572 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



wounds and almost covering the body. This hand-instru- 

 ment would be admirably adapted for such a purpose, and the 

 severity of the cutting could be regulated at will. 



Art. LXIX. — The Story of Papaitonga ; or, A Page of 

 Maori History. 



By Sir Walter L. Buller, K.C.M.G., F.E.S. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 21st February, 



1894.] 



Sixty miles from Wellington by the Manawatu Railway, and 

 less than two miles to the westward of that line, there is one 

 of the prettiest bits of natural scenery in New Zealand. This 

 is Papaitonga, so called from time immemorial, the name sig- 

 nifying " the beauty of the South." It is a lake of 125 acres 

 in extent, with two exquisite islets covered with bright vegeta- 

 tion. On the north and north-east sides it is enclosed by a 

 beautiful native forest, which presents a thick fringe of tree- 

 ferns and underwood along the water's edge ; on the southern 

 side there is open rising ground, with clearings in the forest 

 beyond, showing the snow-covered ranges of the Tararua 

 Mountains ; whilst on the low-lying flat to the westward there 

 is an outlet to the sea, about three miles distant, by the Wai- 

 wiri Stream. Every part of it is historic ground, Papaitonga 

 having been the scene of one of the most important of 

 ancient Maori fights, and the little island which has given 

 its name to the lake the principal battle-ground. To this 

 day the island is a perfect necropolis of human bones, al- 

 though concealed and protected by the dense growth of ever- 

 green vegetation that now covers the site of the ancient pa. 

 The original possessors of this picturesque lake — the Muau- 

 poko — after being vanquished by Te Rauparaha and his armed 

 followers, were driven out of the district, but a remnant was 

 afterwards permitted to come back and settle at Horowhenua, 

 a little further to the north, which is still the home of the 

 tribe. At Muhunoa, near the Waiwiri outlet, a small section 

 of the Ngatiraukawa has for more than half a century been 

 located, the principal surviving chief being Waretini Tuai- 

 nuku, a man of intelligence and excellent character. By a 

 succession of events, to which it is not necessary to refer 

 here, this charming place has come into my possession, and 

 my two sons are living there. 



It seems to me of importance that everything relating to 



