. MAORIS REORGANISING. The capture and destruction of Onawe almost annihilated the Maori inhabitants of the Peninsula. MAORI HISTORY. 49 Of the few survivors, some had the courage to return to their homes, after the departure of the northern invaders, but others, unable to overcome their fears, fled for refuge to Otakou, where they remained till induced to join the expedition organised by Taiaroa and Tukawaiki to attack Rauparaha nu the shores of Cook's Straits. Before the capture of Kaiapoi, Taiaroa had escaped with about two hundred fol- lowers, purposing to return with a larger force for the relief of the besieged pa, but before he could execute his design the place was taken, and the subsequent capture of Onawe put a stop for a time to his movements ; but having learnt that Rau- paraha paid periodical visits to the settlement he had formed on the shores of Cook's Straits, he determined to go there and seek to avenge the injuries done to Ngai Tahu. He was cordially assisted in carrying out his designs by Tuhawaiki, Karetai, and other chiefs, who headed the populous communities which still existed in the south. But though active in organising the first expediton, Taiaroa did not accompany it. It consisted of two hundred and seventy men, under the command of Tuhawaiki and Karetai. They proceeded in war canoes from Otakou to Queen Charlotte's Sound, where they were success- ful in surprising Rauparaha, who had a very narrow escape from destruction, For in the frantic efforts made by his men to launch their boat, on discover- ing that they had fallen into a Ngai Tabu atnbos- cade, the keel was torn off, and the boat rendered useless. Rauparaha, finding his followers falling all around him, and being unable to reach his canoes, which had got afloat, without running the risk of being detected and pursued, sought concealment in the kelp near the shore, where, by occasionally lifting his head under cover of the broad leaves as they swayed backwards and forwards with the waves, he H 50 STORIES OF BA.NK8 PENINSULA. was able to breathe. He remained in his hiding place till the first fury oi the attack was over, and then he swam to a canoe, which remained in the offing waiting to pick up any who might escape. Paora Taki, the old Native Assessor at Rapaki, always maintains that he might have killed Rau- paraha on this occasion, if he had been properly armed, but unfortunately on the way up the coast he had been induced by a powerful friend to exchange his gun for a very simple weapon, which was nothing more than a sharp-pointed stake. In the confusion which followed the rush on Rauparaha's men, both sides got mixed up in one close crowd. Some one brushed roughly past Paora, who, on turning round, saw it was Te Rauparaha himself. He had on a parawai mat, and was walking rapidly towards the water's edge, with his arms folded across his breast, and holding a greenstone mere in his right hand. Paora, not daring to attack him with the simple weapon he possessed, tried to secure some inferior foe, and the first he encountered was a woman, whom he pushed over and pinned to the sand by a thrust through her thigh ; he then called loudly for the loan of a tomahawk to despatch his prey. A pass- ing warrior, attracted by his cries, seized the woman by the hair, and was about to plunge the weapon into her skull, when he recognised her as one of the captured Kaiapoi people. " Why, Paora," he said, " it is your own aunt." Poor Paul tried to make amends for his rough treatment of his injured rela- tive by a more than ordinary amount of nose rubbing, the Maori equivalent for kissing. After another successful encounter with their enemies, Ngai Tahu returned home. Encouraged by the success of the first expedition, known as Oraumoa iti, a second, on a much larger scale, was resolved upon, to be known as Oraumoa nui. Some little time was spent in making prepara- MAOBI HISTORY. 51 tions, and, when they were completed, it was found that upwards of four hundred warriors had assembled to take part in it, Taiaroa assumed the command, and, having despatched a portion of his forces by water, he marched up the coast, gaining slight acces- sions to his numbers at each stage. On the way an incident occurred which throws some light on the motives which prompted those deeds of apparently senseless barbarity which so often darken the pages of the internal history of Maori tribes. Accompanying Taiaroa's expedition was a chief noted for his harsh and cruel disposition, Te Whakataupoka by name. On reaching Taumutu, this man was with difficulty dissuaded from killing the surviving remnants of the hapus destroyed by Kauparaha, whom he found gathered there. The reason he gave for wishing to perpetrate such a cruel deed was, that all his own friends and relations had been killed in the encounter from which these people had escaped , and he regarded their escape as having been purchased at the cost of those who perished, and therefore demanding the vengeance ef surviving relatives. His inhuman proposal was resisted by Tu te hou nuku, the long-lost son of Te Mai hara nui, who had arrived in a whaling ship at Otakou just as the second Oraumoa expedition was leaving, and who, approving of its object, had at once joined it. Tu, unlike his father, was of a merciful and kindly disposition, and bestirred himself to protect the lives threatened with destruction. He sent off at once to Wairewa for his cousin Mairehe (Mrs. Tikao), and the few remaining members of his family still to be found there. On their arrival, Te Whakataupoko found that he could not carry out his sanguinary purpose, as he would have been forcibly restrained from doing any harm to the sacred persons of the Ariki's family, who formed part of the remnant that escaped from Te Rauparaha, and whose presence 52 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA, protected their less influential fellow-sufterers from destruction. DEATH OF TU TE HOU NUKU. It would needlessly prolong this narrative to relate the encounter between the several forces under Taia- roa and Rauparaha. Suffice it to say that the Southern expedition was successful. But a sad disaster befell it when returning, which resulted in the loss of many valuable lives Taiaroa's fleet, which consisted of twenty-nine canoes, was mainly composed of vessels specially adapted for ocean voyaging, formed by lashing two ordinary war canoes together, and further strengthening them with a deck ; but the canoe in which Tu te hou nuku and many of the oldest chiefs embarked was only an ordinary war canoe, quite unable to cope with the winds and waves of stormy Rau Kawa. When rounding Cape Campbell, the fleet encountered a tremendous storm, and though Tu and his com- panions handled their canoe with all the skill of experienced seamen, it capsized before reaching the shore, and all but an old woman named Mawhai were drowned. She managed to escape by clinging on to the canoe till it was washed up. Their com- rades, who witnessed the accident from the beach, were unable to render them any assistance, but after it was all over they waited in the neighborhood till the bodies were cast up. On finding the remains of Tu te hou nuku, they prepared at once to conduct his funeral rites, which were superintended by Te Wera. He commenced by killing the poor woman who had reached the shore alive, as an offering to the manes of the deceased. He then cut up the canoe, and with the fragments burnt the body of the young chief. The actual handling of the corpse was assigned to Rangitihi, the husband of Wakatau's sister, who was in consequence subjected to the incon- MAORI HISTORY. 53 venience of being fed for a long period by the hands of his wife, Te Wera. His own hands having become tapu from contact with the sacred body, he dared not touch anything in the shape of food, cooked or uncooked, nor engage in the cultivation of the soil, for a whole year afterwards. As Tu te hou nuku left no children, Te Mai hara nui's line became extinct at his death. CONCLUSION. The depopulated Peninsula would have continued without Maori inhabitants up to the date of coloni- sation, but for the great change wrought in Raupa- raha's warriors by Christianity. Those fierce and cruel men, having been led by the teaching of the Eev. Mr Hadfield, the present Anglican Bishop of Wellington, to embrace Christianity, gave convincing proof of their sincerity by releasing all their Ngai Tahu captives, whose compulsory labors were a great source of wealth and profit to them. But they not only gave them their freedom, they even allowed them to return to their own land, and, in order to ensure them a safe reception from those who might during their enforced absence have usurped their estates, several notable Northern chiefs accompanied them home. Port Levy, Akaroa, Gough's Bay, and Wairewa could again count their inhabitants by scores, if not even by hundreds, while several small hamlets were formed in other places round the coast. Port Levy became the principal centre, and xhere many important Maori gatherings took place, both before and after colonisation began. It was there that Eauparaha's son and nephew spent some time instructing the people in the doctrines of Christianity, and teaching them to read and write in their own language, endeavoring as far as they could to repair the wrongs done to Ngai Tahu by Eauparaha and his warriors. It was there that the northern chiefs 54 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. met Taiaroa and other influential Southern chiefs, and exchanged pledges of peace and good will. The reoccupation of Kaiapoi, just before the arrival of the Canterbury Pilgrims, tended to thin the Maori popu- lation of this district, which has been still further reduced by the fatal effects of European diseases, rendered more destructive than they would otherwise have been, from the Maoris having been forced to crowd together on the limited areas reserved for them ; where, surrounded by constantly accumulating heaps of pollution, deprived of the healthy excitement of hunting and travel, deprived of all political influence, without any fixed aim or object in life, a prey to ceaseless regrets and chronic depression of spirits, they have fallen easy victims to every form of epidemic that has appeared amongst them. Knowing the disorganised state into which Maori society had fallen just before colonisation began, the public are too ready to credit that event with what- ever improvement may be apparent in the present condition of the Natives, and to conclude that the Maoris must be in every way better off than they could have been without the settlement of the country. But, as a matter of fact, it was not to colonisation, but to their own acceptance of Christianity, that the Maoris owed the restoration of peace and order. When the first colonists arrived, the Maoris were a Christian nation. Without saying a word in dis- paragement of the colonists, who as a whole have honestly endeavored to treat the Maori fairly, it cannot be denied that whatever benefits the Maoris have derived from colonisation have been the result of indirect rather than any direct efforts made by the colonists for their good. Beyond being spared the prospect of a violent death, it is hard for a Maori to see that he has gained anything ; and even that benefit would have been secured to him under the reign of law established by the reception of Chris- MAORI HISTORY. 55 tianity. Provision for the education of their child- ren, and for the proper care of the sick and needy, was stipulated for by the Maoris when parting with their lands, so that no credit is due to the Colonial Government for what has been done towards ful- filling the conditions of the original deed of purchase. But, whatever faults may be charged against our administration of Native affairs, and however disas- trously our mistakes may have affected the interests of individuals of the Native race, it is gratifying to know that the more intelligent amongst them regard their misfortunes, not as the result of any intention on our part to injure them, but rather as the inevi- table result of being brought suddenly into contact with a civilisation so far in advance of their own simpler mode of life. The relations between the English and the Maori inhabitants of the Peninsula have always been of the most friendly kind, and although they do not hesi- tate to charge us with complicity in the murder of their great chief, Te Mai hara nui, they have never shown the slightest disposition to retaliate, and there is no instance on record of any European being killed by Maoris here, or even suffering violence at their hands. The rarity of convictions for criminal offences speaks well for the general good conduct of the people, and the universal testimony borne to their honesty and kindliness of disposition by their Eng- lish neighbors, show how deeply they have imbibed those Christian principles on which the only real civilisation rests. Though their numbers have dwindled down from thousands to the insignificant total of two hundred and fifty, and the relative num- bers of the two races inhabiting these parts are reversed, may the Maoris never have just cause to regret that they trusted the English. 56 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. No. 2. EUROPEAN ACCOUNT OP THE MASSACRE IN AKAROA HARBOR. The following narrative of the Maori massacre was published in the Auckland Herald. It was written by a Canterbury resident, in reply to a tale told by John Marmon, a celebrated " Pakeha Maori," whose history of the affair was published in the northern capital. The compiler of these stories gi?es it space here, because he wishes to place before his readers everything that is known on the subject : " In your weekly issue of Jan. 20, I notice your comments on one of the most shocking stories in Maori history, as told by the late John Marmon, and which you believe to be substantially accurate. You further state that Captain Stewart, the well- known discoverer of Stewart's Island, New Zealand, was master of the vessel that took Te Rauparaha and his party to Banks Peninsula, and that his name will always be infamous for his connection with the atrocious massacre there. In justice to the memory of the dead, I feel it my duty to correct your statement, and not to allow the name of one of our earliest pioneers to be handed down to posterity in connection with that sad affair. " Now, sir, Captain Stewart, the well-known dis- coverer of Stewart's Island, and Captain Stewart, master of the brig Elizabeth, were not one and the same person. The former was tor many years master of a trading and sealing vessel, sailing out of the port of Sydney. In one of his sealing expeditions he discovered the island which now bears his name. In his old age he retired from the sea, and took up his abode with an old friend, a Mr Harris, of Poverty Bay, with whom he lived until the day of his death, which occurred in the year 1843 or 1844. He was a man much respected, and on his visits to MASSACRE IN AKAROA HARBOR. 57 Auckland could be easily recognised. No donbt there are a few old settlers still living that have seen, as well as myself, a very tall man walking up Short- land street, in full dre>s of Stuart tartan (Scotch p'aid), and who will recognise in the description Captain Stewart, the discoverer. " Mnrmon states that Captain Stewart, on his arrivnl in Sydney, was arrested nnd put in prison, where he remained six months. This is not true. I may state that I arrived in Sydney in April, 1833, when every thing connected with this notorious voyage was quite fresh in everybody's memory I have heard it related over and over again. It appears Captain Stewart, after leaving New Zealand, made his way to Sydney. Soon after his arrival the news got spread about, and finally reached the ears of the Government, but, whether from having no jurisdic- tion, or for want of sufficient evidence, I cannot say, no immediate action was taken in arresting Captain Stewart. In the meantime, and while the Govern- ment were deliberating, Stewart cleared out of Syd- ney, and sailed for a port in South America. This was the last heard of Captain Stewart or the brig Elizabeth in these colonies. " As to Marmon's account relative to conversing with Captain Stewart and John Cowell after their return to Kapiti, I shouM say it is a fabrication ; for to my knowledge Marmon had been living in Hokianga, where he died, for nearly fifty years. I have never heard of his living at any time in the South. Again, it is the first time I ever heard John Cowell's name in connection with Captain Stewart or the brig Elizabeth. " In referring to Captain Stewart and his infamous voyage, I may relate the story as I heard it at the time I speak of, viz. : In the early days of New Zealand there was a great chief named Te Pahi (head of the tribe to whom Te Rauparaha belonged), 58 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. who was taken to Sydney, and from thence to Eng- land, where he was presented to King George, who was very kind to him, and made him several presents, and told him when he returned to his country to be good to the white man. On Te Pahi's return, he was full of what he had seen in England. He appears to have been a very good man , and anxious to tell of the wonderful things he had seen to other tribes. He went with a small party in a canoe to Akarca (Banks Peninsula), to pay a friendly visit to the chief, Te Mairanui. On his arrival, he and his party were treated very kindly. Not having any suspicion of the treachery in store for him, they all went into the pa, when Te Mairanui and his men fell on them and killed every man. When the news reached Kapiti, there was great excitement amongst Te Pahi's tribe, of whom Te Rauparaha (after Te Pahi's death ^ was head. Of course, as was the cus- tom then, the tribe were bound to have their revenge on the first opportunity. This opportunity offered when Captain Stewart made his appearance. Whether Captain btewart was aware of the real intention of the Natives is a mystery, but for certain he was pro- mised a lirge quantity of flax. On the arrival of the vessel in Akaroa, the Natives, as was the cus- tom, soon came on board to trade, among them the chief Te Mairanui and his daughter, a girl from ten to twelve years of age. During this time Te Rau- paraha and his party were in the ship's hold, keeping out of sight. As soon as the decks were full of men from the shore, Te Rauparnha's party rushed up from below, and killed all they could, with the excep- tion of Te Mairanui and his daughter, whom they took alive. Te Rauparaha and his men then went on shore, took the pa, and killed all they came across. It was rumoured that human flesh was cooked in the ship's coppers, but this appears to be doubtful. The brig then sailed for the island of MASSACRE IN AKAROA HARBOR. 59 Mana, in Cook's Straits. On the passage Te .Mairanui was lashed to the mainmast, and his little daughter allowed to walk about the deck. The story goes that one day Te Mairanui called his daughter to him, and, using these words, said, ' They are going to kill me, but they shall not kill or make a slave of you.' With that he took hold of her and dashed her brains eut against the comb- ings of the main hatchway. On the arrival of the brier at Mana, Te Mairanui was taken ashore, and killed in this way : He was hung up by the heels, a vein cut in his throat, and as he bled to death, they caught the blood in a bowl and drank it. I have never heard (as Mr Travers asserts) that a red-hot ramrod was pushed through his neck, or that Te Mairanui ? s wife was taken by the party f Te Rauparaba. I have not read Mr Travers' work on ' The Life and Times of Te Rauparaha,' but I ques- tion very much whether he was better informed than myself. " Marmon says that Te Rauparaha and his party went overland from Cloudy Bay to Banks Peninsula. Now, this of itself is sufficient to throw a doubt over his whole version, And, again, he must have been quite ignorant of the geography of the Middle Island of New Zealand, or he must have known that it was impossible in those days to travel the distance without canoes. Then for Te Rauparaha to bring away fifty slaves was another impossibility. How could he cross the many rapid rivers 1 where could he get food from for them (there was little or no fern root, as in the North Island) 1 are all ques- tions to be asked. Then, again, Rauparaha's settle- meat 01 pa was on the North Island. He had no settlement or pa in those days on the Middle Island, being always in fear of Bloody Jack and his tribe, from whem he had several narrow escapes. At one time they had a desperate fight in Fighting Bay, 60 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. close to Port Underwood, in Cloudy Bay, which is called to this day Fighting Bay in memory of the fight referred to, so that it is very clear that Te Rfcuparaha would have to take his departure for his own settlement on the North Island, and this could not be done without canoes. Then, again, Natives in these days never travelled any distance by land when they could go by water in their fine large war canoes, carrying from fifty to a hundred men. If Marmon's version is true, Rauparaha had full satis- faction or revenge for his brother being killed, in killing the unfortunate natives and taking away the fifty slaves. He would not have gone a second time. It is the first time that I have ever heard John Cowell's name in connection with Captain Stewart. " I may state that I arrived in New Zealand in May, 1836, in the whaling ship Louisa, of Sydney, Captain Hay wood. Vie anchored under Maua Island, in Cook's Straits, where the ship remained during the bay whaling season, from May to October. Te Rauparaha was our chief, or we were under his protection, for which he was well paid in blankets, &c. Although he was a terror among the natives, he was always very good to the whites ; in fact, in one instance I have to thank him tor saving my life. It happened in this way : I was ashore with a boat's crew, filling water casks, when Te Rauparaha's son, a lad about sixteen to seventeen years of age, was very troublesome to our men, and annoyed them so much that one of our crew, in a hasty moment, struck young Te Rauparaha in the face, and made his nose bleed. Now, to draw blood from a chief was one of the greatest crimes that could be com- mitted, and the transgressor very seldom escaped with his life. When the Natives saw the blood, they were very much excited, and came rushing upon the crew, flourishing their tomahawks. We all thought our last hour had come. Old Te Raupa- HEMPLEMAN'S PURCHASE OF AK.AROA, 61 raha, hearing the noise, came out of his hut to see what was up. On hearing the particulars, he told the natives not to touch the white men, for his son was in the wrong. He must take his own part, and fi-ht the Pakeha very good, one Maori, one Pakehn. Tt ended in a stand-up fight, in which, to our delight, young Rauparaha got a good thrashing, and we were thankful to get off with our lives. However, young Rauparaha soon forgot it, and we were ever afterwards the best of friends. Had not old Raupqraha been at hand, I am afraid it would have been rather a serious matter for us." No. 3. GEORGE HEMPLEMAN AND HIS PUtlCKASE OF AKAROA, It this paper we publish the text of a memorial forwarded in 1843 by the late Mr Hempleman to George Grey, Esq., then Lieutenant- Governor of the Colony. As will be seen, Mr. Hempleman claims to have been the first purchaser of the greater part of Banks Peninsula, including what was then Wan- goolou, but is at present known as Akaroa. It will of course be apparent that if these claims had been substantiated, Captain Langlois' subsequent purchase would have been illegal. Of one thing there can be no doubt, and that is, that the Maoris sold the land twice over, and no doubt would have done the same thing ten times, if they had had the chance. Further on will be found the story of George Hempleman and his claims to Akaroa. The following is the memorial referred to : To His Excellency George Grey, Esquire, Lieu- tenant-Governor and Commander- in-Chief in and over the Colony ot New Zealand, &c. 62 STORIES OF BANKS 1'ENINSULA. The Memorial of George Hempleman, of Peracke, iu the Province of New Munster, Master Whaler and Mariner. HUMBLY SHOWETH That your memorialist on or about the month of March, in the year 1837, purchased of certain Natives, the occupiers thereof, the tract of land hereinafter described, and in the month of November, 1839, when full and complete payment was made to all the parties interested, and at that time assembled for the purpose, received from them a certificate of such purchase, which certificate is in the words and figures following : " November 2nd, 1839. This is to certify that Captain Hempleman has purchased the extent of land from Bloody Jack as undermentioned : From Mowry Harbor south to Flea Bay north, including Wangoolou, as agreed by the undermentioned, viz,, by payment of one big boat, by name the Mary Ann, including two sails and jib. Extent of land fifteen miles east, south inland. Signed by JOHN TUHAWAIKK, TOBY X PARTRIGKK. JACKEY X WHITE. ALLON X TOMMY KOUNDHEAD. TYROA X KlKAKOREE X. WALKATOWKEE X A HANK. KIFG JOHN X. JACKEY GAY X BANGANA X. And witnessed by SIMON CRAWLEY. JACK X MILLER. ALFRED ROBERTS. JAMES X UREED." HEMPLEMAN'B PURCHASE OF AKAROA. 63 That your memorialist has at times been resident on the land so purchased, and has also fenced and cultivated a portion thereof, and also established and worked a whaling station thereon. That the chiefs of and in that neighborhood have been always, and are now, ready and willing to admit the sale of such lands to your memorialist, and his rightful claim thereto. That on or about the month of April, 1840, your memorialist caused to be addressed a statement to the Colonial eeretnry for the Colony of New South Wales, and torwardpd the same to Sydney in the same month, in which statement his claim to the said lands was set forth, agreeably with the provi- si<>ns of a certain Act of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, empowering the Governor of that Colony to appoint a Commission to examine and report on claims to grants of land in New Zealand. That some time afterwards, viz., about November, 1842, your memorialist was informed by the Chief Police Magistrate of Akaroa that your memorialist's claim was not among the gazetted claims to land published at Auckland, whereupon your memorialist immediately wrote to the Colonial Secretary at Auck- land a letter setting forth his claim, together with a copy of the statement which had been addressed to the Secretary of New South Wales. That your memorialist received a reply thereto, stating that the claim had not been received in the Colonial Secretary's office, and inviting him to pro- duce any proof in his power that the letter to the Colonial Secretary of New *outh Wales was actually forwarded at the date specified. That your memorialist with such invitation ob- tained a declaration from one Alfred Roberts (the person who wrote the statement to the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales setting forth his 64 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. claim) of the facts before mentioned. A copy of this declaration is annexed hereto That in February, 1840, when Captain Fitzroy was in Wellington, your memorialist addressed a memorial to His Excellency, wherein, after setting 1 forth the facts hereinbefore referred to, he prayed that he would be pleased to take the case into his favorable consideration, and grant your memorialist permission to prove his claim. That Captain Fitzroy, through his private secre- tary, replied to your memorialist that the Commis- sion having returned from Banks Peninsula, could not then go again ; an officer would inquire into the case. That no steps whatever or instructions, as your memorialist has been informed, have been taken or issued for the investigation of his claim, the delaying which is to him a source of great loss and anxiety, and Your memorialist humbly prays your Excellency to permit an investigation to be made into his claim, in order that he may receive a Crown grant upon his establishing a right thereto, or that you will grant to him such relief as under the circumstances may to your Excellency seem meet. Copy declaration referred to in the foregoing memo- rial. 1 , Alfred Roberts , of Wellington , in the Province of New Ulster, in the Colony of New Zealand, boat- man, do solemnly and sincerely declare that I did in the month of April, in the year 1840, by the request and at the dictation of George Hempleman, then of Perake, in New Munster, in the said Colony of New Zealand, master whaler, write a certain letter setting forth the said George Hempleman's claim to certain land therein mentioned, and situate in the district of Perake aforesaid, which he, the said George Hemple- HEMPLEMAN'S PURCHASE ON AKAROA. 65 I, had purchased of certain nntive chiefs who had declared themselves the owners and possessors there- of, and who had conveyed the same lands by deed tinted November 2, 1839 ; and further, that I did direct such aforesaid letter to the Honorable C. Leas Thompson, Colonial Secretary for the Colony of New South Wales, and did forward the same by brig Nimrod, which sailed for Sydney in or about the month of At but of this there is no certainty until the return of Captain L'Anglois and M. de Belligny in 1840, after the signing of the Treaty of Wait.angi ; neither was there any evidence, either Native or European, that such a purchase had been completed in 1838, save that of one George Pleuret, who deposed to the belief ' that an agreement was then made by Captain L'Anglois for the purchase of pome quantity of land.' Fleuret was desirous of remaining on the Peninsula when the Cachelot (the vessel in which he was serving) went away ; but on the captain's remonstrance with him, that he could not stay there alone, and that he (the captain) intended to return, he continued the voyage, and returned with the other immigrants in the Comte de Paris in August, 1840. On his consenting to return, on his first voyage, the captain showed him ' a paper,' which he said was a contract or agreement, signed by a native named Chigarry, (?) for the dis- posal of, or promise to dispose of, laad to him (Captain L'Anglois) upon his return to New Zea- land.' He also added in his evidence that he saw the captain ' give some pantaloons and cloaks to the Native Chigarry, and others, which he understood was on account of the payment he had promised the Natives for land.' The full amount of the purchase money, in kind, was to have been 240, of which amount only 6 was paid by the captain, in 1838. Upon the captain's return to France, he ceded his right and title to his reputed purchase to a company, consisting ' of two mercantile houses at Nantz, two FRENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 89 at Bordeaux, and three gentlemen of Paris, who formed a company called the Nanto-Bordelaise Compagnie, reserving to himself an interest to the amount of one-fifth in the said company, and giving up the deed of sale from the Natives, as his subscrip- tion of 6000 francs to become a partner to the amount of one-fifth in the company.' There is a certified copy of this deed, which is of some length, to be found in the proceedings of the New Zealand Company, but it carries no native signature or mark, as would have been the case had it been completed. We are told by M. S. de Belligny, who styled him- self the company's agent, that the object of the expedition was ' the colonisation of the Middle Island of New Zealand, and for fishing upon its coasts, and that the company was formed before it possessed the slightest knowledge of the intention of the English Government to take possession of the said island.' A similar amount of ignorance, how- ever, was not manifested on the English side of the Channel, as the New Zealand Journal in February of the same year, prior to the departure of Captain L'Anglois on his second voyage, remarks : ' If the French Government should send her political pri- soners to British New Zealand, let it be clearly understood th j t they a-'e free the instant they set foot 0:1 .British land. France can exercise no juris- diction over them there, and supposing the projet should ever ripen into action, which is very impro- bable should the sons of France accept the hand of friendship, which we are quite sure will be held out to them, the New Zealand community will be the better of their peculiar intelligence and skill.' Ihis, it should be remembered, was a comment on an article in the Journal du Harve on the question whether the Middle Island was a suitable place for the deportation of criminals, the company having agreed to cede to the Government a portion of their 90 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. acquired territory for this purpose it being in ' an excellent position for defence as well as climate.' The company had a capital of one million francs (42,000), a sixth of which was only paid up, but the Company had agreed to cede to the French Government one-fifth of its territory ' to establish a penal settlement.' Accordingly the ship Comte de Paris sailed from Rochefort, commanded by Captain L'Anglois. Louis Philippe was an interested party in the company, and gave ' a grant of money and picked men from the Royal Navy as a subsidy to the expedition. The emigrants, who were 63 in number, although stated in the Journal des Debats to number 100, comprising 30 men, 11 women, and 22 children, complained while on board, and after arrival, of the treatment they received on their passage as other immigrants have since that early date so fre- quently done. But those French pioneers had cer- tainly a considerable reason for thus murmuring, for although the good ship Comte de Paris had a com- plete whaling crew men enough to man four six- oared boats and work the ship at the same time, the captain made the emigrants work in the same manner as the crew, with the exception of their not being compelled to go aloft and furl or make sail. The immigrants on landing were to have been. ' furnished with the necessaries required by the climate, and the implements necessary for the carrying out the mis- sion they were commissioned to fulfil, and to have provisions to serve for twelve months, counting from the time of landing, and five acres of land per adult.' Those conditions, it appears, were not carried out in their integrity. " Five days previous to the arrival of the Comte de Paris, H.M.S. Britomart arrived at the Peninsula, and took possession of the island in the name of the Crown : whether legally or otherwise is a moot point, as the French flag had been planted on the Penin- FBENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 91 sola in 1838 by Commodore Cuille, of the Heroine. Three days later the French frigate L'Aube, com- manded by Commodore Lavaud, arrived, and on August the 13th, two days later, the immigrants also, having been on board from the latter end of February. Among the stores brought were six long 24-pounders, which, upon Captain Stanley's remon- strating with Commodore Lavaud, were not allowed to be landed. Mr. Robinson, who came from the Bay of Islands in another vessel, was left there as magistrate, and from the Gazette we learn that the Commodore was particularly hospitable, and offered to send his carpenter on shore to build a house for Mr. Robinson, and insisted upon that gentleman's living on board the L'Aube during her stay in the waters of the Peninsula, which offer, of course, was gratefully accepted until the completion of the magis- terial residence. On the 19th the immigrants landed in ' a sheltered, well-chosen part of the bay, where they could not interfere with any one,' and com- menced, with the characteristic industry of the French workman, to erect houses and cultivate land ; and so successful was one of the cultivators, that the Constitutionnel of the following year, commenting on the progress of the Colony, stated that one of the colonists, who had planted himself a league from Akaroa, had, with the aid of his wife, from two acres and a half of land, cleared, in five months, 1500f. by the sale ot vegetables. The English inhabitants of the Peninsula, at the time of the landing of the French immigrants, amounted to 84 adults, and their children, so from this source the 1500f. would probably partially come. At the end of the year the immigrants had not procured any stock, but were living on preserved and salt meats, with what vege- tables they could get from their ' small gardens,' while the commodore of the L'Aube had commenced building a store for them, to protect their property 92 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. from the weather. It must be remembered that the frigate stayed at Akaroa for a lengthened period, and the Commodore thereby arrogated to himself the domination of the settlement, but avowed most dis- tinctly to Captain Hobson that he ' disclaimed any national intrusion on the part of his Government, but he supported the claims of the company as pri- vate individuals, asserting this to be the only bond fide purchase of that district which had been made from the Natives.' It was at this time (November, 1841) that the Governor made the proposal that the company should be given similar terms to the New Zealand Company, and put in possession of a block of land, in proportion to their outlay of capital, in the extreme northern district of the North Island, ' in the district of Kataia, where there is a good harbor, with an abundance of fine land with an undu- lating surface, well adapted for vineyards.' This proposal was not adopted, and early in the following year (1842) Monsieur Mailleres arrived in England to make arrangements with the Government, with a view to the settlement of the claim and the com- pany's title ; when the ' Colonial Land and Emigra- tion Commissioners' found that an expenditure by the company of 11,685 had been incurred, including, of course, the subsidy obtained from Louis Philippe. In 1845 Lord Stanley authorised an award should be given to the company of 30,000 acres, their claim not having been brought before the Commissioners appointed to inquire into land claims. " This paper and narrative cannot be better con- cluded than by quoting a paragraph from Mr. Mackay, in his second volume on {Southern Native affairs : ' The New Zealand Company purchased the claims of the Nanto- Bordelaise Company, and, in virtue of other subsequent arrangements, whatever lands the New Zealand Company possessed have reverted to the Crown ; but through all these pro- FEENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 93 ceedings the original question as to what extent the Native title has been extinguished by the French Company has never been decided.' " After the cession of the territory to the New Zealand Company, the French Government offered to take the emigrants free of charge to Tahiti, and give them the same amount of property as they possessed in New Zealand, but they all declined the offer." THE STORY OF THE FRENCH COLONISATION OF AKAROA. As a fitting narrative to follow the last, the com- piler has selected the following account of the French settlement, principally written from information fur- nished by Mr. Waeckerlie, one of the original settlers, who came in the Comte de Paris. About the year 1820, the adventurous seamen who had hitherto captured the whale in the Northern Ocean, found that the fish were fast decreasing in number, and turned longing eyes to the vast waters of the South Pacific, which voyagers had told them swarmed not only with many varieties of the whale tribe found in the north, but also with the huge sperm, whose oil was of great value, as well as the spermaceti found in its head. A few soon ventured, and their good reports and great success induced many to follow ':ieir example. At first the Cape of Good Hope wa> chosen as the centre of the opera- tions of those daring men, whose lives were in con- tinual peril, but whose profits were enormous ; but year by year they fished further and further, and the coasts of Australia and New Zealand were soon made the scene of their dangerous avocation. About 1835, before the first representative of England (Captain Hobson) had taken up his resi- dence in Auckland, an adventurous French mariner, named Captain L'Anglois, came on a whaling cruise 94 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. to these seas. Amongst the many harbors that he yisited was the beautiful Bay of Akaroa, the perfect safety of whose sheltered waters went straight to the heart of the rough seaman, after the fierce gales he had encountered in the stormy southern seas. The luxuriant vegetation that everywhere fringed the inlets, showed that the soil ws of exceeding fruit- fulness ; the mighty pines that towered above their meaner fellows gave promise of a vast supply of tim- ber ; whilst the innumerable kakas, pigeons, and other native birds, that woke the echoes of the bush with their harmonies and discords, and the fish that swarmed in the waters of the bay, showed that an abundant supply of nutritious food would always be obtainable. So charmed was Captain L'Anglois with the tranquillity of the spot, that, with a true Frenchman's love of France, he coveted it for his country, and determined to found a colony on this scene of primeval loveliness. It was in the year 1837 that he first had an opportunity of taking the premier steps in this direction, by purchasing all that part of the Peninsula from th? Maoris which lies between Peraki and the Akaroa Heads. Mr Waeckerlie did not know the name of the chief from whom Captain L'Anglois purchased the land, and the price paid for it, but doubtless the amount was a comparatively small one. In 1838 Captain L'Anglois returned to France, and on his arrival he told some of his countrymen of the purchase he had made, and the result was the formation of a company to colonise his estate, The company appears to have been encouraged by the French Government, for an old ship of war called the Comte de Paris was lent to Captain L'Anglois to take out any persons who might be desirous of settling on his land, and another armed ship y called the L'Aube, was sent out to New Zealand before- hand , under the charge of Commodore Lavaud, to FRENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 95 protect the colonists on their arrival. All this, how- ever, was done quietly, for the English had already settled iu parts of the islands, though New Zealand was not proclaimed a British Colony till 1841. It was not till the middle of the year 1839 that the company was formed, under the name of the Nantes Bordelaise Company. The principal people taking an active part were Captain L'Anglois, and his brother, M. Jacques L'Auglois, and M.M. St. Croix and Eugene de Belligny. In August, 1839, the company advertised for emigrants in Havre de (iras, offering a free passage and the occupation of five acres of land on arrival, which would become the freehold of the occupier in five years, if cultivated within that time, but if not cultivated it would revert to the company. Each emigrant was also pro- mised provisions sufficient to last eighteen months after landing in the settlement. There does not seem to have been much enthusiasm shown, for it was the 1st of January, 1840, before some thirty persons left Havre in a steamer bound to Rochefort, whence the Comte d.e Paris was to sail for the new colony. After an eight days' passage, they arrived at Roche- fort only to find that the Comte de Paris was not nearly ready for sea. On the 8th of March, 1840, everything was ready for a start. A good many more emigrants had joined at Rochefort, so that at that time there were 85 on board, which, with the officers and crew, made the total number of souls on board the Comte de Paris 105. There were six Germans amongst the emigrants. M. St. Croix de Belligny, who is, it is said, living in Auckland, acted as agent for the company, and by his great affability and skill he appears to have won universal goodwill. There were no stock on board the vessel, not even so much as a cat or dog, but there were choice collec- tions of al! sorts of eeeds, and a number of carefully selected grape vines. 96 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. The start was a most unfortunate one, for the steamer that towed the vessel out missed the chan- nel, and the Comte de Paris stuck in the mud, and had to be lightened of part of her cargo before she could be got off. However, on the 19th of March these difficulties were surmounted, and a fair wind soon took the vessel out of sight of France. The first part of the passage was not eventful, but was very uncomfortable, for the Comte de Paris not only sailed very slowly, bat steered very badly. The. weather, too, was very rough, and all on board were glad when a short stay was made at an island in the tropics (probably one of the Cape de Verdes), where fresh provisions, including a bountiful supply of bananas, were procured. Four months after starting, when off the coast of Tasmania, a terrific storm of thunder and lightning was experienced. The light- ning first struck the main topgallant and topmasts, and they both carried away. The seamen were terri- fied at the catastrophe, and great confusion ensued. Immediate orders were given to take all sail off the mizen mast, but fortunately they were not imme- diately obeyed, or there would have been great loss ot life, for a second flash struck the mizzen mast, and it carried away about eight feet from the deck, and the vessel broaching to in the trough of the sea, nearly capsized. Captain L'Anglois and his crew were, however, equal to the emergency. They cut away the wreck and rigged jury masts, and a. month later they were off the Peninsula. Here two of the emigrants died, and, as their friends were desirous that they should be buried on land, the vessel anchored in Pigeon Bay, where the remains of the unfortunate colonists were interred on the beach. It was a primitive burial, and all trace of the graves has long since been swept away. Captain L'Anglois was anxious, before entering Akaroa Harbor, to ascertain if Commodore Lavaud had arrived there, FRENCH SETTLEMENT OV AKAROA. 97 and taken possession of the place, as previously arranged ; so he despatched a whaleboat from Pigeon Bay for that purpose. Four days later the boat returned with the distressing intelligence that there was no sign of the frigate On the 14th of August the Comte de Paris sailed from Pigeon Bay, and anchored at Akaroa Heads on the 15th, and dispatched another boat up the harbor in search of the lagging Commodore. This time the search was successful, for they found the vessel had arrived, and the frigate's launch was sent to tow the Comte de Paris up the harbor. Very lucky it was for those on board that such was the case, for there was a heavy sea running at the Heads, and one of the flukes of the anchor had broken, and the vessel had drifted close to the rocks. However, the frigate's boat soon had her in tow, and once inside the Heads all diffi- culties were passed, and the following morning found her safe anchored off the future town of Akaroa. All on board were delighted and astonished at the delightful prospect^ and the colonists were determined not to spend another night on board the ship, so all the spare sails and canvas ware taken ashore, tents were hastily rigged, and the wearied voyagers reposed that night where the Akaroa Mail office at present stands. The morning of the 17th was calm and beautiful, and the colonists were pleasantly awakened at the first dawn of day by the notes of innumerable birds. A strange circumstance had been noticed by the new arrivals in coming up the harbor When the Comte de Paris was towed past Green's Point, near where Mr W. B. Tosswill's residence now stands, all on board saw a small group of men surrounding a flagstaff, from which flew gaily in the morning breeze " the Union Jack of Old England." Such a sight naturally surprised and disturbed the new comers, but they were told it meant nothing, but was merely a 98 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. piece of vain glory oa the part of two or three Englishmen who happened to be whaling in the vicinity. The real facts of the case, however, were by no means so unimportant as was represented. It appears that Commodore Lavaud, on his way from England, touched at Auckland, and that whilst his vessel was lying in the calm waters of the Waite- mata, Captain Hobson, who then represented British interests in the north, though New Zealand had not yet been made an English Colony, entertained him right royally. It appears that in an unguarded moment the Commodore let out the secret of the French expedition to Akaroa, and what was more injudicious, spoke with rapture of the beauty of the Akaroa Harbor, the fertility of the soil, and other natural advantages. Now Captain Hobson was a man of action and of foresight. He saw that New Zealand had a great future before it, and was anxious that when it was made a jewel of the British Crown, it should be without a flaw. He then called in stratagem to his aid, and whilst the gay Frenchmen were enjoying themselves ashore after their weary voyage, a small brig of war, named the Britomart, was secretly despatched, under the charge of Mr Robinson, who was instructed to make the best of his way to Akaroa, and if possible hoist the English flag there before the French arrived Meanwhile, Commodore Lavaud appears to have been in no hurry to reach his destination, for he knew the sailing qualities of the Comte de Paris, and did not think she could arrive here till the end of August. Besides, the company was good, and he knew Akaroa was only a beautiful wilderness at the best, so it was early in August before the L'Aube sailed down the east coast and passed through Cook's Strait on her way to the Peninsula. Meanwhile, Mr Robinson and his expedition had not had a very good time of it, and it was with very desponding hearts that on FRENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKARpA. 99 the 14th of August they reached Akaroa, for they feared the French must have been before them and taken possession of the place. What was their delight, then, to find that no foreign keel had ploughed the waters of the bay. No time was lost, the English flag was at once hoisted, and the country claimed for the British Crown. It was not a moment too soon, however, for the following morning Com- modore Lavaud arrived, just a few hours too late. But the new colonists knew nothing of this. The Commodore held a conference with Mr. Robinson, and it was agreed that whilst the French man-of-war remained in the harbor, the English flag should not be hoisted, and the fact of their having taken posses- sion before the arrival of the French be kept a secret, for fear it should lead to disturbances between the English and the new comers. The secret was well kept, and though of course many rumors were current, it was not till years afterwards that the arrivals by the Comte de Paris were aware that they were living in an English, and not a French Colony. As soon as possible after the landing the land was allotted to the settlers. As before stated, the bush came down almost to the water's edge in many places, so there was little clear land. It was therefore arranged to divide the land facing the sea into 2^ acre blocks, giving one to each emigrant, and to let them select their other 2^ acres where they liked, it being the condition of the tenure that the land should be culti- vated within five years of the arrival, or revert to Captain L'Anglois. The colonists all avoided select- ing land in the bush, but took up the clearings which they found here and there, which were then covered with toi toi. They lived altogether in the tents for about a month, but by that time they nearly all removed to the whares they had built on their respec- tive sections. The six Germans who were amongst the emigrants found that they could not get their 100 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. sections altogether in Akaroa, so they determined to explore Captain L'Anglois' estate further. They found a beautiful bay with plenty of clear land u little higher up the harbor, and asked permission of the Commodore to locate themselves there. Permission was granted, five acres were parcelled out for each, and the bay was christened with the name it stiil bears of German Bny. The Germans built a great V hat, 40ft long by 30ft wide, of timber and rushes, with proper divisions, and in this they passed a very pleasant winter. Commodore Lavaud built a maga- zine in Akaroa, just where the Court House now stands, and this was used for the storage of pro- visions and tools, and also for a hospital. Every- thing went peacefully along, the seeds germinated well, the vines flourished, and the colonists were content with their prospects. The French settle- ment was of course under French law, which was administered by Commodore Lavaud. Mr Robinson was the English Resident Magistrate, but his office was almost a sinecure. BEMINISCENCEIS OF THE FIRST FIVE YEARS. It has been previously related that a Mr. Green resided, when the French colonists arrived, at the point near Mr. Tosswill's, where the British flag wag seen flying by the new arrivals. Mr. Green was in charge of some six or eight head of cattle belonging to Mr. W. B. Rhodes. Mr. Rhodes was well acquainted with New Zealand, and had had nume- rous transactions, both with the earliest settlers and the Natives. ftome six months before the French arrived, he had been in Wellington, and from thence he went to Sydney, then the most settled part of Australasia, and had purchased a number of the best cattle he could procure, which he brought over in a vessel belonging to him, and placed in various localities under the charge of persons in his employ- FEENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 101 ment. Mr Rhodes was one of those who, at a very early period, recognised the vast capabilities of these islands, and foresaw that in the time to come they would support a large population, and his foresight was deservedly rewarded later on, by the amassing of a very large fortune. These cattle were not allowed to be sold at any price, and were simply allowed to increase as fast as possible. The cows were not milked, the calves running with them, and one can imagine with what great longing for milk, beef,' and butter, they were viewed by the colonists, who at that time had not a single head of their own. Mr. Green did something else besides looking after the cattle he used to purchase any grog he could from the whaling vessels that visited the port, and, as there was no hotel, it was a standing joke with the colonists to suy that they were going to have a drink of milk at Mr. Green's, when they went there in search of something which they considered far more exhilarating. In a couple of years Mr. Green left Mr. Rhodes to start an hotel, and was succeeded by Mr. Reid, and a short time after Mr. Joseph Rhodes came to superintend the place, and also another in Flea Bay, where some more cattle had been placed. He sold the first cow, which realised the enormous sum (for an ordinary milker) of 43. Such was the first start of dairy farming in Akaroa. Cows were, however, soon to become more plentiful. In 1841, M. St. Croix de Belligny went to Wel- lington about matters connected with the new settle- ment, and to get a supply of money. Towards the end of the following year he went to Sydney, and brought back a bull and ten or twelve cows, and also one little entire horse, the first that ever set foot in Akaroa. This last excited the extreme admiration of the Maoris, aiid they coveted him exceedingly. This was rather a good thing for the French Asso- ciation, for the third and last payment for the land 102 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. was then due to the Natives, and the horse was made a part of it. It may here be mentioned that the payment for the land was nearly all in kind, very little money passing. The Comte de Paris brought out a large number of gaudy old faded uniforms, gold lace, cocked hats, and other trumpery rubbish, which was eagerly accepted as ' ' utu " for the land by the unsophisticated aboriginals. One must not forget to mention, however, that in this last payment was included a small schooner, built by Mr Sinclair, for which the Association gave that gentleman two hundred acres in Pigeon Bay, in that inlet now known as Holmes' Bay, where the property of Mr. Holmes is at present situated. M. de Belligny, like Mr. Rhodes, let his cattle go on increasing at first, but on leaving the Colony in 1845, he sold them at the lowest price he could possibly afford, which was from 20 to 25 per head, and very glad indeed were the settlers to get them. The colonists, however, had had both milk, butter, and beef before this, though they had had to pay a good price for them . The first steer calved in Akaroa by M. de Belligny's cows was killed in 1844, some eighteen months after the cattle arrived from Syd- ney. Mr Waeckerlie was the butcher, and every pound of the beef brought 2s. 6d. per pound, and more would have been gladly given, tor tresh beef is never so well appreciated as by those who have been years without it. The first milk and butter came from Pigeon Bay, Messrs. Hay and Sinclair came over to that place in 1841 from Wellington, and brought some cattle with them, and they found a market for all the butter they could make, at from 2s. 6d. to 3s per pound. The price was afterwards lowered to 2s., and Mr. Hay used to walk over about once a week with twenty or thirty pounds, which he always disposed of at that price. Mr. Green was the first hotel keeper ; after he FRENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 103 left Mr. Rhodes he built a commodious hotel at Green's Point, and procured a license. The building was a very substantial one, 40ft. by 30ft., and the timber for it was cut by Mr. Waeckerlie. It was only one storey high, but most conveniently arranged, and was very well patronised, more especially when a whaler came in, when there were " high jinks " indeed. The building was afterwards bought by Mr. George Tribe, and taken by him to Lyttelton, and placed on Norwich Quay, where it was burnt down in 1854 or 1855, After selling this building, Mr. Green bought a piece of land from M. Eelligny. agent for the French Association, and put up another and larger hotel in the more central position now occupied by Armstrong's Buildings, just oppo- site the present Government Wharf. As soon, however, as circumstances warranted it, there was a French hotel, M. de Belligny's servant being the proprieter. The building he put up for that purpose is the house where Mr C. M. Henning at present lives, and, like Mr. Green's, his enterprise was a most successful one. There was of course no grain of any kind grown the first year or two, and the colonists were depen- dent on their supplies from outside sources. They were supplied in this manner. Once a year the French man-of-war on the station visited either Valparaiso or Sydney, and came back with what was required. On the first of these trips, in 1841, the vessel was delayed by contrary winds, and the colonists were in consequence reduced to sore straits for flour, rice, and other farinaceous food. Tea, too, was at a premium, but the latter was certainly a luxury, and many supplied its place with the outa- whai or manakau. Their potatoes, too, were not yet fit for digging, so that they really were incon- venienced, though of course there was no danger of starfation, with the bush teeming with birds and the 104 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. harbor with fish, in addition to their own stores. However, news came that a whaler was in at Port Cooper, and it was immediately determined to send round an expedition to procure the much longed for floor. M. Fleury took the command, and manned a whale boat with five or six men and started for Port Cooper. The winds were, however, peculiarly adverse, and he never got any further than the Long Lookout Point, for the sea was too heavy and threatening, and he was afraid the boat would be swamped. After making the most persevering attempts for two or three days, the party had to take their boat into the nearest bay, and walk home to Akaroa. Very weary indeed were the adventurers when they started, and the walk through the then almost unexplored country was a very rough one, so that on their arrival back they were nearly dead with fatigue. No one ever saw or heard anything after that of the whaler in Port Cooper, but a few days afterwards the man-of war arrived, bringing abund- ance of the much coveted stores to the Colony. From that time the supply of flour never ran short, for in 1843 and 1844 every one began to grow their own wheat. Little patches wre sown in the clear- ings, and gave the most enormous returns, eighty bushels per acre beinsf considered only, an ordinary crop. One piece of five acres, on the spur between Akaroa and German Bay, gave a most enormous yield, and, from what was then considered its vast size and extraordinary prolificness, it was the admira- tion of the colonists Potatoes, too, did exceedingly well, and soon became very plentiful. The same frigate did not always stop on the sta- tion. Two years after the landing, another frigate, commanded by Captain du Bcispy, arrived to relieve the L'Aube. It was optional with Commodore Lavaud whether he should go Homo in his own or take charge of the new arrival, but he liked Akaroa, FRENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKAROA. 105 and chose the latter course, Two years later, in 1844, Commodore Berard arrived in another vessel. He was the senior officer to Commodore Lavautl, and so could do as he pleased, and, although Lavaud wished to remain, he sent him Home. Commodore Laraud does not appear to have been at all well liked. He was too much of a martinet, and his decisions were in many cases extremely arbitrary. His successor was a very different man, and by his great kindness and general ability soon won the good will of the settlers. Mr. Robinson, the English Magistrate, too, left in 1842 or 1843, and was succeeded by Mr. John Watson. Mr Robinson's house was where Wagstaff's Hotel now stands. He bought five acres from the French Association there, and put up a dwelling-house which was used as an R.M. Court. Mr Robinson was not at all liked by the colonists, bat his successor, Mr Watson, was universally esteemed both by English and French for his great impartiality in the administration of justice, and his great general kindliness. When the settlers arrived, there were not many Maoris in the neighborhood of Akaroa It is true there were pas at Onuku, Wainui, and Tikao Bay, but these had only some fifty or sixty inhabitants altogether, and they were a most weak, harmless lot, whose leading vice appeared to be the habit of begging incessantly for everything they saw. In 1843, however, there were a good number in Port Levy, Pigeon Bay, Little River, and Kaiapoi, and it was then first reported that these were going to unite and make an attack upon the infant Colony during the absence of the frigate at Valparaiso for stores. Of course, with the man-of-war in harbor, the colonists knew they were quite safe, but they did not by any means like the idea of being attacked whilst she was absent. However, one thing was certain, the vessel must go for stores, and so the o 106 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. best possible arrangements were made for defence, in case of an attack being made. A garden had been established at French Farm by Commodore Lavaud, for the growth of vegetables for his crew, and here fifteen or sixteen of the sailors were left, under the command of a quartermaster. Some five or six more men, all that could possibly be spared from the ship, were stationed at Akaroa. Their precautions, however, were not confined to this, for it was deter- mined to erect three block-houses as places of retreat in case the Maoris came. The sites for these block- houses were selected as follows : Where Bruce's Hotel now stands, near the beach just at the back of the present Town Hall, and in German Bay. They were very strongly built, the upright timbers being 8ft. by 8ft., whilst the planking was of black pine, four inches thick. They were two storeys high, the upper storey overlapping the lower, as we see in the old English houses in Chester and else- where, in order that those above could fire down on any Maoris who attempted to fire the building below. A ditch 4ft. wide at the bottom and 8ft. at top was also dug round the walls, the earth out of which was made into a sloping bank against the sides of the house, and the ditch was filled with water. The only admittance to these houses was by a drawbridge across the moat, and thence by a ladder to a door in the upper storey, there being no entrance at all from below. When the drawbridge was up and the ladder raised, those within were nearly perfectly safe from any attack the Maoris could have made, for the 4in. boards would stop any bullet from an ordinary gun. As a matter of course there were loopholes here and there for the defenders to fire from if the place were besieged. These block-houses were never used but once, and that was during the absence of the ship, when the news was brought that some 250 Natives were FRENCH SETTLEMENT OF AKABOA. 107 coming from the North to attack them. The rumour spread rapidly, and the more cautious removed their wives and children and more precious goods into the block-houses, and slept there at night. Sentinels were also posted to give notice of the Maoris' approach, and the men were drilled and armed with a carbine, cutlass, and two pistols each. At last the word came that from 60 to 100 strange Maoris were actually on their way from Pigeon Bay. All the people then living in German Bay went into the block-house, and when the Maoris found them so well prepared, they of course announced that they came as friends only. They passed on and went into Akaroa, meeting the leaders of the colonists near the present site of the Town Hall. They announced that they came not as foes, but as friendly visitors, and were accordingly welcomed and had some food given them, after partaking ot which they entertained their hosts by giving one of their war dances in grand style, and then they went on to the Kaik at Onuku. As a whole the colonists behaved very well during their trial ; but one gentleman caused much amusement. This was rather a diminu- tive Frenchman, whose counsels were of blood and thunder before the Maoris arrived. He argued that it was no good going in for half measures ; that they must put their foot down and show the Natives what they could do. He scorned the idea of anything approaching a compromise, as degrading to a band of resolute Europeans, and said if they were only firm the savages must yield. When the Maoris really did came, however, a change came over the spirit of the heroic man, and as he gazed at the fierce tattoed faces, sinewy limbs, and great bulk of the Native warriors, his face grew whiter and whiter, and at last he was unable to bear their terrible aspect any longer, and sneaked off into the block- house, much to the amusement of his comrades- 108 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. He was the only man that showed the while feather ; but the week the Maoris stopped was a time of anxiety, and the greatest possible caution was exer- cised, for all feared that the least relaxation of watchfulness would be the signal for an attack. One night Mr. Green fired a shot, and produced quite a panic, every one fancying the struggle had come at last. However, after a week's peaceful sojourn at Onuku, Wainui, and Tikao Bay, the strange Natives went away, most of them going back via Little River. There was one pleasant custom observed during these early days, which was, that every family gave a feast to the rest of the colonists annually. These meetings were pleasant ones indeed ; whilst the older colonists related their experiences to each other, the younger danced and made love in just the same manner as they do now-a-days. At the end of the five years the colonists all got their five acres. Many of them had never fulfilled the conditions laid down by the French Association, but that was not allowed to stand in the way, and an English Crown grant was promised and given to all who applied. There were sometimes disputes between the French officers, and one of these culminated in a duel, which was fought in the present Lavaud street, Akaroa, in the end of 1845 or beginning of 1846. The com- batants were the Commissioner and Dr. Renaut, the dortor-in-chief of the French man-of-war Le Rhin, which Commodore Berard commanded. The people on shore were of opinion that something most extra- ordinary must be going on, for the combatants, accompanied by their friends, went round the place early on the morning of the duel, discharging every little liability due to the townspeople. The duel was fought on the sandy beach opposite where Mrs. Scott's shop at present stands. The distance (25 (aces) was carefully and solemnly measured by the EARLY BAYS. 109 seconds in the presence of a group of officers, and the weapons, which were pistols, were carefully loaded and presented to the duellists. Lots were then drawn for the first fire, and the Commissioner won. Taking a steady aim, he fired, but the cap was defective, and did not ignite the priming. Dr. Renaut then raised his pistol and fired low. The bullet cut the trousers and grazed the right thigh of the Commissioner, but did no further damage. No doubt irritated by his narrow escape, the Commis- sioner called out angrily to reload, but the seconds declared that wounded honour was fully satisfied, and refused to allow the combat to proceed further. There was another circumstance which also tended to stop further hostilities. The Commodore was of course as well aware of what was going to take place as any officer in the Le Rhin, but etiquette forced him to appear unconscious. During the time the preparations for the duel were being made, he was pacing in front of the old Roman Catholic Church, at the back of the site of Mr. O'Reilly's stables, but before they fired he stepped behind, so as not to see the duel. Directly he heard the shot, however, he hastened to the scene of the combat, and of course the mere fact of his presence prevented its being carried further. The causes leading to the duel are not known, but are believed to have arisen from a trivial disagreement. No. 7. EARLY DAYS. In Pigeon Bay there resided a family named Sin- clair, who owned the property now held by the Holmes in Pigeon Bay. In the early days this family and the Hays came from Wellington about 110 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. the same time. Mr. Sinclair, on his first arrival built a vessel, and went on a voyage with his son-in- law. W e have not been enabled to ascertain their proposed destination, but they never were heard of again. Mrs. Sinclair was therefore left with two eons and three daughters, and with these she worked on and made a good living. She was an exceedingly hospitable, kind old lady, and gave many a night's lodging to a traveller in those early days, who would otherwise have had to spend the night amongst the bush. One daughter married a Captain Gay, who was commander and owner of a vessel. After a certain time had elapsed, the family sold out to Mr. George Holmes, and started a regular family ship, and went to British Columbia. Not liking that place when they arrived there, they went to Hono- lulu, in the Sandwich Islands, where they bought an island for themselves. They prospered there exceed- ingly, and are now owners of one island and a half. Some of the family have bought land in the North Island. Frank Sinclair occasionally pays New Zea- land a visit, to take away the best bulls, rams, and entire horses he can get, to improve the stock in his island home. The family are now rich, and are shearing from 80,000 to 100,000 sheep. A descrip- tion of this island was written by Miss Bird, and a few extracts may prove entertaining. She says : " I must now say a little about my hosts, and try to give you some idea of them. I heard their his- tory from Mr. Damon, and thought it too strange to be altogether true, until it was confirmed by them- selves. The venerable lady at the head of the house emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand many years ago, where her husband was unfortunately drowned, and she being left to bring up a large family, and manage a large property, was equally successful with both. Her great ambition was to keep her family together, something on the old patriarchal system ; EARLY DAYS. Ill and when her children grew up, and it seemed as if even their very extensive New Zealand property was not large enough for them, she sold it. and, embark- ing her family and moveable possessions on board a clipper ship, owned and commanded by one of her sons-in-law, they sailed through the Pacific in search of a home where they could remain together. " They were strongly tempted by Tahiti, but some reasons having decided them against it they sailed northwards and put into Honolulu. Mr. Damon, who was seamen's chaplain, on going down to the wharf one day, was surprised to find a trim barque, with this immense family party on board, with a beautiful and brilliant old lady at its head, books, pictures, work, and all that could add refine- ment to a floating home, about them, and cattle and sheep of valuable breeds in pens oil deck. They then sailed for British Columbia, but were much disappointed with it, and in three months they reap- peared at Honolulu, much at a loss regarding their future prospects. " The island of Niihau was then for sale, and in a very short time they purchased it of Kaniehameha V. for a ridiculously low price, and, taking tneir wooden houses with them, established themselves for seven years, It is truly isolated, both by a heavy surf and a disagreeable sea passage, and they afterwards bought this beautiful and extensive property, made a road, and built the house. Only the second son and his wife live now on Niihau, where they are the only white residents among 350 natives. It has an area of 75,000 acres, and could sustain a far larger number ot sheep than the 20,000 now upon it. It is said that the transfer of the island involves some hardships, owing to a number of the natives having neglected to legalise their claims to their kuleanas, but the present possessors have made themselves thoroughly acquainted with the language, and take 112 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. the warmest interest in the island population. Niihau is famous for its very fine mats, and for its necklaces of shell six yards long, as well as for the extreme beauty and variety of the shells which are found there. " The household here consists, first and foremost, of its head, Mrs Sinclair, a lady of the old Scotch type, very talented, bright, humorous, charming, with a definite character which impresses its force upon everybody ; beautiful in her old age, disdaining that servile conformity to prevailing fashion which makes many old people at once ugly and con- temptible ; speaking English with a slight old- fashioned, refined Scotch accent, which gives naivete to everything she says ; up to the latest novelty in theology and politics ; devoted to her children and grandchildren, the life of the family, and, though upwards of seventy, the first to rise and the last to retire in the house. She was away when I came, but some days afterwards rode up on horseback, in a large drawn silk bonnet, which she rarely lays aside, as light in her figure and step as a young girl, looking as if she had walked out of an old picture, or one of Dean Ramsay's books. " Then there are her elder son, a bachelor ; two widowed daughters with six children between them ; and a tutor, a young Prussian officer, who was on Maximilian's staff up to the time of the Queretaro disaster, and is still suffering from Mexican barbari- ties. The remaining daughter is married to a Nor- wegian gentleman, who owns and resides on the next property. So the family is together, and the pro- perty is large enough to give scope to the grand- chi'dren as they require it. " They are thoroughly Hawaiianised, The young people all speak Hawaiian as easily as English, and the three young men, who are superb young fellows, about six feet high, not only emulate the natives in EARLY DAYB. 113 feats of horsemanship, such as throwing the lasso, and picking up a coin while going at full gallop, but are surf-board riders, an art which it has been said to be impossible tor foreigners to acquire. " The natives on Niihau and in this part of Kauai call Mrs. Sinclair ' Mamma.' Their rent seems to consist in giving one or more days' service in a month, so it is a revival of the old feudality. In order to patronise native labor, my hosts dispensed with a Chinese, and employ a native cook, and native women come in and profess to do some of the house- work, but it is a very troublesome arrangement, and ends in the ladies doing all the finer cooking, and superintending the coarser, setting the table, trim- ming the lamps, cutting out and ' fixing ' all the needlework, besides planning the indoor and outdoor work which the natives are supposed to do. Having related their proficiency in domestic duties, I must add they are splendid horsewomen, one of them an excellent shot, and the other has enough practical knowledge of seamanship, as well as navigation, to enable her to take a ship round the world ! It is a busy life, owing to the large number of natives daily employed, and the necessity of looking after the lunas, or overseers. Dr. Smith, at Koloa, twenty- two miles off, is the only doctor on the island, and the natives resort to this house in great numbers for advice and medicine in their many ailments. It is much such a life as people lead at Kaasay, Apple- cross, or some other remote Highland place, only that people who come to visit here, unless they ride twenty-two miles, must come to the coast in the Jenny, instead of being convened by one of David Hutcheeon's luxurious steamers. If the Clansman were ' put on,' probably the great house would not contain the strangers who would arrive." 114 STORIES OF BAKES PENINSULA. No. 8 ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST ENGLISH SHIP. The Monarch, commanded by Captain Fmale, chartered by Messrs. Robinson (formerly Resident Magistrate at Akaroa) and Smith, who was the first person who placed sheep on Mr Buchanan's run at Little River, was the first English ship that ever came to Akaroa. She arrived on April 2, 1850, and the following is a fall account of her trip, published in the Akaroa Mail in 1877 : " It is now twenty-eight years ago since we first turned our thoughts towards New Zealand. The idea speedily ripened into resolve, and finally we took our passage in a small barque named the Monarch, of 375 tons register, the owners, Messrs. Robinson and Smith, coming out with her. The crew consisted of the captain, David Smale, three officers, six A.B. seamen, and an apprentice, while the passengers numbered fifty-two, including a doctor. With a small vessel, a short crew, and a few adventurers, for such we might be termed in those days, we set sail for Auckland, but Akaroa was to be our destiny, and there we proved to be the first direct English settlers in what is now called Canterbury. The town of our adoption, Akaroa, now boasts of a periodical publication, and it has been thought that an epitome of our voyage, and the subsequent career of some of those ante-pioneers to the Canterbury settlement ante-diluvians as we have been jocosely termed might prove interesting to the readers of that journal. " We left Gravesend on the 22nd day of November, 1849, putting into Cowes, Isle of Wight, whence we resumed our voyage at 6 a.m. on the 27th, and, with a fine light breeze, ran down the Channel that day, losing fight of land as the shades of night closed in, and hid it from our gaze. With Madeira came our ARRIVAL OF FIRST ENGLISH SHIP. 115 next view of terra firma, but we were not able to indulge in more than a fleeting glance, as our captain deemed it advisable to keep as near mid-ocean as was practicable. So onwards in our course until about three days' sail from ' Rio,' when we fell in with a smart-looking craft, the Pilot Fish, bound to that port from Liverpool. The breeze was light, and enabled us to sail in company for two days, during which, by nautical means, we held a long conversation with her captain, who, on changing his course, pro- mised to report us, a promise which we afterwards ascertained he had faithfully fulfilled, and, with one other exception, his was the only vessel we sighted on our passage out. All went well until, having rounded the Cape, a fine wind favoring us, we sailed from there to the meridian of Hobart Town in twenty- one days, which was considered a smart trip. A few days previous to our reaching this longitude, it was discovered we were getting short of provisions. " Many and loud were the expressions of annoyance and discontent when this discovery was made known to us, so much so that the owners decided upon run- ning for Hobart Town. The wind, however, proved dead against the carrying out of their decision, and being a fair one for our proper course, the idea was abandoned, after four days of beating about, and we once more resumed our voyage to Auckland. The same evening that we bade farewell to the distantly seen shores of Tasmania, a fearful squall struck our vessel, forcing her through the water at such a speed that the rudder was broken away before sail could be shortened. In addition to this serious mishap, the stern windows were dashed in, and the saloon flooded with about three feet of water. With great presence of mind, two of the passengers, an elderly gentlemen (Mr. Wray) and his daughter, seized feather beds, and managed to hold them over the broken windows until the sailors succeeded in batten* 116 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. ing them down. In this rudderless, and therefore helpless state, we were driven before a gale of wind down the west coast of New Zealand. Fortunately, the weather abating, we were enabled to fix a tem- porary rudder, and, in about a fortnight from the time of our severe handling by the elements, found ourselves sailing past the Snares. All went well with ns until nearing Cape Saunders, when our temporaiy rudder fell from its bearings, leaving us once again at the mercy of wind and tide, and our escape from shipwreck and destruction on that bold rocky promontory was little short of a miracle. Soundings were taken at once, only twelve fathom of water being discovered beneath us, while a light breeze, dead on shore, waa slowly, but surely, drifting us on to the rocks. Consternation prevailed, but despite the confusion, the boats were got ready for lowering, and the anchor was let go with the hope o* arresting further ingress. ' The best laid plans of mice and men gang oft agree,' and never was the quotation more aptly verified than in our case, for no sooner was the anchor dropped, than it was dis- covered that it had not been shackled to the chain, the whole of which, however, was paid out, and served io some degree to check our drifting. It was night, and only here and there could a star be seen to cheer us. The looming headland looked down dark and threatening from above. Around us the surging, seething billows rushed madly on, to dash them- selves to foam against the rocks beyond ; while, through the rigging, the breeze seemed to sigh and moan a funeral dirge to our ill-fated ship. " Hope had fled, and grim despair had taken posses- sion of us all, for there was no chance of extraneous aid, and the coastal steamers which now ply so frequently between our ports, and run up and down the coast, were not then in existence, when, as is often the case just about midnight, the wind suddenly ARRIVAL OF FIRST ENOLISH SHIP. 117 veered round to an exactly opposite quarter, and speedily drifted us away from the land into compara- tive safety. Then arose sincere and hearty thanks- givings for deliverance in the hour of peril to Him who rules not only the winds and waves, but ^ also the destiny of His creatures. " With the appearance of day, the only spar we had on board was fixed so as to steer the vessel, and under sail we set out for the nearest, or any, port that could be found. On the 27th day of March, 1850, we made the heads of Akaroa Harbor, into which the owners had determined to enter, but the wind proved unfavorable for so unmanageable a rud- der, and, in an almost starving condition, we were compelled to lie to for almost a week, before a fair wind arose for taking us in. On the 2nd day of April we entered the heads at about 7 a.m., and to our great delight saw a boat coming down the harbor towards us. The occupants soon boarded us, and amongst them was an old sea captain, who, knowing the harbor, had come to pilot us up to the anchorage, not forgetting to bring with him some eatables, con- sisting of new bread, butter, and watercress, which were portioned out, and devoured with voracious eagerness. It should have been stated that, on the day previous to our entering the heads, a boat with one of the officers and a crew of volunteers from amongst the passengers had proceeded down the harbor, and reported our arrival and condition, which was no doubt the cause of the boat with supplies coming to meet us. " We let go anchor at one o'clock the same day, and in an hour afterwards many of us landed, thank- ful enough to be on terra firma again after our long and perilous voyage. Here and there might then have been seen small groups of the new arrivals wending their way to seek new friends amongst the strangers, astonished to find, instead of the tradi- 118 8TORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. tional cannibal of New Zealand, Europeans, like themselves, representatives of England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Savoy, and Germany, who proffered a most hearty welcome, and seemed right pleased to pee us, while a few Maoris, to all appearance tame and civilized, joined in the cordial reception accorded to us by all. Fortunately, among our pssengers was a young man who could speak French fluently, and this proved of great service to us. Eventually a kind of patois was established, which enabled us to deal with our new friends, and such was their kind- ness and hospitality, that after twenty-seven years sojourn in this colony, we still look back with feelings of the keenest gratitude and pleasure to the welcome we received at their hands. We partook of tea on the day of our landing at Bruce's Hotel. The table was well furnished, and the cooking excellent. As may easily be imagined, we did ample justice to the substantial repast set before us, and enjoyed it as only those can who, for a long time, have neither tasted fresh meat, nor, indeed, a proper meal. For this, our first meal in our new country, we each paid two shillings and sixpence. As night came on, we returned to the ship, and this daily routine was kept up for about a fortnight, during which we, each day, wandered farther away in the different valleys, becom- ing at the end of this period so enamoured of the place, that no less than forty of the passengers agreed to remain. Akaroa was then in all its pristine beauty, so enchanting in its climate, and so pictur- esque in its scenery, that one could not resist the fascination and the feeling that it was all that could be desired ; but we soon found the beauties of the place could not alone satisfy the wants of man, for, owing to the sudden influx of population caused by our arrival, provisions became scarce, and the serious question arose as to whether we had acted wisely in determining to remain. The ship being yet in the AERIVAL OF FIRST ENGLISH SHIP. 119 harbor, we had still an opportunity of escape, when news reached us of the arrival at Wellington by the Lady Nugent of the agent for the ' Canterbury Association,' tidings which filled us with a vague hope of better things to come, and so, reluctant to leave a spot which had strangely insinuated itself into our affections, we finally decided to remain. On the 15th of May, 1850, the Monarch, having had a new rudder made and fixed, sailed away without us for her original destination, Auckand. During her stay in harbor, four of her crew were drowned from a small boat, when returning to the ship from ashore, where they had been having a spree, all being more or less intoxicated. We were now left to our own resources, and to shape our course in the best way we could. But, before taking leave of the vessel for good and all, it may be well to add a few particulars about the live stock we were enabled to successfully bring out with us. But few were landed alive out of the original stock. The deer, pheasants (save one brace), partridges, and hares given by Lord Bray- brooke died on the passage out. We landed, how- ever, one pure bred bull, two ditto heifers, one pure bred mare, and a brace of pheasants, all belonging to Mr. Smith. As Canterbury was not known in those days, the mare was sent on to Nelson, and was one amongst the first, it not the first, that won a prize in the Colony ; the bull and the heifers remained in Akaroa ; and the pheasants were let loose in Pigeon Bay. We also brought out vegetable, tree, and farm seeds of all kinds, kindly given us by Lord Mans- field's gardener. It may also be of interest to men- tion that Mr. Bruce was our pilot into Akaroa, and Big William the first Native on board. " There is always, in narratives of this kind, a certain delicacy in mentioning the names of others : but to some extent it is necessary to do eo. Only a few, however, need be mentioned. Some soon 120 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. removed to other parts of the country, while others turned their thoughts and best attention towards what seemed to each most desirable, and which they thought would best farther their own interests, as well as those of their adopted land. Among those who settled down may be mentioned the Haylocks, Pavitts, Farrs, Vogans, Parkers, Rule, Green, and Hilleur. After a while the Haylocks decided to erect a flour mill, to be driven by water power. This was accomplished, and the building was named after the street in which it was erected> the ' Grehan Mill,' The Pavitts built the first saw mill in Canterbury at Robinson's Bay, where they had purchased land. Both these mills were of much service to Akaroa, and their erection may be regarded as a great achieve- ment under the then existing circumstances, for there was no foundry in those days, and only one man, a whitesmith, who knew anything ot ironwork. Noth- ing daunted, however, by the many and great obstacles, the mills were completed, and, though eome parts were of somewhat rude construction, the desired end was attained. Mr. S. C. Farr acted as engineer to this primitive saw mill, and, afterwards, was engaged for the second mill of the same kind in the province, named the ' Cumberland Saw Mills,' situate in Duvauchelle's Bay. " My self-imposed narrative now draws to a close, scenes changed, circumstances altered, some rested from their labors and passed on to fairer regions ; a few remain, who are with us still, while others, faith- ful to the old spot, though removed some little dis- tance from it, like to occasionally visit us. Some have done little to mark their course, and, when they pass away, will be forgotten ; but there are others who have left their mark upon the rocks of time, not soon to be erased, Their aim has been usefulness ; they have been, in every sense of the word , good colonists," EARLY REMINISCENCES. 121 No. 9. EARLY REMINISCENCES. The Monarch brought some pheasants, which were turned out at Pigeon Bay, but went over to Port Levy. They did not do well at first, failing to increase much, till some Chinese pheasants were added to their ranks, after which they soon became numerous. Besides the pheasants, some cattle were brought out by Mr. Smith. There were fifty-two passengers on board ; most were bound to Auckland, nt which port the Monarch intended to call first, but forty of these were so delighted with the appearance of Akaroa, that they resolved to remain here. At this time little pro- gress had been made since the first settlement by the French. The English were few and far between, though, of course, a good many whalers, French and American, visited the harbor. Mr. Watson was the Resident Magistrate, and Messrs. Farr and family, Parker and family, Pavitt and family, two Vogans, Haylock and family, Rule, Green, and Hilleur, were amongst the principal pas- sengers by the Monarch. Amongst the earlier settlers were Messrs. Bruce, P. Wood, Reed, McKinnon, and others. The two latter squatted on the land afterwards purchased by the Rev. W. Aylmer. Messrs. Farr, Pavitt, Haylock, and their families, with the two Vogans, settled within the township of Akaroa. Mr. Pavitt, sen,, and his family went to Robinson's Bay, where Mr. Saxton now lives, the elder sons going sawing in the bush. The houses were of the most primitive description, the block- houses being then gradually falling into decay. Bruce's Hotel had by far the most imposing appear- ance. Bruce kept it beautifully clean, having it washed down every morning as if it was a ship. He was an old sailor, formerly the owner of a cutter Q 122 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. which traded from the South. On Mr. Brace's first trip here, Captain Smith, late of the Wairarapa, was on board, and a Maori woman. The vessel, when lying inside the heads in calm weather, with all sails Bet, was suddenly capsized in a squall. The Maori woman, who was down below at the time, was drowned, but the rest succeeded in getting in a boat belonging to the vessel ; and Bruce was so struck with the appearance of the place that he determined on settling here, and started the hotel which now bears his name. Paddy Wood, another " old identity," kept an hotel where Mr. Garwood's store now stands. These two publicans were continually quarrelling, but this was nearly entirely owing to Wood's fault, who was very rough and disputatious. Bruce was a most affable man, and many a tale is told of his kindness and generosity. Where the private part of Bruce's Hotel now Stands, there was originally a store, built by Messrs. Ellis and Turner. These two men, like the pub- licans, could not agree, so after a lengthy series of quarrels they determined to separate, and divide the property. Here, however, a difficulty arose with regard to who should have the building. At last they hit upon the most original plan of dividing it, and cut it fair down the centre with a cross-cut saw, each party boarding up his own end. Another store stood where the iron gate near Mr. Garwood's shop is at present situated. This was built by a man named Duvauchelle, and was after- wards used as a lock-up, and at the end of its career in that capacity became a hospital. It now forma the older portion of Mrs. Watkins' store. The late Dr. Watkins' dwelling-house was then situated on the beach, and was also near Garwood and Co.'s store. It wag moved in pieces up to its present position. EARLY REMINISCENCES. 123 Mr. Waeckerlie had a flour mill close to where the Chinamen's house now is. A good deal of wheat was grown, principally by the Natives. The first willow, supposed to be a slip from the one overhanging Napoleon's grave at St. Helena, was planted in German Bay by Mons. de Belligny. It is from this tree that all those that beautify Akaroa, and the borders of the Avon in Christ- church, originally sprang. This same gentleman also planted the first walnut trees, which have so increased and multiplied. The first willow was cut down by Mr. Lucas, who appears to have been utterly devoid of sentiment, and, when reproached with his Vandalism, said that he did not see any difference between one willow tree and another ! The Canterbury settlement was first started in 1848, by an association in England, composed of men of influential position, who were deeply impressed with the necessity of a thorough reform in the management of the colonies. Their object was to establish a model colony, in which all the elements of a good and right state of society should be per- fectly organised from the first. Unity of religious creed being deemed essential, the settlement was to be entirely composed of members of the Church of England ; religion and the highest class of education were to be amply provided for ; and everything was to be ordered and arranged so as to attract men of station and character, and a high class of emigrants generally, to embark their fortunes in the under- taking. The scheme was carried out by men whose hearts were in the work, among whose numbers the names of John Robert Godley and Lord Lyttelton are conspicuous. In their hands the enterprise lost nothing of the high character that was first im- pressed upon it, although many modifications of the original plan were found desirable, and judiciously carried into effect. The principle of religious exclu- 124 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. siveness was necessarily soon abandoned, and the first ideas of the projectors may have been imper- fectly realised in other respects, but it is only just to acknowledge the debt of gratitude that Canterbury owes to its founders, as even the measure of success that crowned their efforts is appreciable in the tone and spirit of its people at the present time. The first party of emigrants, numbering 791, left England on September 7th, 1850, in four ships, and arrived at the port, now called Lyttelton, almost together, in December of the same year. Mr. Godley, the agent of the Association, was already in New Zealand, and considerable preparations had been made at the Port for the immigrants' reception. When the Canteibury Pilgrims (as they were called) first viewed their new country from the summit of ttie volcanic hills that skirt the seaboard, they saw before them a bare expanse of plains, stretching from thirty to sixty miles to the foot of the dividing ranges (the backbone of the country), broken only by a few patches of timber, and with no other sign ot civilization than the solitary homestead of the Messrs. Deans, who had settled there some years before. The only approach to the level land was over the mountains, about 1200 feet in height, or round by sea to Bumner, and thence by the Heath- cote River to Christchurch, as the chief town was named. Those who can look back from the Canter- bury of to-day to the time when they commenced to spread over the country, to bring their new land under the plough and spade, must feel astonishment as well as pride at the really wonderful results that little more than thirty years have produced. Looking over the Plains now from the Port hills, the eye is delighted with the beautiful panorama spread out before it. The whole face of nature has been changed. In place of the once bare Plains, with nothing to mark the distance or break the EARLY REMINISCENCES. 125 monotonous expanse of level grass land, the spec- tator sees before him a timbered country, with well- grown forest trees, smiling homesteads, well-culti- vated fields, and cheerful hedgerows stretching far and wide in every direction ; here and there a river glistening in the sun, and the city of Christchurch, only six miles distant, almost concealed amidst the trees. The first settlers that arrived here under the Can- terbury Association were Dr. Watkins, the late Mr. D'Oyley, Mr. Matson (manager for Captain Muter), the late Mr. Dicken, the late Mr. Funnell, and Mr. Hammond, of German Bay. The next arrival was that of the Rev. W. Aylmer and his family, who brought with him Mr. Moore, Mr. Morgan and his family, the late Mr. Augustus Porter (brother to Mr. John Porter), and Miss Catherine Edgeworth, now Mrs. Garvey. He was the first incumbent of Akaroa, but previous to his arrival two clergymen of the Church of England did temporary duty the Rev. Mr. Thomas and the Rev. Mr. Fenton (cousin of Mr H. H. Fenton). On Mr. Aylmer's first arrival, the only building available was Commodore Lavaud's original house, containing four small rooms, and a round house built of clay, that used to stand at the back of the- present Court House This was close packing for ten people. Mr. Justin and Mr. K. Aylmer used to live in the round house. Mr. and Mrs. Aylmer and part of the family walked over from Pigeon Bay, but Mr. Justin Aylmer and ten others had the pleasure of coming ia a cutter of 17 tons burden, named the Kaka, commanded by Captain Kane, now of Timaru. The trip took no less than a week, the last night off the Akaroa Heads being very stormy and disagreeable, as, owing to the crowded state of the little craft, the hatches could not be kept on. So long was the delay in the vessel's arrival, that Mr. Bruce sent out a boat to 126 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. look for the Kaka, and one of the crew of that boat was Mr. Gerald Fitzgerald, lately Resident Magis- trate at Hokitika. The first schoolmaster in Akaroa was Mr Wads- worth, who came out in the same ship with Mr. Garwood. He was a very capable man and much liked, but he soon left, and entered the civil service in Victoria, where he now holds a good position. The first Church of England service was held in the French Magazine, which was also used as a Court House, and stood on the site of the present Court House, and the seats were borrowed from the Roman Catholic Chapel. Shortly after this, Arch- deacons Paul and Mathias paid a visit to Akaroa, for the purpose of holding a wholesale marriage and christening of the Natives. The Maoris flocked in in great numbers, apparently delighted at the idea. Many of tho children had been baptised before by clergymen of various denominations, but they had it done over again to make all sure. Some of the ladies left long strings of their children outside the building whilst they went in to be married. In these earlier days a brig named the Mountain Maid used to visit Akaroa and other New Zealand ports periodically. She came from Sydney, and was the property of Mr. Peacock, father of the Hon. John Peacock. The Mountain Maid was a perfect floating warehouse, from which the settlers drew their supplies. She had everything on board, " from a needle to an anchor," and her decks used to be crowded by busy purchasers whenever she arrived. Some time in the year 1852, Colonel Campbell was sent down by Sir George Grey as Commis- sioner, to enquire into all land claims. He had with him Mr. J. C. Boys, of Rangiora, as surveyor, and Mr J. Aylmer as assistant surveyor. Colonel Campbell did not make things at all pleasant for the Canterbury Association settlers. He was a disap- EARLY REMINISCENCES. 127 pointed man, having taken great interest in the foundation ot the settlement when in London, and fully expecting to be appointed first agent, a post that was afterwards given to Mr. Godley. Mr. Robinson, the first Resident Magistrate, while put- ting forward certain claims of M. de Belligny (whose agent he was), produced deeds that were remarkably awkward for the Rev. W. Aylmer, One of these claims plainly showed that fourteen acres of land on which Mr. Aylmer's house now stands once belonged to M. de Belligny. Mr. Hobinson, when Mr. Godley first arrived, presented this deed to him, which Mr. Godley threw into his safe and would not look at, and afterwards sold this land as part of a fifty acre block to Mr. Aylmer. When one says sold, one means that it was selected by Mr. Aylmer, with Mr. Godley's consent, for all land was bought in Eng- land at 3 per acre, and its locality was afterwards chosen with a right of exchange. This fourteen acres of land was some that M, de Belligny had received compensation for, both in money and land. The reason for this was that it had been considered necessary to get the land back from M. de Belligny for the township. In the Association charter these words occur : " Save and except all lands purchased and exchanged with M. de Belligny." M. de Bel- ligny had been away a long time before this. Of course Mr. Aylmer, having built bis house on the land, was placed in a very awkward position, and he went to Wellington in Mr Peacock's brig to see Sir George Grey. After hearing his case, the Govern- ment of the day consented to give him a Crown grant, and so the affair was settled This was only one of the disputes that arose, war raging between Mr. Watson, the Resident Magis- trate, and the Commissioner! Sir George Grey paid a visit to the Peninsula in this year (1852), and endeavored to make peace, but with small success. 128 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. Mr. Watson told Sir G. Grey that he had no animosity towards the Commissioner, so Sir George Grey suggested they should shake hands and make it up, upon which Mr. Watson said, " Bedad, your Excel- lency, I'd sooner not," and he did not. Manners were then very primitive. On this visit of Sir George's he had come in unexpectedly one night, having walked from Pigeon Bay. He went to bed at Bruce's Hotel, and Mr. Bruce thought this a fit- ting time to push some claims of his own ; so he walked into Sir George's room, sat coolly down on the side of the bed, and poured his troubles into His Excellency's ears one does not know with what success. Out of these disputes respecting land arose a duel. It took place between Mr C. B. Robinson, the first Resident Magistrate, whose second was Mr. Cooper, now Collector of Customs at Timaru, and Captain Muter, whose second was the late Mr. Crosbie Ward. It was fought in a bush track in Holmes' Bay. Pistols were the weapons used. At the first shot Mr. Robinson fired in the air, but Captain Muter aimed at his opponent, though he did not hit him. Captain Muter was anxious for a second shot, but Mr. Robinson declared that if so, he would certainly do his best to shoot his adversary. The seconds then interfered, being of opinion that wounded honor was fully satisfied, and the affair was brought to an end. Captain, now Colonel Muter, left Akaroa soon after and rejoined his regiment, and much dis- tinguished himself during the Indian Mutiny. The vessel in which he went Home from India was burnt at anchor, after her arrival in British waters, and in this fire Colonel Muter lost considerably. He after- wards edited an Anglo-Indian paper. While on the subject of duelling, one may mention that a bloodless one was fought at the Head of the Bay in 1863. The weapons in this case were also pistols, and the EARLY REMINISCENCES. 129 combatants were the late Mr. Michael Brennan Hart and a Mr. Woodley, one ot the Monarch's passen- gers. No life was lost, aiid there are great doubts as to what the pistols were loaded with. The New Zealand Constitution was granted in the year 1852. For the Akaroa district two mem- bers were required for the Provincial Council. There were three candidates, the late Mr. Sefton Moor- house, Mr. Robert H. Rhodes, and the Rev. W. Aylmer. Before the polling booth was opened, Mr. Moorhouse drew the attention of the returning officer, Mr. Watson, to the fact that if an elector intended to vote for two members, he must do so at the same time, that is, he could not first vote for one and then go out, and afterwards vote for another. This had a great effect on the election, as, owing to one of Messrs. Rhodes and Moorhouse's supporters voting for Mr. Rhodes first, and afterwards returning to vote for Mr. Moorhouse, the latter vote was objected to by Mr. W. Aylmer's agent, and the returning officer agreed with him. This made the number of votes between Messrs. Aylmer and Moorhouse exactly the same, and the returning officer giving his casting vote for Mr. Aylmer, he was elected in the second place, Mr. Rhodes having a majority over the others. Mr. Moorhouse petitioned the Provincial Council to upset Mr. Aylmer's seat, and Messrs. Pollard and Calvert appeared in the case, one on either side. The result of the case was that Mr. Aylmer's election was declared valid. To show how primitive the people of Akaroa were in these days, and the little amount of public money that was being spent, it may be mentioned that the whole of the inhabitants, headed by the Resident Magistrate and Parson, turned out to repair the road from Bruce's to Waeckerlie's. About this time a sad accident occurred. Two men (one of them the father of Mr. H. Magee) were R 130 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. going over the ranges at the back of Akaroa, when one missed the other. Magee's mate came back to Akaroa, but could give no account of Magee, so a search party was instituted. Magee was found lying dead at the foot of a precipice. Many rumours were current about this affair, the dead man being dis- covered in a remarkable position. No. 10. A LADY COLONIST'S EXPERIENCES. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Brown left Glasgow in Octo- ber, 1839, in the ship Bengal Merchant, bound to Port Nicholson with immigrants, under the New Zealand Association. The Bengal Merchant was commanded by Captain Emery, and had on board about a hundred passengers. She was the first emi- grant ship that ever left Scotland for New Zealand. The passage was a fine weather one, and the passen- gers were all well during the voyage. The events were few and far between, consisting of the birth of one child, a marriage, and the death by sunstroke of a boy. No land was touched at till Port Hardy was reached, where a few hours' stoppage took place, and the Maoris were seen for the first time by the new colonists, who were astonished at their primitive costume, one red shirt being the only European clothing amongst the whole hapu. Port Nicholson was reached early in February, 1840, and the new comers landed at the Petoni Beach. There were very few Europeans living in the place, only one lot of immigrants having landed previously, some fortnight before. The immigrants were not by any means delighted at the appearance of their adopted home. There were no houses, those on shore living in tents A LADY COLONIST'S EXPERIENCES. 131 or small makeshift whares of the most wretched description. Such a thing as sawn timber was unknown, and all the fittings of the ship were landed and made into three buildings, one for a hospital, another for the company's stores, and a third for the ammunition. There were a good many Natives about, and they were of course utterly uncivilised, much shocking the new comers, who were frightened with their wild dances in honor of the arrival of the Pakehas. There were no licenses at this time, and the consequence was, that every one who could buy a gallon of grog started a small hotel on their own account. The Natives were in consequence often much excited by the drink, and used to lose control over their actions. Mrs. Brown and most of those who came by the Bengal Merchant went to the Hutt Valley, and took possession of some land close to the river. The river was an excellent one for washing clothes after the long voyage, and it can be imagined how gladly they seized the opportunity. Whilst thus employed an adventure occurred. They were in the habit of drawing the water with a bucket and a rope attached to it. Unfortunately, one day the rope slipped from Mrs. Gilbert's hand, the bucket sinking to the bottom of the river. Seeing a Native paddling his canoe on the river, Mrs. Brown made signs to him to hook it up with his paddle. Instantly he threw off his mat, and, jumping into the river, he seized the bucket, refusing to give it up without " utu." Not being able to understand his language, they could not find out what he wanted. They offered him food, but he refused. Mrs. Brown then seized the bucket, and ran off with it, but, turning round, saw the Maori following her, quite naked, with his tomahawk raised in his hand. She threw the bucket from her, telling him she would tell " Wideawake," the Maori name for Colonel Wakefield. He kept the bucket in his 132 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. hand, till at last they came to terms for a flannel shirt. Being rather alarmed at this, they left this lonely place and came to live in Petoni. A few months afterwards the Maori made his appearance there, and laughing heartily at the story, told Mrs. Brown's husband how he had frightened her. Mr. Hay (father of the present Pigeon Bay family), who was a passenger, also settled in Petoni, and so did Dr. Logan, the ship's doctor. The arrangements made by the Association for settling the new coiners were exceedingly bad. They had been told on leaving Scotland that they were going to a land flowing with milk and honey, but dis- covered that there were neither of these commodities ; in fact, the Bengal Merchant had on board the first cow ever landed in Wellington. Those purchasing one hundred acres in England had been given a cabin passage, but when they asked for their land it could not be given to them, as it was not yet sur- veyed. The British Government, too, objected to Crown grants being given till it had been shown that the Natives had been paid five shillings an acre for the land. The consequence of this was that every one squatted where they liked, with the pleasant knowledge that they might be turned off at any moment. The surveyors, amongst whom were Mr. Deans, who afterwards went to Riccarton, were commencing operations. They laid out the town first, and each purchaser of one hundred acres rural land got his town section of an acre, but for the rest of their purchase they had to wait till the claims of the Natives had been adjusted. The result of this unsatisfactory state of things drove many away. For instaace, Messrs. Hay and Sinclair left, and settled in Pigeon Bay, and others scattered far and wide. Mr. and Mrs. Brown and the others who had squatted on the banks of the river Hutt, soon found A LADY COLONIST'S EXPERIENCES. 133 out their mistake in going to live so near to that treacherous river. On the 1st of Jane, 1840, Mrs. Brown's first son was born, and that same night heavy rain set in, and the following morning the river had overflowed its banks, and the flood was over two teet high inside the house. The bed in which Mrs. Brown was lying began to float, and as it was impossible to move her, it was proposed to suspend the mattress to the rafters of the house. As this latter, however, was a very temporary erec- tion, made of small scrub in its rough state, tied together with flax and daubed over with mud, Mrs. Brown objected, fearing the whole structure would give way and she would be drowned. Her entreaties were at last listened to, and she was left where she was. Fortunately, when the tide turned the river began to fall gradually, so the suspension was never carried out. This flood destroyed many goods, and utterly disheartened the colonists. During that day and the following no fires could be kept alight to dry anything, and altogether misery was the order of the day. At Petoni and the Hutt the people from each vessel were in the habit of making a separate settle- ment, as it were. Of these one was known as the Cornish Row, being at the Hutt. One of the people in these whares set his house on fire, and > as they were all built very close together, the whole row was burnt, and one ship's immigrants left homeless. To add to their discomfort, on that same night the colonists experienced their first earthquake. It was a very severe one, and terrified the new comers exceedingly, but luckily no one was hurt. In fact, the houses were of such a frail description, that if they had fallen bodily on any one, he or she would have been none the worse, The only food was the Company's rations, eked out with an occasional piece of fresh pork from the Natives. There were no 134 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. vegetables but some wretched Maori potatoes and Maori cabbage. Mr. Peter Brown was a baker, and soon after this he went to Petoni, where he was baking for a Mr. Duncan, a fellow-passenger. Shortly after this the settlement was shifted some seven miles round the beach, from Petoni to Thorndon, and the old huts were abandoned, and more substantial buildings erected, The road from Petoni to Thorndon was very wild, there being a few Maori settlements scat- tered along it. At one of these, named Wharepouri, Mrs. Brown had another Maori adventure. She was coming from town to Petoni rather late, and, when she came to Wharepouri, found the tide was in, and asked the Maoris to carry her across the creek. For some reason they would not do so, though she offered them all the cash she had. They kept asking her for more, and pointed out the night was fast ap- proaching. She told them her child was at Petoni, and she must go on, but they only mocked her. At last, finding all her entreaties useless, she leaped in herself, and, though the water was up to her waist, scrambled through. This dreadfully disgusted the Maoris, who by this action lost their " utu " alto- gether, and the whole pa came out and shrieked and yelled at her, telling her the " typo would seize her by the legs." It can be imagined what an uncom- fortable walk home Mrs. Brown had in her wet clothes. After three years, Mr. Brown got an offer from Mr. Connell to take charge of a bakery at Akaroa, where there were then a good many residents. He accepted the offer, and he and Mrs. Brown left Wel- lington in 1843, and sailed for Akaroa in the schooner Scotia. On board the vessel were Mrs. Knight and child. Mrs. Knight was afterwards named Mrs. Webb, and settled in Laverick's Bay, and the child is the present Mr Knight, now residing A LADY COLONIST'S EXPERIENCES. 135 at Laverick's. The trip took a long time over a fortnight for a head wind forced the vessel to lay for a time in Cloudy Bay. However, all went well, und they landed at Akaroa in May, 1843, the first person to welcome them ashore being Mr Bruce, the proprietor of Bruce's Hotel. Akaroa was then a dense bush down to the back of Bruce's Hotel, large pines and totaras standing nearly to the water's edge, and Mrs. Brown was delighted at the extreme beauty of the place, which was then in its primeval loveliness. There were of course a few clearings here and there, where the French people had squatted, but they were small, as each family had only five acres allotted to them. The great majority of the population were French and German, there being only some five or six families of English, Irish, and Scotch. There were, however, three hotels at this early date. The principal was of course Bruce's Hotel, and there was another where Mr. C. Henning now lives, called the French Hotel, kp.pt by a Mr Frangois. The third one was at Green's Point, being the oldest established of them all. The town, however, growing towards German Bay, Mr. Green found he was out of the world at Green's Point, and built a new hotel on the site of the present Arm- strong's Buildings ; in fact, the existing buildings are the old hotel. Amongst the hotelkeepers, the most celebrated person was Captain Bruce. He was a sailor man, having been the captain of a large merchant vessel called the Elizabeth, owned by Johnny Jones. He had a cutter of his own called the Brothers, which used to collect whalebone and oil on the coast between Akaroa and Dunedin. One day, as he was coming into the Akaroa Heads, the cutter capsized in a squall, and left poor Captain Bruce destitute. He was, however, a man of resources, and soon started Bruce's Hotel, which he made a great success, his 136 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. excessive geniality and knowledge of the sea attract- ing all the sailors from the whalers. He was a capital townsman, being the life and soul of the place, and might be seen almost any day with his glass in his hand, looking out seaward for the arrival of fresh vessels. The whaling vessels used always to come in for supplies about Christmas-time, and it was no un- common thing to see a dozen in harbor together at that time, and, as will easily be imagined , a brisk trade was done with the residents for fresh provi- sions of all kinds. During the rest of the year, however, the arrivals were few and far between, and there was often great scarcity of certain stores, and the arrival of a small vessel from Wellington, which was really the depot for everything from England, was quite an event, There being no outside trade, with the exception of the occasional traffic with the whalers, the residents really depended on their gar- dens for their existence. There were no butchers, but everybody kept pigs, and when one person killed, it was divided all round, the compliment being returned. There were also great herds of goats run- ning on the hills. These were owned by a great many people, and used to be got in at intervals, when the different owners would mnrk the kids with their own mark, and some would be killed for the general use. The pigs were an intolerable nuisance, as they were not kept shut up, but wandered where they liked, doing a great deal of damage. When Governor Grey visited the place in 1847, the inhabi- tants petitioned him to put a stop to this indiscrimi- nate pig keeping in the streets. He granted the petition, ordaining that all pigs in the town of Akaroa should be kept in confinement, Finding this was rather expensive, many of the residents took to the hills with their pigs and their cattle, where they could run them undisturbed, Mr. McKinnon A LADY COLONIST'S EXPERIENCES. 137 and Mr. Lucas got Mrs. Brown to ask Governor Grey whether they might be allowed to squat on the hills, and he replied in the affirmative, saying they had better go there " and breed children and cattle as fast as they could." This permission was taken abundant advantage of. At that time there was no settler on the south side of the harbor, though Mr. George Rhodes had stations at Long and Flea Bay, Mr. McKinnon went to Island Bay, and Mr. Lucas to Land's End, and, as they did well, many others were encouraged to follow them. Mr. Wright went to Wakamoa next, and Hempleman was living at Peraki on a whaling station, Job Price at Ikeraki, and Mr. Wood, better known as " Paddy Wood," at Oauhau. These latter were all whaling, and kept little stock for their own use. There were great droves of wild pigs on the hills, and in the whaling season these used to come down in hundreds to feed on the blubber. Mr. Connell went to Nelson, and left Mr. and Mrs. Brown out of employment. Mr. Wood per- suaded Mr. Brown to go as cook and baker to Oauhau, but they had no idea of how rough it was. They went round in a whale-boat. There was a great swell on outside, though the weather was fine in Akaroa. Not a word was spoken the whole way, and when they got in Mr. W ood said that he was never in a worse sea. The place was terribly rough, and, as there was no firewood, the food had to be cooked with whales' blubber. They ran short of provisions, and the men got discontented, and the station was left a month before the usual time, much to the gratification of Mr. and Mrs, Brown, who Spent a very wretched three months there. Of course at this time there were no surveys and no Crown grants, and Hempleman asserted that nearly the whole of the Peninsula was his, so that any one lived rent free. There were no very large 138 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. Maori settlements ; Little River and Taumutu were the principal pas, but a good many were living in Pigeon Bay and Port Levy, The Akaroa Natives were at Tikao Bay and Onuku, and were very friendly with the Europeans. Tuhau was the lead- ing chief, and one of his two wives is still living. Tikao was chief of the Tikao Bay Maoris ; but a younger brother, also bearing the same name, is now in command. It will thus be seen that year by year, though by slow degrees, the settlement of the Penin- sula was proceeding, and population spreading from the town itself to the adjacent hills. The French and Germans got Crown grants of the land they had been originally given, on their taking out letters of naturalisation, and thus a great many new subjects were gained to Her Majesty. Bishop Selwyn used to come round periodically and visit the settlers and the Maoris. The first Presbyterian service was held by the Rev. C. Fraser in Mrs. Brown's house, near where Mrs. Rhodes now lives, but it was long afterwards before they had the first resident minister, who was the Rev. Mr. Grant, who afterwards went to Christchurch, and, as many of our readers will remember, was subsequently lost in the Matoaka. No. 11. BILLY SIMPSON. Probably the oldest living white resident on the Peninsula now lives at our Akaroa Hospital. He has been a fine-looking man. The features are marked, determined, and regular, and his high, broad forehead shows that his brains were of no mean order. There is a deep scar on the right brow, on which hangs a tale, of which more here- BILLY SIMPSON. 139 after. Age and hardship have made him a mere skeleton, but there is still great vitality apparent in his bright eyes, which kindle when he is spoken to of old times. He has been, as most of the readers of the Mail know, residing at Mr McPhail's, at Island Bay, but recently an attack of illness rendered it necessary to bring him to Akaroa for medical aid. Simpson is an old sailor, who was born in Berkshire just seventy years ago, according to his own account, though many fancy he is much older, He was early apprenticed to the owner of some vessels run- ning in the West India trade, and he spent his time in the ordinary manner. When he had completed his time, he shipped for Sydney in a large ship called the Mary Ann. This vessel was built for : troops, and took out the 28th Regiment to New South Wales. Her commander, Captain Smith, is described by Simpson as a perfect brute, and dire were the quarrels that took place between him and the men. This gentleman was familiarly known as " Pirate Smith," and Simpson warmly asserts that he had as good a right to fly the death's head and cross bones flag as Captain Kidd ever had. Arrived in Sydney, the crew struck and went ashore, refusing to go aboard the Mary Ann again. Brought up before the magistrates, the option was given them of sailing in the vessel or forfeiting their wages and clothes. They all preferred the latter alternative, and stopped in the Colony. It was at a time when whal- ing was the principal occupation of sailors in these seas, and in Sydney Simpson soon fell in with Cap- tain Hempleman, who, finding him a good hand in a whale-boat, engaged him to go with him for a trip in the brig Bee, as boat-steerer, with one and a half shares. This was in the beginning of 1835, about forty-seven years ago, so Simpson must have been about twenty-three years of age at the time. Captain Hempleman had been in command of 140 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. several big ships before this time, though quite a young man, but had left a large vessel, an English whaler, named the James Calvert, at the Sandwich Islands, owing to some dispute, and therefore had, much against his will, to accept the command of the brig Bee, a small and inconvenient vessel compared to those he was accustomed to. Long and Wright were the names of the owners of the Bee, and they fitted her out for a cruise to New Zealand, where whales were then reported as specially plentiful. One reason that Captain Hempleman accepted the com- mand of the Bee was, that he was permitted to take Mrs. Hempleman aboard. They would not allow her to be aboard the larger vessels, and he did not like leaving her ashore, so he took a short trip as mate in the ship Norwood, of Sydney, and then took command of the Bee, and, amongst other hands, shipped Billy Simpson, the hero of this memoir. Mrs. Hempleman, the first, who afterwards died at Peraki, was an English girl, who had came out as an immigrant to Sydney. The voyage of the Bee to New Zealand, and what success they met with, has been previously recorded in these stories, and Simpson says the account is a most correct one. The place where the whaling was carried on, the name of which is not mentioned in the log, was Peraki, but Simpson is very indignant about it being said that they cut poles for the houses in Pigeon Bay, for he vows they never went there. On mature reflection, however, he says he remembers that Port Levy was then called Pigeon Bay, and that it was there the poles were cut. The trip of the Bee was a very successful one, and Hempleman was so pleased with Peraki that he determined to return to it if possible. On his arrival in Sydney he was still more anxious to do this, from the fact that Messrs. Long and Wright raised the old objection to his carrying his wife aboard the vessel. He there- BILLY SIMPSON. 141 fore persuaded a Sydney firm, named Clayton and Duke, to let him establish a whaling station on shore at Peraki. He was to be visited at intervals by vessels, which would bring provisions and take the oil away that had been collected. It was just Christmas time in the year 1836 when the schooner Hannah set sail from Sydney with the first white men who had ever attempted to form a settlement on the then savage, wooded, and mountainous tract of country known as Banks Peninsula. The Hannah had another shore whaling party to land in New Zealand, besides Hempleman's. The destination of the other was Poverty Bay, but the schooner went to Queen Charlotte's Sound. There they stopped for five or six weeks, and though the one party left them to go to the North, they had a good many additions to their ranks, many of the men forming connections with Maori women. There were four boats' crews in the party, some thirty white men in all, Mrs. Hempleman being the only white woman. About a dozen Maoris accompanied them from Queen Charlotte's Sound. The Hannah went first to Akaroa, where she stopped two days, before proceeding to land the party at Peraki. There were no whalers in these waters at the time, and the few Maori whares were deserted, for it was just after the massacre by Rauparaha, and he had laid all the plantations waste, destroyed the pas, and driven the few people who escaped death or slavery into the interior. As, therefore, there were no provisions to be got from the Natives, or any object to be gained by stopping in the harbor, the Hannah sailed for Peraki the second morning after her arrival, and that same day landed the party at their future home. It was fine autumn weather, and many aboard were pleased with the idea that it was St. Patrick's Day ("being the 17th of March, 1836) when they landed. They soon got their things ashore, and commenced 142 STOBIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. building their whares. They used to sleep in casks for some time, and they were much delayed by going after whales, before they had the trying works and their own houses put up. Hempleman's house was of sawn timber, brought from Queen Charlotte's Sound. There was no time for planting. It was just arranged that one boat should be on the fishing ground at daybreak one morning, and another the next, and of course when whales were got they had to be tried out. Very few amongst the men knew anything about whaling at all. Captain Hemple- man was a really good hand, but he was always drinking. A sad accident, too, depressed them much. Mr. Beers, or Bean, was an excellent headsman, in fact, got most of the whales that were caught. One day his boat was upset in returning to the shore, and he and three of the hands were drowned. Two of these were Sydney natives, fine fellows, who knew their work, and could ill be spared in the little settle- ment. Beers, it is thought, might have escaped easily, as he was a good swimmer, but he had a heavy monkey jacket on at the time, and in swimming after the hands to get them to the boat, so that they could hold on, the coat became saturated with water and dragged him down. He was very deeply regretted indeed. At this time Simpson heard from the Maoris a good many tales regarding Rauparaha's invasion, and he had previously been shipmates in the Bee with one of those who escaped. The account he gives of the matter, as related to him by the Maoris, is as follows : Some time antecedent to these events, a Ngatiawa chief named Pahi had visited Europe. He was much impressed with the customs of civilised nations, especially with the fact that wars were usually made against people speaking a different language. He brooded deeply over this idea, and when he returned, he formed the ambitious idea of BILLY SIMPSON. 143 doing away with the inter-tribal discords, and mak- ing the Maoris a strong, united people, capable of waging war on other places beyond New Zealand, and of repelling any foreigners. In the North, amongst his own people, the idea was well received, but he then wished to go through the South, and for that purpose announced his intention of coming across the straits to Taiaroa, who was the leading chief of all these tribes, though he resided in Otago. He came across, but the old feeling of hatred to the Northern tribes was still strong, and when he got to Kaiapoi he was treacherously murdered by a rangi- tiera named Taugatahira. The great Northern chief Rauparaha vowed revenge, and right royal "utu" he took for the assassination of his friend. Rauparaha induced the captain of a trading brig, named the Martha, to take himself and a number of his warriors to Akaroa. He had no money to give him, but he proffered a few of those preserved human heads which were then such a common article of traffic, being sold as curiosities for the museums of the old world, and he promised to fill the vessel with pigs and flax as " utu." Directly the Maoris landed, however, they immediately began to massacre all the Natives they could meet, and all the survivors fled to a stiongly fortified pa at the end of that Peninsula running out between Duvauchelle's and Barry's Bays, now in the occupation of Mr Birdling. The position was a strong one, and it was several days before the attack- ing force gained an entrance to the pa, but when they did, a most horrible carnage ensued, many of those taken being killed in the most terrible manner. The Maori who was with Simpson in the Bee told him that the conquerors seized many of the children, and, cutting their throats from ear to ear, eagerly drank the hot life blood as it flowed from the terrible wounds. They held high and hideous festival on the bodies of their dead foes, and Simpson says he has 144 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. himself seen the huge copper Maori in which they roasted several corpses at a time. Bloody Jack was the Maori who held the command in defending the pa, He was not a chief, but his great fighting qualities had placed him at the head in this time of desperate daoger. He and many others escaped after the last successful assault, and found a refuge in the bush. Every plantation and whare that the merciless victors could find, they utterly destroyed, so that famine should be the lot of the wretched few who had escaped them. When their horrible work was done they went aboard the brig, and one cannot help thinking that Captain Stewart, who was the commander of the vessel, was rightly served for aiding the Maoris by carrying them on their bloody errand, when, instead of flax and pigs, these savages brought aboard a number of their wretched victims. He (Captain Stewart) remonstrated, but was warned that bis tate would be a terrible one unless he obeyed RaHpnraha in all things ; and there is little doubt he would have been killed, had they not required his skill to take the vessel back to Kapiti , which was their destina- tion. The voyage must have been a fearful one for .captain and crew, for the Maoris kept murdering their prisoners, and cooked their flesh in the ship's coppers, greatly to the horror of the sailors, who insisted on them being at once destroyed when the Maoris left the ship. One terrible incident seems to stand out in bold relief. When the Martha came up the harbor, Rauparaha and his men hid themselves under the hatches, and told Captain Stewart to make signals to the shore that he wanted to trade, in the hope that some unsuspicious Native might be lured aboard and become their victim. The experiment succeeded only too well. A chief of importance seeing the signal, and thinking the Martha was an ordinary BILLY SIMPSON. 145 trading vessel, came on board with his daughter, and was instantly seized and bound. During the terrible time of the massacre ashore they were left in the hold of the vessel ; but when these demons were once more clear of the land they loosed him and taunted him with the horrible and bestial tortures and indigni- ties they were going to inflict on his daughter as well as himself. Determined if possible to save the poor girl from the indescribably horrible fate in store for her, the gallant prisoner managed to snatch a toma- hawk from one of their fiendish persecutors, and killing the miserable girl with a single blow, threw her body into the sea, and tried to leap after it. In this, however, he failed, for before he could take the spring he was seized by his captors, who, baulked of their proposed atrocities on his daughter, promised him a death of intense agony! Well they kept their hideous promise ! On their arrival at Kapiti, at the great feast at which they celebrated their successful raid, the wretched man was brought before them and tortured to death in a most hideous manner by having red-hot bars of iron thrust through his body. Terrible indeed had been Rauparaha's revenge I Billy Simpson's narrative had the effect of causing a gentleman residing in Akaroa to write to the AJcaroa Mail the following letter, which will be found very interesting : THE ON AWE MASSACRE, SIB, I have read with great interest Mr. Simp- son's account of the massacre at Akaroa, but I think there are several statements therein that require correc- tion. It is stated by him that Te Pahi was murdered at Kaiapoi by a chief named Tangatihira, This is altogether wrong, as he was murdered at Akaroa by T 146 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. a chief named Te Mairanui ; and that is why hia brother Rauparaha took revenge on the Maoris here. The correct version of the affair, as far as I can learn, is as follows : About the year 1827 Te Pahi, or, as he was sometimes called, Rakakura, went on a voyage to Sydney, and from thence to England, where he was presented to King George, who took a great interest in the sable chief, and made him some hand - some presents when leaving for New Zealand. Te Pahi took great interest in all he saw when in England, and on his return described the country in glowing colours to the Natives ; also, the immense bodies of troops he had seen, and how they were dressed, armed, and drilled. About a year after his return (this would be about the end of the year 1829), he made up his mind to make a friendly visit to the Natives of this island, and for that purpose sailed in a large canoe, accom- panied by Rauparaha and about fifty followers, all armed with guns, some of which he had brought out, and some he had purchased at Sydney, They called at most of the pas along the coast, and were every- where kindly received. They reached Akaroa about three weeks after their departure from the North. It is said by some that they walked overland from Cloudy Bay to Canterbury, but, from the nature of the country and the number of rivers which had to be crossed, this I don't think at all probable. The principal chief here at the time was named Te Mairanui, but whether he lived at Onuku or at Wainui, where there was a large pa, 1 am unable to say. However, it appears he had in his possession a large block of splendid greenstone, which Te Pahi happened to see, and, after admiring it, asked the chief for permission to take it back with him to the North. This was indignantly refused by Te Mairanui, who said, " It belongs to the tribe, and we are going to make mere meres (greenstone clubs) out of it." BILLY SIMPSON. 147 Well," said Te Pahi, " If you don't give it to me I will come and take it," and with that he left for the other pa, at which he was staying. On telling Rauparaha about the greenstone being refused to him, he said, " Tell Te Mairanui that if he does not give it to you we will make a prisoner of him instead, and take him back with us." This message was duly delivered the next day, and still the greenstone was refused. Next morning, Te Pahi and six others went across to the pa, and, as usual, sat down. Each had a loaded musket in his hand. Te Mairanui and his men had had a talk, and agreed amongst themselves, if he came again to demand the green- stone, that they would kill him ; so when they saw them come with the guns they formed a plan, and they were rushed from behind, and all of them clubbed to death, their own guns being used to finish them. The Maoris then commenced to fire them off, the sound of which was plainly heard by Rauparaha and the others- Shortly afterwards a canoe came down, bringing word of the fate of Te Pahi and his men. Rauparaha heard the news of the death of his brother's party, and was very " pouri," but did not attempt to be revenged at this time. He said to his men, " Tenei a na kino mahi tan ka hoki ki te kianga " (this is bad work ; we will return home) ; so, having got his men all together, he departed, vow- ing vengeance at some future time. On his way back he calld at most of the pas where he had been well treated coming down, and laid them waste, killing great numbers of the Natives, who were not prepared for a mob of well-armed men like these. The pa which offered the greatest resistance was at the Kaikorai, where the Natives were well fortified on a small hill close to the sea. Rauparaha and his men attempted to take it, but were several times repulsed. He agreed to wait and starve them out, and, after doing this for a few days, he hit upon a 148 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. plan worthy of a better cause. He said to two of his men, who were splendid swimmers, " I want you to go in the sea and pretend to be kekenos (seals) ; swim along the beach until you get opposite the pa, then come in and flounder in the surf, and they will rush out to kill you. We will watch them, and as soon as they leave the pa we will rush in." The plan succeeded only too well. The hungry Natives in the early morning seeing, as they thought, two peals sporting in the surf, ran out in a body to take, them, as their provisions had been exhausted for three days* Rauparaha had his men scattered round, so that possession was gained almost at once. And now the guns began to tell, and these poor Natives, wasted by hunger and continual watching, had not the strength to resist, so, after numbers of them were shot, the rest threw down their arms and surren- dered. The men who were playing the seals paid the penalty of death, as they were caught before Rauparaha had time to relieve them. From this place about forty prisoners and a lot of greenstone were taken. They then left for the Straits, and on their arrival found the brig Elizabeth, Captain Stewart, loading spars. A bargain was struck with him : that for fifty tons of dressed flax he was to land Rauparaha and fifty fighting men at Wangaloa, Banks Penin- sula, and bring them back to the island of Te Manu, in the Straits. The captain agreed to this, but it is said, whilst he wns down below with Rauparaha, over one hundred Natives came on board, and con- cealed themselves below until after the vessel was well outside. The Peninsula was made in two days, and the brig beat up and anchored abreast of the pa. All the Natives were out of sight under hatches, s that she was supposed to be a whaler, and as a good trade was generally to be done with them, some of the Natives put off to her. It happened that in the BILLY SIMPSON. 149 first canoe which boarded her were Te Mairanui, his wife, and a daughter, twelve years of age. Raupa- raha was watching from the cabin windows, and came up on deck and seized him, and, with the assistance of some others, handcuffed him and put him, with his wife and child, below. A rush was then made for the ship's boats, and what canoes were alongside, and all made for the shore, where a terrible scene of carnage ensued. All the Natives that could be seen were butchered in cold blood. The account of the fight on Massacre Island (Banks Peninsula) is, I believe, correct, as several of the victims were cooked and eaten ashore. At dusk the Natives came back on board, most of them bringing kits of human flesh with them, which were after- wards cooked on board ; but I do not think it is true that any of the prisoners were killed on the brig and cooked, as stated by Mr. Simpson. Stewart, it appears, was in a terrible fright when he saw the way things were turning out, as he said he had no idea that there was going to be any blood shed over the affair ; but this is rather doubtful, as he must have known on what errand the Natives were bound. On the passage up to the island of Mana, between the Straits and Kapiti, the prisoner, Te Mairanui, was tied by a rope to the main-mast, so that he could walk about a little. His daughter was allowed to run about on deck, so he called her to him and said, " They are going to kill me and make a ' taure- reka ' (slave) of you, but that will never happen," and, picking her up, he knocked her brains out against the hatch combings. After the arrival of the brig, Te Mairanui and the other prisoners were taken ashore. He was given two days to cry, and was then to be killed. The story of red-hot ramrods being run through his body is, I believe, incorrect. He met his death in the following horrible manner : A straight tree about fifty feet high was chosen, and 150 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. to the head of this a block and haulyards were rigged up. One end was fastened to his heels, and, head downwards, he was run up and let go with a run, striking the ground with great force. Three times this was repeated ; he was then hauled up clear of the ground and the veins of the neck opened, and the first to drink his blood was the widow of the murdered chief, Te Pahi. He was afterwards taken down, cooked, and eaten. Shortly after this, Stewart interviewed Kauparaha about his cargo of flax, which was promised to him, but he was very insolent, and refused to give it to him. He was afterwards given one ton, and that was all the payment he ever got for his share in the bloody transaction. He loaded up with spars and sailed tor Sydney. The news of this horrible mas- sacre had preceded him, and there was some talk of his being tried for his complicity in the affair ; but, owing to the lax state of the laws in New South Wales in those days, it was allowed to blow over. Not caring to go back to New Zealand, Stewart cleared for a South American port, and was never afterwards heard of. It is supposed that the brig and all hands were lost, It is supposed by some that the discoverer of Stewart's Island and the cap- tain of the brig Elizabeth were one and the same person, but this is not so. The Captain Stewart, after whom the island was named, was a man very much respected, who gave up the sea and settled down in Poverty Bay, where he died in the year 1844, Yours, etc., ' G.J.B. JIMMY ROBINSON. 151 No. 12. JIMMY ROBINSON. The collector of these histories has been fortunate indeed in procuring the autobiography of one of the most celebrated Peninsula veterans, and begs to thank the kind friend who took such pains to secure it for him. The true history that follows was sent in an autobiographical form, but it has been thought better to alter certain portions into the narrative style. The subject of this number, James Robinson Clough, was a native of Bristol. How he came to drop his surname one cannot say , but he was univer- sally known as Jimmy Robinson, or Rapahina, as the Maoris called him. When a boy, he ran away from home and took to the sea, as is generally the case when a boy does run away. After several years in the East India trade, he found his way across to America, and there joined a new Bedford whaler called the Roslyn Castle, which was bound south. On board this vessel he stayed three years, and met with many an adventure t Whales were much more plentiful in those days than they are now, so that at the end of this time the Roslyn Castle was a full ship. She had some remarkably good takes off the Solanders, and for over three weeks her fires were never out. During one of these chases our hero very nearly lost the number of his mess. A large sperm whale, a cow with a calf, had been singled out, and the chief mate's boat, in which Robinson was pulling bow oar, was the first to make fast to her. As soon as she was struck, the whale sounded, and the line ran out fast, but she came up almost immediately, and went straight for the boat. Turning close to it, she gave one stroke with her flukes, cutting it clean in two, and killing the two midship oarsmen, tossing the others up in the ain They dropped close to the wreck, and managed to hold on to the oars and 152 STOKIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. wreckage until picked up by the captain's boat. This same whale was taken two days afterwards. It was known by the iron in it, and turned out a large number of barrels. Calling in at Stewart's Island for wood and water, four fresh hands (Maoris) were engaged, who had been a trip before, and turned out good men at the oar. After cruising about up the east coast of New Zealand, they ran into Akaroa, as their captain intended to recruit here for a month. It was blow- ing a gale of wind from the north-west when they made the Heads, and it was as much as they could do to work the ship up the harbor. Some of the equalls were terrific, and as they had her under pretty small canvas, it was no joke working her, where the tacks were so short, After getting about half way up, the wind was a good deal steadier and the harbor wider, and they dropped anchor abreast of the present town of Akaroa. This was in March, 1837. There were three other vessels lying there at that time, two being French, and one a Sydney whaler. The skipper laid in a good stock of pork and potatoes, the Maoris being very willing to trade, taking principally tobacco and slops for their produce. The crew were allowed to go ashore a good deal, and here it was that our hero fell in love with a young Native woman, who proved as good and fond a wife to him as any of his own countrywomen could have been. She was the daughter of a Native chief named Iwikau, a chief of the Ngatirangiamoa, and was about twenty years of age. To quote his own words : " I was twenty -three myself at this time, BO that we were about a match. As money was of very little use here in those days, I took all I had to draw from the ship in trade, and as we had been very lucky, my share amounted to over six hundred dollars. Amongst my purchases was a five-oared whale-boat, which the skipper would not part with JIMMY BOBINSON. 153 until after a lot of persuasion. I had a good stock of clothing, dungaree, coloured cotton, and tobacco, so that I was looked upon as a Rangatira Pakeha. There was another white man living here at the time, known as " Holy Joe," but how he came to be called that I cannot imagine, as he was anything but what the name implied. 1 always looked upon him as a runaway from Van Diemen's Land, and such he afterwards told me he was. At this time there were over a thousand Maoris living round Wangaroa Harbour, for that was the Native name of it. There were also settlements in all the Bays, round as far as Port Cooper, so that there must have been about three thousand Maoris on the Peninsula, including those to the south of Akaroa. Jimmy Robinson was present and helped to hoist the English standard in Akaroa. His own version of it, as told to our informant, was as follows : " It was in the year 1840, in August. I had been up to the Head of the Bay getting a load of pi pis, of which the Maoris are very fond. I had in the boat with me my wife and her youngster, who was about a year old , and named Abner ; ' Holy Joe ' was also with me, as I found him more useful in handling a whale-boat than the Maoris. We were beating down with a light south-west wind, when I noticed a ship come round the point with a fair wind. I said to Joe, ' We shall get some tobacco at last)/ as we had been out of it for some time. We then stood towards her, but when we got a bit nearer we could see her ports, and that therefore she was a man-of- war. I said so to my mate, and he said, ' If she is, for God's sake let me get ashore.' I suppose his guilty conscience pricked him, or else he had not finished his time, and thought he might be recog- nised. To satisfy him I said I would land him, and paid her head off for the shore. I had not got far when I heard a blank shot fired and saw some sig- u 154 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. nals run up, so I thought I was wanted as a pilot perhaps, so hauled on a wind again and ran along- side. She had come to an anchor by this time a little above Green's Point, as it is now called. She turned out to be the British man-of-war Britomart, Captain Stanley, who came to the side and asked me to step on board, which I did. He asked me who the female was, and I told him, so he said, ' Ask her to come on board.' I could hardly per- suade her, but she came at last, and squatted down on deck with the young one in her arms. The cap- tain oidered the steward to bring her something to eat, so she soon had a good spread of pies, cakes, and fruit in front of her, but she seemed so nervous that she could not eat them. The captain asked me to come below, so I went down, and he asked me all about the place, how long I had been here, and how many vessels had called, and their names, and how many Maoris were living here. I gave him all the information I could about the place, so he told me that I must be sworn in as Her Majesty's inter- preter, as he intended to take possession of the islands in Her Majesty's name, and wanted me to explain it to the Natives. I was given a bell and a small ensign to roll them up next morning, which I promised to do. We got what we wanted in the shape of tobacco, and something to whet our whistles as well, and went ashore. I sent word all round to the Natives, and next morning there was a great muster on the sandy beach between the two town- ships. Three or four of the ship's boats were ashore, and a party of them were sent with me to get a flag- staff. We had not far to look, as we soon found and cut down a kahikatea as straight as a die and forty feet long. A block and halyards were soon rigged on and a hole dug, and it was very soon up. After all the Natives were squatted down, and the chiefs set out by themselves on an old ensign, the JIMMY ROBINSON. 155 captain commenced to read his errand here to the Natives, all of which I had to interpret ; but there was so much of it, I forget what it was all about* I know, however, that it ended up with God save the Queen, after which the British standard was run up and a discharge of musketry fired by the marines. A salute was also fired with the big guns on board, over which the Natives got in a great state of excite- ment. The captain invited myself and several of the chiefs on board, where he gave us a grand spread, and I was presented with a lieutenant's uniform, and each of the chiefs had a marine's coat given to him. Next morning the French vessel arrived, and landed her colonists, as is already known. The Maoris did not look upon their arrival with much favor, and, if it had not been for the presence of the ships, an attempt would have been made to drive them away. " After this several other white men took up their abode round Akaroa, so I thought I would shift my camp, and left for Ikeraki, taking all my possessions in the whale-boat, including my three youngsters. I stopped there for over four years, but part of that time I spent in Peraki, where there were always one or two whalers, from whom I got plenty of work, and made a good bit of money in the way of supplying them with vegetables and potatoes. On one occa- sion, during a drunken spree, while I was lying in my bunk, I was stabbed in the breast with a knife no less than sixteen times, and you can see the marks of them yet. (On exposing his chest, the marks could be distinctly traced.) I happened to have a thick monkey jacket on at the time, or I should have been killed. It was the whaler's cook who stabbed me, and the captain put him in irons and gave him bread and water for a month for it. I made a good bit of money selling spars to the whalers. There were gome nice silver pines growing in Peraki then, 156 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. and I got as high as thirty dollars each for some of them. Drinking rum and working in wet clothes brought on a bad touch of low fever, and for three weeks I was in bed. As a last resource, my wife, who was a powerful big woman, carried me over the hills as far as Wairewa (Little River), where there was a Native doctor supposed to be very clever. Anyhow he cured me with native herbs, so as soon as I got better I left my wife and family for a bit, and went up as far as Kaiapoi, taking a couple of the Maoris with me as guides. There were several large pas in that district also, one up where Riccar- ton now is. I spent a month or two going about from one to the other, and then I returned and stayed a few years on the Peninsula again. During this period I lost my wife, so I made up my mind to go round and live on the Plains. I left my two girls with their friends, and took my three boys round in the boat, with the assistance of a couple of Maoris. I went right up the river Avon, and can say that my boat was the first ever taken up that river by a white man. We stopped at a small pa near the mouth of the river for a couple of days, and then proceeded right up as far as Riccarton, which took three days, as the boat was heavy and the river ran with great force. Shortly after this I met Mr. John Deans, who had come to settle on the Plains, and took him up the river to the place where he is now living, and afterwards conveyed his family and goods the same way.* I worked for him for a bit, helping him to put up his whare, and afterwards engaged with him as shepherd." But he found this sort of life too dull and solitary, so left, and went north, where he engaged with Mr. Darby Caverhill, and managed his run for a bit. It must be remembered this tale waa related to my informant some years ago, when Mr, Deans was alive. JIMMY ROBINSON 157 What is now known as Motanau was the place where they were living. He only stayed here about two years, and then went south again, and came across what is now known as the Alford Forest. Being struck with the fine timber here, he thought it would be a fine place to settle, so he purchased the section where his house now stands, and he did very well out of it. He lived all alone here, his eldest boy being married, and living on Mr. Acland's sta- tion, Mount Peel. He happened to save Mr. Acland's life one time when he was crossing the Rangitata, and has been there ever since. His second son, George, he had not seen for some years. He went back to live with the Maoris on the Penin- sula ; and his youngest he lost the run of altogether. He sent him down to Christchurch about eight years ago, to get some tools and to get the horse shod, and he never heard a word from him since. He believed he got on the spree and sold the horse, and, being ashamed to come back, cleared off to sea, Although living alone, Robinson's house was a picture of neatness. It was situated on the edge of the bush, about half way between McCrae's and Single Tree Point. There was a splendid garden of about two acres, filled with the choicest fruit trees, the sale of the produce of which brought him in a good bit of ready money. Living so close to a public-house, most of it found its way there. When on the spree he would do almost anything for grog, and on one occasion, not having anything to raise the wind, he was seen there endeavoring to sell a large family Bible for a couple of nobblers. When away from drink he was a capital worker and a good bushman, and as there was always a good demand for fencing material, he sometimes did very well. About 1872 his house was burnt down, and every- thing in it destroyed. What grieved him most was the loss of a little pet dog in the fire, and for days 158 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. he kept looking for it round the bush, thinking it had escaped, but he saw nothing of it. Several of the neighbors lent him a hand, and a fresh house was put up and the garden renovated a bit, but most of his best apple trees had got killed. He was per- suaded to be a teetotaler for a bit, and tried it for a time, but he went to see the Ashburton races in 1873, and being so well known in the district, his acquaintances wished him to have a drink. He explained that he was a teetotaler, but he would have a drink with them, and put it away in a bottle, and this he did until he had several bottles of mixed spirits, which he took back with him, and then com- menced to break bulk, and until all was finished there was no work done. Drink and hard living now commenced to tell on this once iron constitution, and a paralytic stroke, from which he suffered, seemed to hasten his end. He went down to see Mrs. Deans, who kindly offered to get him into the Old Men's Home, but he would not hear of it, so after staying in the Christchurch Hospital for three weeks, and feeling better, he set out home again to the Alford Forest. But he seemed past work, and lived, one may say, on the charity of the neighbors, He left the public-house to proceed home one winter's evening, and was found dead about half way, with a half empty bottle of spirits beside him. It was supposed that he sat down to have a drink, and, falling asleep, was frozen to death. Thus died pen- niless in 1874, James Robinson Clough, a man who, with the opportunities he had, should have been a second Rhodes. It may seem strange, but it is nevertheless true, that the end of the subject of this number and that of Walker, both men who were almost the first Europeans on the Peninsula, should have been so similar, botb^dying from the immediate effects of drink on the Canterbury Plains. When living with his two sons, Abner and Robin- JIMMY WALKER. 159 son, he used to make them read the Bible aloud to him every evening. He was working for a good while in the employ of Mr. Justin Aylmer at Mal- vern and other places, and bore the reputation of being an excellent bushman. His favorite book was a translation of Herodotus, which he was constantly reading. He told Mr. Aylmer that he had once resided in Sydney, where he had been employed in a store, fallen in love with his master's daughter, and married her. He was wild in those days, and having a dispute with his wife, cleared out one fine morning, and never saw or heard of her again. No. 13. JIMMY WALKER. Amongst the " Old Identities " of the Peninsula, one of the most remarkable was Jimmy Walker, or " One-eyed Jimmy," as he was often called, from the fact that one of his eyes was gone. Our informant tells us that he believes his right name was Quinn, but no one ever called him anything else but Jimmy W alker, or One-eyed Jimmy. The way in which he first became known as Walker is rather curious. When he first came to New Zealand he was a very strong and powerfully built man, standing over six feet. Being not only a sailor, but a sailor accus- tomed to boats, he soon learnt to manage the canoes, when he went to live amongst the Maoris. After a short time he became so expert that none of the Natives could " hold a candle to him," as he used to say. The result was that the Maoris christened him " Waka," the Maori for a canoe ; and as his Chris- tian name was Jimmy, he gained the appellation of Jimmy Waka, or Walker, which stuck to him till the day of his death. 160 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA, His first arrival in New Zealand was in the year 1839, when he landed in the Bay of Islands. He was then abont eighteen years of age, and imme- diately after running away from his ship he went into the bnsh, where he followed the occupation of timber splitting for some time. He soon became very expert at this work, but as soon as he got a cheque he used to knock it down, as was the fashion in those days, in one of the neighboring grog shan- ties, which were common enough even at that early period, being established principally for the benefit (?) of the whalers who used to frequent the coast. After a time he got tired of this life, and went over to Auckland. When he got there he was employed by Sir George Grey as a gardener. The great Pro- consul took quite a fancy to this stalwart, good- looking, good-natured young sailor, to whom work geemed only fun , but, alas ! those good looks, which stirred the Governor's sympathy, were the cause of Jimmy's speedy departure. Amongst Sir George's household was a very pretty Maori girl, whose sus- ceptible heart softened at the sight of this handsome stranger, and she soon made known to Jimmy, in that unmistakeable way which is common to the sex, be they white, brown, or black, that she loved him. Nor was he slow to return her affection, and the result was that they neglected their work that they might be together. Sir George remonstrated with him, but in vain ; the greater the opposition the fiercer burned their love ; and, at last, finding all argument useless, he was dismissed. It they thought, however, that by dismissing Master Jimmy they were going to retain the girl, they were much mistaken, for he had no sooner left than his faithful dusky belle followed him. She persuaded him to leave the haunts of civilisation and come to live with her tribe, and the syren's voice prevailed, and Jimmy went with her, and spent gome happy years amongst JIMMY WALKER. 161 her Maori relatives. He soon acquired the native tongue, and became quite a " Rangitiera nui " amongst them. Owing to his knowledge of the two tongues, he used to conduct the barter between the Sydney traders and the Natives. From them the hapu used to get supplies of slops, stores, grog, etc., and payment for these used to be generally made in kind. Jimmy used always to have a number of Natives in the bush employed at splitting posts and rails and shingles for this purpose, and others were employed in flax scraping for the same end. Jimmy was very sharp at the trading, generally getting the best of the bargain. After living in this way for eight years, the chief thought Jimmy was getting too bumptious, and tried to take him down. A serious row ensued, and Jimmy was very nearly shot by the enraged Rangi- tiera. However, he managed to escape with his life, though he left one of his eyes behind him in the scrimmage, and so gained another cognomen. All his gear, however, was forfeited, and he left the pa without anything but the much damaged clothes he had on his back. It is not recorded what became of her who had left Sir George Grey's household for his sake ; but Jimmy used to hint that the eight years of connubial felicity had somewhat chilled the first glow of their mutual passion, and that there were some things that he left behind him that he regretted even more than his dusky bride. However, as Jimmy used to say, " he was not long on the broad of his back," for a very short time after he engaged with Captain Ford, of the American whaler Eliza, with whom he remained two years. During this time the vessel was coast whaling, and as they had good luck, she was a full ship at the end of that period, and sailed for New Bedford. Walker, how- ever, had no fancy for leaving New Zealand, so he was paid off at Russell, in the Bay of Islands, and 162 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. from thence he worked his way down the coast, stop- ping at Akaroa. He lived here with the Maoris for some time, and afterwards went to reside at Little River, where he took out a bush license for splitting shingles and posts and rails. He frequently em- ployed a number of Maoris at this work, in the old style, paying them with slops and other articles of trade. At intervals he went to Christchurch, where he invariably got drunk. Shortly after the Otago diggings broke oat he found his way to them. He had excellent luck at first, but with his habits money was of little use to him, for the faster he made it the quicker he spent it. At the end of a few years the neighbourhood in which he was working was pretty well exhausted, so he started on a prospecting tour into the little- explored back country, accompanied by his mate. They travelled to places that no white man had pre- viously visited, and it was then that Jimmy had the adventure of his life. This was no less than catching a glimpse of a living speeimen of the great apteryx, the huge moa bird. One need hardly say that Jimmy's tale about his meeting with a live moa was much doubted, but to the day of his death be always swore that it was a fact, with such earnest- ness as left no room to doubt that he himself thoroughly believed that he had seen that great bird, that is supposed to be extinct. Whether he and his mate (who also affirmed the same thing) were suffering from some strange hallucination, or whether they really did see this wonderful creature, will probably ever remain a mystery ; but there is still a wide stretch of unexplored country in the county known as the Fiords, and it is possible that in this almost inaccessible region a last specimen of the moa may yet be found. Our informant gives us the tale told to him by Jimmy in almost the same words that were used in relating it : " We were camped," JIMMY WALKER. 168 says he, " out in a deep gully a little above the creek which we had been prospecting for the last three days, getting the colour in most places. The hills all round us were mostly covered with tussocks, with here and there a little patch of bush in the gullies. On this particular evening we had just knocked off work, and were putting things a bit straight after supper, when I was astonished to hear my mate sing out, ' Good God, Jimmy ! what's that ?' On turn- ing round I could scarcely believe my eyes, for there, right in front of us, standing on the opposite side of the gully, was the moa bird that I had so often heard of from the Maoris. It was walking about, and as the sides of the gully were pretty steep, I should say the bird was not more than 150 yards from us, and a bit above the level of our camp. As soon as I saw it 1 knew at once what it was, so I told Bill, my mate, it was the moa, and that the Maoris were awfully frightened of it. At that he got very nervous and began to shake. The moa, I should say, was about eight feet six inches or nine feet high, and from the knee downwards you would think he had a pair of officer's boots on, quite shiny and black. His feathers were a lightish grey colour, and his head he seemed to be able to turn round any way, as it would first look at us with one eye and then turn round and look with the other. I must confess I felt a little bit skeered myself, as we had no gun or anything, only a tomahawk, to protect ourselves with. However, after he had surveyed us he cleared out, taking immense strides as he went, and in the dusk of the evening he was soon lost to sight. My mate got so excited over it that he wanted me to break up the camp and make tracks back. He could not sleep a wink the whole of the night, and roused me up at daybreak next morning. After some persuasion on my part I got him to consent to follow the trail a bit. On getting over 164 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. to where it had been standing, we found a pile of its dirt, and a little further on, where there was a small spring in the side of the hill, we noticed quite dis- tinctly the track of its feet in the soft earth. I have a pretty big hand, and I spread it over the footmark, but could not span within three inches of it, from my thumb to my middle finger end ; and from the depth it sunk in the soft earth, it must have been a good weight. We followed on for about two miles, but could see no sign of it, but coming to a small flat, we noticed that the heart of several of the cab- bage trees had been pulled out, and part of them eaten, so that we were pretty sure it was done by the moa, as there was no one else in the district but ourselves. My mate was determined to leave the place, and as our tucker was nearly run out, I was compelled to go back with him. We had about eight ounces apiece for a little over two months' work, so we packed up and started back, arriving at Qaeenstown in about a week. We told our tale there, and were of course called liars, and several other nice names. I got locked up over it, and this is how it happened. I had described the whole affair to three or four up-country hands, and when I had finished one of them I forget his name now called me a b y liar. I hauled off and gave him a plug in the eye ; then we had a regular set to, the finish of it being that several of us got locked up, and when called upon before the magistrate next morning, I told him the provocation I had got, and how the row commenced, so he let me off pretty light. He seemed to have some faith in my story, and got me and Bill to recount the whole of it to him. Several of the storekeepers offered to fit out an expedition to try and capture the moa. I offered my services to lead them to the place, and they also engaged an Arab, who was reckoned a dead shot to go with us, but he got his neck broke while breaking JIMMY WALKER 165 in a young horse, so that kept us for a bit. I had now run through all my money, and having a bit of a quarrel with those who were getting the thing ready for a start, I ' chucked it up.' " This is the story just as he told it to our in- formant, and on venturing to doubt the veracity of his statement he flew into a most violent passion, and wanted to know what good it would do him to make up a bundle of lies. He seemed quite earnest over it, and really we cannot but believe there was some truth in it. He said he intended to have another go for it some day, as he reckoned if he could get it alive it would be as good as a pile to him. Several times he tried to get the Little River Maoris to go with him, but in vain. In one of the bush fires at the River his whare was consumed. It stood on Mr White's ground, just after you com- mence the rise of the hill, about a quarter of a mile from the corner. Like most of the old hands, Jimmy came to an untimely end. After leaving the River he struck south, and was found dead on the banks of the Rangitata, close to Sir Cra croft Wil- son's station. A bottle of Hennessy was his only companion. It is needless to say it was empty, Mr. and Mrs. Hahn, who used to live within a short distance of Jimmy Walker at Waikouaiti, and who knew him well, have forwarded us the following further particulars regarding that veteran. It appears that some nineteen years ago he was split- ting posts and rails at Johnny Jones' bush at Waikouaiti, having gone there from the Tuapeka diggings. Jimmy here dropped across a widow who was sister to a Mrs. Winsey. She had been mar- ried to an old skipper, who had given up " the briny," as he called it, and died in the happy posses- sion of an oyster saloon in the classic neighbourhood of the Minories, in London. When this unfortunate event occurred her sister wanted her to come out 166 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. here, and she complied. She was a decent woman about forty, and, being fair, no doubt attracted Jimmy from the force of contrast with his former dusky companions. Her relatives being old and feeble, she began to look out for a home, and, no doubt influenced by her former relation with the ocean, kept company with the Cyclopean Jimmy. She accepted him when he told her he had lots of money, in fact, had made his " pile," Of course she only married him for a home and his money, and she lived to bitterly repent her folly. They were mar- ried in Waikouaiti, and kept up the " spree " for three days at Mrs. Winsey's house, which was situated on the edge of the Hawksbury Bush. After the great " spree " Jimmy's money was almost done. They lived with the Winseys for about three weeks, while Jimmy was building a hut in the Hawksbury Bush. He got permission to do so from the late John Jones, for whom he was working. The hut was built of split slabs and covered with calico. He soon began to ill-treat his wife, and the Winseys, having got tired of Jimmy's company and the rows occasioned by the quarrelling of the two, told him he must take her away, so as soon as his hut was finished he moved into it. It was built a little way in the bush, on a small clearing a short distance from Hawksbury House. When they got in the hut Mrs. Walker soon displayed her ability at house- keeping, for she arranged her half- tent, half-hut, in such a tasteful manner that it was the talk of all the people round that neighbourhood. When Mrs. Walker was living with her sister, before she knew Jimmy, she had some cattle which she bought when she first came out. As soon as they were married Jimmy sold these and spent the money. This was the first of their quarrels, which led to his thrashing her, the castigation no doubt reminding him of the system used in correcting Maori ladies. He became JIMMY WALKER 167 a perfect brute to his wife, thrashing her in the most unmerciful manner. He always performed this operation late at night, never striking her in the day- time. All the men about there seemed to be afraid of him, and consequently he was let alone, though universally hated by his mates, Charlie Anderson, Billy Caton, Jack Pope, and a Swede. These four men used formerly to work in Okain's Bay, but went away from there to the Tuapeka diggings. Jimmy was considered a good bush man in those days, so his mates stuck to him. Mrs. Walker frequently brought Jimmy up before the late Mr. Mellish, who was Magistrate there, and who used to caution Jimmy, who would promise to act better if he was let off, but never did. The Resident Magistrate eventually bound him over to keep the peace, but this was too much for Jimmy, who no doubt thought he could not trust himself, so cleared out again for the diggings. Mrs. Walker still lived in the same place, and used to take in needlework. After a time Jimmy sent her a little money. Although frequent enquiries were made about him, after this he was not heard of. During this time Jimmy encountered the moa. Poor Mrs. Walker was found dead a few years after on the road through Hawksbury's pad- dock. She died of heart disease, brought on, it was Baii, by the ill-treatment and frights she had received from Walker. It was only after she was married that she suffered from heart disease. 168 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. No. 14." CHIPS." Amongst the remarkable inhabitants of Akaroa, our worthy friend " Chips " may fairly be enume- rated. He is a true Pakeha Maori, a race now fast disappearing from amongst us. He has a great reputation amongst the Natives, for two reasons. One is his great skill in building and mending boats and other vessels, he being a ship's carpenter by trade ; and the other his no less ability, according to them, of patching up human craft. As a doctor he has gained great fame, and no doubt the faith with which his prescriptions are taken tends in no small measure to their success. " Chips " is not an old Peninsula resident, most of his life having been spent in the North Island. His whare is on Mr Check- ley's ground, near Green's Point. The road, after leaving the Cemetery gates, is very rough, part of it being a narrow track on the edge of a considerable precipice, and how " Chips " manages to get home safely in the dark nights of winter is a mystery. On one occasion he did slip over, and fell a consider^ able distance, but was saved by clinging to the long grasses. The boat-shed where " Chips " works is only a few yards from the wbare, but is on Govern- ment land, being within a chain of high water mark. It is a very primitive edifice, but is spacious, and well furnished with a great variety of the necessary tools. A visitor will generally find " Chips " at work here, and in no degree disinclined to enter into conversation. He is a very intelligent man, of fair education, and, as will be seen by his narrative, has seen a great deal of the world. Adolph F. Heurici, known familiarly as " Chips," was born at Hamburg. His father, a respectable tradesman, wanted him to become a linen draper, but he had taken it into his head he would be a ship's carpenter, and, with the aid of a schoolfellow, he " CHIPS." 169 secretly visited an old ship's carpenter on Sundays, from whom he learnt the trade. His father was still more displeased at an attachment he formed with a young girl in the neighborhood, and there was a separation, " Chips " going his first sea trip in the year 1837, the ship being the Friendship, of Sun- derland, and her destination New York. The trip was uneventful, and he then went to India in the Francis Smith. From there they went to China with opium and other cargo, and got into great trouble because the captain's wife was aboard, the mardarins searching the vessel. The lady escaped by being put into another vessel, which luckily was not searched. The laws were strict against the introduction of opium, but the authorities received bribes and winked at the trade. After many adven- tures in this trade, " Chips " went to England. From thence he paid a visit to his native town, but he did not stop long, proceeding to Bordeaux in an English vessel called the John and James. She loaded for Mauritius, but calling in at the Cape of Good Hope on her way, "Chips" left her to join the Thomas Sparks, Captain Sharp, bound for Wel- lington and Nelson, New Zealand, with emigrants. This was in 1843, and in January, 1844, the ship arrived safely in Wellington. Here " Chips " left the ship, and worked for a time in the Hutt Valley. Getting tired of this, he went whaling at Table Cape, on the East Coast. There were three boat crews, no Maoris amongst them, a man named Dawsey, a half-caste negro, being in command. They only got one whale in the season, but she yielded eight tons of oil. His great skill as a boat builder now became known, and he was offered a good sum to go to Poverty Bay to repair a little vessel. He went there, and remained some time, but a Native chief living at Ahuriri, known to the English as Jacky Tighe, pursuaded him to go to w 170 STOEIKS OP BANKS PENINSULA. Hawke's Bay, where, he said, there were a number of boats to build. He then went and lived t Paka- whai, on the Ngararora River, where he resided with the Natives at a big pa and built many large boats, The Maoris thoroughly appreciated his skill, and a Rangitiera named Tokamanu, who was afterwards one of their representatives, wanted to give his sister to ' ' Chips " as a wife. The Rev. Colenzo, however, opposed this, and so enraged Tokomanu that he threatened to burn the church and return all the Maori Testaments. " Chips," however, who was not particularly enamoured of the lady, persuaded the enraged chieftain to listen to reason, and his Bister was bestowed on another Maori. About this time Bloody Jack came on a visit to Te Hapuka, a great Maori warrior living in the vicinity, who, though not of a high Maori lineage, had raised himself to be a " Rangitiera nui " by his bravery and skill in warfare. Bloody Jack came across the straits from Akaroa in a big boat called the Mary Ann, which was the identical vessel for which he had sold the Peninsula to Hempleman. On leaving Ahuriri he presented the boat to his host, Te Hapuka Now, this gift was not such a very great one after all, for the native vessel had fallen into terrible disrepair, and was perfectly useless without it was skilfully mended, an operation involving special knowledge. But Te Hapuka had seen what " Chips " could do, and in his difficulty had turned to him. He had of course heard all about Tokomanu's sister, and knew " Chips " had no wife, and, being a wily savage of an economical turn, he offered to provide " Chips " with a female companion if he mended the boat. Three girls from Mohaka happened to be visiting at the pa, and he gave " Chips " his choice of the lot. Now this, to say the least of it, was a trifle arbitrary, for he had no right to either of them, and two were " tapu " to "CHIPS." 171 Maori chiefs. The third, who was the one " Chips " fancied most, was only " tapu " to a Native of no pretensions as to blue blood, residing at Mohaka. However, Te Hapnka didn't care whether he had a right to them or not ; he wanted his boat mended, and " Chips " wanted some one to look after his whare and cook for him, so the bargain was con- cluded, " Chips " selecting the young lady who was betrothed to the Maori of "low degree." It will thus be seen that " Chips " gained his bride (his present wife) by repairing the boat for which Banks Peninsula was sold to Hempleman i Now, the Maori to whom " Chips' " wife had been betrothed was exceedingly wroth, and so were all the rest of the family ; but " Chips " did not care for this, being protected by the powerful Te Hapuka, and by and by these new relatives of his came to the conclu- sion that it was not a bad thing at all to have a Pakeha Maori for a near connection, and became reconciled to the match. A new trouble, however, soon arose. Te Hapuka, directly his boat was mended, got tired of " Chips," and formed the plan of taking the wife he had given him away, because, having learned something of European cooking and behaviour from " Chips," he thought she would be a good wife to his (Te Hapuka's) son. " Chips " was kept in strict ignorance of this, but the father of Ene Mari Ropini, for such was her name, was spoken to. Now, he was perfectly satisfied with " Chips," who, in his opinion, had given " utu " enough for his daughter ; and besides, he knew the girl was attached to " Chips," and would suffer from a sepa- ration. He did not, however, dare to express his thoughts openly while Te Hapuka was near, so he dissembled, and pretended that he would acquiesce in the arrangement in a short time. One day he went to " Chips," who was building a boat in the bush, and said to him, " If I were you I should build that 172 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA, boat bigger ; you might have to go a voyage in it." " Chips " thought something was up, and took the hint, and built the boat fit for the sea instead of for the river, as at first intended. Te Hapuka didn't like the evident friendship between " Chips " and his father-in-law, and the latter was so frightened that he used to go away and sleep in a fresh place every night, with a tomahawk by his side, being afraid Hapuka might take a fancy to destroy him. An uncomfortable month or two passed in this way, and at last one evening Hapuka announced his intentions with regard to the girl to several of the Maoris, and fixed the following evening for the abduction. A friend of " Chips' " worthy father-in- law told him what Hapuka had resolved on, and he at once went to " Chips " and said, " It is time for you and my daughter to be at Mohaka." Tho- roughly versed by this time in Maori warnings, and knowing the case was desperate, " Chips " got the boat ready for sea, though the weather was very bad. This fact was probably his salvation, for Te Hapuka never dreamt that the boat, which he looked upon as only fit for the river, could live in such a sea. " Chips," his wife, and his faithful father-in- law and friend, passed a dreadful night, tomahawk in hand, fearing that every sound that they heard was the dreaded Te Hapuka, or some of his myrmi- dons, coming to tear them away from each other for ever. Great indeed was their relief when the grey dawn enabled them to steal down to the boat. The sea was by this time moderating, and with hopeful hearts they committed themselves to the Ngararora, whose rapid current speedily carried them out to sea. The passage was an uneventful one, aad they arrived at Mohaka in good spirits. Te Hapuka was furious at first, and said he would take his warriors and burn down the Mohaka pa, and do all sorts of things, but remembering on reflection that the defences there " CHIPS." 173 were very strong, and that they were defended by a great many friends of the" Chips " party, he thought it better to extend his patriarchal forgiveness. " Chips lived at Mohaka for many happy years. He had plenty of work, for the stations along the coast wanted whaleboats to ship off their wool to the small craft that used to come to letch it, and the small vessels also wanted repairing. His family increased rapidly, and the pa as a whole was very prosperous. The Natives, however, had one fear they were on bad terms with the Uriwera tribe, that lived further inland, in a wild and almost inaccessible country, and were afraid of being taken by surprise, borne of them used to sleep in a pass some distance from the pa every night, in order to give warning of their enemies' approach, and the pas were strongly fortified. A few white people were now living on the Mohaka, and when the news came of the Maori war in the North, and the Waikatos announced their intention of killing the Queen's Maories and whites along that part of the East Coast, Govern- ment pul; up a substantial block-house at the mouth of the Mohaka, and sent some ammunition there, and a few troopers to defend it. There were two pas, both well fortified. As is the Maori custom, they were perched on the highest ground in the neighborhood. One was on the edge of a cliff more than four hundred feet high, the other was on an eminence surrounded by comparatively level ground, and as they had plenty of guns, the Natives deemed themselves impregnable. The Waikatos, however, never came, the troops were withdrawn, and the block-house was left in charge of the Maoris, who buried most of the powder. The news of Te Kooti's return from the Chathams, and the massacre at Poverty Bay, reached them, but they never dreamed of his visiting their locality, and the fears of the Uriweras had died out, so that no precautions were 174 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. taken. In April, 1869, the Hero arrived with stores from Napier. " Chips " fetched her into the river, and she discharged her cargo (which consisted of stores of all kinds, including grog) on to the bank. Now, the name of the chief of Mohaka was Paul Rurepu, who was a very great Rangitiera indeed. A wife of his was ill at this time, so he deter- mined to send her to Napier in the Hero for medical advice. She agreed to go, but insisted on " Chips' " wife (who was a great friend of hers) accom- panying her. The Kero did not intend to sail till the 12th of the month, but on the 8th " Chips " had a dream to the effect that if she did not leave the river the next day she never would. The pre- sentiment left by this dream was so strong that he persuaded the captain to go to sea the following day, against his will, which turned out to be a lucky job for him, and all the others aboard. The Natives had a plantation about two and a half miles up the river, and the great majority of the young men and women were working there at the time. Whilst working at this plantation they used to sleep in some whares there, only returning to the pa at intervals. More than sixty of them went to rest in these whares on the night of the 9th April. They only woke to die, for at the first break of day some two hundred Hau Haus, led by the ferocious and pitiless Te Kooti, surrounded the whares and mercilessly shot down and tomahawked all. Out of sixty-five only two a man and a young girl escaped to tell the tale. The sound of the firing was heard at the pas, and they knew that the Hau Haus were on them. " Chips' " brave old father-in-law came to him and said, " You must go and take your youngest boy with you, or his mother will go mad. It is better for you to go at all hazards, for they are sure to kill all the white men, but may spare the Maoris. I will remain here with the other children," " Chips" " CHIPS." 175 had considerable difficulty in persuading any one to accompany him in the boat, for the sea was very rough, and they were afraid of being drowned. At last one of his daughters, a white man who had been working for him, and two Natives, got into the boat with him and his boy, and they got safe to sea. The white man was halt dead with fright, and pulled so badly that " Chips' " daughter gave him the baby boy to hold , and took the oar herself. After warn- ing people on the coast, they reached Napier in safety and gave the alarm. After killing all the people on the plantation, the Hau Haus divided into two parties, one going down each side of the river. Their progress was one of blood. A Mr. Leven, a white settler, and his wife and three children, were first killed ; the next victims were a Mr. Cooper and a lame shepherd. Seven whites were thus added to the list of murders, but the more they killed the more bloodthirsty they seemed to be. Arriving at the smaller pa, the one situated at the brink of the precipice, they assailed it with the greatest fury. A number of men, by cutting boles for their toes in the clay and soft rock, scaled the height, the projecting palisading saving them from the guns of their foes. Once at the fence they soon made an impression on it, and the defenders of the pa being called upon to open the gates, and promised quarter, admitted the enemy. They first demanded that all arms should be given up, and killed several men. Hatea, a Native who worked for Chips, on being called on to give up his gun, refused, and Te Kooti immediately aimed at him, Hatea returning the compliment ; both fired together, but unluckily Te Kooti escaped with a ball through his leg, while poor Hatea fell dead. The Hau Haus next tried to fire the church, which was a raupo building. Strange to say, on this occasion this inflammable material would not burn, and, after 176 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. trying three times without avail, they called out that the church was bewitched by an unfortunate woman who was sitting near, and murdered her most bar- barously with their tomahawks, literally chopping her to atoms in their mad frenzy. The great majority now went down to the block-house, and burned and destroyed as they went. Finding the stores that Captain Campbell had landed from the Hero, they soon got at the grog, and before long many were in a state of beastly intoxication. Night now descended on the horrible scene. There were four of " Chips' " children in the pa, the eldest, a girl of fifteen, having recently married a Maori. Their poor old grandfather, who had been such a good friend to " Chips," had been murdered, and they determined to endeavor to escape. Slowly and cautiously they made a hole through the wall of the pa on to the side of the precipice, across which ran a narrow and difficult path. At length the work was accomplished, and one by one three of " Chips' '' children and two others, who were their friends, crept through the hole, and stood in safety outside the pa, the watchfulness of the Hau Haus being relaxed through their frequent potations. It was only then that they discovered that the youngest one was not amongst them, Her heroic elder sister did not hesi- tate a moment. Telling the others to proceed, she returned to the scene of danger, and miraculously passing unharmed amid the drunken Hau Haus returned with the little one, and at last stood safe outside on the ledge of the precipice. But her second passage had aroused some of the Hau Hau guards ; the alarm was given, and two of them dis- covering the hole through which the brave children had escaped, rushed through in pursuit, after giving the alarm by firing their guns. They met with a speedy and terrible death. Not knowing the ledge, they stepped into the outer darkness, and falling " CHIPS." 177 flown the precipice, were shattered on the rocks below. Two other Hau Haus, either undeterred by, or unaware of their comrades' fate, gained the ledge in safety, and sped after the poor children. The spirits they had drunk, however, probably rendered their footing uncertain, and at a treacherous turn in the path they too slipped and fell, meeting the same well-deserved fate as their comrades. Guarded, as it would appear by a special Providence, the children reached the bottom of the cliff in safety, and stood on the banks of the Mohaka. On the other side was comparative safety, so they made up their minds to swim it. One was nearly drowned, but eventually all landed in safety ; soaae horses belonging to a neighbour were caught, and before dawn they were far on their way to Napier, and safe from the pursuit of the Hau Haus. The Hau Haus never discovered the place where the powder was buried, which was a great disappointment, as this was their principal object. They remained in the neighbourhood for some time, the Government having no force to cope with them, and they retired by the path they came. " Chips " went to live at Pakowhai again, and after a time was persuaded to go to Lake Taupo to build some boats by Mr Ormond, who was then superintendant. His daughter Anna had run away from home and come to Akaroa, and on a visit to her father she spoke in such high terms of the place that he determined to come and live here, so some six years ago he came. Both he and his wife are much respected by the Maoris, and much loved by their children. 178 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. No. 15. THOMAS RICHARD MOORE, M.D. (CONTRIBUTED BY THE REV. R. R. BRADLEY.) Here is the name of another celebrated old iden- tity. Dr. Moore arrived in this Colony by the Sir George Pollock, about the year 1851, and bought land in Charteris Bay, where he settled ; but, not being up to the rough-and-tumble life of a colonist, he was finally obliged to sell out to the present owner, Mr. R. R. Bradley, the whole of his interest in that Bay. He afterwards settled in Christchurch, and devoted himself to his profession, where he would undoubtedly have reached the height of his ambition, but death stepped in, and he died suddenly about twenty -two years since. He was a man of bright intellect, with which he adorned his profession to such a degree that if any case seemed hopeless, the cry was always, " Send for Dr. Moore ; if he cannot do you good, no one can." On his arrival in this country, and with the inten- tion, as noted above, of turning farmer, he brought with him four celebrated cows, that have since left their stamp on many of the herds of cattle on the Peninsula, Mr. R. Rhodes, in particular, owes not a little to the bull Brother Phil for the improvement of his stock at Ahuriri and Kaituna. The names of the imported cows were Flash, Duchess, Creamy, and Old Dunny (an Alderney). Mr. Rhodes pur- chased Flash at the doctor's sale, and also Brother Phil, and remnants of their stock could almost still be traced in Mr. T. H. Parkinson's herd. About ten or twelve years ago, when a person had a beast to sell, and could only say that it had been bred from Dr. Moore's stock, it was thought quite enough to establish its quality. One person really did obtain possession of a female calf, the doctor being obliged to part with it instead of wages ; but on the whole, like most wise breeders, he was very careful FRENCH FABM AND THE SUBVEY. 179 about parting with his female stock. The doctor's cattle eventually became a mixed lot, but such was the celebrity of the above-named imported cattle, that any cow that came from Charteris Bay must be good. We have heard that the doctor, previous to leaving England, had practised successfully in Salis- bury, of which city he had been mayor. His widow and family are still in the Colony. No. 16. FRENCB FARM AND THE SURVEY. About the years 1858 and 1859 a great many new settlers came to New Zealand, and of these not a few came to the Peninsula, more particularly the passengers by the barque Indiana and the ship Clontarf, most of whom settled in the various Bays of the Peninsula. Amongst these we may mention Messrs. G. J. Checkley, Joseph Bates, Kennedy, and S. and J, Hunt. Some of these new settlers went to dairy farming, others to bush work. Few had much capital to start with, and most of them are now comparatively prosperous men, thanks to their energy, and the splendid timber, capital soil, and good climate of our Peninsula. The timber was then to be found everywhere in very large quantities, and the climate was more humid in consequence. Its removal has largely increased the droughts in summer, and old settlers think that planting should be largely carried on, to mitigate the extreme heat of the sun, which now burns up the bare hills for several months in the year, One gentleman, Mr. F. Moore, left the barque Indiana in Lyttelton, in the year 1858, with a very small capital, which he, like a good many more, 180 STORIBS OF BANKS PENINSULA. speedily good rid of, not seeing at the moment what he was to do in New Zealand. He came down to the Peninsula, and joined Mr. Tribe's gang in the French Farm Bay, cutting blocks for the old Govern- ment buildings, piles for the Lyttelton jetty, firewood, etc., at which employment he was occupied nearly two years. Very jolly was the life led by these bush fellows in the old days. Many of them had been delicately nurtured and well brought up, but they turned to with a will, and found that they could do hard work as well as those to the manner born. Their- hard-won earnings were, however, in most cases speedily disposed of. They used to work like slaves for a month or two, and then go to Akaroa and knock it down in a few days. Mr. Gibbs kept the principal hotel, which was the one now known as Bruce's. He was a decent fellow, with a large cor- poration, and the boys all liked him, for he was of a very genial character. Mr. Tribe rented the Government bush in French Farm, and employed a great many men. He was universally respected, but in spite of all his enter- prise, he never (through a series of misfortunes) suc- ceeded in making the fortune he thoroughly deserved. At one time he was burnt out in Lyttelton, and after- wards took the Central Hotel in Cbristchurch He eventually found his way to the West Coast dig- gings, when he was returned as a member for the General Assembly, and did much good for the com- munity he represented, and was as generally beloved by the diggers as he had been on the Peninsula. When Mr. Tribe gave up French Farm, Messrs. Keegan and Wilkin bought a spot of ground on the south side of Akaroa Harbour, on which Mr. Keegan is still living. Mr. Moore went over with them, and stopped for a year. At this time Mr, Townsend was traversing the Peninsula on the survey. He was joined by Mr. Moore, who stopped with him FRENCH FAEM AND THB SURVEY. 181 six months, and afterwards went with him up north. At the time the big works were going on in French Farm, Mr. Shadbolt took the Head of the Bay Hotel, and succeeded in it most admirably. His predecessor was a Mr. John Anderson (a Russian Fin), and in his time there were high jinks at the Head of the Bay, for in those days timber was worth twenty-two shillings per hundred feet, and the saw- yers made their money very easily, and spent it as freely as they got it. A gentleman named Dickens resided in French Farm before Mr. Tribe came there. He was a dairy farmer, and a good deal of the land there belonged to him. One day, in the year 1857, he left the house without saying where he was going, taking his horse with him. When night came he did not return, but his dog came back, and a search was instituted, which lasted for many weeks. His horse was discovered tied up in the supplejacks, but no trace or tidings of the missing man himself have ever been discovered to the present day, The pre- sent proprietors of French Farm are relations of this gentleman, who was very much respected and regretted. There were many narrow escapes in those days, particularly to those engaged in boating. On one occasion, at Christmas time, Mr. Townsend sent a boat's crew to Waikerakikari from Akaroa. It came on to blow fiercely from the south-west, and the crew had to put into Lucas' Bay, where they laid that night. There was a keg of rum in the boat, and before midnight they were drinking it out of the heel of an old boot. Next morning they resolved to start, though it was still blowing very hard from the south-west. Jack Miller was the steer-oarsman, and he kept the men in good heart. In spite of the heavy seas and furious wind, they managed all right 182 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. till they got near a reef that runs out near Waikera- kikari shore. Here the sea was breaking furiously orer the reef, and they had to wait for over two hours before Miller gave the word to pull across. When he did he said " Pull, and pull like h 1, boys !" and so they did pull, and just as the boat cleared the reef the rowers saw the bare rocks staring up abaft. It was a marvellous escape ; another moment and the boat must have been dashed to pieces, and all on board drowned, for no one could have swum in such a sea ; and had it not been for the iron nerve and quick eye of Miller, none would have lived to tell the tale. No. 17. JOHN HENRY CATON. There is a very picturesque bay on Lake Forsyth named after the subject of this memoir, who was well known all over the Peninsula as a dealer in stock. He was a man of a great variety of trades, up to anything, and was much liked by many in the early days. He once kept the Canterbury Hotel, in Lyttelton, and afterwards (in conjunction with D. Taylor) purchased a run near Tamutu, at the head of Lake Ellesmere. It is said he was born in Smith- field, close to the celebrated market, and he used to boast that he had been connected with stock since his birth, for that reason. He went to Sydney in 1849, and came to Canterbury in '53. It was about 1860 that he purchased the run previously mentioned, and entered extensively into cattle dealing, a pursuit which made him known in every corner of the Penin- sula, from which he drew no small portion of his supplies. The great event in his life happened later. He JOHN HENRY CATON. 183 arranged with Mr William Wilson, of Christchurch, familiarly known as " Cabbage Wilson," to enter into a speculation for buying a large number of cattle in Nelson and Marlborough, and taking them to Dunedin, where they were scarce. Mr. Wilson found the money, and the large drove was collected north and driven south, where they were disposed of at a large profit, the purchase money exceeding 2000. His instructions were to bank this money in Dunedin, where he received it, but this he did not do. He returned from Dunedin with the money in his pocket, in company with Mr. H. Prince, and when they arrived at the Waitaki, the boundary river between Otago and Canterbury, he tried to make an arrangement with one of the men that when they were crossing the river they should create a disturbance amongst the dogs, so that a stock whip might be used, and m the scuffle a carpet bag he carried, supposed to contain the money, might be lost overboard. The man in question agreed, and when they were crossing the river the plan was car- ried out, but, unluckily for Caton, a passenger res- cued the carpet bag before it sank, so this plan failed. They rested that night on the north side of the Waitaki , and Caton made an excuse to leave the camp to look after some horses in the river bed. He went away, and during his absence night came on. On his return he asked the tent keeper where was his carpet bag, about which he evinced great anxiety. He afterwards called attention to the tent's being cut, and declared the carpet bag had been taken, and after a long search the carpet bag was found ripped open, and despoiled of its supposed contents of 2000. Prince, being afraid he might be accused, gave notice to the police, and when Caton reached Kolleston, Detective H. Feast, Sergeant-major Par- die, and our friend Sergeant Willis, of Akaroa, were waiting for him, They searched him without result, 184 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. but at the bottom of a pair of long boots, hung over a chair to dry, the 2000 was found. The trial created great interest, and he was eventually sen- tenced to four years' imprisonment at Lyttelton Gaol. After his release he went to Sydney, where he was drowned some time after in the river McLachlan He was a man of remarkable talents, and might have made quite a prominent figure in life had it not been for his unfortunate propensity. His name is quite a byword in the county. The latter event recorded took place about 1872. No. 18. THE CHIEF PAORA TAKI'S STORY. (CONTRIBUTED BY THE REV. J. W. STACK.) You want to know when Te Wherowhero came here. I will tell you, for I was one of the first to see him. Our interview came about in a strange manner. I was on my way from Port Levy to the Maori village at Pigeon B ay, which was situated close to where the steam wharf is now. I was accompanied by another Maori, named Hapakuku. On nearing Mr Hay's house we became aware that our movements were being attentively watched by several Europeans, My companion grew rather nervous when he found this out, and wished to turn back. He was too familiar with the dark doings of our own people in former times, not to suspect the white men of some evil design against us. I laughed at his fears, for I had mixed enough with white people to know that we had nothing to apprehend from them. As we drew nearer I recognised the Akaroa policeman, who was a friend of mine, and then was able to assure my companion of our perfect THE CHIEF PAORA TAKl's STORY. 185 safety under his protection. When we got up to the Pakehas they all shook hands with us, and then the policeman asked us whether we knew anything about a boat that was then sailing up the harbour. We told him it was not a Maori boat, and that we had noticed it entering the Heads from the south as we descended the hill. The white men then talked together, when the policeman told us that one of his companions was the mate of a whaling ship anchored in Akaroa Harbour, that six o(the crew had run off during the night with one of the bo.its, that they had come over in search of the deserters, and that if we would help to capture them we should be liberally rewarded. They believed that the approaching boat contained the missing men. We consented to assist them, and were told to keep about on the beach, while they retired to a neighbouring settler's house, where we saw them watching the boat with a spy- glass through the half-open door. The boat made at first for the Maori pa, but the crew seemed to change their minds, and headed straight for where we stood, at the mouth of the creek. On their coming within hail, they asked if they could get any food on shore. The settler who was with the police- man and mate when we first met came down, and told them they could get what they wanted at his house. Four of the men then jumped ashore, leaving two in charge of the boat. We all walked up to the house together. On entering the kitchen I did not see the policeman or his mate ; they were hidden away in an inner room. When the meal was pre- pared, the men sat round the table, and ate as if they were very hungry. Presently I was told to go to the beach and send up the other two, who were in charge of the boat. We all walked up to the house together. On my telling them my message, they Beemed very glad, and jumped ashore without delay. I got into the boat and pushed off. As goon as I 186 STORIES OP BANKS PENINSULA. got clear of the beach, I hurrahed and danced about, to the evident astonishment of the two men, who stood for a while staring at me, and then went on, evidently never suspecting the cause of my shouts, which were so loud as to attract the notice of the people of the village, who ran out to see what all the noise was about, wondering what crazy fellow could be larking in such an idiotic manner as 1 appeared to be doing with the white men's boat. They did not know that it was a preconcerted signal between the policeman and myself. I pulled the boat in to the village, where I got the Maoris to help me drag it up, and, after stowing away the oars and gear, I returned to the settler's house, where I found all the men still sitting round the table. As soon as I got in I stood with my back against the door, and a minute or two afterwards the bedroom door opened, and the policeman and mate walked into the kitchen. It would have made you laugh to have seen the crestfallen expression on the faces of those men, who, with their legs under the table, could not stand up quickly, and could have no chance of escaping or successfully resisting, seven men standing behind the seats, and ready to pounce uoon them if they ven- tured to move. They exchanged looks while quietly submitting to have their wrists manacled. As soon as they were all fastened together, we started for Akaroa Harbour. It was a rough journey for the sailors, fastened as they were, for the path that led up the heavily timbered valley was very narrow, and continually crossed by a narrow stream. On reaching the Head of the Bay we lighted a signal fire, and goon after a boat came from the whaler and took us all to Akaroa, where the deserters appeared before Mr. Robinson, the Magistrate, and were ordered by him to return to their ship. The captain took Hapa- kuku and myself on board with him, where he gave us each a good suit of clothes as a reward for our THE CHIEF PAORA TAKl's STORY. 187 services. We slept on board, and the next day after breakfast I went on deck, which was almost entirely covered with empty casks, as the mate was busy stowing the full ones at the bottom of the hold. Wanting to have a look round, I stood upon some casks near the bulwarks, and looked over the side. I had not been many minutes there before I saw something that quite startled me : I saw a large ship opposite Onuku, and coming up the harbour without any sails coming so fast that the water spouted from its bows like a wave recoiling from a rock-bound coast. When I could get my breath I called out, " O, look year ! look year ! What dat ? Water break all er same stone on er beats !" Several persons sprang to my side, amongst them the cap- tain, who, as soon as he looked, said, " Steamer !" That was the first steamer I ever saw. It was soon at the anchorage, and the whaler sent a boat on board, when I found that Sir George Grey, Te Wherowhero, and Te Horeta were on board. Sir George asked where all the Maoris were, and I told him at Port Levy. He said, " Go and tell them that I am here with Te Wherowhero." I went off at once and returned the following day with twenty companions. We had an interview with the Governor, and then I went to Onuku, where Te Wherowhero had gone to confer with our people. We stayed all together in William's large house. I woke in the night and found our guest smoking. There was a large oil lamp burning, which gave a bright light. I saw him go out once, and noticed that his body was beautifully tattooed. His stay was very short, for the next day he and the Governor went away in their steamer, and we saw no more of Te Wherowhero. 188 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. No. 19 STORY OF A SNAKE HUNT Iff AKAROA HARBOUR BY MRS. TIKAO. (CONTRIBUTED BY THE REV. J. W. STACK.) The impression sure to be produced by the heading of this story will be, that it is simply a hoax which no amount of testimony can substantiate, for it must seem incredible, in a country wheve such reptiles are unknown, that a snake hunt ever took place in the immediate vicinity of Akaroa . But the story will not appear so improbable when it is known that several attempts were made in the " early days," by visitors to these shores, to acclimatize snakes ; and the presence of the reptile found snd killed in these parts was doubtless due to the ill-judged zeal of one of those insane naturalists, who, regardless of all consequences, seemed determined to solve the ques- tion whether snakes could exist in New Zealand. Mrs. Tikao's story is as follows : " We had often listened with eager interest to the stories told by our countrymen of their narrow escapes from being bitten by serpents ; and the accounts they gave of the deadly tftect of snake bite only served to deepen our hereditary aversion to all reptiles. You can imagine the commotion and excitement caused by the reported discovery of a snake on the shores of the harbour. It was found by a coloured man named Jim, who lived a long time with the Maoris at Takapuneke, near the Red House. He was a sober, industrious man, and highly respected by us. Having gone for some reason to O Tipua the promontory between Akaroa and German Bay he was startled by the discovery of unmistakable signs of a snake's presence. The spot where the discovery occurred was close to the cliff used by the men-of-war frequenting the harbour as a target. He hurried back at once to warn every one against going near the place. He told the Maoris nbt to approach the place even for STORY OP A SNAKE HUNT. 189 the shell-fish found only at low water. There was no need to repeat the warning, for we were all too much alarmed to venture anywhere near Tipua, and already in imagination we saw the country swarming in venomous reptiles. Jim told us that he used to track and kill snakes in his own country, but that it was so long ago, that he almost forgot how to proceed, but he promised to do his best to rid us of the dreaded pest, which had appeared in such an unaccountable manner in our neighborhood. There were two French men-of-war at anchor in the harbour at the time, and Jim applied to the captain of one of them for help, who supplied him with a musket and ammunition, and sent in one of the ship's boats to the spot where the indications which he first saw awakened his alarm. Every one was very much interested in the success of Jim's efforts, and the Maoris, seated in boats and canoes, watched his movements from a safe distance, On landing, he proceeded cautiously along the hill side, picking his steps through the tussock grass and scrub. At last we lost sight of him altogether, and he was so long hidden from our view that we began to be alarmed for his safety, many exclaiming that he had fallen a victim to his zeal for the general safety. The report oi his gun, however, assured us of his escape, and not long afterwards we saw him approach- ing the beach with something like an eel, about a yard long, fastened to the end of a rod. He brought it down to the beach, and showed it to us. It was spotted black and white. Jim told us that it was necessary to burn it, in order to prevent its young ones coming out of its body and stocking the place, go a bonfire was made and the snake consumed/' 190 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. Ko. 20 THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEAR. ANCE OF MR. DICKEN. In the article entitled " French Farm and the Survey," brief mention is made of the mysterious disappearance of Mr Dicken, of French Farm, but merely a few words were given, and it is therefore with much pleasure that we are able to lay before our friends a clear and detailed account, that was furnished to our informant by Mr. Edwin Silk, who was, at the time Mr. Dicken disappeared, renting some land from him, in conjunction with Mr. Tribe. It appears that in the summer of 1857 Mr. Dicken and Mr. Silk went oat one morning to look after some stray cattle. They went over a lot of country in the neighborhood of P'rench Farm, and got home unsuccessful at about 4 p.m. Mr. Dicken then declared bis intention of searching for the missing stock on the Barry's Bay fern hills. He accordingly went away on his pony, refusing the company of Mr. Silk, who offered to go with him. He had a collie slut following him. When evening came, and Mr. Dicken did not come back, Messrs Tribe and Silk were both anxious, for the roads were very bad, and they feared he might have had a fall. They there- fore got out the dingy, and pulled to the Head of the Bay Hotel, which was then kept by Anderson, in order to find out if anything had been seen of Mr. Dicken there. Finding on their arrival that he had not gone in that direction, they went to Barry's Bay. Mr. Tribe had brought a cornet that he was in the habit of playing with him, and when they got to the Barry's Bay hills he made them ring again, but to their mortification and dismay there was no response, and they had to return home. Next morning they renewed their search in the flax and scrub that were on the edge of the bush that fringed the Barry's Bay fern hills. At last, in DISAPPEARANCE OF MR. DICKEN. 191 a pig track, they saw the marks of the pony's feet, and following the trail they came to the pony him- self. He was tied to a flax bush, but so lightly that the least pull would have set him loose. There, however, he had evidently stayed since the previous night, and further observations showed Mr. Dicken's own track leading into the bush. They followed it for a few chains, but it then became imperceptible, and though they again and again tried to see where it led, and Mr. Silk knew the print of the boots so thoroughly as to be able to identify their marks any- where, they could find nothing to guide them. Eventually they returned to French Farm and gave the alarm to Mr. Dicken's family, and to the people living at Akaroa. Search parties were organised, and every hill and gully was searched for a week, but without result. The search was most thorough. There was a big totara tree in the bush, and each party on going in used to mark on this tree the direction in which they were searching, so every gully was scoured. Miss Dickeii offered a reward of 500 for the body of her brother, alive or dead, but the men could not have searched better than they did for any reward. The Maoris offered to come for a certain sum down, but they did not fancy having anything to do with a corpse, and rather shunned the search, their superstition being awakened by the whole matter. What seemed most puzzling was that the dog did not come back, as it would if any- thing had happened to Mr. Dicken. At last the search was given up, and the Akaroa neople went back, the understanding being that if the dog came back, or there were anything fresh happened , Messrs. Tribe and Silk should make a smoke at a certain point to let the Akaroa people know. Just a fortnight after Mr. Dicken's disappearance, Mr. Silk was at the back of the house at French Farm, washing his clothes, when, looking round, 192 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. what was his astonishment to see Mr. Dicken's slot crawling up to him. She was a mass of skin and bone, and must have been fasting during the whole of her absence, and she crawled up to him in that guilty way, which dogs have when they know they have done wrong. Her hair was matted ami stained with red clay, and this struck him as most remark- able, as there was no red clay to be found in the neighbourhood of Barry's Bay, the nearest being some miles away. Mr. Silk gave the signal agreed on, and three boatloads of men came over from Akaroa, and they took the slut to the place where the horse was found, and tried to make her show them the road her master had taken. All was useless, however, for she would not go anywhere, and eventually the second search had to be abandoned without any result, and the mystery has never been solved to this day. Mr. Bilk had a list of the things Mr. Dicken bad with him, so that the body might be identified if it were ever found. One of these things was his pipe. It was a clay, and a triangular piece had been broken out of the bowl, so that it would hold very little tobacco. Only the day before his disap- pearance Mr. Silk had said to him, "I had better give you another pipe," but he was a small smoker, and replied, " No, the pipe holds enough for me." Mr. Silk could also identify his knife, and the pat- tern of the nails in his boots, which was peculiar. Some day perhaps this knowledge may help to solve the mystery. The slut became the property of Mr. Thomas Brough, and was eventually killed for biting one ot his children. HARRY HEAD. 193 No. 21. HARRY HEAD. Among the more remarkable men who from time to time have led isolated lives on the Peninsula, one called Harry Head may be mentioned, who, some fifteen years ago, took up his residence in Waikera- kikari. Previous to his arrival this Bay had been quite untenanted, as it was covpred by dense bush, and almost inaccessible both from land and sea. It appears that it was for these very reasons that Head selected it for his abiding place. He chose a Govern- ment section in the valley near the beach, and put up a shanty, which he roofed with tree ferns. Here he lived all by himself, and friends who visited him on rare occasions used to find him industriously occu- pied in the bush or his garden, in a very primitive garment, consisting of a sack in which holes had been cut for his head and arms. At certain inter- vals he used to tire of this Robinson Crusoe kind of existence, and visit the residents of the neighbouring Bays in very scanty clothing. In his habits he was almost a wild man, and it is said he had lived long amongst the North American Indians. Instead of riding with an ordinary bridle, he preferred the Indian fashion of a string turned round the horse's lower jaw. This string used to be composed of coloured strands, Indian fashion. He was credited with the power of long abstinence from food. He has been known several times to start to walk from Akaroa to Christchurch with nothing but a little sugar in his pockets, his only clothing being some home-made trousers and a blanket, which on grand occasions he used to encircle at the waist with a gaudy parti- coloured cord and tassels. ^ Harry Head was a great lover of music, and used to] play simple melodies by ear on the piano, when occasion offered. Strange to say, however, the instrument he loved most was the drum, which he 194 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA, used to aver was capable of great expression, as well as power. He was also an excellent performer on the banjo. Once on a time he had almost resolved to abjure his solitary and wandering existence for domestic felicity, but the mother and friends of the young lady on whom he had placed his affections strongly objected to him, and he had to return to his solitary whare in Waikerakikari. He appeared to be a man who had read and throught much, and was considered of a genial temperament by those who knew him intimately. He was the first man who took stock into Wai- kerakikari. He purchased a number of calves, and got a gentleman to assist him in driving them there, a difficult task indeed in those times, when there was no track and a dense bush all the way. A start was effected at six one morning, and his companion had to go about two miles out of the road to satisfy Head, by seeing a group of Nikau palms. At last, after a lot of trouble, they arrived at their destina- tion, and it being most sultry weather, the dwelling- house was found to be a very suitable one, and fit for the Astronomer Royal, being open to the stars of heaven. The whare in which his visitors slept was composed of weather-boards, was about eight feet square, and was a regular old curiosity shop, being filled with all sorts of nicknacks and curios he used to pick up on his visits to Christchurch and other places. One of his strangest notions was, that with pro- perly manufactured appliances human beings would be able to fly. He gave much attention to this hobby, and even ventilated the subject in public in the old country, after leaving the Peninsula. He once paid a visit to the West Coast, and on his return walked back over the ranges at the rate of some fifty miles a day. This, however, seemed to entirely cure him of any desire for future rambles on HARRY HEAD. 195 foot, for it was his last pedestrian feat. He even- tually returned to England, and astonished his friends there by his remarkable costume and strange style, and no doubt they were heartily glad when he announced his intention of proceeding to his old home in America. He is now, to the best of our informant's belief, located at Dacotah, where his primitive habits appear to have enabled him to with- stand the effects of the terrible seasons, which have been so fatal to other Europeans. Before leaving he sold his property to the Messrs. Masefield, and his old clearing is now the site of the sawmills erected at Waikerakikari by the energetic Mr. John Smith. From Mr. W. Masefield we further learn that Head's real name was Alexander, and that he was the son of a bookseller, who had him well educated. He was an excellent mathematician, and a fair Greek scholar, besides understanding a good deal of botany. The latter was much cultivated by him during his sojourn on the Peninsula, and he was constantly in correspondence with Dr. Haast. From his youth he had strange fancies, and, when young, slept a night at 8tonehenge, on what is known as the vertical monument, in the hope that mysterious dreams would come to him from the forgotten past. The dead Druids, however, made no sign, and a cold was the only result. He was born at Chippenham, in Wiltshire, and, on leaving England, went to America, and joined a party to the Rocky Mountains. He had a great admiration for the North American Indiansi He afterwards went to Vancouver Island, and thence worked his passage Home in a lumber ship, which made the longest passage on record. After a brief spell at Home he came cut to Australia, and was at the diggings for some time. He walked over a great part of Australia, and applied to join the Burke and Willis expedition, but was too late. He there formed 196 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. an acquaintance with Baron Von Mullet, with whom he used to correspond upon botanical subjects After a time he came across to New Zealand, and walked over the North Island, and then came across to Nel- son, and from there continued his pedestrian expedi- tion to Christchurch. He was one of the first men to cross the range. He afterwards came 10 the Peninsula, to Le Bon's Bay, and saw Mr. Cuff there, and wanted to get some land ; but Mr. Cuff told him it was all his. He then went Home again, and after a short stay came again to New Zealand, and was at the Otago diggings, being one ot the first at Gabriel's Gully, and did well there. He had, how- ever, been so charmed with the Peninsula, that it was not long before he came back to it to get some land and settle, He bought a piece of land where Mr. Lelievre's house now stands, at Fisherman's Bay. He sold it after some time to Mr. Lelievre, and bought a place in Paua Bay. He had a whare there, and locked it up one day to go to Christchurch. When he got to Christchurch, however, he made up his mind to go to England, and when he came back to his whare, long after, he found the place was broken open, and his things gone. He then sold the land to Mr. Narbey, and went on to Mr. Townsend's survey party, and helped to cut the present line from Barry's Bay to Little River. He then bought land in Wai- kerakikari . He was a splendid hand in the bush. Unlike an ordinary mortal, it was his practice to go in a bee- line from one place to another, utterly regardless of tracks. He never lost his way, and used to accom- plish long distances in a wonderfully brief period. He once started to carry a tub from Barry's Bay to Waikerakikari, through the bush. He had it on his head, and it struck against the branches of a tree, bitting him so smartly on the head that he THE LOSS OP THE CREST. 197 remained unconscious for many hours. When he left the Peninsula he had fully 500 in his posses- sion, and when he reached England he increased his capital by lecturing on philosophical subjects. With a very powerful and acute mind, but of exceedingly erratic temperament, Harry Head narrowly missed being a great man, No. 22. THE LOSS OP THE CREST. The well-known ketch Crest, Captain Ellis, left Akaroa one Sunday evening in October, 1868, loaded with telegraph poles, for a port to the north of Kaiapoi. She had on board Captain W, A. Ellis, master and part owner ; J. B. Barker, part owner ; Edward Cunningham, seaman ; and Mr. W. Belcher, of the firm of Belcher & Fairweather, Kaiapoi, who was passenger and charterer. The weather was fine when the vessel started, and no one dreamed that anything had gone wrong till the following day about noon, when Mr. J. B. Barker arrived in Akaroa, and stated that the vessel was wrecked, and that he was the only person who had escaped. He stated that he had managed to land in Flea Bay in the dingy, and that he had told the Messrs. Rhodes, who resided there, of the catastrophe. This news was, of course, looked upon as final, every one thinking that the rest of the persons aboard the ill-fated Crest had come to an untimely end. Later in the day, however, the startling news was brought that two of the Rhodes had gone out in anything but a safe boat, to view the locality in which the vessel had been reported to be lost, and had rescued Cunningham from a rock to which he 398 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. had swum after Mr. Barker bad left the vessel. Cunningham informed the Messrs. Rhodes that Cap- tain Ellis and Mr. Belcher were still alive and aboard the craft, and several attempts were made by the Messrs. Rhodes to rescue them, but they were totally unavailing, as the wreck had drifted into a cave, over a considerable distance of kelp- covered shallow reefs, upon which even in the calmest weather the Bea broke fearfully. Cunningham stated that Ellis cou'd have escaped as he did, by swimming, but refused to leave Belcher, who could not swim. As can be imagined, this news created a great deal of excitement in Akaroa, and boats manned by volunteers were at once despatched to the scene of the wreck, in the hope of saving the unfortunate castaways. The weather remained moderate, and for three days every plan that could be thought of was tried to rescue the unfortunates, but without avail. The vessel in the meantime had broken up, and Ellis nnd B Icher had got upon a ledge of rock within the cave. It was thought that Ellis had received some injury, and was incapable of swimming in conse- quence, but of course nothing certain on this point can ever be known. Those who proceeded to the locality in the hope of rescuing the unfortunate sufferers cannnot reproach themselves with leaving any means untried. Ropes were drifted over the kelp into the cave, and Ellis upon one occasion managed to get a hold, but the strands parted, and the temporary communication was destroyed. A colored man named Dominique, a celebrated swim- mer, spared no pains in his endeavors, but he tried his utmost unavailingly. Captain Schenkel, of the Prince Alfred, was unremitting in his attempts, and devised many schemes to save the castaways, but they were all frustrated by the unrelenting ocean, which appeared determined to prevent either the entrance of the THE LOSS OF THE CREST. 199 rescuers, or the exit of the unwilling explorers from the gloomy cavern. The poor fellows were plainly to be seen, and their cries could by heard by those who were risking their own lives in the attempt to save them. They had rigged two pieces of rope from the roof of the cave, to which they fastened a board, and when the tide began to flow, they had to sit on this board to pre- vent themselves being washed away. At high water the mouth of the cave was covered with the surging water, the scene being described by the eye-witnesses as terrible in the extreme. For three days this fearful suspense continued, but on the boats going out on the fourth morning, the cave was discovered to be vacant, No doubt weakened by continuous suffering, thoroughly ex- hnusted, and unable to hold on any longer, they must have been washed away during; the night. Words cannot pourtray, nor imagination conceive, what these poor fellows must have suffered before succumbing. Without food or water, buffetted by the waves, to see help so near and yet of no avail it is dreadful , even at this length of time, to contem- plate their terrible sufferings. The sympathies of every one in Akaroa were strained to the utmost by the fearful suspense, and never before or since has Green's Point been watched with such intensity as for the appearance of boats with news regarding the calamity. Our informant states that he hopes never again to feel the fearful anxiety which he expe- rienced during the time the attempts at rescue were being made. Captain Ellis was well known throughout the district, and was universally respected. A tablet to his memory is to be seen in St. Peter's Church, Akaroa. It was placed there by the Oddfellows, of which society he was a member. Mr. Belcher, as before stated, wag a resident in Kaiapoi, where he 200 STORIES OF BANKS PENINSULA. was much esteemed. The calamity threw a gloom over the whole Peninsula. The tablet erected in St. Peter's Church to the memory of Captain Ellis bears the following inscrip- tion : " This tablet is erected by the Oddfellows, M.U., f this district, to the memory of Captain William Ellis, aged 43 years, who perished through the wreck of the ketch Crest, near the north head of this harbour, on October 29, 1868." Stories of the Bays. No. 1. LE BON'S BAY. THERE are different tales in explanation of the manner by which Le Bon's catne in possession of its name. One is that the whalers in the very early days were accastomed to bring in the whales to the Bay and there try them out. In the course of time the beach was covered in whale bone, and the place was called the Bone Bay. Another story tells how Captain Le Bas came in his ship to Le Bon's, mis- taking it for Akaroa. He sent a boat's crew ashore, and one of the crew was named Le Bon. The Bay was named after him. Captain Le Bas stayed in the Bay for some time. There were a great many whalers of all nations about in those days (during the fifties), b;t they seldom called into the Peninsula bays by all accounts, generally making Akaroa Har- bour their head quarters. Le Bas' ship is supposed by some to be the first ship that was anchored in the Bay. There was a Maori pah on the beach before white men came into the Bay, but they had all gone before the first settlers arrived. Skeletons are often found in the sand, and some curios, such as greenstone tomahawks, ear-rings, etc. Traces of the pah still remain, and lead to the conclusion that there was once a large number of Maori inhabitants. Abun- dance of stumps of totaras were found about the Heads. The trees had evidently been cut down for '2A 202 STORIES OF THE BAYS. canoes, As in most bays where the Maoris lived, strata of bones of all kinds are found where they had been heaped up after a feast, mixed with fish bones and shells. A close examination proves also that the natives did not confine themselves to this food. Piles of human bones, which are all separated from one another, and piled up close to the kitchen middens, disclose the fact that cannibalism was a common practise amongst them. Mr. Cuff, father of Mr. Cuff of Cuff and Graham, was the first settler in Le Bon's. He went there with his family, and lived in a tent for some time, and eventually built the house now on Mr. Henry Barnett's property. It has been added to, however, and so much improved that there is little of the old house left. When. Mr, Cuff came, the Bay was covered in dense bush and heavy timber : that was in 1857, Le Bon's being much later settled than most of the Peninsula bays. Mr. Cuff saw that there was a great deal of valuable timber, and started a sawmill on the banks of the creek close to his house. Mr. Cuddon, now in Christchurch, brought the engine down, and the vessel was floated up the creek. There was a great difficulty in getting the engine ashore, as it sunk in the mud, and it was gome time before the mill was got into working order. It came on to blow severely, and the vessel that brought the engine was detained a month in the Bay. When it did start the mill had plenty of work. The flat was covered with white and black pines as thick as they could stand, and the sides of the valley grew immense totaras and other timber. Mr. Cuff brought cattle with him, and improved the land about his house. The walnut trees still stand- ing were planted by him, and are nearly as old as those on Muter's place in German Bay. The Maria Ann and Gipsey, ketches, were the first vessels that carried the timber from the Bay to LE BON'S BAY. 203 Lyttelton. Messrs. Thos. Oldridge and Stephens owned them, being partners. They came to Le Bon's about 1860, and soon afterwards went to Laverick's, returning to Le Bon's some years afterwards. Mr. Stephens , it will be remembered , lost his life on the brigantine Lizzie Guy. The ketch Maria Ann was sold afterwards in Lyttelton, and the Gipsey, on her way from Lyttelton to Le Bon's, was run down by a steamer off Long Look-out. A man well known (a Dutchman), by name Charlie Smith, commanded her at the time. No lives were lost. These two vessels carried an immense amount of timber to Lyttelton. The vessels anchored in the Bay, and punts and rafts were floated down the creek laden with the timber from the mill, which was situated about a mile from the sea. Some years afterwards, during a great storm, two vessels were wrecked the Breeze and the Challenge. The Challenge was sunk while at anchor. The Breeze was driven into Nor'-west Bay and smashed up. Their crews managed to get ashore. At a quite recent date the Gipsey and Diligence, which replaced them, were also wrecked ; and the Hero, well-known from her several narrow escapes, met her fate also in Le Bon's. Messrs. Saxton and Williams took the mill from Mr. Cuff about 1861, but only worked it for six months. Mr. John Cuff, son of the owner, then managed it. Messrs. Oldridge and Stephens ran the mill for some time, and after that Mr. Drummond McPherson, well known in Canterbury, bought it. A man named Eouse bought it from him. In 1865 Mr. John Smith took it over. He had a great many men working for him, who are now settlers io the Bay. He also introduced the Danes, who now own among them a good portion of the land in Le Bon's Bay. Mr. John Smith got the contract from the Provincial Council for building the old jetty 204 STORIES OP THE BAYS. and the tramway to it from the mill. About 1000 was thrown away on this work. The tramway could never be made to act, and a ship-load of timber never went down by it, punting and rafting being resorted to as of old. An attempt once to get a shipment of cheese away by sending it down the tramway to the jetty proved a failure. The tramway was never of any use whatever, and was left to decay. Some portions of it are still to be seen. About this time Mr. Hartstone, in company with a man named Savage, who acted as engineer for Mr, Smith for some time, started a mill on the headland above where the new jetty has been builti Mr. Dalglisb, who previously to this bad been working for Mr. Piper in Duvauchelle's Bay, soon afterwards took this mill, and still owns the property. Mr. Dalglish made the mill much larger, and exported a great deal of timber. Mr. Smith, when he had worked out the timber in the Bay, rented Mr. Dalglish's mill for some years. The greatest event that ever occurred in Le Bon's was the tidal wave of 1868. It came at one o'clock, and caused much terror. Mr. Bailey's house was carried bodily up the Bay, and deposited on the tops of the trees on the flat. There was three feet of water in Mr. Smith's house on the flat, and all day the waves kept coming up. A whaleboat was carried out of the river and placed on a bridge, The bridge was loosened and carried out to sea, and again the boat nnd bridge were brought buck. Following on this was the renowned gold fever. It appears Miss Gladstone, the sister of Mrs. Smith, found a piece of quartz well impregnated with gold close to the house, which, it was supposed, had been washed up by the tidal wave. The news spread like wild fire, and became known in Christchurch. A company was formed there, and two men were sent down to examine the Bays. These men prospected LB BON'S BAY. 205 "Waikerakikari and Le Bon's, and found no signs in the latter, but there were traces of gold in the former. The men belonging to the mills were all the time in a great state of excitement, and shovels and dishes, and all the articles appertaining to gold getting were in great demand. It is generally supposed that some man wished to play a lark, and placed the quartz there. No result came at any rate from the discovery of the one piece of quartz, and the men gradually settled down to their work again at the mills, after every gully and bank in the Bay had been thoroughly examined. As may be supposed, there were many strange characters in the Bays in those days. Sailors were continually deserting the vessels, and kept in hiding in the bash until they had gone. Men of all classes and description worked together, and some of them were men of no mean ability. The bush was so dense, that a trip to Akaroawas quite an expedition. Very often parties lost them- selves for days, which can hardly be credited now. The first track was cut by Mr. Cuff, for which he got 100. It can still be traced, running along the ridge on the South side of the Bay across the ranges to German Bay, where it ran almost in the same place the present road lies. About 1864 the Okain's, Little Akaloa, and Le Bon's Road Board came into existence! Mr. Henry Barnett was the first repre- sentative for Le Bon's, and Mr. George Hall acted as Clerk to the Board. In 1870-72 the present road to the Akaroa side was formed. Harry Head fixed the grading. He also laid out the road to Nor'-west Bay. Harry Head never lived in Le Bon's for any time, although he was passing through and staying at the settlers' houses. Few were as well acquainted with the bush as he. As most of our readers know, he lived in Waikerakikari and Gough's, then almost inaccessible. 206 STORIES OF THE BAYS. Batcher's meat was a luxury little known to the early people in the Bay. Wild pigeons abounded , however, also ka kas. The creek swarmed with eels of great size, and monsters of 401bs or 501bs were quite common. The general plan was for the men to go out on Sunday, and in an hour or so shoot enough game to last the rest of the week. As the bush disappeared, the land was sown down, and cattle introduced. The destruction of the bush was also the destruction oi the game. Messrs. Piper, Duvauchelle and Howland came early to the Bay, and worked in the mill. Mr. Bailey arrived in 1861. The Barnetts came in '63, Mr. G. Hall in '60, and Mr. D. Wright, now in Okain's, in '62. Th^re were, of course, heavy bush fires, but the inhabitants lived on the flat, which was first cleared, so little damage was done to property. Mr. Bailey was once burnt out, but he was the solitary ex- ception. The first dairy was started by the Messrs. Bar- nett, Mr. Thos. Oldridge soon followed suit, and is still carrying it on. Messrs. Hartstone, Leonardo and others soon afterwards began making cheese, but it is only during the last twelve or thirteen years that dairying has become general. Mr H. Barnett first introduced sheep into Le lion's to stock his fine property. The present church was built in 1869 : before that the preacher delivered his address from a timber stack. Mr. Smith had a school for the children in the Bay. Miss Pauer was the first mistress. Mr. Tom Berry, a well known character on the Penin- sula, was master afterwards. The present school was built about six years ago. Some years ago a man named Norris started in a boat for Okain's. It came on to blow, the boat was capsized and Norris drowned. Another accident occurred not long ago. Mr. Dalglish shot his GRAIN'S BAY. 207 timber down a shoot into the Bay, and still does. A man named Nielsen waa at the bottom of the shoot when timber was being let down, and kept in check by a chain. The chain broke and came down on Nielson, killing him. With the exception of a few occurrences of this sort, the Bay has had a very quiet history. It is the old story of men building up a settlement isolated from the rest of the world. The Bay prospers from year to year, and grass seed and cheese have become, its chief exports. The low price produce commands at present causes depression, but tho^e who have property in Le Bon's are confident that it has a prosperous future before it. No. 2. GRAIN'S BAY. Most of the Bays have got their names from some trifling irctdent. Okain's is no exception. Captain Hamilton, well known in the early times, and who used to trade between the Bays and Lyttelton, was passing this Bay in his vessel one day, and happened to be reading a book on deck. The book chanced to be by Okain, the Irish naturalist. Capt. Hamilton therefore called the Bay after the author, and it has been Okain's ever since. Okain's is perhaps the largest of the Bays round the Peninsula, beiug much wider than any of the others. The creek which flows down the valley and empties itself into the Bay, can be dignified with the title of river without mis- application. The flat rises so gradually from the beach that the tide is felt for more tham a mile from the mouth of the creek , and fairly sized vessels can navigate it The beach is a great stretch of sand, and the constant work of reclamation is doing on. 208 STORIES OF THE BATS. There are two Okain's, Big Okain's and Little Okain's. Little Okain's lies towards the East Head. It is a small narrow Bay of a ragged nature, and is remarkable for the many giant karakas that thrive there still. It was here that Moki, the renowned chief of the Ngai Tahu, landed first on the Peninsula during his expedition against To-te-Kawa, the great Ngatimamoe of Waihora (Lake Ellesmere). It is not exactly known whether the Maoris had a pah in Okain's itself. It is certain, however, that they visited it a great deal in their hunts for pro- visions. Their headquarters were Pah Island, a small islet lying round East Head c It contains about three acres, and its formation rendered it a splendid natural fortification for the natives. The Maoris inhabited it to the time when the first settlers came to Okain's, and traces of them are visible to the present day. The population of the Bay at the commencement of its settlement consisted chiefly of runaway sailors, and people who had reason for leaving the busy world for a time. There, safe from discovery, they employed themselves in sawing timber, which was plentiful, dense bush covering the whole Bay, a large proportion of it consisting of immense trees. As many as twenty or thirty pairs of pit sawyers worked at a time. Their mode of living was a very reckless one. They would saw a quantity of timber, Bend it away, and with a portion of the money it fetched, buy a quantity of provisions to last them until they could get another lot of timber. The rest would be spent in grog. When they got over the Bpree, back they went to work again, and repeated the same process. These men, had they liked, could have become wealthy, as timber sawing was a very profitable employment in those days, but they pre- ferred the wild mode of existence, and there is no single sample of a man who departed from the rule. GRAIN'S BAY. 209 It was chiefly in Okain's that the whalers in the early days got their spars, and shiploads of them were continually cut and sent away, the Bay being famed for its fine timber. Very dense was the bush. It was in fact difficult to travel far through it in any direction. When a track wanted cutting, all hands in the Bay set to work for the common good. About two years after the first real settlers came that was about 1850 a track was cnt over to Robinson's Bay for the pur- pose of communication with Akaroa. It was a very rough one, and those that are now in the Bay that travelled it think it would have far from satisfied the present inhabitants. It was better, however, than the untraeked bush, and the hardy pioneers were too accustomed to difficulty to think much of the hard- ships a journey to Akaroa cost them. Before this track was cut it was nearly impossible to get to the harbour, and , as in the other bays, men continually lost themselves while attempting it. The first people who really settled in Okain's were Messrs. Fleuly, Barley, Mason, and Webb. They were there before 1853. They bought up fifty acres among them. Mr. Thos. Ware, who soon after- wards arrived, bought one-fourth of it from them, and still owns it. Mr. Webb afterwards went to Laverick's, and died in that Bay. Mr. Mason remained in Okain's until his death, which has only recently occurred. The tidal wave of 1863 is well remembered by the old settlers. It spread a long distance up the Bay, flooding the houses on the flat. It left behind a thick sandy deposit, covering all the herbage, and it was some time before the latter grew again. A vessel that was being built down close to the river was carried off the stocks and floated round the Bay. No harm, however, was done to her. As may Le supposed, the event caused great consternation. 2s 210 STORIES OF THE BAYS. There have been few casualties in the Bay. In the very early days a boat belonging to Mr John Roberts was capsized, and two men drowned, A boat, also, coming from Le Bon's was lost, and two men met their fate. Those who have passed through Little Okain's in late years may have noticed the wreck of a small vessel lying half buried in the sand. She has now been completely broken up, Her name was the Sea-devil, and she once belonged to Mr. Th acker. Soon after he sold her she was driven ashore during a gale, and became a total wreck, Messrs. Moore, Sefton, Gilbert, and others were also very early settlers in Okaiu's. They took up land on the same principle as Messrs. Webb, Mason, Fleuty, and Harley, three or four of them buying up a fifty-acre section and going into partnership. As the bush was cut down fires became frequent, and a great deal of damage was done at times. The great fire which started in Pigeon Bay about five and twenty years ago, spread to Okain's. The fire lasted for a long time, and for weeks the sky was scarcely seen through the thick volumes of smoke. There have been several bush fires started in Okain's, but none as bad as this one. The summer had been a dry one, and the wind was favorable to its spread- ing. The whole Peninsula was ablaze, and after it had died out many wild pigs were found burnt to death. The native birds, besides, were never so plentiful afterwards as they were before the fire. As in Le Bon's, the creek swarmed with eels of a great size, and in the bush, pigeons and kakas were plentiful. It was no difficult thing for a man with a gun to live in the bush in those days. About three years after they came, Messrs. Mason and Fleuty commenced dairying, their old partners, Messrs. Webb and Harley, having left them and sold out their interest in the property. Messrs. Ware and Thacker soon started other dairies, and year OKAIN'S BAY. 211 after year as the bush was cleared others went in for dairy farming. Mr Ware brought the first sheep into Okain's about seven and twenty years ago. Mr. J, E. Thacker came to Okain's about thirty- eight years ago from Christchurch, and gradually bought up land , the six thousand acres purchased in all, now forming a magnificent estate. He erected a sawmill about fifteen or seventeen years ago, and soon cut all the suitable timber in the Bay. It was the largest sawmill ever at work on the Peninsula, and could cut 70,000ft in a week, so that it did not take long to clear the land, a large number of hands being employed. The building in which the engine and machinery were once located is still in good preservation, and is now used as a wool-shed. The tramway to fetch down the logs to the mill went away to the top of the valley, and parts of it are still to be seen. The Alert, Jeanette, and Elizabeth were the vessels employed to carry the timber to Lyttelton, and they had all they could do to clear it away as it was cut. The Okain's Koad Board was formed in 1864, and the present road to Akaroa was made in 1878. Okain's has settled down to a quiet peaceful exis- tence, the inhabitants being chiefly dependant on the production ot cheese, grass seed, and woo], and as long as these commodities command any price this fertile Bay is bound to give generous support to its healthy and happy sons and daughters. 212 STORIES OP THE BAYS. No. 3 LITTLE AKALOA. One would naturally think Akaloa was a corrup- tion of Akaroa. Some of those who have been connected with the settlement of this Bay, state that it received its name from a resemblance to Akaroa, and also from its position, as it lies diractly opposite the harbour. The oldest settlers declare, however, that Akaloa was the original Maori name. No Maoris have actually dwelt in the Bay since it has been settled. A great many of them, however, lived at the Long Look-out, and during the raid of the North Island Maoris on the Peninsula tribes, Maoris came from all the Bays round to Little Akaloa for shelter. They hid in the bush, and on the ridges between the Bays. There was a great slaughter on the Long Look-out, in which the local natives were almost annihilated. Traces of this event can be found on slopes of the cape. The first settlers to arrive were Messrs. Bennetts and Rix, fathers of the settlers of th( se names now in and about the Bay. Before they came there were sawyers in Little Akaloa, which, like the other Bays, was a refuge for runaway sailors and men of all descriptions. Seventeen or eighteen pit sawyers were once at work on the timber in the Bay. Messrs. Bennetts and Rix came from Wellington with Capt. Thomas. The latter was a Government surveyor, and came to lay out Lyttelton and Christchurch. This was in 1850. Messrs Bennetts and Rix came to Little Akaloa to saw timber for Capt. Thomas. In September of the same year Mr. George Ashton arrived. Mr Jones came soon afterwards, and pur- chased the first section of land sold in the Bay from the Canterbury Association, Mr. G, Ashton now resides on part of it. Amos Green, commonly known as Toby Green, was an early settler. He was a cripple. It seemg he escaped from a whaling ship, LITTLE AKALOA. 213 and fled to the Maoris, with whom he lived for some time. Two settlers came to the pah and engaged him for work on their land, and as he was stepping aboard their boat he stepped on to a loaded gun, which shot him through the leg. He was always a cripple afterwards, though he did a great deal towards settling Little Akaloa. Mr. George Boleyn, father of Mr. James Boleyn, of Stony Bay, Mr. McHale, of Raupo Bay, and the Waghorns were also very early settlers. As everywhere else on the Peninsula, the bush was very dense in Little Akaloa ; indeed it was perhaps more thickly covered than any other Bay. Mr. GK Ash ton possesses a photograph of the Bay in those early days. It is greatly different from the present appearance of the locality, showing the settlement on the beach, and the valley and hills covered with heavy timber. It was a bard day's work to penetrate a mile into the bush, and find your way back again. It came thick down to the water's edge. Akaloa abounded in very Sue pines and totaras, and gave plenty of employment to the numbers of pit sawyers who flocked there. A saw-mill was built in about 1860 by Messrs. A. Waghorn, Mclntosh and Turner. Mr. Mclntosh afterwards became sole owner. A man named Fenly, who had had charge of the mill in Duvauchelle's, then managed it. Messrs. Brown and Fraser afterwards took the mill from them. They started the \ ublic house in a building which had been intended for a dwelling house. The firm is still in existence in Christchurch. The saw-mill found work for many years, as valuable timber covered the whole surface of the valley. A tramway ran afterwards right up to the head of the Bay on nearly the same site on which the road now runs. Messrs. W. Pawson, H. Mclntosh and J. Mclntosh cut the first track over to Duvauchelle's Bay, commonly known as Shaw's line. It ran on 214 STORIES OF THE BAYS. the opposite side of the valley to that on which the present road lies. Messrs, George Boleyn and John Bennett cut the first track to Okain's. The manner in which a road was tested in those days, to judge whether the contractors had done their work in a proper manner, was by taking a bullock along it laden with clay. This was done to test the track to Okain's The Rev. Mr. Torlesse, clergyman at Okain's and Little Akaloa, was judge, and his report was unfavorable, and he wouldn't pass it. This gentleman got the church built in Okain's, and was schoolmaster there also. He frequently came to Little Akaloa, and preached in the open air. Mr. "Waghorn's barn was then used as a place for worship. Bishops Selwyn and Harper both preached in this barn. The former anchored off the Bay in his Bchoonor, and put a boat ashore. The inhabitants all collected on the beach, eager to see who their visitors were. On the boat arriving, the Bishop called out, ' Do you know who I am ? I am Bishop Selwyn, the travelling Bishop," and he jumped first out of the boat up to his middle, and helped drag her ashore. He then went up to the barn, and preached to them, and also christened several children who are now residents in the Bay. He did not stay long, but left behind him a great admiration for his abilities and plain speaking, Bishop Harper made periodical visits to the Bay. In 1862 the school- room was built, Mr. Bishop being the first master. In the following year the building was made the church, and still remains so. In 1853 Toby Green started the first dairy on the place where the Messrs. Waghorn now live. Mr G. Ashton soon followed his example, and as the bush was cleared so were fresh dairies commenced. Mr. G. Ashton kept up regular communication with the outside world by sailing a whale boat between Little Akaloa and Lyttelton, and carrying the mails. He LITTLE AKALOA. 215 also carried the Okain's mail, which he conveyed by the track, and rough times he had now and then. The main road to Duvauchelle's was made about 1868, and was a great boon to the inhabitants. Of course there were some heavy bush fires in Little Akaloa, but no harm is known to have been done, as the settlers were always on the alert expect- ing them. The historical fire which spread from Pigeon Bay about twenty-five years ago will not be soon forgotten by those who were in the Bay at the time. It was difficult for days to breathe in the smoky atmosphere. Like the rest of the Peninsula in the early times, provisions in the shape of wild pigs, birds, and fresh and salt water fish were plenti- ful, and we are assured they were needed , as it was difficult to get anything in the Bay at the time of its settlement. Whalers sometimes came into Little Akaloa, but they did not stay long, their principal places of stoppage being Port Levy and Akaroa. Mr T. Duncan who lately died in Christchurch, was the first who settled in Dncanter Bay, afterwards owned by Mr W. Ashton, but since sold by him. There was a Maori pah on Decanter beach, and it was these Maoris who acted as guides to the pioneers of the other bays, having an intuitive knowledge of the way to reach them through the trackless forest. The tidal wave was felt here, as elsewhere on that side of the Peninsula, pretty severely. A vessel by name the Struggler had been wrecked just before this, and endeavours were being made to float her again. The wave took her away up the flat, then out to sea and back again, not doing the least k damage to her. Mr Mclntosh's house was battered about, and one end of it was lifted up bodily by the water, the piles being washed from underneath it. It is considered that if the water had risen half an inch more it would have wrecked the house com- pletely, as the wave would have come through the 216 STORIES OF THE BAYS. front windows. A sandy deposit was left all over the flat, and the bouses there had half an inch of mud on the floors. The real harm done, however, was very trivial to what might have been expected. Very few casualties have occurred in Little Akaloa. The vessels Minnie, Kambler, Caledonia, and Mary Anne Christina, the latter a sihooner built in the Bay, as also was the ketch Minnie, were at times driven ashore while employed in taking timber to Lyttelton. The wreck of the Clematis (brig) was off the Long Look-out, and is of comparatively recent date. It was a calm, clear day, and she ran close in to the Look-out to shorten her voyage to Lyttelton. She struck on a sunken rock, and stuck there. The crew left her, and she stayed in that position for a day or two, when a fresh sea came and broke her up. The place where she struck was very close under the headland, and it was peculiarly daring of the Captain to attempt so short a cut. The rock is a sunken one, about five or six feet under, and the gea breaks on it when there is any wind. It seems remarkable that she struck in the only place where there was no escape. The old wharf was built about 16 or 17 years ago ; a Mr. Barnes was the contractor. It was in a position, however, where it was totally undefended from the sea. The new wharf is in a more secure place, and there is deeper water off it. Perhaps the most exciting event in the Bay was the burning down of the public houses, and it is no doubt fresh in the memory of most of our readers. The first building was unoccupied when burnt. A bar was fitted at once in an out-house. This met the same fate. A stable was then used, and that was also burnt, and no more attempts to sell liquor were made. The daring incendiaries, whoever they were, must have been wide awake to escape detection, LITTLB AKALOA. 217 The great floods were perhaps more severely felt in Little Akaloa than anywhere, and were attended with loss of life : a child of Mr. May's being drowned, and another narrowly escaping. The creek bed was so clogged with debris that it dammed itself continually, and the water came down in great waves. Mr. William Ash ton lived on the flat, and the creek made a bend round his dwelling. An out- honse, which a day or two before had been filled with provisions, was completely washed away to seai Mr. Ashton would not leave the house for some time, but finding the creek was dammed above, and fearing danger he shifted over to his father's house, the bridge by which he made his escape going half-an- hour afterwards. In the morning he found the house completely undermined and unfit for habita- tion, and he was indeed lucky to have taken his family and himself out of danger. The roads even now bear testimony of the havoc done, several bridges being washed away. Little Akaloa is a happy valley, and now the bush is all cleared is the home of many settlers, who do not regret their choice. Cheese, grass seed, and wool are the chief exports, and a good quantity of firewood even now finds its way out of the Bay. 2c 218 BTORIBS OP THE BAYS. No. 4 GERMAN BAY. German Bay, lying close to Akaroa as it does, ig closely associated with its history. It was settled as soon as any other Bay on the Peninsula, and when the whole place was a forest wild was con- sidered as one of the most fertile and convenient spots for habitation by the pioneers. It is not exactly known when Akaroa, German, and the other Bays round the harbour were first chosen as places of settlement by white men. It must have been very early in the century, however, when runaway sailors sought a home in the bush in pre- ference to cruising after whales, Several of these men lived with the Maoris and took Maori women for wiveSi Some stray sailors lived alone in the bush, and German Bay was one of their retreats, it being then easy to live on the natural products of the land. This Bay was of course no exception to the rest of the Peninsula as regards the bush, which was once very thick and heavy. The space, how- ever, we are informed, which is on the seaward side of the present road, was fairly clear, and here the first settlers built their whares. Wild pigs, besides pigeons, ka kas, and other birds abounded, and fish was plentiful, so it did not require much exer- tion to obtain a supply of provisions. As we all know, Capt. 1'Anglois is said to have purchased from the Maoris a great part of our Peninsula, a block consisting of many thousand acres. This block of land extended from Peraki to Pigeon Bay, and included all the land round the harbour with the exception of one or two small places. A boat, it is believed, and some articles of merchandise were the payment for the hnd. 240 was to be the value of the goods given in exchange for this great stretch of fertile country ; but it was GERMAN BAY, 219 never proved that anything like that amount was given to the Natives, and the Captain gave up his rights on returning to France to a company by name the Nanto-Bordelaise Co. Capt. 1'Anglois brought out the Comte-de-Paris for this Company with immigrants. The vessel arrived in Akaroa Harbour on 16th August, 1840, just seven months after the New Zealand Co. brought out emigrants to Nelson and Wellington. There were sixty emigrants by the Comte-de-Paris, and the Company granted them five acres of land on arrival, to be chosen where they pleased, and eighteen-months' provisions and all necessary tools. Mrs. Malmanche and Mr. Waec- kerlie are the only residents remaining who came here under this Company. Mr. Lelievre came about the same time, but he arrived in a whaler. There were six Germans who came out with the French settlers : Messrs Waeckerlie, Breitmeyer, and Peter Walter were among them. All the Germans formed a settlement in what is now German Bay, the place thus getting its name. They chose their five acres apiece there. A track was cut to Akaroa, and the timbor in the bush being BO good, the settlers employed themselves in pit sawing. The land was excellent for cultivation, but growing vegetables on a large scale didn't pay, as there were no people to whom to sell them, although the Maoris would row and then buy potatoes! Patches of ground in the clearing were sown down in wheat, as flour was a rarity, and the settlers felt the want of it very much, only being able to get a little when a whaler anchored in the harbour. The yield was very great. Even when these early settlers came, the Maoris round the harbour were not numerous The French thought, however, that it was as well to take pre- cautions, as their man-of-war could not always stay in harbour to protect, so a guard house was built in 220 STORIES OF THE BAYS. German Bay close to the beach, but luckily it Was never required for the purpose intended. Just after the arrival of the immigrants, the N.Z. Company sent down a Mr. Robinson to act as a Resident Magistrate, and a Constable This was rather officious on the part of the British, as New Zealand was not declared a British Colony until J841. This gentleman afterwards bought land in German Bay. By degrees, as the bush was cleared in German Bay, the English flocked there, and soon out- numbered the original settlers. As may be sup- posed, there were some large bush fires, but little damage was done to the inhabitants, who tock precautions in time. Captain Muter, afterwards Colonel Muter, arrived in 1851. He was the first to purchase land there under the Canterbury Association. The property is that now occapied by Mr Phillips. Capt. Muter built the house. He planted out trees, which are about the oldest of their kind on the Peninsula, and have always been remarkable for their growth. With him came Mr. and Mrs. Funnell, sen., and Mr, and Mrs Hammond. Capt. Muter had the misfor- tune of losing nearly all his implements and goods in Lyttelton. They were put in a boat, which sank after leaving the ship. Commodore Lavaud also lived in German Bay. Kuebler was the name of one of the original settlers who died in the early years. Mr. Wool was the name of a man who has long since left. Messrs. Hempleman and Whelch, father of Mr Thos. Whelch, of Akaroa, were among the first to take up land in German Bay. Mr Libeau, sen., was the first to start a dairy, and he found a good sale for his produce among the other settlers. Mr. Waeckerlie lived in the Bay until 1842. He then married and came to Akaroa, where he built a ROBINSON'S BAY. 221 flour-mill on the site of the Chinamen's house. Mr. Breitmeyer was the only original settler who had a family, but most of the others in time married and settled down. Almost as soon as cattle were intro- duced from Sydney, dairying commenced ; on a very small scale at first, raih calf being of great value, and beef an enormous price. As the land, however, was cleared and sowed down, it became the settlers' chief employment, and, with the production of grass seed, has remained so to the present day, German Bay was very beautiful when covered in bush, and, unlike many other Bays, has kept its beauty. This is chiefly owing to the early settlers taking care to plant out English trees as the bush, was burnt. The willows, which are an important part of the landscape, were grown from slips brought by the emigrants from St. Helena, where they were taken from the tree over Napoleon's grave, No 5 ROBINSON'S BAY. This Bay received its name from the man who first bought land there. Mr. Robinson was sent down to Akaroa to Act as a Magistrate by the New Zealand Company, being accompanied by 3 con- stable to enforce his authority. This was in 1840. Mr Robinson bought 100 acres, and the land is that where Mr. Saxton now resides. He never lived in the Bay for any length of time. The Bay is a large one, and covered with heavy timber as it was then, it was soon seen that a mill would pay there. The early history of Robinson's 222 STORIES OF THE BAYS. Bay is the same as that of the other Peninsula inlets. Eunaway sailors here found a refuge, and lived by pit sawing. It was no difficult mattor in those days for sawyers to make 5 or 6 a week, and then not exert themselves very much. The life they led, though lonely, was not an unhappy one. Building a wbare in a convenient place by a creek, they stored up a good supply of provisions and necessary tools. They varied their fare, and spun out the quantity by occasional raids on the wild pigs and birds, and they had not far to look for these. When they got a decent cheque they re- visited the haunts of civilization, and after knocking it down, went back and repeated the same process. The Pavitts put up the first saw-mill in the Bay. Mr. S. C. Farr built it on the same site as that on which the mill afterwards worked by Messrs. Saxton and Williams stood. Mr. Hughes also possessed a mill here about the same time. 'Ihese mills, how- ever, did not cut much timber. In 1865 Messrs. Saxton and Williams bought the land now occupied by Mr Saxton. The old mill was found to be in a rather dilapidated state, and not capable of doing much work. The new owners entirely renovated it, employed a great many men, and in a short time produced 1,000,000ft of timber yearly. The timber was punted out to vessels in the Bay. Messrs. Lardner and Sims carried a great deal of it away in their pant. Capt. Malcolmson, in the well- known Antekpe, and Mr. E. Latter's vessels, among which were the Foam and the E. and U. Cameron, were kept busily employed. The s.s. Beautiful Star once took a cargo to Dunedin, and also the s.s. Wainui. There were a great many vessels employed at different times. Mr Hughes built the Isabella Jackson on the spot where Mr. Johnstone's house now is, The Pavitts built the Thetis on the beach. ROBINSON'S BAY. 223 Nearly all the old settlers now in the Bay, and many in different parts of the Peninsula worked for Messrs. Saxton and Williams, thirty hands being employed by the mill. About 50 bullocks were used in dragging the big logs down the hills. The flat, of course, was first cleared, and here forty acres of hay were annually grown for the bullocks. The house of the Pavitts was situated a few yards away from Mr. Saxton's present dwelling. During a bush fire it was burnt, and they had to build a whare in the bush. The bush fires at times were very severe, and once the whole Bay was in a blaze, the inhabi- tants having to camp out in the open close to the beach. Mr. Johnstone was one of the earliest settlers in Robinson's Bay, Mr. Barnett, of LeBon's, also lived there before going over the hills. Mr. Piper, of Duvauchelle's, was in the Bay in the first year of its settlement, and Mr. E. 8. Chappell was an early inhabitant. Messrs Whitfield, Duxbury, W. N. McDonald (deceased), Kingston and Tizzard camo in a vessel called the Barracouta from the Otago gold fields. Mr. Gundy owned the place now occupied by Dr. Fisher, and was one of the first settlers, Mr. B. DeMalmanche rented a large portion of Mrssrs. Saxton and Williams' land, that principally which was cleared. The Currys and many others came soon alter the mill was started. Mr. Johnstone, who was bullock driving for the mill owners, and Mr. L. LeValliant were the first to start dairies. Messrs Saxton and Williams commenced a dairy which they rented to Mr. B. DeMalmanche. Un this dairy as many as eighty cows were milked, the buildings being where Mr. Saxton's house now stands. As the land was cleared, the men in employment in the mill bought it op and started dairying. The first sheep were brought into the Bay about twenty years ago. 224 STORIES OF THE BATS. Mr Saxton came out in the ship Westminister in 1858, in which ship also came Messrs A. Rodrigues, J. Wilkin, and others. Although in the Bay in that year he did not settle there until 1865, when he went into partnership with Mr. Williams, and they started the eaw mill. The only fatal accident which happened in the Bay was that by which a man named Tozer lost his life. He was cross-cutting with Mr. Kingston, and was on the lower side. On being sawn through, half of the log rolled on the unfortunate man, and crushed him to death. Mr Tolly, now living in Ashburton, once had his leg broken when turning a log drawn by bullocks. The owners of the mill put up the jetty, which has gone to ruin. They bore all the expense of having it done, besides supplying all the timber. A tramway was laid up to the mill, and extended up the valley three miles. This saved a great amount of labour, as vessels came and loaded at the jetty, and the nuisance of punting was done away with, besides saving a lot of work with the bullocks. The owners of the mill built a school for the children of the men at work, on the site of Mr. Morgan's house, Afterwards, when Mr. A. C. Knight was Minister of Education, the Government bought land and erected the present school. It is not many years ago since all the valuable timber was cut. The old jetty and tramway hare gone to ruin, but a new wharf has recently been put u . The mill property is now a sheep station occupied by Mr. Saxton. Dairying is the chief occupation of the settlers in the Bay. DUVAUCHELLB'S BAY. 225 No. 6. DUVAUCHELLE'S BAY SOUTH. Duvauchelle's Bay is not single like the others, but contains two distinct valleys, each having its own watershed, and separated by a distinct ridge. In this article we propose to treat of that portion nearest Robinson's Bay, all of which (with the ex- ception of a few sections) is occupied by Messrs. Piper Bros. The Dame was derived from two brothers who held a couple of sections under the Nante Bordelaise Company. They never lived in the Bay, and yet it still bears their name. It was never a French settlement at all, and the first that is known of it is that Rauperahau had a big cannibal feast just where the tramway crosses the main road. When forming the tramway, Messrs. Piper and Hodgson disinterred many old bones and other relics of these terrible festivities. Messrs. Narbey, Jandroit and others were living in the valley later on, sawing timber, The first section disposed of by the Canterbury Association was one of 200 acres, which they gave on their collapse to Lord Lyttelton, Lord Cavendish, and Lord Charles Simeon in part payment of money advanced to the Association. These 200 acres were first held on a nominal lease from Mr. Harman, agent for the nobleman in ques- tion, by William Augustus Gordon, brother of the great " Chinese Gordon," whose death at Khar- toum startled the civilized world. He resided in the Bay many years, working some time for Mr. Piper. He eventually went to Invercargill, where he died. The first land bought under the Canter- bury Provincial Land Laws was bought by Messrs. Cooper, Hodgson and Wilson. It was purchased in 1857, and consisted of fifty acres. They were Bawing there for some eighteen months, and then Mr Harry Piper made his first purchase in the Bay 226 STORIES OP THE BAYS. a thirty-acre section where his house now stands. The history of the Bay, as all Peninsula men know, is intimately connected with the gentleman we have mentioned. He had arrived in Canterbury in July, 1852, having come out in the " Old Samarang " with Sir Jno. Hall, Mr A. C. Knight, Mr Wright (chief postmaster of Lyttellon), Mr Brown (brewer of Christohurch) and many other old settlers. Mr Piper came down to the Peninsula in November of that year to Mr T. 8. Duncan, the late Crown Solicitor, who was then cockatooing in Decanter Bay. The following May (1853) he went to Mr John Hay in Pigeon Bay, and stayed till that gentleman left for Home, at the end of that year. All the Pavitt family were sawing in Pigeon Bay at that time. There were seven of them, three pairs sawing and one man cooking. There was a great flood that autumn, and boats could float where the present road now runs. In those dnys Mr. E. Hay had pigs by the hundred, which were known by their tails being cut. They were fetched down to feed by blowing a cow horn. Wild pigs were of course distinguished by their long appendages. They were very plentiful, and used to come and feed with the tame ones, and strange to say the pig dogs (a breed known as Mclntosh's, half bull and half kangaroo) when let loose, never touched a short tailed pig, but always went straight for the wild ones. One day Capt. Thomas, of the Red Hover, and old " Bkippy " (a whaler) saw a big wild boar running from the dogs up the road, and valiantly tried to stop him, but he quickly threw both over on their backs, strange to say without inflicting the slightest scratch. This pig was killed by Mr. Tom White ten minutes after. To show how bad these wild pigs were, Mr. Turner was stuck up for a long time on the fence at Hay's corner by a big boar, and a man named Joe Scott, coming round from Sin- DDVAUCHELLE'S BAY. 227 clair's to Hay's, was stuck up on top of an old saw pit for several hours. After leaving Hay's, Mr. Piper went sawing with Mr. Hillier in Pigeon Bay, and after that went boating with old " Skippy," and afterwards sawed with Mr. Turner in Pigeon Bay. Mr. James Pawson, of Little Akaloa, came over to Robinson's Bay to flitch tor the Pavitt's at the saw mill, and Mr. Piper went mates with him, and then went to Hendersons, at the Commercial Hotel, Akaroa, where an immense business was then doing, LeBou's was the next place visited, where he joined Messrs Cuddon and Wilson in a small sawmill, the first erected there, but previously worked by the Cuffs, He afterwards sawed for some months with Eugene, the Frenchman, in Radcliffe's Gully, Ger- man Bay. Mr. Piper afterwards sawed in Pawson's Valley. In 1859, whilst residing in this place, Mr. Piper was induced by Messrs Hodgson, Cooper, Wilson and Henderson to join them in erecting a saw mill in Duvauchelle's, near his 30-acre section. At first the speculation was a total failure, owing in a groat measure to defective engineering, Mr. Hen- derson then laiied, and bis fifth was sold to the other four proprietors, to whom the late Mr. Robert Heaton Rhodes proved on that occasion a good friend. The first two cargoes of timber were lost, owing \o demurrage charges caused by Mr. Hender- son's failure. Some three years after that, Messrs. Piper and Hodgson bought out Messrs. Cooper and Wilson, and became sole proprietors. From this time the mill progressed favorably, and in a few years was improved and altered, the firm going to the expense of over a thousand pounds. The partners had sown down the logging roads and where the fire had run through the tops, with English grass, and the first cocksfoot Mr. Piper bought wag from Mr, George Armstrong, who had 228 STORIES OP THE BAYS. purchased it at Wellington, and let a bag go as a favor at a shilling a pound (alas there is no such price now a-days I) It flourished exceedingly, and Mr. Piper sold many tons afterwards at from 6d to 6^d per Ib. Indeed Messrs. Hodgson and Piper and the Messrs. Hay were the principal producers of cocksfoot in the days of its introduction-. In 1874 Mr, Piper bought Mr. Hodgson out, but kept the mill running about six years after. Altogether some 20,000,000ft of timber were sawn out of the valley, nine tenths of it being totara, and grand totara at that. Mr. Piper purchased the rest of the valley after Mr. Hodgson left, and has since remained sole proprietor, but eighteen months ago let the property to his sons, Messrs. Harry and James Piper. Mr. Piper married in June, 1859, his wife coming out with Mr John Hay in the old Caroline Agnes. Mr. Piper was one of the old Peninsula boat's crew who held an unbeaten record of victory for seven years against all comers, both in Akaroa and Lyttelton. There were three Pawsons and W. Cormick in the Lyttelton crew besides Mr. Piper, and one of the Mclntosh's pulled in Akaroa. Mr. John Barwick, the well-known and esteemed Clerk of the Akaroa and Wainui Road .Hoard, is another resident in this part of Duvau- chelle's, besides Messrs. Piper. He lives upon one of the original Duvauchelle sections, of which he has been the occupier for many years past. Mr. Libeau's pretty home is in the corner of the Bay. When the mill was in full swing, forty men were always employed. Clearing was very expensive in those days, the first lot of 70 acres being let to some Maoris for 4 an acre, and a bag of sugar and a pound of tobacco for every ten acres. Mr. Piper has been associated with the local Government bodies since their start. He helped before the Road Boards were established, and has served well and faithfully DCVAUCHELLE'S BAY. 229 both in them and the County Council, holding the position of Chairman in both bodies. The Duvauchelle's of to-day is a very different place from that of the old times, when the saw-mill was first established. Where the mighty totaras once proved a home for thousands of native birds, good succulent grasses nourish stock which brings wealth to their proprietors and revenue to the Colonial Government. Many regiet the passing away of the old order of things, and sentimentalise over the loss of those timbered solitudes where supple-jacks were thick, and the wild pig luxuriated ; but we cannot help fancying that to the thinking person the present landscape is far more gratifying. True gloomy Rembrandt- like shadows have dis- appeared, and the tui no longer plumes his jewelled wings on the summit of some forest monarch ; but in the stead of the past beauties are smiling slopes of grass, which carry in thousands those gentle friends of man, whose feet are truly said to make golden the soil over which they pass. It must not for a moment be thought that the settlers in Duvau- chelle's have had no idea of preserving the original loveliness of the valley. A large patch of bush has been saved near the Summit, and endeavours have been made to encourage all vegetation shelter- ing the water courses with most satisfactory results. The konini, the tutu, the ribbon wood, and dozens of other aboriginals spread a grateful shade over the waters, and lessen evaporation, while giving intense satisfaction to the artistic taste. Nor is this all, for on all sides rise plantations of trees from other countries. Of these the blue gums have best repaid their growers. In one place on the flat they reach an altitude of at least an hundred feet, rising side by side straight and graceful. The pinus insignis has also done well, and the macrocarpa fairly, but the larch does not seem to thrive with that luxuri- 230 STORIES OF THE BAYS. ance which might have been expected from the soil that contains the remains of so many thousands of its giant predecessors. The creek is all protected by willows on its banks, and many other forest trees, including oak, silver poplar, sycamores, and Scotch pines. There is a nice garden and orchard, and a tennis court, which we think will fairly challenge comparison with any on the Penin- sula. In the future the Bay wUl be far lovelier than it is now : the old stumps will gradually disappear, and the many old buildings connected with the mill be destroyed, and covered with the sheltering grass whose silent march conquers so many scars on the bosom of old mother earth. Smooth and smiling with a peaceful English look will be the Duvau- chelle's of our grandchildren. But to those of the present generation, by whom the wilderness was reclaimed, these very stumps have all an interest. ' From this tree," your guide will say, " Came all the fluming for the mill ; from that we cut 2100 feet of 8 by 1 boards from a single length." To them each old stump is a reminiscence of a victory of industry, a symbol of honest profit for hard toil, a part of the old Peninsula life which has, with its many toils and troubles and pleasures, passed away for ever amongst the things that were. This is a valley which formerly supported a few hundred pigeons and a score or two of wild pigs, most of which were unfit for human consumption unless under very trying circumstances. The great floods of 1886 did much damage in Duvauchelle's. A tremendous slip from the Okain's road covered the rich alluvinl flat with clay, and the creek brought down boulders and rubbish till the woolshed was threatened, fences covered to the top rail, and much good pasture ruined for the time. Many of the young gum trees died from the lower portion of their trunks being covered, and it will be PIGEON BAY. 231 many years before traces of the disastrous event will be obliterated. No. 7. PIGEON BAY. Messrs. Hay and Sinclair were the first settlers in this Bay. It was in the year 1844 i,; the month of April that these gentlemen, leaving their families in Wellington, sailed in ft schooner from that port tn seek land in the south, where they had beard of fine plains. They had originally left Scotland in 1839, and were going first of all to settle in the north, but the tales they had heard of the Canter- bury and Taieri Plains made them very anxious to explore them. On arrival at Lyttelton, their first port of call, they did not know the exact locality of the Plains, but seeing the hills low at the head of Governor's Bay. they thought that must be the road. Accordingly they climbed to the saddle of what is now Gebbie's Pass, but on arrival found to their disappointment only what they thought was sea on the other sirle, which was of course the waters of Lake Kllesmere. They then determined to try for the Tnirri an^ *rpordingly sailed for Port Chalmers, aud lauded up b_y Anderson's Bay ; but they were again unsuccessful, not going 1 fur enough to find the level land. They then determined to return north again, aud sailed for Pigeon Bay, whither they had been driven by stress of weather on the way down. Here Mr. Sinclair announced his intention of making his home, as he was tired of wandering, aud Mr. Hay decided to do the same. , it was then agreed 232 STORIES OF THE BAYS. that Mr Sinclair should occupy that part of the bay now known as Holmes' Bay, but then as Sinclair's, Mr. Hay taking the main bay itself. They then returned to Wellington, and brought down their families and some four head of cattle, and farming and other implements, amongst which were a plough and harness. At the time of the landing Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair had three sons and three daughters, and Mr. and Mrs. Hay two sons (Messrs James and Thomas Hay, then three and two years old respec- tively. The two families lived together for nearly two years, first in a tent, and then in a thatched whare. We may here say that the inducement to settle in Pigeon Bay was that there was a settlement in Akaroa considered likely at that time to become one of the principal in the South Island. Finding they had not enough cattle, Messrs. Hay and Sinclair purchased some from Messrs. B. and G. Rhodes, lor whom Mr Geo. Rhodes was then managing a run consisting of the land since occupied by Messrs. Armstrong, Rhodes, and Haylock. We must not forget to mention that the schooner that brought the Messrs. Hay and Sinclair and their families to Pigeon Bay, also brought the Messrs. Deans, Gebbies, Mansons and their families, all these old settlers so well known to our readers arriving at the eame date. The cattle did wonderfully well in the bush, there being little clear land except at the points. As may be supposed, the living at those times was very primitive. There was no store nearer than Wellington, and consequently our settlers were sometimes out of flour, sugar, tea, and other things we consider necessary. Their principal meat food was pigeons and wild pork, and occasional ducks and teal. The pigeons were numberless, the old whalers having given the bay the name it bears from that circumstance. There used to be a PIGEON BAY. 233 good deal of exchange, too, with the whalers, who used to give slops and stores in exchange for vege- tables and the beef, which was killed as the cattle increased. About three or four years after the land- ing, Mr. Sinclair built a cutter of about eight or ten tons, with the intention of taking the produce of the Bay to Wellington. When she was completed she was loaded with all the produce in the Bay the result of a year's labour and sailed for Wellington. The crew consisted of Mr. Sinclair, his eldest son George, Alfred Wallace, and another young man. Terrible to relate, the cutter never reached Welling- ton, and nothing was ever heard of her again. It was indeed a severe blow to the new settlers thus to lose the heads of one family and the whole result of BO many months of arduous labour. Mrs. Sinclair was inconsolable, and let the place to Mr Mclntosh, nnd went to Wellington. She returned after a time, however, and resided in Akaroa, and then again came to Pigeon Bay, Mr Mclntosh taking up the Bay now known by his name Eventually in 1862 she sold out to Mr George Holmes and went to the Sandwich Islands, where she recently died at the ad- vanced age of over ninety years. About the begin- ning of 1851, Messrs. Sinclair and Hay built new houses, the former in Holmes' Bay, and the latter where Annandale used to stand. Mr. Sinclair's house was burnt, it will be remembered, only a few years ago, and Mr. Hay's house formed the kitchen nt Annandale, and was of course destroyed by the slip. Immediately after the Wairoa massacre, the Maoris agreed to murder all the whites in the South Island. They arranged to make fire signals, known as the old Maori telegraph, and begin with killing the Deans at Riccarton, then the people at Port Levy, Pigeon Bay, Akaroa, and elsewhere. The massacres were all to take place on the same day, and the Natives were afterwards all to meet at 2E 234 BTORIKS OP THE BAYS. Akaroa to destroy the whaling settlements. It was a time of great terror, and Mr. Hay hardly knew what to do. However, he determined to remain with his family in the Bay, and sell his life as dearly as possible. He loaded all his guns and pistols ready, and, strange to say, the pistols remained loaded for no less than twenty-one years ! Luckily the plot was frustrated. First of all there were among the whalers and settlers men who had Maori wives, and these told their husbands. A chief named Bloody Jack, too, wrote to the chief at Port Levy, telling him that he would be his enemy for life if he touched the whites. There was some hesitation and delny, and eventually the plot was abandoned. The next great event was the arrival of the first four ships on the 16th December, 1851. Need we say our settlers were delighted. Now there was no need to fear the Maoris, and there was a probable near market for produce and the advantages of society. It was indeed a red-letter day, and was duly celebrated. After the founding of the settlement, Mr Hay had considerable trouble in getting his land secured to him. His original grant was for the North Island, where he had been unable to settle. However, his claims were at last allowed. At this time Messrs. Cuff, Stewart, Tom White, and a host of other settlers came to the Bay, and Messrs. Hunt, McKay, and others followed. There was a fortnightly mail at that time, and the want ot a school began to be keenly felt. Mr. Hay had some private teachers, not, however, of much ability, and then came Mr, Knowles and established the first school. Mr. Gillespie followed, and immensely increased the reputation of the school, and then came Mr. Fitz- gerald, and to him came many pupils from Christ- church, and in fact all Canterbury. It was then, indeed, a most successful enterprise. The gold dis- coveries of Australia began to have a very beneficial PIGEON BAY. 285 influence at this time. Besides clearing out a great many of the old dissolute sawyers and whalers, it increased the price of produce enormously. Oats went up to 8s. a bushel, and potatoes to 8 and 10 per ton, and the settlers thrived. Afterwards the Dunedin diggings broke out, and so prices never got very low for years after. The cocksfoot industry on the Peninsula was started by Mr Hay. He gave at the rate of 2s. 6d. per Ib for the first seed, which he found did wonderfully well in the Bay. Soon it spread , and a demand set in, and in one year Messrs. Hay Bros, sold no less than, 70 tons at 8d per Ib. ]Vlr. Hay was never covetous of land. He always wished to see neighbours around him, and encouraged them to settle. When he died in 1863 he had only really acquired between 900 and 1000 acres, but he had the pre-emptive right over 2000 more. During the subsequent trusteeship the estate enormously in- creased in value and acreage. It was eventually purchased by Messrs. James and Thos. Hay, the eldest sons, from the rest of the family, and is now, as all Canterbury settlers know, one of the finest estates in the colony. fc>ome years ago, however, a great misfortune occurred. On the 18th August, 1886, a terrible slip came from the hills above the Annnadale Homestead, and utterly overwhelmed it, burying the gatherings the relics of forty years in a sea of mud. Luckily it happened in the day time, and there was no loss of life. The bay is one of the best on the Peninsula. Its well managed Road 1 Board has secured good roads for it. It has been well and thoroughly cleared and grassed, and ita future is fully assured, as all can see who visit its many smiling homesteads. The following is an interesting account of an attempt amongst Maoris to break the " Tapu " in Pigeon Bay in 1853 : It appears that late in the jear two sealing boats, carrying about twenty-five 236 STORIES OF THE BAYS. Maoris and half-castes, amongst which were some very pretty girls, arrived in Pigeon Bay from Dunedin. Most of these settled in the Bay, and as a good proportion of the meu had been whaling, they were superior in their ideas to the old Maori superstitions, and laughed at the idea of the " Tapu." A well-known Maori, named Toby, who bad been a headsman in whaling boats for many years, took the lead in the movement, and after many and many a " korero," he and those who doubted the virtue of the " Tapu," resolved to test it by attempting to seize two large sealing boats over which the sacred Maori halo had been thrown, viz,, the one from which Bloody Jack had been knocked overboard and drowned whilst trying to land at Timaru, and another owned by the young chief Hapukuku. These two boats were each under a bark wbare upon the small flat near the present wharf, and the reason for wishing to utilise them was that the natives at that time nearly supplied Lyttelton with firewood and potatoes, which they hawked rouad from house to house upon their backs, and that these two boats would carry quite as much as five whale-boats. At this time there were two Kaiks in the bay. Thiah's occupied the flat near the wharf, with a population of about seventy-five. The other (Kingston's) was at the head of the bay, with some 150, besides a few at Sinclair's, and four whares in the gully below the wharf, called Hapukukas. The old natives were quite alive to the proposed sacrilege, and had taken steps to prevent it, and this too in such a manner that the break- down was an utter surprise. Runners were sent to Kaikoura (north), and to Temuka (south), taking in the intermediate Kaiks, with instructions to go to Pigeon Bay at a certain date. In the meantime the breakers of the " Tapu " had hauled the boats to Gilbert's shed to be repaired and painted, Gilbert HEAD OF THS BAY. 237 did not commence at once, which possibly saved some trouble, but the day of meeting saw some 400 to 500 strangers arrive in hot blood ready to fight for the old custom, and it nearly came to a contest, only the renegades were too few ; so that after three days' feasting, koreroing, and blazing away powder, it was decided to cremate the boats. The boats were hauled to low water, covered with dry scrub, and burned, the natives, during the conflagration, doing a cry. Thus ended the largest native gather- ing on the Peninsula since the white man's time. No. 8 HEAD OF THE BAY. Although the bays called Duvauchelle's and Head of the Bay are often called by each others name, the bay in which Messrs. Piper, Barwick, and Libeau live is strictly Duvauchelle's. That in which the County Council Office and Post Office is, is really the Head of the Bay. They are in reality one bay, though two distinct valleys run back. Mr. Libeau was the first white man who lived in Duvauchelle's or Head of the Bay. He came ashore from a whaler and built a wbare on the spot where his son's house now stands. He arrived a year after the French immigrants came out to Akaroa, and was the father of the present resident. For many years the only inhabitants of the Head of the Bay were a number of sawyers. Many of them afterwards became settlers. Among them were Peter Connelly, Joseph Bruneau, Cortner Nicholas, Louis LeValliant, Ber- nard and his nephew, and Jag. Piper, The timber 238 STORIES OF THE BAYS, in the valley was nearly all totara and black pine, white pine growing on the flats close to the sea- shore. Like the rest of the Peninsula, the Head of the Bay was covered in dense bush, which ran dowu to the water's edge. Even in those times, when pigs were plentiful all over the country, the Head of the Bay was famous as literally swarming with them. Many and exciting are the tales told of pig hunts in this locality, in the old days, by the early settlers. The Pawsons arrived in the Bay in 1850, and cut the timber for the public house about to be built. Mr Pawson, sen., came out to Port Nicholson in 1840, at the same time as Mr. Jas. Wright, of Wainui, in the Coromandel, after a very stormy passage of nine months, six weeks of which were spent in the cove of Cork repairing the damage caused by a terrific gale the vessel experienced shortly after commencing the voyage. The family remained in the Wellington Province for nine years, and then left for Lyttelton in the Queen. From Lyttelton they came to Little Akaloa in a ketch commanded by Captain Bruce, of Bruce Hotel notoriety. The boat belonged to the Maoris, and was probably the same that Hempletnan bought the Peninsula from Bloody Jack for, The Pawsons did not live in the Head of the Bay until 1857. They came over occasionally for a time to cut timber. They saw the fine timber the bay possessed in these visits, and bought a mill from Mr Bryant in Barry's Bay. The three brothers, Messrs. Jonas, John, and William Pawson, worked it together for a num- ber of years, erecting it a good way up the valley- close to the house in which the latter now lives. Mr. John finally bought his two brothers out, and worked it himself for a time, afterwards building the big mill at the bottom of the Bay. Messrs. Saxton and Williams afterwards bought the mill, and worked it yery profitably. Mr. Shad bolt, who arrived about HEAD OF THE BAY. 239 the year 1855, was the last owner of the mill, taking it and cutting out all the timber in the bay. Nearly all the old settlers about the Head of the Bay were employed in those times at this mill, and a great quantity of timber was cut annually. The vessels that took away this timber were all built in the bay. Mr. Robert Close first started a boat-building yard, close to where the jetty has been built. He built the vessels Sylph, Sea-devil, and others. The latter is very likely the boat afterwards owned by Mr. Thacker, which came to grief in Little Okain's. Messrs. Barwick and Wilson afterwards opened a yard in Duvauchelle's. They had come to the Colony from Tasmania. Mr. Barwick is by trade a ship- builder, spending nine years at it, the earlier portion at Suuderland and afterwards at London. The partners, before coming to the Head of the Bay, had built the vessel Foam at Red-House Bay. At Du- vauchelle's they built the vessels Vixen, Breeze, Spray, 1'art, and the Wainui, afterwards converted into a steamer. They also built the first three boats for Timaru lighterage. The Spray is the only one of these vessels that is now heard of. Messrs . Bar- wick and Wilson dissolved partnership when they had built these vessels for Mr E. 0, Latter, and Mr. Barwick worked the yard himself for two years. During that time he built a large punt, which was afterwards turned into the ketch Alice Jane, that is so well known all over the Peninsula. Mr. \Vilson was a very peculiar character, being very mean in scraping together all he possibly could, and very generous in distributing it, " giving the shirt off his back," as one who knew hioi well puts it, " to the first man who asked him." He was the first man to open a store in the bay ; but it did not prove very profitable to him, as he gave away most of his goods. While Messrs. Barwick and Wilson worked the ship-yard, they employed over thirty men. After 240 STORIES OF THE BAYS. working the yard by himself for two years, Mr. Barwick gave it up as there was no work to be done, nearly all the timber in the bay being cut. Bush fires were pretty common in those early days. At the time the whole Peninsula was on fire, starting from Pigeon Bay, the whole of the bush in the Head of the Bay was killed, and the fire, bursting out afresh at intervals, was burning from January to May. The settlers in the Bay have been very fortunate, as there has never been a fatal accident there, the only serious one remembered being that by which a man lost his legs through having them crushed under a tree when he was bushfalling. The public house was first owned by Messrs. Tribe and Selig. Afterwards Mr. Pawson, sen., became owner, and Mr. John Anderson took it from him. Mr. Shadbolt then bought it. Messrs. Van- stone, Barker and Brookes each managed the hotel after this, Mr. Shadbolt taking charge of it again when they had left it. Mr. Cooper had it after it was re-built, after being burnt down during the ever memorable hotel burning period. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson now rule there most worthily. During the early years in the history of the bay, the want of a school was much felt, for there were many children in the bay, belonging to the men working at the mill, and a place of worship was also much needed. Lord Lyttelton therefore gave half an acre for the purpose, and the men clubbed together and gave timber and work until they had erected a suitable building. The half-acre is that on which the church now stands, though it has been re-built. The Akaroa and Wainci Road Board was shifted from Akaroa to the Head of the Bay in 1878. The office stood where the Courthouse now is. The permanent road to Little Akaloa from the Bay was made about 1864. At the same time the road from Akaroa to Ohristchurch was made up Red John's ISLAND BAT. 241 Gully. The evidence of the Board's usefulness is visible everywhere, and the bay is perhaps the most central position where its headquarters could be situated. The County Council offices were built in 1879, and the Post and Telegraph Office in the same year. Messrs Barker (father of Mr Beilby Barker) and Fry established the line of coaches running from Christchurch and Pigeon Bay to Akaroa, Mr 8. Lee has owned the business for some considerable time. During the last few years communication with Christchurch has been considerably facilitated, and until the railway touches on Akaroa Harbour it is unlikely we shall be able to reach the capital of the province in a shorter time than we can at present. No. 9. ISLAND BAY. There are interesting associations of the past in this bay, lying, as it does, over that rugged coast, between Peraki and Land's End, as the West Head of the harbour is called. It receives its name from a towering rock guarding the entrance, and rising up out of the troubled waters like an old castle. The b that known as Charteris. It is so called from the surveyor who originally measured its area, and is of very considerable extent, Separated by a spur from the head of Lyttelton Harbour, it is in reality the valley of Mt. Herbert, the highest peak of our Peninsula, whose giant summits are far loftier than those famed heights of which Macaulay sang in his glorious verses that tell of the fiery warning that flashed through England when the Armada was seen approaching. As seen from the bay, Mt. Herbert has two great peaks, The one of greatest altitude is smooth to the summit, and towers in calm serenity over a frowning rocky peak, which at the first glance appears the real monarch, but in reality is some 200ft lower. The saddle between these two is really the commencement of Charteris Bay ; and from the very topmost tier of the hard rocks that crown the latter, gushes the spring that is the source of the large creek which finds its way into the harbour in the centre of the bay. It is said this spring is so near the peak that a very little work would cause it to flow in the opposite direction. However, after a somewhat precipitous course it reaches the head of a beautiful valley some three miles in length, along which it runs to the sea, form- 2a 250 BTOKIES OF THE BAYS. ing many a cool pool and miniature waterfall in its fertilising progress. Half way down the valley its course is confined within rather narrow limits by a great barrier of volcanic rock that almost closes the upper flats from those below. Very little labour indeed would make this a stronghold such as Black- more tells us of in " Lorna Doone," a place where, in the days gone by, a stately dame could in perfect safety dish up those storied spurs which warned her husband and sons that it was time to proceed on another cattle stealing expedition. From this point the valley rapidly extends in width, and is excep- tionally fertile and well grassed. The floods of a few years ago did considerable damage, bringing down great masses of shingle, and widening the bed of the creek very greatly ; but year by year the soil is gathering over the stones, and the grass is creeping over their grey sides, so that before long the emerald carpet will be as wide as ever. The creek is not untenanted : besides the eels, the trout that have been placed there have thriven, and in cool pools at the end of rapids can be seen gliding in the clear water. At the end of one spur that embraces the bay (that on the Purau side) is a magnificent pinnacle of rock. It is fitly denominated Castle Peak, and so strong is the resemblance of ruined towers, that were it on the Rhine it would doubtless furnish many a tale to an imaginative guide. These hill sides show no traces of having ever been entirely clothed with the " forest primeval," but in nooks of the mountain are many patches of kowhni, ngaio, matapo, and other beautiful native trees that flourish exceedingly in these * heltered recesses. No part of the Peninsula can be more beautiful than Charteris Bay when we saw it last, in an tiutumn sunset, the great rocks that cast no shadow here in a thirsty land, but hoard their liquid treasures to their summits, frowned in the deep CHARTERIS BAY, 251 purple of imperial majesty, and a thousand various shades flickered and faded over brown hill side and bright green valley, till a sombre haze shrouded all in the soft greys of approaching night. It was Dr. Moore to whom fate allotted Charteris Bay when the sections were drawn for in England, and he came out to Lyttelton in the Sir James Pollock in 1851. He had neighbours on both sides, for the late Mr. Mansou, Mr. Gebbie, and their families had settled at the Head of the Bay in 1845, and Mr. Fleming was located at Port Levy, and Mr. Rhodes at Purau. Dr. Moore brought some good cattle out with him, and it was in Charteris Bay that the nucleus of those Peninsula herds which afterwards became so famous for their production of butter, cheese and beef, were first reared. Brother Phil, Cranberry, His Honor, and General Wolfe amongst the bulls, and Flash, Duchess, Creamy, and an Alderney named Dunny amongst the cows were household words amongst the Peninsula pioneers, and for a long time no female scion of the famous herd found its way into other hands ; but has not this been already recorded in the " Stories of the Peninsula " by the Rev. R. R. Bradley ? There was another owner of properly in the Bay, a Mr. Rowe. He had a section in the early days, but went away, and was heard of no more. Five or six years ago, however, news came he had been living in, Victoria, where he had prospered, and Mr. Helmore, a Christchurch lawyer, took possession of the property as his attorney. Dr. Moore did not make a permanent home in Charteris Bay, and sold his property to the Rev. R. R. Bradley in 1858. Mr. Bradley was clergyman at Papanui before this, and after he became a farmer, he preached at Purau on alternate Sundays for seven consecutive years. Dr. Moore, after the sale, returned to England, where he had many connections, his father having been the 252 STORIES OP THE BAYS. Mayor of Salisbury. From October, 1858, to his death, a period of more than thirty-three years, the Rev. R. R. Bradley resided at Charteris Bay with his family, and the principal part of it, some 2000 acres, was in his possession. A great part was once owned by the late Mr. Manson, but he disposed of it finding he had too large an area to manage. There are a few small settlers in the Bay, the Simpsons and Hays, and very comfortable little homesteads they have, and lead happy and contented lives. The old buildings erected by Dr. Moore are still standing : in fact he built the house in which the Bradley s now reside, though of course it has been repaired and altered. He had also a stone dairy and stalls, but these are fast falling into decay. The house is pleasantly situated on rising land about half a mile from the beach. In front is a fine view of the bay, Rsbbit Island, and the long peninsula which nearly joins it, nnd so much reminds one of Onawe in Akaroa Harbour. In the foreground are newly grassed paddocks, a few stately trees, the pretty homestead of Mr. Hay, and the school build- ings, which are very neat. At the back of the house is a splendid plantation of gums, with here and there a pinus insignis and a macrocarpa. In the bank at the back a cellar has been dug out, and very cool it is in the hottest weather. A neat macrocarpa fence bounds the flower garden, which is rich in many flowers. The roses look particularly nice, and amongst the native shrubs and trees are specially to be noticed some grand specimens of the mountain palm, the giant cabbage tree, which here flourishes most luxuriantly. Winding down the path to the left, past the garden, we come to the stockyard, which is very massively fenced and paved with stones. The stables are most spacious and excellent, as might be supposed, from their being under the management of Mr. Orton Bradley, the present owner of the estate. GOUOH'S BAY. 258 No. 12 GOUGH'S BAY. The lower part of this beautiful Bay was the property of the Messrs. Masefield Bros, when the first edition of " Stories of Banks Peninsula" was publi&hed, but it now belongs to Mr. V. V. Mase- field, Mr, Win. Masefield having gone to the Sounds. The Native name of the Bay is Okururu, and the Messrs. Masefield quite agreed with the writer that it is a great pity the Maori appellation was ever altered. It appears that the present designation was given to it from a man named Gou with Hughes. We went round in boats to have look at the place which he had selected, Moeraki Point, as the site for the station, and everyone could 280 MORE STORIES OF OLD SETTLERS, see at once that a better spot could not be wished for. There was good shelter, sound anchorage, a nobby landing, and plenty of wood, besides which Moeraki was a very pretty place, and aboye all there were plenty of fish about. So we thought it a good spec to join Hughes. " There were three partners in the aftair : Hughes and a man named Thompson, and Sivatt, a cooper. The cooper was a very important man in all whaling parties, for d'ye see, we always get the staves down in. ' shooks ' You know what shocks are ? Yes, bundles of staves, and he had to rattle them together, and this took him all his time. I've seen any amount of those chaps that would put together their twenty tuns e day single-handed. Well, as I was going to say, we were all on a ' lay.' You know what a lay is, I suppose ? If you are on a 100th, when a 100 tons are got you get one, and when you are on a lay they find you : that's the difference between a lay and going shares. If you are on shares you find yourself, but of course you get a bigger chance than in a lay. The men get different interests according to agreement. A pulling hand will get, say, one share, a steerer one and a-half, and a headsman two shares just as is agreed on. As I said, there were three partners in the spec, and the rest of us were on a lay six of us white men and six Maoris that we brought with us from Otago. They were fine strap- ping fellows. We had our eyes open in getting them to join the party. You see, we got on very well with the Maoris, but there was just a chance that that state of things wouldn't last for ever, and it seemed to us that we had a double chance of securing a peaceful and quiet time by having these chaps with us. They were sons of chiefs, and if the worst did couie to the worst we had them with us, don't you see ? " Hughes was the head man of our party. We MR. WILLIAM ISAAC HABBBFIELD. 281 sailed from Otago in the Magnet brig, Captain Bruce the man I referred to a while ago ; you must have heard of him ; he died at Akaroa some time ago, and we cast anchor just inside of the point where the lighthouse now is on the day after Christmas, 1836. And a beautiful place it was I The bush was growing right down to the edge of the water. " Everything was quiet and untouched by anyone ; and I doubt whether men had ever landed, for the pigeons would come and light on your heads, and the kakas weren't frightened when they saw us. The only thing that was short was water. There was but one pool on the peninsula ; and there is only one now, strange to say. You can't get water any- where else, and all we get now is from the roofs of the houses. The water in the pool isn't fit to use excepting for cattle. It took us two days to land our things from the brig. There were a good many things to get ashore, and the try- pots were heavy. At last we got everything out of the Magnet, and she went awy. " There were very few Maoris here in Moeraki. A small party (some nine, all told), under Tongata- hara, lived at the point, but none of the present tribe were here. Tongatahara's people went to Akaroa soon after we came, and during our second season the tribe now living at Moeraki came from Kaiapoi : I mean, of course, the fathers and grand- fathers of these Natives ; only two or three of the old ones are left. Rauparaha had driven them from their original holdings. It is scarcely correct to call them a tribe, either ; they were the remnants of five tribes or hopus all that were left after Rauparaha'a repeated massacres and came down here to keep out of his road ; since, although he had been badly beaten in Cloudy Bay, they lived in constant dread of his reappearance. It was about 1838 that the 2K 282 MORE STORIES OF OLD SETTLERS. Maoris first came to Moeraki. They made the trip in canoes and one whaleboat, which they had picked Hp somewhere a worn-out old thing that some of the whalers ha