264 BEPOKT — 1891. 



the Home-country. Barely was it mooted before unusual in- 

 terest was also taken in it by the adjacent colony of New 

 South Wales, to which, indeed, in some sense New Zealand 

 had been a foster-child. Colonists of various grades, from the 

 mere adventurer to the merchant desirous of pushing the 

 limits of his business, kej)t themselves in readiness prepared 

 to take advantage of any benefit which the new movement 

 might bring forth. Of the latter class was Mr. Bidwill, who 

 was related to a mercantile house in Sydney, and whose name 

 in connection with New Zealand botany is well known. Six 

 months before the arrival of the " Tory " he visited the North 

 Island, and penetrated further into the interior than any pre- 

 vious European had done, visiting the Thames, the Waikato, 

 the hot springs, and Lakes Eotoaira and Taupo. But his fame 

 rests on the fact of his being the first to ascend the volcano of 

 Tongariro and to gaze into its active crater. He says, " The 

 crater was the most terrific abyss I ever looked into or 

 imagined. The rocks overhung it en all sides, and it vras not 

 possible to see above ten yards into it from the quantity of 

 steam it was discharging. The stones I threw in, which I 

 could hear strike the bottom, did not do so in less than seven 

 or eight seconds, but the greater part of them I could not 

 hear." Upon the shoulders of the mountain he collected 

 several new and interesting plants. His ascent was made in 

 the face of great difficulties ; the wonder is how it was made 

 at all. Having made the descent in safety, he had to face 

 the fury of another and unexpe<^ted volcano — the chief of 

 Taupo, the great Te Heuheu, in a furious outburst of passion, 

 demanding to know how he had dared to pollute the sacred 

 Tongariro, the lofty seat of the great Atua and the tapued 

 sepulchre of his ancestral line. Apparently Mr. Bidwill was 

 not dismayed, and he found that three figs of tobacco quickly 

 appeased the infuriated chief. 



For a time Mr. Bidwill cast in his lot with the earliest 

 settlers at Wellington, and some of his relatives are still 

 located on the Wairarapa plains. The second ascent was 

 made twelve years afterwards, secretly and unknown to the 

 Natives, by a Mr. Henry Dyson, whose account is to be found 

 in the New-Zealandcr of the 30th March, 1853. 



Having completed his purchase of the lands around Port 

 Nicholson from the Natives, Colonel Wakefield sailed slowly 

 up the west coast, with a view of acquiring further large tracts 

 of land whereon to settle the new immigrants soon to arrive. 

 Dr. Dieffenbach and Dicky Barrett were lauded at Taranaki, 

 there to negotiate, if possible, with the Natives, whilst Colonel 

 Wakefield proceeded towards his destination at Hokianga, 

 carefully examining for available rivers and harbours which 

 might lead into good country. The journey was disastrous. 



