248 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
seemed, and found a harbor free from the pounding surf. And 
this was the first landing in New Zealand by the men now known 
as Maoris or aborigines of that new world! 
They found nature bountiful beyond their fondest hopes. Mighty 
forests of kauri from which hundred-man canoes could be built, 
strange edible plants, flowers, cold pure water from the lofty 
mountains, edible ferns and tubers, fish, oysters, crabs and other 
sea foods. They found fiax from which serviceable garments 
could be woven, wonderful greenstone from which weapons and 
ornaments could be fashioned. Gigantic wingless birds were there, 
twice as high as man, helpless and too inexperienced to be shy, 
with flesh sufficient to feast a score of men. They found another 
but smaller bird, the kiwi, also wingless, whose close-set thatch of 
feathers furnished warm clothes; mutton birds with much fat for 
winter consumption, and fur seals with coats warm enough for 
the bitterest cold of of the antipodes. 
After partly exploring this El Dorado of the South the ad- 
venturers again took council together and said, ‘‘This wonderful 
land which we have discovered is of little avail to us unless women 
and children of our own race can share it and help us develop 
our new world and found a new nation in peace.’? What we have 
done can be done again! We will return to Hawaiki our native 
land, get such of our tribe as are still alive, with their household 
treasures, and bring them with us to this, our new home.”’ 
So they repaired their big canoes, embarked again with samples 
of the riches of the new land, and set their faces once more to 
the wide expanse of the South Pacific, utilizing the trade wind 
which, with the changing season, was now favorable on the op- 
posite course and again steadily at their backs. With the genius 
of born navigators, helped by the winds, the stars, the sun and 
the currents they actually retraced their course of nearly three 
thousand miles, and found the remnant of their people which 
through some marvelous Providence had escaped extermination. 
As men risen from the dead they were received with rejoicing, 
which was turned to amazement when they told their story and 
exhibited the samples from their new world. Slowly incredulity 
turned to belief. 
Generations passed and the exploit of this Maori Columbus and 
his friends lingered only as a tradition; but finally from some 
cause which is not made plain by the authorities I have consulted, 
a much larger number of descendants of the original explorers 
