i A LAND OF ROMANCE 181 
Maori wars, savage stories and struggles for mastery, 
cruel murders of the early French explorers, and brave 
and daring deeds of many of the natives. Can you 
wonder that they fought undauntedly for such a 
country ? Almost every hill is the site of an old pah ; 
every mountain, headland, rock, and island has some 
history of its own — some grim tale of savage barbarity, 
or pathetic story of love and courage. 
At six next morning we were back in Auckland in 
the busy old-world life again, midst the sounds of wheels 
and the tramp of many feet, and the past was all left 
behind in a hazy dream amongst those beautiful seas 
and mountains, the cradle of New Zealand’s early 
history. 
