IN THE BEGINNING 117 



one side in the collieshangie, a younger son as stoutly maintaining the 

 rights of the other, the estate being thus assured whatever happened. 

 In the case of the native lands in question, final ownership of the block 

 seized resulted in a compromise. The Government sold outright to 

 European settlers a small proportion of the territory taken. The residue 

 was for all practical purposes though I believe not absolutely restored 

 to its former owners. 



The bush areas of Hawke's Bay were still untouched except by the 

 hardy Scandinavians penned in their forest settlements. 



The better and more accessible countryside thus taken up as 

 freehold, later arrivals in the province had perforce to content them- 

 selves with the lands of the interior. Settlers began to push inland, 

 and, where purchase was not permissible, to lease runs from the natives. 

 Amongst other blocks thus taken up were Tutira, Putorino Waikari as 

 it was then called and Maungaharuru. 



In February of 73 Tutira was leased by forty native owners to 

 T. K. Newton for twenty-one years at 150 per annum. The block was 

 held in common by these natives, but it was provided that the rent 

 3, 15s. per man should be paid to each of them. Like almost every 

 other native title on the east coast, that of Tutira was imperfect. 

 Newton must have been anxious at a very early period in regard to one 

 of the signatures. It is characteristic, indeed, of the tenure of the 

 station that the run being then in its earliest infancy, a suckling not 

 yet three months old there should be an entry in the Deeds Office to 

 the effect that " William Morris, sheep farmer, husband of one of the 

 lessors, confirms his wife's action in regard to her signature of the Tutira 



* o O 



lease." 



Newton stocked the place with 4000 sheep, and placed his brother- 

 in-law, Craig, in charge of the new venture. Craig's headquarters 

 during his brief residence on Tutira were near the site of the present 

 homestead. The hummock of his clay chimney, just about the centre 

 of my present lawn, remained for many years a monument to his 

 memory. There is still visible the cutting whence he dug his clay. 

 There are also mysterious excavations in the same hillock which we 

 believe to have been his primitive dog - kennels. The 4000 sheep 

 merino wethers were saved from a worse fate by the action of the 

 notorious Te Kuiti, who at this date raided the little settlement of 

 Mohaka, murdering impartially Europeans and "friendly" natives. His 



