164 Voyage of the No vara, 



and making for tlie village ; they proved to be young Ma- 

 ories, mounted on handsome horses, who, having been ap- 

 prized by a relative, whom we had met in the forest, of the 

 arrival of PaJcehas (white men), had come hither partly out 

 of curiosity, partly to do us honour and show us hospitality. 

 They all wore European clothes, rode in good English sad- 

 dles, and bestrode powerful horses, which they seemed to 

 manage with much grace. There are numerous Maories who 

 have from 50 to 60 head of horses, and whole herds of cattle, 

 besides several thousands of pounds lying in bank. 



''In the course of a stroll through the village we not only 

 observed fields planted with the customary rotations of wheat, 

 oats, maize, potatoes, cabbage, and so forth, but on the banks 

 of the river came Vi])OYi a new mill, constructed on the Eng- 

 lish system, almost ready for work, which had been erected 

 by an Englishman at a cost of £500, to be repaid by the 

 tribe. The erection of this grinding machinery is the more 

 indicative of the speculative turn of mind of the Maori of 

 the present day, that they use none of the flour for their own 

 primitive household, but manufacture it solely for the pur- 

 pose of selling it advantageously at Auckland market. 



'' Towards noon we again entered our canoes on our return, 

 and descended the Mangatawhiri, the navigable channel of 

 which is so narrow that even our narrow craft could with 

 difficulty make its way. Gradually theHiills began to slope 

 backwards, and the river to grow wider, till it expanded on 

 either side into a swampy morass covered with reeds and lofty 



