Chap. VIII. PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY. 2|f 
secretary to my uncle ; but now that a regular clerk 
had arrived in one of the^ships,-! resolved to take an 
opportunity of seeing for myself some of the natives 
unvitiated by intercourse with savage White men, and 
unimproved by missionary labours.*^ I proposed to pro- 
ceed past Mount Egmont as far as Mokaii, and then 
to return, or [proceed still further, according to cir- 
cumstances. A great advantage was held out to me 
by the arrival in Port Nicholson, on a visit to some 
friends, of Te Rangi TVakarurua, or " the Calmed 
" Sky," one of the chiefs of TVanganui who had re- 
ceived a gun in part payment for that district on board 
the Tory at Kapiti, in November, 1839. He pro- 
mised me a body of slaves to carry my baggage as far 
as JVuikanae ; where he said he would join me, and 
make arrangements for passing me on" in one of his 
canoes. I agreed to this rendezvous ; and the old chief 
brought me, on the morning of the 13th, eight native 
lads, who were to carry my baggage. He was living 
himself at Kaiwaruwara, the village of our old friend 
" Dog's-ear," and had left his canoe at a village between 
Cape Terawiti and Maria, called Ohariu, which was 
principally inhabited by relations of TVanganui people. 
On the morning of the 14 th, my goods were packed 
up into kawenga, or " loads," by the slaves. They con- 
sisted of blankets, shirts, tobacco, pipes, axes, powder 
and shot, fish-hooks, beads, two double-barrelled guns 
besides my own fowling-piece, a little biscuit, log- 
books, and pencils, &c., &c. The " boys" were ex- 
tremely handy in making up the bundles, which they 
strapped on to their backs by belts resembling braces 
in form, neatly plaited of flax. 
Warepori was very jealous of the departure of so 
many taonga, or " goods," to another tribe ; and urged 
me eagerly not to go, as I should be sure to be robbed, 
and perhaps killed, by such wild natives as those 
