218 NATIVE VILLAGE, [PART II. 



stay I saw them reap wheat and plough several 

 acres of land, and the missionaries encourage them 

 to exchange their former unwholesome food of de- 

 cayed maize and potatoes for bread. Several of the 

 natives have one or two head of cattle and horses ; 

 and I have every reason to believe that here at least 

 the missionaries will encourage their acquiring 

 them, in order to dispose of the increase of their 

 own stock. 



The village has quite an English appearance ; a 

 large church, with a steeple of kauri boards, has 

 been constructed almost entirely by the natives ; 

 gardens, with roses, are before the houses, and at 

 the foot of the hill wheat alternates with vines, with 

 hops, which thrive extremely well, and with various 

 fruit-trees and vegetables : there are also several 

 patches planted with tobacco. 



The natives lived originally at the Hokianga, but 

 about twenty-five years ago they took Kaitaia from 

 the Haupouri and Nga-te-kuri, who must have 

 been very numerous, judging from the remains of 

 their pas on the neighbouring hills. A great por- 

 tion of these tribes were slaughtered, and the rest 

 either were made slaves or mixed with the conquer- 

 ors. About eight years ago the missionaries esta- 

 blished a station here, the wars between the native 

 tribes having come to a termination, and they found 

 it comparatively easy to obtain an influence over 

 them. 



The hills which stretch from Kaitaia, through 



