Chapter I: Preface

In publishing this record of travel, I have deemed it advisable to arrange my narrative under four principal divisions. In the introductory portion I refer to the leading physical features of that part of the North Island of New Zealand known as the King Country, relate the leading incidents connected with its history, describe the condition of the native race, and explain the object with which my journey was undertaken. The succeeding chapters deal with my visit to the Maori King when presenting my credentials from Sir George Grey at the tribal gathering held at Whatiwhatihoe in October, 1882. The description of the Lake Country includes my route from Tauranga, on the East Coast, to Wairakei, and which led me through the marvellously interesting region familiarly termed the Wonderland of New Zealand, while in the pages embracing my explorations in the King Country I record events as they occurred from day to day over a lengthy journey which was delightful on account of its novelty and variety, and exciting by reason of the difficulties, both as regards natural obstacles inseparable from the exploration of an unknown region under the unfavourable conditions by which I was constrained to carry it out, and the deep-rooted jealousy of the native race against the intrusion of Europeans into a portion of the island which is considered by them to be exclusively Maori territory.

When it is considered that in company only with my interpreter, and with but three horses--ultimately reduced to two--and with what scant provisions we could carry, I accomplished considerably over 600 miles of travel, discovered many new rivers and streams, penetrated almost inaccessible regions of mountainous forest, found extensive areas of open plains suitable for European settlement, traced the sources of three of the principal rivers of the colony, examined the unknown shores of its largest lake, ascended one of the highest mountains of the southern hemisphere, experienced degrees of temperature varying from 80° in the shade to 12° below freezing-point, and successfully traversed from South to North, through its entire length, a territory with an area of 10,000 square miles, and which had been from the early history of the colony rigorously closed to Europeans by the hostility of the native tribes, it may be readily seen that the explorations, by their varied nature, disclose many important facts hitherto unknown concerning a vast and beautiful portion of New Zealand; and while they cannot fail to prove of practical utility to the colony, they will, I venture to think, be a welcome addition to geographical science.

The map appended to this work may be said to form the most complete chart of the interior of the North Island as yet published. Up to the present time the extensive territory embraced by the King Country has, owing to the obstruction of the natives, never been surveyed, and consequently many of its remarkable physical features have remained unknown, the existing maps of this part of the colony being mere outlines. As, therefore, considerably more than half of the country traversed was through a region which was, to all intents and purposes, a _terra incognita_ from the commencement of my journey, I adopted a system of barometrical measurements and topographical observations, and thus secured a supply of valuable material, which I mapped out from day to day, while the names of mountains, rivers, valleys, and lakes were obtained from the natives by the skilful assistance of my interpreter, who was at all times unceasing in his endeavours to carry out this part of the work with accuracy.

The table of altitudes of the various camping-places and stations of observation throughout the country explored will be found to be of considerable interest and importance. By these results the conformation of a large portion of the island may be arrived at. Thus, beginning at Tauranga, and taking that place at ten feet above sea-level, it will be seen that the land rises rapidly from the coast-line for a distance of about twenty miles, when, at the Mangorewa Gorge, it attains to an altitude of 1800 feet; from that point it falls towards the South until the table-land of the Lake Country is reached, when, at Lake Rotorua, it has an altitude of 961 feet. From the latter place, still going southward, the table-land rises with an elevation varying from 1000 to 1500 feet, until it falls towards the valley of the Waikato, when at Atea-Amuri it is not more than 650 feet above the level of the sea. Further along it gradually rises until it reaches Oruanui, some fifteen miles distant, where an altitude of 1625 feet is attained, until the country again falls to the extensive table-land of Taupo, where over a large area it maintains an elevation varying from 1000 to 1400 feet, the great lake itself standing at an altitude of 1175 feet. Southward of Lake Taupo the Rangipo table-land varies from 2000 to 3000 feet, until it falls towards the South Coast, giving an altitude at Karioi, on the Murimotu Plains, of 2400 feet. Westward of this point the country falls gradually to 560 feet to the valley of the Whanganui, and from that region going eastward to the Waimarino Plains it attains to an elevation of 2850 feet in a distance of about thirty miles. Northward again along the western table-land of Lake Taupo it varies in height from 1000 to 2420 feet, until the Takapiti Valley is reached, where it is only 900 feet. In the Te Toto Ranges an altitude of 1700 feet is attained, until at Manga-o-rongo, a deep basin-like depression in the valley of the Waipa, the land is not more than 200 feet above sea level.

The wood engravings contained in this work are from original sketches by the author, with the exception of that of the native village of Lake Rotoiti, which is from a painting by the talented artist Mr. Charles Bloomfield. They were engraved by Mr. James Cooper of Arundel Street, Strand. The portraits of the native chiefs are from photographs taken by E. Pulman and J. Bartlett of Auckland. They have been reproduced by the Meisenbach process.

In the Appendix will be found a synopsis of the principal _flora_ met with during the journey, together with that of Mount Tongariro and Mount Ruapehu, up to the highest altitude attained by plant-life in the North Island. A synopsis of the _fauna_ is also added. Biographical sketches are given of King Tawhiao and several noted chiefs, with a list of the principal tribes and their localities. There is likewise a brief reference to the Maori language, with a compendium of the most useful native words.

In bringing this volume to its completion, I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to Sir George Grey, K.C.B., for his letter of introduction to King Tawhiao; to Mr. C.O. Davis, for the willing way he at all times placed his scholarly knowledge of the Maori language at my disposal; to Mr. T.F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., for the classification of the _flora_ of Tongariro and Ruapehu; to Mr. James McKerrow, Surveyor-General, for maps and charts of the colony; to Mr. Percy Smith, Assistant-Surveyor-General, for a correction of altitudes; to Mr. Robert Graham, of Ohinemutu, for voluntarily placing his best horses at my disposal; to J.A. Turner, for an unceasing earnestness of purpose in fulfilling his duties as interpreter; and to the Whitaker Ministry, for their recognition of the usefulness of my work.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

PAGE

Geographical description of the King Country--Its political
state--Efforts made to open it--Condition of the natives--Origin
of the journey--Letter of introduction to the king 1

THE FRONTIER OF THE KING COUNTRY.

CHAPTER I.

THE KING'S CAMP.

Alexandra--Crossing the frontier--Whatiwhatihoe--The camp--King
Tawhiao--The chiefs--"_Taihoa_" 17

CHAPTER II.

THE KORERO.

The Kingites--Half-castes--An albino--The king's speech--Maori
oratory--The feast 27

CHAPTER III.

ASCENT OF PIRONGIA.

Mount Pirongia--Geological features--The ascent--A fair prospect 36

THE LAKE COUNTRY.

CHAPTER IV.

AUCKLAND TO OHINEMUTU.

The flank movement--Auckland Harbour--Tauranga--Whakari--The
_tuatara_--_En route_--The Gate Pa--All that remains--Oropi--A
grand forest--Mangorewa Gorge--Mangorewa
River--A region of eternal fire 46

CHAPTER V.

HOT-SPRING LIFE.

Ohinemutu and Lake Rotorua--Te Ruapeka--The old _pa_--Native
baths--Delightful bathing--A curious graveyard--Pigs--Area
of thermal action--Character of the springs--Chemical
constituents--Noted springs--Whakarewarewa--Te
Koutu--Kahotawa--"_Tenakoe, pakeha_"--Hot and cold 56

CHAPTER VI.

TRADITION, IDOLATRY, AND ROMANCE.

Origin of the Maoris--Te Kupe--First canoes--The _runanga_
house--Maori carving--Renowned ancestors--Tama te
Kapua--Stratagem of the stilts--Legend of the whale--The
Arawa canoe--Noted braves--Mokia--A curious relic--Gods
of the Arawas--Mokia by night--Hinemoa--A
love song 68

CHAPTER VII.

EN ROUTE TO THE TERRACES.

Over the mountains--Rauporoa Forest--The _hotete_--Tikitapu--Rotokakahi
--Te Wairoa--The natives--Waituwhera Gorge--The boat--A distinguished
traveller--Sophia--Lake Tarawera--Mount Tarawera--Te
Ariki--Te Kaiwaka 81

CHAPTER VIII.

THE TERRACES.

Te Tarata--Beauty of the terrace--The formation--The crater--A
sensational bath--Ngahapu--Waikanapanapa--A weird gorge--Te
Aua Taipo--Kakariki--Te Whatapohu--Te Huka--Te Takapo--Lake
Rotomahana--Te Whakataratara--Te Otukapurangi--The
formation--The cauldron 94

CHAPTER IX.

OHINEMUTU TO WAIRAKEI.

Te Hemo Gorge--Mount Horohoro--Paeroa Mountains--Orakeikorako--Atea
-Amuri--Pohaturoa--The land of pumice--Te Motupuke--The glades
of Wairakei 109

CHAPTER X.

WAIRAKEI.

The first view--The Geyser Valley--Curious sights--Tahuatahe
--Terekirike--The Whistling Geyser--A nest of stone--Singular
mud-holes--The Gas and Black Geyser--The Big Geyser--The great
Wairakei--The Blue Lake--Hot mud-holes--Kiriohinekai--A valley
of fumaroles--Te Karapiti Te Huka Falls--Efforts to pass under
the falls--A cave--An enormous fissure--Another trial--A legend 115

EXPLORATION OF THE KING COUNTRY.

CHAPTER XI.

THE START.

Reason of the journey--How I succeeded--My interpreter--Our
horses--The Hursthouse difficulty--Departure from
Wairakei--Tapuwaeharuru--The natives--Release of Hursthouse,
and capture of Te Mahuki--The council of war 131

CHAPTER XII.

THE REGION OF LAKE TAUPO.

Natural phenomena--The great table-land--Position and dimensions
of the lake--Water-shed--Geological features--The lake an extinct
crater--Crater lakes--Areas of thermal action 139

CHAPTER XIII.

EASTERN SHORE OF LAKE TAUPO.

A grand view--True source of the Waikato--The river of "streaming
water"--Our first camp--Variation of temperature--Roto
Ngaio--Te Hatepe--Te Poroporo--The lake beneath us--A
canoe--Motutere--Tauranga--Southern shore of the lake--Delta
of the Upper Waikato 149

CHAPTER XIV.

TOKANU.

Scenery--The springs--The natives--Old war-tracks--Te Heuheu--A
Maori lament--Motutaiko--Horomatangi 161

CHAPTER XV.

THE RANGIPO TABLE LAND.

Along the delta of the Upper Waikato--Mount Pihanga--The
Poutu River and Lake Rotoaira--Boundaries of the Rangipo--Scenery--A
fine night--A rough time--A great storm--The _karamu_ as
fodder--Banks of the Upper Waikato--Another start--More bad
weather--Flooded creeks--Pangarara--Te Hau 168

CHAPTER XVI.

ASCENT OF TONGARIRO.

Physical and geological features--Legend of Tongariro--A break
in the clouds--The start for the ascent--Maories in the
distance--The Waihohonu valley--The ascent--The brink of
Hades--The great crater--The inner crater--The lower cones--Crater
lakes--The descent--A valley of death--Tongariro by moonlight--A
cold night--The start for Ruapehu 179

CHAPTER XVII.

ASCENT OF RUAPEHU.

(_First Day._)

Approaching the mountain--A field for research--Physical and
geological features--Plan of attack--Curious icicles--A
lava barrier--Natives in the distance--Horse camp--Scoria
hills and lava ridges--The start for the snow-line--Up the
great spur--Head of the spur--Our camp--A wind-storm--Ruapehu
by night--A picture of the past--Waiting for sunrise--Sunrise 199

CHAPTER XVIII.

RUAPEHU.

(_Second Day._)

ASCENT OF THE GREAT PEAK.

The start--A lava bluff--Last signs of vegetation--Wall of
conglomerate rock--The Giant Rocks--Ancient crater--Difficult
climbing--A frightful precipice--The ice crown--Cutting
our way over the ice--The summit--Peaks and crater--A grand
_coup d'oeil_--The surrounding country--Taking
landmarks--Point Victoria 217

CHAPTER XIX.

THE KAIMANAWA MOUNTAINS.

Further plans--Across the plains--_In memoriam_--The Onetapu
Desert--Mamanui camp--Grilled _weka_--A heavy frost--The
Kaimanawas--Geological formation--A probable _El
Dorado_--Reputed existence of gold 229

CHAPTER XX.

SECOND ASCENT OF RUAPEHU. SOURCES OF THE WHANGAEHU AND
WAIKATO RIVERS.

Curious parterres--Supposed source of Whangaehu---A gigantic
lava bed--A steep bluff--The Horseshoe Fall--The Bridal Veil
Fall--The Twin Falls--A dreary region--Ice caves--Source of
the Waikato--The descent--Our camp on the desert 237

CHAPTER XXI.

KARIOI.

Our commissariat gives out--The Murimotu Plains--The settlement--The
homestead--The welcome--Society at Karioi--The natives--The Napier
mail 252

CHAPTER XXII.

FOREST COUNTRY.

The start from Karioi--On the track--Te Wheu maps the
country--The primeval solitude--Terangakaika Forest--The
_flora_--Difficulties of travel--The lakes--Birds--Pakihi--Mangawhero
River--Gigantic vines--Fallen trees--Dead forest giants--Mangatotara
and Mangatuku Rivers--A "Slough of Despond"--Dismal swamp 258

CHAPTER XXIII.

RUAKAKA.

The _wharangi_ plant--Enormous ravines--Ruakaka--Reception
by the Hauhaus--The chief Pareoterangi--The parley--Hinepareoterangi--A
repast--Rapid fall of country--The Manganui-a-te-Ao--Shooting the
rapids--The natives--Religion--Hauhauism--Te Kooti's lament--A
Hauhau hymn 269

CHAPTER XXIV.

NGATOKORUA PA.

Departure from Ruakaka--A legend--Rough forest--Crossing the
Manganui-a-te-Ao--Scenery of the river--Mount Towai--The plains
in sight--Rapid rise in the country--Ruapehu from the west--The
Waimarino plains--Arrival at the _pa_--The chief's family--A
Hauhau chief--_Inter alia_--Pehi on the decay of the
Maoris--A war-dance--The mere 281

CHAPTER XXV.

HOT SPRINGS OF TONGARIRO.

Departure from Ngatokorua--Okahakura Plains--Tongariro from the
north--Source of the Whanganui--The hot springs--A marvellous
sanatorium--Crater of Ketetahi--Te Perore--A strategic
position--Kuwharua--Maori cakes--A grand region--Site for
a public park 295

CHAPTER XXVI.

WESTERN TAUPO.

Supposed forest country--The western table-land--Soil and
_flora_--Terania--Okarewa--Te Kaina Valley--Maoris on the
track--Pouotepiki _pa_--A tangi--The natives--A friendly
invitation--An old warrior--The women--Our quarters 304

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE NORTHERN TABLE-LAND.

The Whanganui stream--Oruapuraho Valley--Waihaha River--Kahakaharoa--The
sweetbriar--The kiwi--The moa--A gigantic lizard--Waikomiko and Waihora
Rivers--Te Tihoi Plains--Scenery--Mount Titiraupenga--Mangakowiriwiri
River--Mangakino River--Swimming horses--Our camp--The Maoris as
travellers--A Maori joke--Good horsemen--Their knowledge of the
country--Their endurance--The Waipapa--Te Toto Ranges--The Waipari--Te
Tauranga--The Upper Puniu--A fine specimen of tattooing--A night
at Hengia 315

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE AUKATI LINE.

Manga-o-rongo--Mangatutu River--The encampment--A sumptuous
repast--The _kainga_--Surrounding scenery--Old
warriors--The tribes--The Korero--Arrival of Te Kooti--His
wife--His followers--A _tête-à-tête_--A song of welcome--A
_haka_--Departure from Manga-o-rongo--Waipa River--Valley
of the Waipa--Our last difficulty 328