Historic Accounts

Pickersgill summed up his impression of the people in Mercury Bay: "The inhabitants of this Part are very much markd on the faces and are very neat carvers and in every other respect as Described before except their canoes which are very bad ..." (Pickersgill quoted in Salmond 1991:207).

The Endeavour then sailed around the Coromandel Peninsula to anchor off Te Puru on 19 November. Cook, Banks, Solander and Tupaia went up the Waihou River about 12-14 miles seeing one large pa (probably Oruarangi at Matatoki) surrounded by mud at low tide. Posts for attaching fishing nets to were stuck in the river. Cook was of the opinion that the population seemed sparse but Pickersgill had the contrary view (Salmond 1991:210). The Europeans were impressed by the large carved canoes of the area, and commented on the way in which the local people painted their bodies with red ochre and oil. They were also very enthusiastic about the size of the trees seen close to the river (Salmond 1991:210). Later European ships were drawn to the Waihou in search of timber for spars and planking.

The next known visitors 24 years later were on the Fancy which spent three months in the Waihou River cutting timber and spinning flax to replace the running rigging of the ship. On board the Fancy were a number of men including a labour force of Sepoys and Lascars. From the partial journal of Captain Dell it appears that in 1794 there was a large population in the Waihou area: villages on both sides of the river and several large pa on the banks. There were few settlements south of Puriri or Hikutaia. On one occasion Dell described 117 canoes surrounding the ship and 1500–2000 people gathered in the vicinity of Kirikiri or Matatoki Stream (Dell ms:20).

For a few years the Waihou was a popular destination. Two ships, coincidentally both called the Hunter, visited in 1798 and 1799 respectively. No firsthand accounts of their visits are known but four men deserted the 1799 ship and were found living there when the Royal Admiral arrived in April 1801. This ship, under the command of William Wilson, anchored off Waiomu and timber was collected from the Hikutaia Stream area. Again large numbers of people were reported. The second largest pa, Kakaramere, at Hikutaia, had 300 people residing there (including Te Haupa), swelling to 700 when there was an altercation with the Europeans felling timber (Smith 1813:232). The largest pa, probably Oruarangi, was where the principal chief resided. Captain Dell of the Fancy also talked of one man having control or power over a number of other chiefs. Smith (1813:233) estimated 4000-5000 people during preparations for war against Waikato tribes (Missionaries' Journal ms:13). Smith (1813:239) reported extensive fields of potatoes. Cultivations were seen along the river and between Tapu and the mouth of the Waihou River. White potatoes and turnips were traded along with traditionally grown vegetables like kumara. Villages were also visited on the eastern shore of the Firth—one had 100 people, an acre of cultivations and the houses were surrounded by a fence five feet high about 20 yards from the water (Missionaries' Journal ms:12). Another village nearby was estimated to have 100–150 residents.

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