Matthews. — FeniinJxre/tces of Maori Life Fiftij Years ar/o. 599 



For many days priof to the fishing crowds of Natives were to be seen 

 going to Te Unahi on the Awanui River, Okuraiti, and Pukewhau, the 

 three principal rivers flowing into Rangaunu Harbour. All were bent on 

 having a good holiday, and on getting plenty of linaki (relish) — pipi and 

 fish ; also looking forward to a plentiful supply of dried mango (shark) for 

 kinaki during the winter. 



We arrived at Pukewhau about noon, a ride of over ten miles across 

 country. After a hearty snack I took a stroll through the village, which 

 was humming like a swarm of bees, everybody being busily engaged in 

 preparations for the maunga. Some of the old dames were scraping niuka 

 (flax-fibre), others were making it into twine by rolling the fibre on the calf 

 of the leg with the palm of the hand. Some of the twine would be used 

 for seizing the hooks ; some for pakaikai, in lengths of about 3 ft., for tying 

 on the bait. Altogether the kainga presented a busy and animated scene, 

 full of life and good-humoured fun. • 



All along the tauranga (landing-place) were canoes of all sizes, from the 

 large wakataua (war-canoe) to the small tiwai. Several of the wakataua 

 were surrounded by a busy crowd of workmen : some were lashing on the 

 bow-piece with its ornamental panel and figurehead, called a pitau ; others 

 were fastening on the. tall elaborately carved rapa (stern-post) ; while others 

 again were fitting and lashing the rauoa (top strake). This plank is called 

 oa when free, but rauoa when fastened in position. Carefully selected leaves 

 of raupo {Ti/pha) were placed over the joints inside and outside, and were 

 clamped firmly together by means of the pokai, or battens, which were then 

 securely lashed by cords of three-plait flax-fibre. All holes were filled or 

 caulked with hune (down from the seed of Typha). The tauare, or thwarts, 

 were placed in position, and carefully lashed. A separate gang of workers 

 was employed in making the raho, a movable platform on w^hich the sharks 

 are killed. This was fitted in sections under and between the thwarts, 

 extending from stem to stern, and forming a kind of deck, under which 

 there is room for stowing the sharks which may be caught. Standing apart 

 from the rest was a particularly fine specimen of a war-canoe, named " Kai- 

 pititi," newly painted with kokowai (red ochre), and adorned with a beauti- 

 fully carved figurehead and stern-post. The outside battens were dressed 

 from end to end with the white feathers of the toroa and karake (albatros 

 and gannet). While their elders were at work on the canoes the young 

 people usually amused themselves with various games, such as wrestling, 

 playing draughts on an extemporized board of flax-leaves plaited in squares 

 on which shells and slices of potato were used for pieces, or, it might be, 

 spinning loud humming-tops carved from the hard resinous core of the 

 kahikatea tree {kapara) from which the sap had rotted away, or else some 

 sport that happened to be fashionable at the time. 



During the evening I strolled to a large whare where the kaumatuas 

 and principal visitors were assembled. They were for the most part engaged 

 in resnooding their hooks, and in discussing the merits of shape and bend. 

 The shape of a hook was considered a very essential matter. Maoris in 

 those days preferred their own make, short in the shank, never exceeding 

 the breadth of three fingers, the standard measure. I handed over my hook 

 to an old fellow, and asked him to overhaul it. It was given to me by the 

 Aupouri chief Paraone, who was an acknowledged expert. I was told that 

 it was not necessary to resnood it, as kouaha had been used on the seizing. 

 Kouaha, I should say, is a poisonous gum which exudes from the bark of the 

 pukapuka {Br achy glottis repanda), especially when the tree grows in a littoral 



