﻿76 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous, 
  

  

  out 
  canoes 
  would 
  be 
  re-used, 
  being 
  renovated 
  for 
  the 
  occasion 
  ; 
  formerly, 
  

   the 
  stem 
  and 
  stern 
  pieces 
  were 
  detached 
  and 
  stored 
  in 
  sheds 
  when 
  a 
  war- 
  

   canoe 
  was 
  laid 
  up 
  in 
  ordinary. 
  

  

  Our 
  canoe 
  is 
  now 
  at 
  last 
  ready 
  for 
  launching, 
  nearly 
  as 
  much 
  time 
  

   having 
  been 
  occupied 
  in 
  its 
  building 
  as 
  would 
  in 
  England 
  have 
  turned 
  out 
  

   an 
  ironclad 
  ; 
  a 
  feast 
  marks 
  the 
  event 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  to 
  the 
  rangatiras 
  of 
  the 
  

   kainga 
  the 
  day 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  rejoicing, 
  fifty 
  years 
  back 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  

   poor 
  liapu 
  that 
  could 
  not 
  afford 
  a 
  slave 
  or 
  two 
  as 
  a 
  kinaki, 
  or 
  relish, 
  for 
  such 
  

   au 
  occasion. 
  

  

  The 
  canoe 
  is 
  run 
  over 
  the 
  skids 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  anchored 
  ; 
  many 
  are 
  

   the 
  comments 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  she 
  sits 
  ; 
  presently 
  another 
  one 
  is 
  launched, 
  

   crews 
  of 
  young 
  men 
  are 
  found 
  for 
  each 
  ; 
  they 
  paddle 
  out 
  some 
  distance 
  

   quietly, 
  turn 
  and 
  race 
  back, 
  animated 
  by 
  the 
  cries 
  and 
  gesticulations 
  of 
  the 
  

   assembled 
  spectators. 
  

  

  As 
  with 
  us 
  a 
  name 
  is 
  fixed 
  upon 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  keel 
  has 
  been 
  laid, 
  so, 
  I 
  

   think, 
  with 
  the 
  Maori 
  ; 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  the 
  appellation 
  

   is 
  agreed 
  upon. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  what 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Toki-a-tajnri 
  being 
  given 
  to 
  

   the 
  canoe 
  to 
  which 
  these 
  carvings 
  belonged. 
  I 
  had 
  hoped 
  to 
  have 
  

   interested 
  you 
  with 
  a 
  narration 
  of 
  battles 
  in 
  which 
  she 
  had 
  been 
  engaged 
  — 
  

   though 
  sea-fights 
  were 
  not 
  common 
  — 
  or 
  voyages 
  she 
  had 
  made, 
  but 
  can 
  

   only 
  tell 
  you 
  that 
  she 
  was 
  built 
  by 
  the 
  Ngatikahungunu, 
  of 
  Hawke 
  Bay, 
  

   and 
  given 
  by 
  a 
  chief 
  of 
  that 
  tribe 
  to 
  Hone 
  Eopiha, 
  better 
  known 
  as 
  

   " 
  John 
  Hobbs," 
  during 
  Governor 
  Browne's 
  administration 
  ; 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  

   the 
  canoe 
  was 
  not 
  an 
  old 
  one. 
  Hobbs 
  afterwards 
  sold 
  her 
  to 
  Aihepene 
  

   Kaihau 
  and 
  other 
  Ngatiteata 
  chiefs 
  at 
  Waiuku 
  for 
  d6700. 
  At 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mencement 
  of 
  the 
  Waikato 
  war 
  she 
  was 
  seized 
  at 
  AVaiuku 
  by 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  

   volunteers 
  and 
  militia, 
  composed 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Firth 
  and 
  others, 
  and 
  

   brought 
  to 
  Onehuuga. 
  She 
  Avas 
  subsequently 
  conveyed 
  overland 
  to 
  Auck- 
  

   land, 
  by 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  John 
  WiHiamsojj, 
  when 
  Superintendent, 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  landing 
  H.E.H. 
  Prince 
  Alfred, 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  of 
  his 
  first 
  

   visit 
  to 
  Auckland, 
  and 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  when 
  the 
  Orakei 
  land 
  claim 
  

   was 
  investigated. 
  

  

  I 
  can 
  only 
  add 
  that 
  her 
  length 
  was 
  some 
  78 
  or 
  80 
  feet, 
  and 
  beam 
  about 
  

   6i 
  feet. 
  

  

  In 
  Auckland's 
  infant 
  days, 
  twenty 
  or 
  twenty-five 
  of 
  these 
  war-canoes 
  

   rom 
  the 
  Thames 
  alone 
  might 
  be 
  found 
  hauled 
  up 
  in 
  Mechanics' 
  Bay. 
  

   Where, 
  alas 
  ! 
  are 
  these 
  now 
  ? 
  

  

  