Chap. VIII. WAITOTASA-mnOSPlTABLE TREATMENT. 249 
of trees, however, peered over the glowing horizon, and 
spoke of fertile land in the interior. 
Five miles across this desert, by a half-beaten track, 
brought us to the top of a sand-hill, whence we got a 
delicious peep into the valley of the fFliifotara, or 
" Totara river." The valley seemed about a mile and 
a half in width, and the opposite side was clothed with 
timber. Close to the further bank of the river, which 
wound through the vale, was a sort of Acropolis, on 
which stood the village to which we were bound. 
Except on the very top, the houses were shaded by a 
luxuriant grove of karaka trees, which encircled the 
base and feathered up the sides of the fortified hill. 
The village was called Te Ihupuku, or '* the nose of 
" the belly." Descending the sand-hill, we traversed a 
fertile but somewhat swampy plain, and crossed the 
river, which is here about twelve yards wide, and runs 
between high banks. 
' I was much struck by the want of cordiality shown 
by the inhabitants. As I ascended the steep hill with 
my train, scarcely any greeting was addressed to me, 
no shouts of haeremai, so universal a welcome to the 
stranger, were to be heard; and the few inquisitive 
natives that ran out to look at the arrival, sat in silence, 
or slowly retreated to their huts. On reaching the 
summit, we found two or three natives awaiting us ; 
and I was about to ask for the chief, when Konaiu, 
whose advice I had always found it prudent to follow, 
whispered me to sit down in silence like the rest of my 
train ; and explained that there was no chief of con- 
sequence among this tribe. I had been accompanied 
by a dozen or more of the attendants of Wide- 
awake, the native chief, as the southerly wind, which 
delayed the departure of their fleet, had allowed them 
to give me their escort so far. They, too, seemed 
