384 ADVENTUltE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XIII. 
of the settlers from England. He had ascended the 
river seventy miles in a canoe, reaching a large and 
populous pa called Pukehika ; and had gone away again 
with his boat well loaded. 
Mr. Matthews, the missionary whom E Kuril had 
described as living on this side of the river, was very 
kind in his offers of hospitality to our party, and sent 
us sugar, wine, and several other acceptable supplies. 
He also gave us an interesting account of a battle which 
had taken place between two tribes of the natives, at 
fj^aitotara, very lately. From his information, com- 
bined with that furnished by E Kuru and other natives, 
I gathered the following particulars of the affair. 
It appears that a feud had existed for many years be- 
tween the Ngarauru and Ngatiruamii tribes inhabit- 
ing the country between TVaitotara and TVaimate^ and 
the Ngatipehi who dwell on the shores of Lake Tmqio 
in the interior of the island. Each of these parties had 
friends and allies among the different divisions of the 
TVanganui tribes. The Ngatiruaka, or aboriginal in- 
habitants, headed by Te Ana-ua, were friendly to the 
coast natives, who resembled them both in the antiquity 
of their dwelling near the sea, and in the eagerness 
with which they had adopted the doctrines of the na- 
tive teachers who preceded the ^'N'^hite missionaries.* 
Turoa, on the other hand, and the Patutokoto tribes 
under him,were open allies of the Taupo tribes ; from 
among whom they had originally migrated to the banks 
of this river, and whose adherence to their ancient 
form, or rather want of religion, they still in great 
* The Ngarauru at Waitotara were now especially under the 
superintendence of Mr. Matthews in his office of catechist ; and he 
used frequently to ride there on one of three horses, bred at the Bay 
of Islands, which he and his superior, Mr. Mason, had brought to 
Wanganui with them. 
