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charms of that landscape. The eye never tires of gazing at it, 
as it always assumes new forms from each new point of view. 
March 10. — The peaks of the Pirongia had during the night 
put on a cloud-cap, — to the inhabitants of the plain a sure 
sign of approaching rains, which in fact were not long in coming 
and then lasted throughout the entire day. 1 We proceeded a few 
more miles up the river to a place called Pore, and there met 
another European , J. Cowell , whose wife was the sister of 
Toetoe, the chief of Rangiawhia, who was one of the party on 
board the Novara on her voyage to Europe. Farther up lies the 
old Pali Taurakohia or Matakitaki, famous in Maori history for 
a terrible scene of blood-shed during the wars with Ilongi about 
the year 1825, in which more than 1000 persons are said to have 
perished. Further up , where the Waipa-river cuts through the 
spurs of the Pirongia mountain, rapids commence; the first or 
lowest are at the mouth of the Mangauika, a tributary from the 
left; the uppermost, immediately below the mouth of the Manga- 
rewarcwa and Moakurarua, two tributaries from the Pirongia-side. 
The latter bear the peculiar name of Whare o moti , house 
of Moses. 
Partly owing to the rapids, over which it would not have 
been easy to move up the heavily loaded canoe, partly to the 
pouring rain, I preferred to go from Cowell’s on foot, letting the 
natives paddle up the river by themselves as far as our next station, 
the Wesleyan Mission station Kopua, situated about ten miles 
farther up the river. About half-way, we came to the settlement 
of another European, named Turner, an old seaman, who 80 years 
ago had been shipwrecked with a small coasting- vessel at the mouth 
of the Waikato. He was married to a Maori-woman , who had 
1 The natives say, that Karioi, 2372 feet high, near Whaingaroa Harbour on 
the West-coast, is preparing rain for Pirongia, and that Pirongia is pouring it over 
the Waipa and Waikato countries. This, however, holds good only with rain com- 
ing with a Northwest wind. When, on the other hand, the Maungatautari puts on 
the cloud-cap, then the natives say, that the mountain is inquiring of its neighbour 
Aroha, whether it also is ready for rain. When Mount Aroha also is wrapped in 
clouds, then rain is certain; but in this case rain accompanied with N. E. wind. 
