148 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
liar ancient rock-paintings in a cave or rock shelter in the Weka Pass” 
ranges in that provincial district, accompanied by a plate of the same,—I, 
at once, thought on what Polack had written, some forty years ago, of some 
drawings he had noticed in a cave at Tolaga Bay, where Cook had landed 
and watered in peace. And, bearing also in mind, what a few of the oldest 
Maoris there had personally told me of Cook, on my first visit to Tolaga 
Bay, in January, 1838 (when I also saw the hull of Polack’s broken vessel), 
I, naturally, very much wished to know more of this cavern and its draw- 
ings; likewise of a very peculiar tree growing there, which Polack also 
particularly mentions. And finding that my friend, Mr. Locke, who is also 
a member of our Society, was going thither last summer, I requested him 
to ascertain, by personal inspection, all he could as to the cavern and its 
drawings, and the tradition about it, and, also, the said tree; and, if pos- 
sible, to bring me—on his return to Napier—a specimen of this latter. 
This, I am happy to be able to say, Mr. Locke has since done ; but before 
Igive you his information, I will just quote from Polaek's work, as his 
remarks here are good and brief. 
Polack says: '*Kani* requested me to accompany him next day to 
Opoutama, near the south entrance of the bay, where we should walk over 
the same ground and native paths that existed in the time of Cook, and 
which had been traversed by him. The following morning we did so * * 
* Boon after our landing we reached the indent of Opoutama, beauti- 
fully situated in a dell, encircled by rising hills covered with a variety of 
shrubby trees. * * * * One tree was pointed out to me as peculiar to 
this spot, and stated by the natives who accompanied me, and whose resi- 
dences were at far distant settlements on the coast, as growing only in this 
valley ; it was in height thirty-five feet, with spreading branches, frondif- 
erous, and of a similar colour to a species of Phyllanthus that is found in 
large quantities near the beach. The tree is nuciferous, and bore at the 
time clusters of early berries, which, when in a mature state, are dried by 
the natives, and used as beads." 
* The chief now wound his way up the side of the hill, followed by 
myself and the friends who aecompanied us. We were arrested in our 
progress half way by a cavern (ana), which stopped our further progress. Its 
arch was remarkably high, but of little depth ; it was similarly argillaceous 
as the caves we had seen below in the bay. Kani enquired if I felt grati- 
fied, adding : * E koro, tenei ano te ana no Tupaea’ = This, friend, 1s Tupaea's 
cavern. I learnt that in this cave the favourite interpreter of Cook slept 
* Te Kaniotakirau, prim prineipal chief. I, also, saw him on sev veral occasions; his 
father, Rangitumamao, did not see Cook, but his grandfather, Whakatataraoterangi, who 
was then the prineipal chief there, epe 
