FROM AUCKLAND TO GISBORNE. COASTWISE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 331, 30 July 1889, Page 2

FROM AUCKLAND TO GISBORNE. COASTWISE.

•• NARRATOR.”]

[BY

PART IH. On Monday, the 10th Juns last, tho dipper echooner Gieborno doubled Oreti Point in the midst of a heavy N. W. gale, which had prevailed for soma days, (and during which the ill-fated steamer Msitai went down off the Red Mercury Island), under very short oanvaa. She too had had her ehare ot the rough weather, but, ss ie invariably the case, her experienced master laid the worst of it out enugly at anchor under the lea of soma island, headland or other, known only to ths thoroughly initiated on the Coast. While there, under the Kuwait I think, taking shelter, an Auckland yacht, or fishing boat, which, driven out to eea by tbs gale, had 1«4 its reckoning (eo to spoak) among the islands, and narrowly escaped being lost altogether, was communicated with aud succoured. The crew, who were reduced to great extremities from exposure and want of food, made the Gisborne (lying at anchor under ths lee of the island) with great difficulty, laid their craft alongside, and were hospitably reMirai on board, where they were invited to pass the night, when a eu Jden shift ot wind compelled the schooner herself to clear out in a hurry, and the small craft to run for the land. •• We supplied thgm with grub and tobacco,” said kindly Jem (before alluded to), •' and saw their fira as wo were stiniing ou to sea, so they must have got ashore all right after all.” The Gisborne, as I said before, was under very short canvas; and as I once more stepped on board, about noon, after a most agreeable sojourn of some six weeks at Host Swinton’s, of Rsukokore, diversified occasionally by a visit to MrSeooomb's hospitable homestead, at Oreti; a close reels 4 mainsail, inner jib, and staysail comprised all the canvas with which our wary skipper purposed to test the strength ot the furious gale, which howled and whistled overhead, though, sheltered by the long extending promontory, we lay in comparatively stiil water. There is a tradition on board the Gisborne, that whenever the weather gats very bad Indeed, the Narrator should always go on duty—bolow, and he was recommended more tban once to keep his-watch as stores rid on thia occasion, as, the wind being pretty well from the westward, there was some rough work anticipated off Cape Runaway, more especially if the ship didn't happen to weather it in the flrat board. But that magnanimous indivl. dual (Narrator, I mean) didn't think that hil absence could be wall diepensad with on sc momentous an occasion, and decided to remain on deck,

Anchor up then, close reslod mainsail, staysails, and jib set, and foresail stowed, w, slip quietly enough out to see, till we lose the shelter of the friendly (Oral!) point, whan, with a maralve, bellowing, screeching Impact the Nor'waster is upon us, heeling us over tc the gunwale, howling and yelling through the rigging with hideous uproar, while the sea, as if by magic, rears itself up in huge watery masses on our beam and quarters. Stupendous billows, white capped and threatening, rashing towards us, net in serried mountainous undulations (as experienced off the Hn-n by ths Narrator in th; good ship Helen Daqry) but confused, roughly conical, with menacing foaming summits, Ever dissolving, however, beneath our laboring keel, as we surmount time after time the apparently overwhelming seas, and exorcising a strange seductive—l was going to eay almost pleasurable—in. fluence on the spectator, as to whether it G possible for the good aud sorely tried ship, to negotiate this or that big fellow, or be smothered and emashed out of existence in his sublime utterly resistless courss At length a true Pacific (?) courser, straight in from the weetward came thundering along, shaking his snowy mane aloft as ho reared up fathome above us. •• Look out I” shouted our skipper, who was at the wheel, and Narrator did look out to the heat of his ability, and hung on too, Boom I bang I burr-r-r-r, ship gunwale under, and a diabolical unroar of all sorts 1 Swish, e-vaeh, trickle, trickle ; general pervadenao of the Southern Ocean all over the ehip, and inside tho Narra'ar’s mackintosh I “ Tide rip,” S ay« the ekipper, with a somnolent smile, addrosa : ng the Narrator, who, now finding his absence imperative for the wellbeing of the community generally, goes on watch forthwith—below, as usual. Bound the Cape at last (what a blessing I), with a fair wind, foresail Mt (reefed/, in addition to the others, and every inoh ot canvas throbbing and stretching under the tremendous pressure ot the gale behind us. Long heavy rollers facilitate oue rapid course, and about 4 p.m. we haul our wind, and round Matakaoi Point, within a few hundred yards of that surf beaten iron bound promontory. “Pretty close in,” said Narrator, who now no longer deem°d his absence on watch necessary for the safety ot all hands, and had rc-anpeared on deck. ” Not at all,” quoth Mr Gregory, who was now steering,“deep water closa-in here, and good anchorage. We (i. e., the Gisborne) have sometimes laid here even with a North Easter, but steamers don’t care about that sort of thing you know,” replied he to a query. A capital view is obtained just before rounding the point, of the Matakaoa Station, (Messrs Henderson and Staunton's holding). It appears to be a comfortable enough homestead for such an out of tho way place, with the usual outbuilding and offices attached ; but is apparently only approachable from the south, by a devious pathway leading up the side of a seemingly precipitous cliff. A boatshed, &0., occupies a small extent of beach visible at the foot ot the before named acclivity. Close hauled, with a reef shaken out ot the foresail, we beat up to the anchorage in Hicks Bay with the wind drawing well off the land, passing under the stern of the s.s, Australia at anchor, and congratulating ourselves that we have a fair wind toy the morrow. We swung to a single anchor for the night. At early dawn, clear, cold, and windy as ever, the Australia gets under weigh, or way ? and so do we—after breakfast. (Captain Skinner having an wholesome regard tor his inner man, which is not remarkable, and for that of others, which is, In three timet), and repeat the running nroeose ot the day before. Only we have all the reefs out now, the schooner “ goose winged,” and, to puh sue the simile further, rising, falling, and shooting ahead, like a verltab'e aquatic bird with its wings expanded, Horoera, Kawa< kawe, and Maruhou quickly passed, wo near the East Cape, and I soon become aware that we are about to take the channel between that imposing headland and the main. With everything “ drawing ” to perfection, and the wind well on the quarter (the Gisborne’s favorite point of sailing), we enter the “ tide rip ” with a rush, and experience a repetition of Capa Runaway on a lesser scale. But being within the strait, the Mas are not so heavy; and we take none on board, though sundry spots of white swirling water here and there indicate hidden dangers in the form ot submerged reefs, even more formidable. “It wouldn’t do to loose the wind here,” quoth our skipper as we passed within abont 600 yards of the rugged storm beaten East Cape Island,

Mr Gregory steering. There are rocks hero, there—there—indicating their position with little nods and pointing finger in tho most familiar manner, And I would here wish tq make a statement that it is the firm opinion of Narrator that he (our skipper) has all the rocks, reefs, and other disagreeables of like nature labelled, so to speak, and inscribed io a mental note bock to be referred to at win. Moreover It ie a groat pity he wont supply the U. 8.8, skippers with a leaf ot two out of hie—, this book, which he never shews to anybody. We were three minutes under the two hen re do. ing the run from Hicks Bay to the anchorage off Mr Robertson's hotel at Waiapu, not bad work considering the size ot the vessel, and affording some idea of “ how It was piping.” A great break in the continuity ot the ooast range of bills, widening out, and extending into an nndulatory expanse of (originally) fertile grass land ot considerable area, Interseoted here and there by fresh water streams, and rivers, of which the Wafapn is the largest and faintly describee the magnificent valley ol that name. Unfortunately the owners'names are 11 legion,” and there are so many conflict, ing interests, that it has been hitherto found quite impossible to deal with it, though the feat has bean more tban once unsuccessfully essayed by the ablest, and most experienced of your (Gisborne) Native Agents. (And I am free tc confess that it (Asy couldn’t do It, it wouldn’t be much use tor anybody els* to have a try.) Consequently, and It Is much to be regretted, the splendid fertile valley I* rapidly becoming overrun with with “ tatara* Hioa,’ r a very prolific species 6t sweat briar, most diffiorit,i.to wadlttt«> Among the

moat remarkable features of the country bordering immediately on the valley are the heights of Pukemaire, a natu--4 rally very strong military and strategies! position, which fortified by the insurgent Maoris in the old campaigning days resisted for soma time the utmost efforts of the u Bast Coast Expeditionary Force ” under Majors Fraser, and Ropata Wahawaha of Ngatiporou. Several Europeans were killed and wounded during the siege operations and the skirmishes which preceded the investment ' af the pah, at Te Hatepe and neighbourhood, while the friendly natives under Mokena Kohere (late M.L.C., and now insane) were cooped up in a small redoubt, by a much preponderating number of Hauhaus, who occupied another and much larger fortification about 1000 or more yards distant. Now the late Sir Donald McLean, as is well known by those who admired him the most, often taorifioed important interests in his laudable desire for peace, almost at any price—though he was decisive and inexorable enough when once roused, and had sent up Captain 8. Deighton (for some time B.M. at Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, and a distinguished officer) to endeavour to stave off actual hostilities if possible. The Captain arrived just as the antagonistic ■actions of tribe, Hauhau and Friendly, were exchanging taunts and defiance from what was thought in those days the safe distance of a thousand or more yards (as before stated). One of the Hauhau prophets was particularly demonstrative, shouting, yelling, exhibiting and slapping, after the Maori manner. Him, Sir Donald’s apostle of peace (who said he could stand it no longer) carefully sighted at 1200 yards, and to his Surprise (though he was a notoriously good ■hot) dropped his man, while he was in the very act of attitudinising etc. most effectively, And it is said to have been ascertained after a subsequent skirmish, that the far reaching (some said discriminating) missile, penetrated his dusky corpus, at exactly the place where everybody (that is Europeans) wished it would. [TO BX CONTI WED.]