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Piaua valley over low woodless lulls, from which the Tongariro 
and Ruapahu are visible in all their grandeur and majesty, the 
traveller comes to the Taringamotu valley. AVe had no difficulty 
in wading through the river , as it rippled along over its broad 
shingle-bed, and proceeded up the valley along the left river-bank; 
crossed the river a second time and were in Petania (Bethany). 
Such is the Christian name of a Maori village formerly called Te- 
terenga, and known also by the general designation Tulma Settle- 
ment. It is situated at the southern foot of the Tuhua-mountain, 
754 feet above the level of the sea. Our guide had to adjust 
various articles of his toilet before entering through the enclosure 
into the Kainga. The Maori- women also, who had joined our party 
from Katiaho, now began to adorn themselves, putting on an 
odd looking, towering head-dress made of plumes (Tauwakereru); 
the women in the village, on the other hand, commenced with 
doleful cries — which, however, were merely intended to express 
friendly salutation — to whine their ’’haere mai, haere mai ki 
konei”, i. e. ’’come, come to this place”, and after we had as- 
sembled all together at the place in front of the hut of the chief, 
they commenced in due form their Tangi, a lamentation, such as I 
had never heard before. They uttered the most doleful cries of 
anguish, clasping their hands now over the breast, now over the 
back, then bending low to the ground; thus expressing, by all sorts 
of convulsive motions their utter misery and anguish. This scene 
lasted for a whole hour without interruption ; it was enough to 
move the stones to pity. But we could do nothing else than look 
on quietly and listen ; for during all that doleful wail of lamen- 
tation the men stood in silent awe, wrapped in their blankets, 
without moving a muscle. Such is the Maori-custom , when 
friends or relatives happen to meet again after a long time of 
separation ; they thus mutually lament their kindred , departed since 
the last meeting. The doleful scene ended at last in a general 
rubbing of noses and a cordial invitation to sit down to the meal, 
that had been prepared in the meantime; it consisted of potatoes, 
which were served steaming hot, in plaited baskets. 
