152 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. VI. 
of Mr. Woon, the printer ; and a very nice chapel. 
The buildings were of kauri timber, which works up 
very well. The rooms lined with this wood, carefully 
planed, had the neat appearance of a work-box. 
In different places along the banks of the river, huge 
logs of this valuable wood lay ready for sale or embark- 
ation. The few natives about the settlement were 
extensively employed in lumbering, and made large 
profits by this work and the sale of the trees. We 
were much struck, however, by the difference of cha- 
racter as well as physical appearance of the natives here 
in comparison with those of our friends in Cook's 
Strait. The latter had appeared far superior in stature 
and muscular power. There was here, moreover, none 
of the same eagerness to supply a ship with provisions. 
In all the harbours of Cook's Strait, we had always 
been surrounded by canoes, bearing more than sufficient 
for our consumption. Here, on the contrary, it was 
difficult to procure fresh provisions, even by sending to 
the residence of the chiefs. Entirely borne away by 
the high profits arising from the great competition be- 
tween White men for the kauri logs, they neglected to 
cultivate the ground, and disdained going in their canoes 
to catch any of the fish which abound near the heads. 
During the whole time that we lay here, we had not a 
single canoe come alongside for the purpose of barter, 
and were obliged to procure our fresh {)rovisions at an 
exorbitant price from a haggling White dealer. 
The rest of the natives, who are all professed 
Christians, were accustomed to collect from different 
parts of the neighbourhood on the Saturday afternoon, 
in order to be in readiness for the morrow's services. 
They occupied a collection of temporary huts at the 
foot of the gentle slope on which the chapel and 
mission are built. I was much struck by their mise- 
