302 NATIVE DYES. [PART II. 



engaged in the long and arduous task of visiting 

 many parts of New Zealand. 



A party of about seventy natives, who were re- 

 turning to their homes at Aotea, having offered us 

 their services, we started in the morning of the 6th, 

 and, marching in a long file, followed a path on 

 the hills of the coast towards Waingaroa. The 

 hills are partly wooded, partly covered with fern 

 and flax. In the woods the hinau was very plenti- 

 ful. This tree (Elseocarpus hinau) belongs to the 

 family of the Elseocarpese, and attains a moderate 

 size. The natives obtain from it the very durable 

 and jet-black dye which they use for dyeing their 

 garments. A greenish mud, which is obtained from 

 the rivers, and probably contains muriate of iron, is 

 macerated for a short time with the bark of the 

 tree and the flax, and this is the whole of the pro- 

 cess. I have no doubt that this bark will become 

 an important article of export, as the tree is very 

 common in many parts of the island. The fruit 

 forms the favourite food of the large parrot ; and 

 even the natives do not despise it. They separate 

 the farinaceous shell from the hard and oily kernel 

 by friction in a wooden trough, and form it into 

 cakes. 



The hills are steep on both sides, and run parallel 

 to the coast, to which, after a short walk, we de- 

 scended. It consists partly of cliffs and partly of 

 steep slopes ; and the formation is a solid white sand- 

 stone, composed of comminuted shells and grains of 



