224 Transactions. 



The tapia, a true parasite, is very common throughout the 

 district, and is deciduous, losing all its leaves, at least in the 

 Rua-tahuna district. It is found growing on the puahou tree 

 (Panax arboreum), but rarely on any other. In only one in- 

 stance have I seen it growing on any other species, and that was 

 a kai-weta tree (Carpodetus serratus). The berries are eaten by 

 Native children. 



The tarata tree shows some very fine specimens in the interior, 

 its fine foliage being a beautiful sight in the early summer. In 

 former times the Natives obtained an aromatic gum from this 

 tree by means of wounding the trunk. It was used to scent 

 satchets with. 



The taro-para I have not seen, as it is found only up the 

 Wai-o-eka River in this district, but from descriptions given 

 by Natives I judge it to be the para-tawhiti of the north (Ma- 

 rattia jraxinea). Its large rhizomes are eaten by the Natives. 



The tawa is very common throughout the Tuhoe district, 

 and was a most useful tree to the Maori in former times. From 

 its trunk he fashioned slender bird-spears (maiere and tao-roa) 

 of great length, while its wood is an excellent fuel. Its fruit. 

 termed pokere, furnished a kernel that was one of the principal 

 food-items of these Tuhoean bushmen. These kernels were 

 steamed in a hapi (steam earth-oven) for two days and then 

 dried, when they would keep for years. When placed in the 

 steam-oven they were covered and surrounded with leaves and 

 fronds of karamuramu, hangehanqe, petako, paraharaha, and 

 rau-tawhiri. These leaves imparted a brownish colour to the 

 kernels that was considered desirable. When required for food 

 these dried kernels were stoneboiled and pounded. The kernels 

 were sometimes roasted before a fire, and, when heated, exploded 

 with a popping sound; hence ahi tawa, a. tire at which tawa 

 kernels are roasted, is a term sometimes employed to express 

 noisiness. Of a noisy child it is said, " Ko te ahi tawa hat wha- 

 karite " (It resembles a tawa fire). The tawa tree is sonn times 

 termed taiva rau tangi, from the rustling sound made by its 

 leaves in a breeze. A tawa mapua is a tawa tree that bears 

 abundance of fruit. This fruit is a favourite food of the pigeon. 

 The straight-grained white timber of the tawa tree is described 

 by the terms ngako and kaupuka. European bushmen divide 

 the tawa into two varieties, termed by them "white" tawa and 

 ''black'" tawa. The former has a very white, easv-spliviing, 

 soft wood, excellent chopping for the bushman, and is a splendid 

 fuel timber. These trees do not seem to grow so large as the 

 black variety, but are more plentiful, and often very straight 

 in the grain. The Natives made their bird-spears of this kind. 

 The black tawa has a darker-coloured timber, is much harder. 



