170 



Chief of Wangarara. 

 Wangarara Bay. 



NEW ZEALAND. 



Character of the New Zealauders. 



A great difference was perceived between the 

 natives of this place and those of the Bay of 

 Islands. The former have had little or no com- 

 munication with foreigners, their manners are 

 more simple, and they have little or no idea of the 

 conventional value of money. The people of this 

 place appeared more virtuous and happy, and a 

 number of young women were seen, good-looking, 

 sprightly, and full of animation. 



They here saw the old chief of Wangarara, 

 grand-uncle to Ko-towatowa. He was very feeble, 

 with white hair, and clad in an old dogskin robe. 

 He was observed to sit all day on a small mound 

 of dirt and pipi-shells; having lately lost a relation, 

 lie, according to custom, is tabooed for the season. 

 He does not help himself, and is not allowed to 

 touch any thing with his hands; his grand-daughter, 

 a sprightly girl, waits upon him; and it was pleasing 

 to witness the watchfulness she evinced in attend- 

 ing to his wants, often filling and lighting his pipe, 

 and holding it in his mouth while he smoked. 

 Notwithstanding the promising appearance of Ko- 

 towatowa's house and premises, it was found 

 swarming with fleas and other vermin. Ko-towa- 

 towa is a member of the Episcopal Church, and 

 daily performed worship in his native tongue. 

 After their morning meal, they began their ram- 

 bles, but had not proceeded far before they were 

 met by a large party of natives, who kept saying 

 to them, "tealk about one hilling," by which they 

 soon understood that they were required to pay 

 one shilling for the privilege of walking on the 

 beach and picking up shells ; on Ko-towatowa's 

 being appealed to, he soon dispersed them. On a 

 hill, near this place, Mr. Drayton found a beautiful 

 specimen of bulimus Shougii. 



Wangarara Bay is a deep indentation in the 

 coast, to which it runs parallel, and is separated 

 from the ocean by a narrow belt of high and rocky 

 land. It is said to have good anchorage for a dis- 

 tance of six miles from its mouth. The entrance 

 is very deep, free from danger, and about one mile 

 wide : it is a much safer port than the Bay of 

 Islands. A vessel might pass by its entrance 

 without suspecting that a harbour existed. Pro- 

 visions of all kinds are much cheaper and better 

 than at the bay ; and although the natives are 

 aware of this difference, yet not being able to 

 transport their provisions there, they are content 

 to dispose of them for a less price. 



Their kind friend Ko-towatowa took them back 

 to Wangarara, stopping on the way at his pa, 

 where he presented them with quantities of 

 peaches, which had been tabooed to his people. 

 At Waugarara they again found their guide, and 

 the two old chiefs, the elder of whom was called 

 Kawau, and the other, a little younger, Ruahenna: 

 both of them have the character of being great 

 rascals. The contrast between them and Ko-to- 

 watowa was very much to their disparagement. 

 With some reluctance they ordered a pot of po- 

 tatoes to be boiled ; but when night came, they 

 positively refused entrance into their huts unless 

 each gave a shilling, to which Ko-towatowa sternly 

 objected, saying that they were his guests, and 

 should not pay. A quarrel between the chiefs 

 ensued, and the only way it was prevented from 

 going to extremity, was to slip the money quietly 

 into old Kawau's hand ; after which, peace was 

 restored, and they retired for the night, where 



they were effectually tormented by the fleas and 

 vermin. Ko-towatowa, on taking leave of them, 

 refused any compensation for his services ; but a 

 pressing invitation to pay them a visit at the bay 

 was accepted. 



They returned by the same route, and by noon 

 reached Waicaddie Pa. It contains about two 

 hundred houses, and is situated between two small 

 fresh-water streams. This is the most cleanly and 

 extensive town in the neighbourhood of the Bay of 

 Islands. Mr. Baker, of the Episcopal Mission, has 

 settled here; he has many acres of land, and com- 

 fortable dwellings, farms extensively, and has 

 about twenty head of cattle, with good pasture for 

 them. The natives also possess some cattle. By 

 night they reached their lodgings. 



One who has long known the New Zealanders, 

 and on whose judgment reliance may be placed, 

 gives them credit for intelligence and generosity, 

 and says that they are hospitable and confiding to 

 strangers, persevering where the object concerns 

 themselves, strongly attached to their children, 

 and extremely jealous of their connubial rights. 

 A violation of the latter is punished with death, 

 not only to the parties themselves, but sometimes 

 extended to the near relatives pf the offenders. 

 They are crafty, but not over-reaching in their 

 dealings, covetous for the possession of novelties, 

 although trustworthy when any thing is placed 

 under their immediate charge, but not otherwise 

 ovei'-honest. 



A transient visiter would hardly give them so high 

 a character, and would, I think, have an unfavour- 

 able opinion of the race. He might, however, 

 award to them intelligence; but they appear vindic- 

 tive, and, from a number of facts, must be treache- 

 rous. One cannot be long among them, without 

 discovering that they are adepts in trickery, and 

 suspicious in their dealings. These bad qualities 

 they may have acquired from the number of low 

 whites that are among them. They seem destitute 

 of any of the higher feelings, such as gi'atitude, ten- 

 derness, honour, delicacy, &c. They are extremely 

 indolent and dirty, disgusting in their habits, and 

 carry on the infamous practice of traffic in women, 

 which even the highest chiefs are said to be engaged 

 in, openly and without shame. The vice of drunken- 

 ness does not exist among them to any degree, and 

 it is not a little astonishing that the bad example 

 set them should not have been more followed. They 

 are extremely proud and resentful of any insult, to 

 avenge which the whole tribe usually unites. As 

 an instance of this, we may cite the conduct of 

 Ko-towatowa, whose hospitality to one of our par- 

 ties has been recorded. At the invitation of the 

 gentlemen who had been indebted to him for atten- 

 tions, he visited them at Tibbey's, when an unto- 

 ward circumstance occurred, which had well-nigh 

 ended in an open affront. As they were seated in 

 the porch of Tibbey's house, one of their thoughtless 

 visitors, by way of affording amusement to the 

 company, played off upon Ko-towatowa a boyish 

 trick, by burning him on the nose with a cigar. This 

 produced great anger in the chief, who would have 

 at once punished the rudeness, but through the 

 timely interference of the bystanders, he became 

 appeased, but required some atonement for the 

 insult offered him; a half-dollar was given him, 

 but he said he would accept only half, as he did not 

 want to be paid for it, but merely desired a token 



