96 WHALING HARBOURS. [PART I. 



medical visit, and had a good opportunity for in- 

 specting the coast. A ship must keep clear of the 

 land on account of some sunken rocks. After leav- 

 ing Port Underwood we may pass in a boat between 

 the northern head of the harbour and an irregular 

 mass of rocks called the Coombe Rocks. About 

 two miles from this point the shore forms a small 

 bight, called Raumoa, or Fighting Bay, where at all 

 times the tide produces a heavy swell. This place 

 is of some renown in the history of Cook's Straits. 

 When Rauparaha and the Nga-te-awa tribes had, 

 after a sanguinary contest, driven away from these 

 shores the Ngaheitao, the latter, who had settled on 

 the eastern shore of the middle island, often re- 

 turned in hostile parties to revenge the loss of their 

 country. In one of these excursions, Tairoa, the 

 chief of the Ngaheitao, with many of his followers, 

 had been enclosed by the canoes of the enemy in 

 this bight, from which there is no retreat inland. 

 He saw nothing but certain death before him; but 

 Rauparaha, the leader of his opponents, deferred the 

 attack on account of a bad dream ; a fog came on in 

 the morning, and Tairoa made his escape, to the 

 great disappointment of his enemies. 



The next shallow bight of the coast is called 

 Barret's Boat Harbour. Although boats must be 

 hauled up over fearful rocks, this place has often 

 given shelter to whale-boats in distress. From this 

 point a difficult path leads into Tory Channel op- 

 posite to Te-awa-iti. Run-under Point is a rocky 

 promontory half way between Tory Channel and 



