VILLAGE OF KORORAREKA. 89 



They afford a striking* contrast to the wretched 

 specimens of Australian aborig'ines one occasionally 

 sees in the streets of Sydne}^ Many of the men 

 are athletic and well made^ and in their g*ait and 

 expression exhibit much manliness of character. 

 The faces of some of the principal people present 

 good specimens of elaborate tattooing-. The Avomen 

 appear strang-e figures fi'om their ung-ainly modern 

 dress^ consisting- merely of a loose smock of calico^ 

 fastened at the neck and wrists. Some were toler- 

 ably handsome (according- to our notions of female 

 beauty), and among- them were several half castes. 

 Their ftishion of dressing- the hair is curious, — in 

 front it is cut short in a line across the forehead, but is 

 allowed to g-row long- behind. We met Waka Nene, 

 a Maorie chief, possessing- considerable influence, 

 especially in the neighbouring- district of Hokiang-a, 

 \\ ho, by siding- with the English dm*ing the A\'ar, 

 rendered such important services that the Go^ern- 

 ment rewarded him with a pension of £100 per 

 annum, and a house in Kororareka. Besides this 

 he OAvns a small vessel or two employed in the 

 coasting' trade. I peeped into the hut of one of his 

 people. A small entrance served the combined 

 purposes of door, window, and chimne}', the roof 

 was so low as to preclude one from standing upright 

 inside, a small fire was burning- in the centre of the 

 earthen floor, and a heap of mats and blankets in 

 one corner pointed out a sleeping- place. 



Behind Kororareka one of a series of hills o\ cr- 



