The Newtown bee., 1903-06-26

after the land had been surveyed and
 the various sections laid off Dr Camp bell was one of the first purchasers of some of the sections sold. The doctor,
 who is now over 80 years of age, is about the only man alive who saw the
 site in its original state. Some years ago he wrote a book entitled "Poen- amO,' which means the land of the these matters have just related. and
 in which he deals at length with his sojourn amongst the Maoris in the dis trict where we recently camped. Dur ing our stay down there three or four of us men folk one day went on an ex- ploring expedition on the hill above the camp, and shortly after we set out,
 in fact only a few yards away, we came across some large boulders grouped to- gether. Noticing an opening under heath one of them we were curious enough to prostrate ourselves and gaze into the opening, and after while we thought we could make out the skull of human being and some bones there, but could not get at them owing to board being in the way. We there fore tried to work our way down to the bones by .effecting an entrance from the top of the boulders, but this was only successful after much toll and loss of precipitation by breaking some of the large stones and lifting them out. Eventually we got down underneath and there we found eight human 1 skulls and corresponding quantity of 1 other bones, all of which were no doubt the remains of Maoris who had probably been dead some 40 or 50 years. One of our number had camera with him, so we arranged the skulls and a few of the larger bones about us, and had our photo taken, after which we placed the bones and skulls all back from where we took them and filled the hole up with rocks again. As be- fore stated, the Maoris to whom those relics originally belonged had probably been dead about 40 or 50 years, but their remains had not been under. heath the rocks all the time which has since elapsed. The probability is that after having been buried for some years their friends were about to leave the district, but before doing so had exhumed the bodies of their comrades, and, after scraping their bones, placed the latter under the rocks where we found them. This is according tc Maori custom, for they hold their dead in great respect, and don't like the
 land in which they are buried to fall into the hands of the Takehas. We were careful therefore to put the bones back and hide them from view, 50 that if any of their Surviving people went back to the spot at any time they would find the remains there. I have since wondered whether any of the skulls we found belonged to some o1 the Maoris mentioned by Dr Campbell
 in his book, and of the queer stories they could, tell us if only they could speak. Probably some of them had seen and been through some tough fights, for the Maoris were originally of very warlike character, and ire
 Quently engaged in battle with neigh
 boring tribes. l may state that we saw the remains of other Maoris under other of the large stones in the vicin
 tty Of those we overhauled, but we did l fhln0 ',
 ing to gain by it, and besides we re-
 spected the feelings of the Maoris whose ancestors were evidently lying at rest in that particular locality