A FACSI?

fiLE EDITiON
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED
BY
WILSON & HORTON LTD.
QUEEN STREET, AUCKLAND
NEW ZEALAND

\I
 TITLES IN THIS SERIES
Old New Zealand F. E. Maning
Our Maoris Lady Martin
Station Life in New Zealand Lady Barker
Station Amusements in New Zealand Lady Barker
Murihiku R. McNab
PoenaolO 1. L. Campbell
Narrative of a Voyage to New Zealand I. L. Nicholas
Adventure in New Ze aland E. I. Wakefield
Auckland, the Capital of New Zealand W. Swainso
Stirring Times of Te Rauparaha n
W. T. L Travers
My Simple Life in New Ze aland Adela Stewart
Yesterdays in Maoriland Andreas Reischek

A B

 My SIMPLE LIFE
IN

NEW ZEALAND.

BY

ADELA B. STEWART.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.

LONDON:
\ ROBERT BANKS & SON,

I RACQUET COURT. FLEET STREET, E.C.

19 0 8.
 CONTE N TS.

878. 188 2 .
PAGE PAGE
Three m on th s' voyage from Vi sit fro m my br other in
Belfast to Au ckland .,. 8 In di a . 64
T o T auranga by Govern­ Our firs t ball 65
ment SS. H rn emoa . .. 12 1F irs t ea rthqnake... ... 67

First . in;p ress io ns of Kati Mo onl ight pi cnic on W aihi

K a t! ... ... '" 14 Be ach . " .. . ... 68

H ou se-building at Atheure e 15 l O ur dr iv e to Tauranga .. , 69

Maori n eighbours ... .23 1Next day to R otorua ... 69

The foll owing to Whaka­

1879. rewar ewa a nd Wairoa 70
Init ial garden a nd or chard 27 Lake T arawer a .. . 7°
Torrents of rain 27 Pink an d white terra ces 70
Our first visi tors 28 O pen ing of W aihi G old .
A wedding at Moun t Stewart 32 Bat tery . . . .. . ... 72
, The C row n Land s R anger's A scent of Mount Hikurangi 73
vi sit .. . 33
Bre ad -m aking 1883.
35
L oss of sheep by dr owning 36 1 Vis it from my ste p -fa ther
Our first pi cnic .., .. . 37 I from home ... . .. 76
W a ihi town growing .. . 76
1830. ' Mail - coac h, Tauranga to
Kati Ka ti R a ces . .. 44 1 Thames, st a r ts . . .. . 76
F ire a t Mount Stewart ... 44 Took Mervyn t o Church of
Visit Irorn th e Han. Wil liam En g land Gr ammar
Rolleston, Minister fo r Sch ool, Auckland ... 77
Lands ... 45 I Snow visible On the Ran ges 82
Vi s it from P roperty Tax
C ollector .. . ... 47 1884.
Chu rch Services in our homes 50 Te Ko ofi's visit 84
Farm-cadets... ... .. . 51 Hop-beer m aking ... , ... 85
Country road-making and Kati K at; Cheese Facto ry
bridge-buildin g 5Z opened ... 88
A dentist ca lls 53 1885.
1881. Irish cousins' vi sit ... . .. 90
Th e Lady Jo celyn com es to First Kati Kati fair a nd
T auranga ... ... 54 ca tt le sa le ... .. . 9 1
Te Puke Settlem ent began 54 Hugh is ' appointed a J.P. .. . 9 2
Be e-keeping. .. .. . ." 56 Vi sit from the Bish op of
Mervyn walks or ride. daily Au ckl and and Mrs.
to sch ool seven miles off 57 Cowie . . . .. . . .. 95
 iv
CONTENTS.
CONTE N T S. v

1886. I
Atbenree Separator butter- PAGlI:
PA GE I 1903.

School at Athenree op en ed 96
PAGK
I
m aking . . . ... ... 3
Vis i t fr om Mr. Bn ucher; P.l, G E

Volcanic er~pt~on in Hot I 1893 12

Go ve rn men t Vin e In ~ 'I First motor car ca lled ... 176

Lakes D,str,ct... .. 97 •
, . spec to r .. . ... .. . 14:J I-I.E. L ord Ran furl y 's

Volcanic dn st benefits Our English friends visit us

Vis i t from Government P ost Veterans' H om e ope ned 177

land '" ... 9 8 Another d entist calls

1"4 O ffice Ins pect or .. . 143 \ \Va ih i H osp i tal ope ned .. . 178

A Circus Company calls 99 Smoke-house on fire IlI5 1899 Farew ell Ball a t G overn m en t

Kati Kati Vicar arrives 100 . 1894.

1::6 H h :. H on se, Auckland .. . 179

ug ar;d .Mer vy n d~ne wI ~ h I Taura nga, w , i h i , and

1887. A fancy dress ball '" •.. 126

\V a~lll Vo lun Leers In other Volunteer s in ca m p

.. . 1 0~
,
A pig-hunt ... '"
HOmeMaij viaS a n F ra nci sco '
comes in thirty-seven
I
Wreck of SS. Wairarapa off

Great Barrier Island ... 1::9

1895.
t heir Camp ... .. . 143 1
Merv yu's elec to ral ca m p a ig n 14+
H .E. L or d R anfurly's first
visit .. . . ..
at Kati Ka ti
1904 ...
.

. .. 145 , Os tr ic? fa rm a t Ka.ti Ka t i

...
183

days '" '" '" 10 3 M fi .

Fete Cham petre at Athenree 104 I Y rst drawIng - room

The Mayor 01 Anckland's Vi cara ge . . . .. . 185

Spring-cleaning in the Anti~ . baza a~ ... '" ' .. 9

vi sit .. . ... : .. 147 My last ball at Ath enree ... 18 7

12 T he Premie r, Right H on. Help hop eless, deter mi ned

podes 10 4 CIder making '" ' .. 9

Waterwork~" de st~~yed 'by Another trip to A~ckland 12

Ri cha rd J. Se d don 's to sell ... .. . . .. 18 7

flo ods of rain... .. . loB f ~r me dIcal . advIce ' .. 130

vis it ... . .. '" 147 1905.

Our silver we d dIng .. . ... 13 1

The war in S. A. fills our • IM any c a 11 ers t 0 vi. ew th
e

1888. Visi ons of Electric Works at

th ou ghts .. . . .. 14 8 pr 0 p er t y ... .. . I 88

Easywayofwa shingclothes 109 Athenree '" . .. 13

Trip t o AU~kland for medi- 1896. 1

1900. Narro w escap e in a qn ick -,

cal adVIce .. . .. . 10 / Ano ther a larm i ng fire 14 8 sa n d .. . .. ... 19 0

9
P r olon g ed dro ugh t 149 I o pen e~ <l;'C h nrch ba za ar in

Variou s visitors .. . '" 1]2

1889. My larder ro b be d ' " '" 133

A London mi ll iuer ca lls 149 ,:V~lLllI . .. .. . . . ... 19 1

Unsuccessful attempt to se ll Waihi Gold Mining C om-

A t hen ree becomes a Hospi tal r so SOir ee III uu nour of t h ir t ie th

Athenree ... .. . I I I p a ny Ma chinery en route

anniversa ry of Ka tiKat i

Return home in a n ope n to Waih. .. ,

1901. Se ttlement ... .. . 19::

. b oat on a wet ni ght 114 R ot oru a Maoris ca mp on 133

An hour's res t a t noo n on O pe ni ng of W aihi t o Au ck­
P each-wi ne m akin~ 113 Mervy n' s lan d ...
Q ueen Victoria's fu n eral la nd railway .. . ... 193

Candied-peel mak tng 114 7 134

day.. . ... ... ·153 1906

r
VisitfromGen. Strange,R.A.115 1 189 .
1'1.1:. . Lor d R an furly's second .

V'~ l t .. . . .. .. . ISS H .E. L ord . P lunke t laid

1890 Al a r ming bu sh fire.. .. . 134

•• I I n fl u enza VIS. it. S us '" ' " 13

6
T r ip to A uck la nd lor Royal
reception . .. 156 f
fou r;d,ah on sto ne of new

• W a.,lll Chmc? : . ... 193

Hugh app oi nted P ostma ster Tree-planting on Jubilee

at Athenree ... II 6 Da y , .. 13
­
6
R evi ew of T ro op s I
.. . 16~ I WIn prrzes a t W alh. Flower

Vinegar ma king. .. 117 Hu gh has shingles 136

Lunch on board H.M.S. Show .. . . .. . . . 194

.. . 16 3 Atheur~e Fren ch Club o pen ed r o.;

1891
• w ater
H ous e sup plie d with I

'
Accli mati sation So~iety sen d

t ro u t fo r Our rrv er
1898.

... 137

Pe ng ui»
Visit of office rs of H.M.S.
...
Last tr ip ~o Taura ng a
Pe ngllin for S urvey work 166 Athenree IS so ld
I'' .. .
195

19 6

I
by hydraulic ram ... I I 8 Waihi Fa rewell Social a n d

Tomato sauce makin g '" r r S I engage a Ma ori girl to help

1902. I Presentat ion to us .. . 198

Poultry farming... . .. I~o w it h th e wor k... '" 13

K ati K ati Butter F act ory Our departur e . . .. , 199

I
F irs t la dy cycl ist's vi sit ' " 13 8
o pened . .. .. . ... 167 Auckl and, Gisborn e, N apier,

1892. At Ka ti Ka t i F lo w er S ho w
O ur Vicar hold s Snnday Hastings ... .. . zoo

nse Se rvice s a t a n eighbou r- Wellington, Christ ch urch,

Smok e-ho for fish .. . r z r I win prizes . . . ... 138

Disastrou s boating ac ciden t I ~ Z Fi rst r ailw ay survey, Waihi

i ng Sc hoo l . . . .. . 17 0 Lyttelton ... ... 200

Visit from W a ih i Mi ners' t o Ath enree ... 14

I det er mine to pr ovide an R.M.S. Tnraki?la-plea sant

1
organ . . . ... .. . 170 v oyag e ... .. . . .. .. 00

Band... '" .. . 143 An a larmi n g pl ou ghman 14

1
Su cceed in doin g so a fter Monte Video a n d T en eriff e 2 00

a no ther bazaar ... 173 i Safe home .. . ... ... zo r

 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Face page
Extra Title

Portrait of Author ... '" ... ... Frontispiece

Rough Sketch of Country Adjacent to At.henree 9

Tauranga, from the Redoubt ... ... . 12

Bullock Team in the Bush ... .•. ,.. 69

Wairoa Bridge between Kati Kati and Tauranga 69

Typical Bush Scene ... ... .... .., .., 76

Main Street, Waihi, showing Martha Hill 76

Athenree House and Post Office ._- --- 116

Scene at Athenree
12 3

My F lower Garden, Athenree, N.Z. 174

Orange Grove, Athenree

188
Athenree ... 19°
Athenree, New Zealand I¢
 PREFACE.

ON my return horne after twenty-eight years of

pioneer-work in New Zealand, I have had the plea­
sure of meeting many relations and old friends and
of making still m ore new acquaintances, who, nearly
all , seem interested in my adventures. Some say,
"We should 50 much like to go to New Zealand."
" Why? II I, who have been there, inquire. "To
lead the Simple Life." "Listen to a page from my
diary -an unbroken record of my life." Then I dis­
cover that some do not even know where New Zea­
land is-think it is in Australia. Oth ers picture
themselves landing in canoes, resting in a perfect
climate under palms and other trees, opening their
mouths for the ripe fruit to drop into! When tolJ
of a pr osaic six weeks' voyage by steam er, or as in
earlier days three or four months by sailing ship, and
of the daily hum-drum routine of farm-life, often
without help, they calm down. Some want to know
more. Many have said, "Do write a book." There­
for e, with the hope of helping and interesting other
women, I send out these plain, unvarnished notes
from my diary, which I myself have only now found
time to read.
 ~
IN 4d...· hdl'r!·....... N

.s !I~
k<V~ ~1] ••

:n':.'iO S
,. At h . "y\y. e 'P.o.I'1S..S~ E

'rP

o
...-i'"'
SIMPLE LIFE IN NEWZEALAND.
~
.­
~

~
ORN in Clifton, educate d in Paris and in Ryde,
I spent th e following years pleasantly in
E ng la nd, Scotland, Ireland, a nd the Cha n nel
Isl inds. La ter, having married L ieute na nt Hugh
/
Stewart, l<.A., W~ were in Wool wich, Shoeb uryne ss,
.. osport, Medi terranean, West Indies, Ber m uda, a nd
Southsea, thoroug hly enj Dying the life and ch ang es
\
../

flf scene an d socie ty. In 1878, by t he advice of

V. S. (H ugh 's brother), we went out to New
~
Zea land . Ou r ship was t he L ady J ocelyn, of 4, 0 00
.~
tons bu rthen , sailing from Belfas t on May aot h, W e
~ I had 011 board about t hre e hundred a nd seventy-eight
.... .sengers, incl ud ing H ugh's parents, ag ed respec­
I!.
'"::t­ ively seventy-eight and eighty-eight, t wo Generals,
Major, two or th ree Captains and Lieutenan ts, ' a
Canon, a D octor, no end of pr etty girl s and fine
young men-s-bound for Kati Kati Settlement. W ewere
RO U GH S K ET CH OF COUNTRY A DJAC E N T acc om panied by our only child, Mervyn (seven years
T O A TH E N RE E old) and L ou-a daughter of a dea r friend, the R ector
tfro ni m eill ~/Y ) , By H, S, 'w ho had marri ed us, and wh o pr oved an invalua ble
Ab out six miles 10 th e inch, he lp to us. Soon aft er we settled sh e got ma rr ied .
 8 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
r878
We had as servants a man and his wife, Joe and
Sarah M., whose passages we paid, and in addition
to £80 wages kept their three children, one of whom
was born a month after we landed. These servants
were useful at first, but experience proved that the
colonial born and bred adapts himself better to his
surroundings, especially in the country, than does a
servant from home.
To return to the voyage. It took us a few days
to get settled in Our cabins, without the help of
stewards, thus preparing us for the practical work
of a quarter of a century which lay before us. Our
cabins were very small, therefore overcrowded with
the furniture supplied by an outfittsr.. Our SOD'S
bed consisted of a three-foot wooden tray nailed up
across one end of the cabin; he, being a very big boy
for his age, could not lie down in it, so when I
remonstrated with the Ship-owners, they sent their
carpenter, who lowered the tray, and lengthened it
by a foot. The result was that its end rested on
my husband's berth, somewhat cramping him at
night! _ All these days, instead of going on to New Zealand,
Although at first the wind was fair, and we sailed
we were turning back towards America! On June
roo to 200 miles a day, the sea was sometimes rough,
zoth, we crossed the Line without ceremony, except
and several days passed before we all mustered at
that the Captain orde red champagne for th e saloon
meals.
In a week it was very calm and hot, shady hats
came out, much music and .talk of concerts, dances,
etc. An awning covered the deck, and the Lady
Jocelyn put on her" fine weather clothes."
One of our special settlement party, the Irish
Canon, regularly held services on Sunday in the
saloon.
Our boy, who had hitherto worn Highland dress,
began to complain of the heat, so I made him a
1878 MY SI MP L E LIFE IN NEW Z EALAND. 9
holland suit, that alon e being quite sufficient, as we
ere at the end of our second week in th e tropi cs,
nearl y becalmed, with six. vess els in sight~als o a
hale.
Our special printer issued the first numbers of the
" Lady Jocelyn Herald," whi ch created great excite ­
ment, but not as great as was caused by an al arm of
sm all -pox, which cut us off entirely from th e steerage
a nd our serv ants. By the doctor's ord ers we all wore
camphor in bags round our necks; the doctor for a
week put himself in quarantine, and then declared
the ship " clean," but we 'never heard what had really
hap pened, whether small-pox or heat-spots!
One very hot,' calm day, our ears were g reete d by
a tiuy baby's cry, announ cing the birth of a little-girl
- 10celyn, of course.
Next day we had torrents of rain, whi ch coo led
he <I ir, and filled every bucket and can in th e ship,
be sides ena bling every man on board to have a goo d
shower-bath al fr esco.
a nd grog for the rest. About this time one or tw o
a ntic ipat ed engagements were announced, being the
oc casion for cheery con gratulations.
T be weather changed t o cold and wet, and the
fireless saloon was unattractive, so that many wh o
felt again the horrors of mal-de-mer stopped in bed.
Just below the Cape of Good Hope on July r rth, we
had snow, heavy hailstorms, tremendous lurch es,
and crashes in the saloon, foll owed next day by
closing of sky-lights, so that we were in darkness,
the Captain stating that we were on the edg-e of a
 10 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN N
ZE AL I\t-r D . 8,,8
cyclone; a great sea swept over us, through sky -lights
in to the saloon, swa mping many ca bins, h.' lOcking
oyer ma ny passengers, who fortunately were more
frig htened than hurt, and creating hav oc amongst
the crockery, so that for the r est of t he voyage our
sup ply was so limited that each salo on passen ger
took possession of a drinking vessel. I1ugh 's was a
soda water tumbler, my vis a vi s had a sauce-boat,
mine was a breakfast cup; and thus armed in harle­
quin fashion we carried them to and from our cabins.
Our tablecloth grew dirtier and dirtier, until at last
it attracted the Captain's olfactory nerves, and he
ordered the steward to put down a clean one. Our
dinner table was cleared, another cloth was pr oduced,
then another from the sideb oard drawer, each one
worse than the last, and eventually we had to ' put up
with the first. There were only three provided on
each table for the voyage. We rejoiced when told
on that day, July rSth, we had made our best run­
2g8 miles.
After this we had a great deal of rain, and time
hung rather heavily; th en mumps took possessi on of
the passengers all over the ship, causing discomfort
to the sufferers, and ill-concealed mirth at their
ap pearance from those who fortunately escap ed.
Next came the drawing of sweepstakes for date of
her kindness, at once engaged rooms for a week, and
our arrival in Auckland. My ticket was August
offered to take her on board the Lady Jocelyn to try
13th, and should have won, but the Fates willed
and get a servant. By this time the wind had got
otherwise.
One Sunday after services, a collection amounting
to £5 lOS. 6d. was made for Kati Kati Church.
On August 14th we began packing up, having
caught our first glimpse for over twelve weeks of land
- Three Kings' Island. This was celebrated by a
cheery dance on deck. The next days were spent
. 1878
MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. II
most tantalisingly dodging about the Poor Knights'
Isles, but on th e 17th things improved; and between
I and 2 p.m, the pilot, Captain Burgess, came on
board. Many more .officials, newspaper reporters,
etc., crowded on when after dinner (at about 5 p.m.)
we dropped anchor in Auckland Harbour, about a
mile from the shore, thankful that our ninety days'
voyage was safely over. How we devoured letters
from home, though not much more greedily than
New Zealand fresh bread and butter!
The following day, Sunday, we went ashore in a
boat, and felt no peculiar sensations on landing,
e xcept disappointment at the poor state of Auck­
land 's streets and houses. That was thirty years
ago. We went to morning service at St. Paul's, of
barn-like appearance. Then, as had been our prac­
t ice at home, we took a turn, instead of looking for
dinner at once, as we found to our cost we should
have done, when we knocked at hotel doors, and
were told we were "too late." \Ve have always
elt grateful to our pilot for directing us to Harbour
View, where the landlady, herself only three months
land ed, took pity on us forlorn" new chums," and
her "help" being out, herself cooked for us some
chops and potatoes. We felt quite overpowered. by
up, and no boatman would take us back to our ship
until nearly dark, when one consented OQ. payment
of IS. a head, and so overcrowded the boat that we
were in danger of sinking. However, our landlady
got a servant, so she was rewarded.
Friends from home came on board next day to
greet us; they, having had three months in Auckland,
12 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1878
were enthusiastic in its praise, saying that, winter as
it was, there was sunshine every day; overlooking the
fact that it was then raining, with such hai l-showers
that the ground was white for a time-a contrast to
great camellia trees in full bloom in our landlady's
garden. We felt miserable, tried to laugh, as we
said to one another; "We don't like New Zealand,
but the climate makes up for everything l " and then
our landlady pelted us with hail balls.
We explored the town, visiting an iron monger who
supplied us with tomahawks, spades, cooking appara­
tus, and all sorts of novelties. Our enthusiast ic ....
.0
::l
English friends invited us to dine with them in o
'0
Parnell, a pretty suburb. The entertainment was a <ll
Cl:
revelation-no servants, one daughter acting cook, Ql
s:
the other as waitress, in the most unobstrusive,' +'
capable manner: There was a third guest-a French E
o
lady-invited to meet us who love talking French. ' ....
s,

Having been informed that .t he Government of

bD '
steamer Hitiemoa would convey the Kati Kati settlers C
oj
s,
free to Tauranga, Bay of Pleu1.y, on Wednesday, we ::>
oj
packed up, paid a week's bill, £4 lOS. for two days , I-­
and after much trouble, changes of boats through
torrents of rain, we got on board the Hinemoa, and
had a good twelve hours' passage to Tauranga, arriv­
ing there ona sunny morning at I I o'clock.
The whole population, white and coloured, crowded
out to meet us; such an invasion was unparalleled in
New Zealand history. Our shipmates were mutely
frightened, and their children most audibly so, at the
sight of tattooed Maoris smiling Tena koe (" Wel­
come") and anxious to rub noses. How the children
did howl and try to hide behind their parents, them­
selves bewildered by the novelty of the scene!
We heard a gentleman enquiring for a "small
1878 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 13
family wanting a furn ished cottage," and at on ce
stepped forward, landed, and took the cottage, a
ur-roomed wood en on e next door to his , I2S . 6d. a
reek and [ 18 5s. for furnitu re, whi ch included some
coals, firewood and pota toes. Our new frieud having
settled matters wi th some undesirable neighbours the
previous day, he a nd his charming wife gave us dinn er
and tea. Then we unpacked ship's bedding, etc .
L ou cook ed sa usages for supper; our se rvants and
"a ll steerage pa ssengers had been left in Auckland
a waitin g quarters here. W e felt quite at hom e wh en
we awoke in bright sunshine, and had friends to
early dinner of roast sirlo in, admirably cooked by
L ou (wh om I worshipped as a genius) in .a "Colonial
oven," a sort of ir on box with wood-fire und er and
over it.
The T auranga Manager of th e Nation al Bank of
New Z eal and, of which we were all clients, took us
and many ot her new sett lers in several carriages and
four for a drive right across country innocent of
road s, and covered with undergrowth of scrub, fern,
and t ea-tree, a n aro ma tic plant with tiny white flowers
resembling myrtle. T o our host's amusement (he
being a New Z ealander ) we begged to gather som e.
"You'll kn ow eno ugh about tea-tree in a few
weeks, " sympath eti cally said he; and so we did, for
it covered most of our land, was good for nothin g but
firewo od, and after clearing, burning, plou ghing and
crop ping, cam e up again and again from seed.
On Sunday we went to Trinity Church, and en­
joyed the ser vice, but did not profit by th e parson's
advice, "Take care of your money, all you new ,
settlers; it' s your best earthly friend."
W e sent our boy t o a day-school, where the other
little boy s wer e so pleased with his Highland dress

I4 MY SIM.PL E LIF E I N NEW ZEALA ND. r878
that they tried to spoil it by throwin g one bonnet
aft er anothe r int o a neighbouring pon d, and giving
the poor new chum altogethe r such a bad time that
is fath er had to th reate n the youn g Co lo nial s with
a can e.
Our first d inne r-pa rty was at th e hous e of friends
who attempted to o mu ch. Cand les stood in black
bottles barely concealed by ivy, a nd th e entree ,
oyst er patties, appea red afte r dessert!
W e had many visit ors, all kind and pleasant, but
the ladies worn-lookin g, an d seemingly lon ging for
news from" hom e " a nd th e lat est fashions.
An obje ct for our wal ks was t o call at cottages
where we saw ga rde ns and vegetables, a nd ask the
own ers t o sell us so me, so anxious wer e we for
ca b bag-e, lett uce and su chlike, after our three months'
. abstinence.
Ne xt came prepa ra t ion s for a grand Ma sonic Ball,
to which th e new se ttle rs were invited, and wh en all
was over as ked to pay a guinea each !
"B ut we wer e getting impati ent to see ou r future
hom es, so on Septe mbe r 3rd we had breakfast at
sev en, and on a lovely bu t cold m orning assembled
on Tauranga wharf, a nd by th e steame r Staff a start
at eight for Kati Kati ; we passed Mount Maunganu i
and Karewa Is land , a nd so, afte r three hours' steam,
arrive at Mount Stewart , G. V. S., our leader's home.
It presented a very ba rn- like appea ra nce, being
an un finish ed wood en struct ure. We t ook a walk
over Wild, un cultivated, un dul ating land, feeling
home-sick and depressed, also hung ry. 'vVe ret ra ced
our st eps to enjoy, at the appointed hour, th e dinner
t o which w e had been bid den, but found the steamer
just startin g, and as the tide was receding, men
carried us into sma ll boats , pushed us from them
M.Y SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
15
187 8
into the ste a mer. We had a cold return journey,
and w ere most thankful to get back to our Tauranga
cottage and beefsteak pie.
Most unexpected housekeeping difficulties cropped
up. Havi ng decided to have curry and rice and
tapioca custard for dinner, we went to the grocer's.
"A lem on , please." Blank dismay on man 's face.
"There's only one tree in T auranga; belongs to
Mr. X .," which suited us, as the gentleman and his
wife had called on us the day before. So we
return ed the visit, and were shown the tree in full
be a rin g.
" 3d. each, or 2S. 6d. a dozen," and w e were too
shy to proffer 3d. In course of years that shyriess
quite wore off l
Such to rr ents of rain fell frequently, altern atin g
w ith bri ght sunshi ne, that we scarely knew what to
think of the exaggerat ed accounts of the climat e that
we had been furnished with at home.
Ther e is a pr etty old cemetery near T auranga, in
rd,
which are buried many sold iers of the 68t h, 43
and other R egIments, kill ed in 1864.
Ou r man having "h elped Hugh to add to our
cottage a room, which he and his wife occupied, she
th ere pr esented him with their third child and first
son; a nd here let me mention that this room added
25 pe r cent. to the value of th e house-r ent when our
time w as up.
On Sepfemb er 25t h Hugh went off in a sa iling-
boat to Kati Kati to see our land, purchased " fro~
G.V.S. H e wa s away four days, and came ba ck at
midnight, reserving his opinion of our future home.
On Michaelmas Day, for dinner, instead of a goose
with apple sauce, we had green peas and a for e­
quarter of lamb, the first of the season, costin g 5S •
- very dear, when mutton was only rd. or ad. per lb.
r6 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEA I. Ar.:o. 1878
Some of these late September days were very
sunny and bright, but mornings and evenings so cold
that a fire was most enjoyable. Lou was confined to
bed for many days .witb a severe cold. We explored
the country round Tauranga, returned visits, and
hunt ed for flowers-very scarce-and vegetables, and
at last got some asparagus, a great treat. A friend
gave us some guiUemots' eggs, which we fried for
breakfast; some ate them, but their smell satisfied
me!
Hugh and his man were now very busy in Gray's
timber-yard, preparing boards for our future stables.
One day our kitchen chimney cau ght fire; very
dangerous when roofs were made of wo oden shingles.
However, it wa s promptly smothered with wet sacks
by a fisherman and a Maori, whom we asked to
dinn er, tb e latter making himself understood to our
servant, a Welsh woman.
By th e end of October the weather got war m er,
70° inside and 92° in the sunny verandah; so sea ­
bathing, boating, and cricket became popular
On N ovember znd Hugh , with our servants, and
their three children, beds, bedding, provisions,
nggage, st arted from T own wharf in st ea m-la unch
Buena V entura for Bo wentown, intending to call i
at Mount St ewart for the night, the sta ble's tim ber
follo wing in a sailing-boat Catherine. Thus Lou
and I were left to do all our own work, and very
usy we were, washing clothes, cooking, scrubbing,
etc. On 6th, by return trip of th e Catherine, I got a
letter from Hugh, giving an account of Saturday's
journey; how he and party had to walk four
miles across country, fern and scr ub, from the
Uretara township to Mount Stewart, letting the man
pull ronnd in the boat they had towed from Tauranga,
r~78 MY SIMPLE LI,fE IN NEW ZEALAND. 17
and carry them in it to a ruinous hut, composed
chiefly of packing cases and biscuit tins, at Bowen­
town. This hut was overrun with rats, and swarming
with fleas-not the romantic ideal of simple life in
the Antipodes. But we were young, hopeful, and
enthusiastic, and it was some years before we
admitted that we had made a mistake.
In Tauranga or, better still, Auckland we should
have had less hard work and not the ruinous
expense of labourers' wages.
We honoured November qth by our first dish of
strawberries-a great treat, costmg 2S. 6d., and
lacking the English flavour. We had started
poultry-keeping, our woman-servant getting eight or
ten eggs daily from six hens. The number fell off
rapidly after her departure, and I ceased to feed the
neighbour's bens as she had done. Our first little
turkeys were a great joy, our Irish clergyman's­
daughter kindly teaching us how to care for them.
On the rzth we made up a picnic party in boats to
Mount Maunganui, lunched under trees, and climbed
800 feet to the top of the Mount, where one of our
party left my light waterproof, which he had kindly
carried for me. We discovered its loss only after
coming down, when it was too dark to go back. A
lady remarked: "I hope the cows won't eat your
cloak"; quite . a surprise, and noi a pleasant one,
when next day the cloak was brought to me-minus
a good meal for the cows. A clever tailor, also our
landlord, skilfully filled the gap with the cloak's own
hood, so that I was able to wear it when, at 3. 15 the
following morning, to suit the tide, a friend took us
in his sailing-boat, the Erin-go-bragh, to Mount
Stewart. He and his man cooked beefsteak and
made tea for us, as there was a head-wind, and we
18 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN ~EW ZEALAND. 1878
should have stuck in the Mangroves had not the
55. Buena Ventura towed us through them. After
much tacking we reached Mount Stewart at I p.m.,
very tired and hungry, and there were met by
Hugh, who had come an hour's row from Bowentown
to fetch a plough, and other heavy things. We had
brought his dress-clothes, so he was ready and
willing for the dance in the billiard-room, which
followed a great lunch and cricket match, Tauranga
v. Kati Kati, the latter winning. Tauranga people
left by steamer at 9 p.m., dancing being kept up till
2 a.m, to music played by myself and others.
No-breakfast for us till half past eleven next day;
then we started in Erin-go-bragb for Bowentown,
were carried ashore on men's backs, had tea with our
servants in Hugh's very small rough shanty, and
returning to Mount Stewart found dancing going on
again. This was abruptly terminated by our host,
who had retired early and awoke with a start at the
sound of music and dancing, thinking it was an
earthquake.
N ext morning we :returned to Tauranga in the
Erin-go-bragh, a fair four hour's sail-our kind
neighbours who had kept our boy during our absence,
and fed the little turkeys, givmg us dinner to save
Lou and me the trouble of cooking. But we could
no longer indulge in such idleness when Hugh was so
busy and uncomfortable. Therefore I went to the
Shipping Office to enquire about the hire of the
larger steamer Kati Kati for our removal to Bowen­
town.
After a minute's thought the polite Agent said to
me: "Do you mind going outside?" Upon which
I promptly stepped out of his office on to the wharf;
he appeared dismayed.
MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
19
1878
" What have I done? I meant outside Matakana
Island, instead of by the inner channel so much
affected by tides; not outside this office," which was
a quite satisfactory explanation, and ended in our
engaging 55. Kati Kati on November 28th, for [5,
Hugh having written to say that he had 'lea sed
Jemmy the Darkie's store for our temporary resi­
dence. J emmy was a West Indian, most civil and
obliging. His store being of iron we promptly
named it Tinpot Castle, which name it held for
many years until it fell into the hands of less
frivolous people, who called it Arbour View.
On the night of the 23rd N<?vember, a fearful
thunderstorm broke over Tauranga, waking us all up
with a start. Trinity Church was struck by
lightning and much damaged; quite an unusual
event in these parts, where thunderstorms are less
frequent and violent than in En~land.
November 27t h was our busiest day, packing the
last of everything, including two hens, and six young
turkeys; four or five cart loads were taken down to
the wharf, and at 5 o'clock we. left our peaceful
cottage for Cook's Hotel, where after tea we dressed
for a ball in the Temperance Hall, and danced till
2 a.m., when we returned to the hotel, supposing we
were soon to start for Bowentown. But no steamer
was there so we went to bed, and at noou 55. Kati
Kaii appeared with dama~ed screw, so we had to give
her up and engaged the cutter Lancashire Lass for
our goods, and steam launch Buona Ventura for
ourselves next day. Many other settlers took advan­
tage oCour trip and entertained us with their doleful
experiences of the past two or three years, such as
"Flowers won't grow. or vegetables or fruit, in Kati
Kati," which meant that they had not planted any.

20 MY SIM PLE LIFE IN NEW ZE AL AND. 1878
At the U retara we parted from these" wet blankets,"
and continued our way t o Bowen town, where our
man and J ernmy the D arkie met us with punts and
landed us at Tinpot Ca stle. It w as a large st ore with
loft, in which L ou slept on a mattress o n the Hoar,
Mervyn havin g similar acco mmoda t io n beside us,
H ugh in a hammock, and I on a lath-bed, in our zeal
quite enj oying" rough ing it " as settlers.
We crossed a little sandy bay on foot to our
servants' cottage for breakfast, ser ved on a d oor on
cases for atable, and w e had sack s of provisions for
seats. Later we. rowed ac ross the tidal riv er in our
punt to Bowentown, co nsisting of Post Office, Tele­
graph Stati on, an accommodation-house very well
kept by Alf and Betty F aulkner -half-castes-and a
few co tta ges and Maori huts or , whares, about
10 X 14, mad e of sticks and rushes, a nd floored with
flax and roofed with raupo (bulrush es).
W e called on a fellow-passenger, a Gen eral, but he
was away superint ending work on his landadj oiuing
ours, to which after ea rl y dinner we walked about 2t
miles, forming a tra ck by pushing our way, Hugh as
leader, through fern and tea-tree, up hill and down
dale, until on an emine nce we gazed on our future
home, a limitless tract of undulating, uncultivated
land.
" This is our farm," said Hugh .
" But wh er e does it begin j wh ere does it end.?" I
anxiously enquired . Then with a fern-st alk and out ­
stretched arm he indicated a lin e half way up
precipitous hills, and over a stream t o where we
stood, mapping out our 300 ac res (aft erw ards increased
t o 500) which we had bought from our leader before
leavin g h om e and became pos sessed of by lot.
In a hollow just bel ow wh ere we stood smo ke was
21
MY SIM PLE LIFE IN N E W ZEALAN D.
187 8
seen, and th er e we found our futur e near est neigh ­
bours- a young Irish couple with little child ren, try ing
to make lig ht of the ir t ent dwellings. They kiridlj
gave us lea, and offered us half a shee p whi c
terpr isi ng- local bu tcher had that morning left wi t h
th em in hopes that we would buy it. Nee d less to sa y
we were delighted, havin g noth ing but ti nned meat
and baco n at Tinpot Lastle . Then, havin g bought. a
horse from a settler wh o was pl oughi ng our la nd,
L ou and ~r e rvy n rode it hom e bar e-backed, carrying
t he half sh eep in front of th em.
ow we wer e reli eved to he ar tb at the L a'ncashire
L ass with our goods had come, having been det aiued
eu route from T auranga , to carry passen gers thither .
from S5. Taranaki, wr ecked on Li zard Island.
December r st being Advent Sunda y, H ugh h eld a
little morning service for us, our servants and family,
and ] emmy, but later had to w ork h ard aft er an im­
perative m essage from the Captain of the L aHcashire
Lass to "discharge car go at once." Ne xt day the
rain came d own in such t orr ents that w e were quite
g lad of the occupat ion of unpacking and- arrangin g
the Cast le. By Wednesday the sun sho ne again and
afte r 7.30 breakfast at the cottage, Hugh and hi s man
] oe starte d on foot to work at. the sta bles, int ended
event ually t o be us ed as suc h, but temporarily to
accommodate .us all, immediate conside rat ion being
du e to our servants, wh o were chee rfully end uring
their rat-infested cottage, where these vo(aci oUs
rodents boldly eat the crumbs on th e floor , and st ill
worse, far w orse, the poor baby's t oe nail s at night.
At noon, L ou, Mervyn and 1 followed on foot with
tinn ed meat, bread and cold t ea dinn er; h aving
enjoyed thi s and rested, Hu gh took us over a cres
of ploughed land and, throu gh scrub t o our riv er,
c
 22
My SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r878
whose banks of lovely ferns delighted Us. Here also
were f ne puriri trees, rugged evergreens, casting grate­
ful shade on land and water, the river alternately deep
and shallow, swift and slow, reminding ' us of the
Errne at -Ivybridge. Therefore we named this spot
.. Devonshire." . mad e a tea-tree enclosure for our fowls, as a half­
On our return to the stables we had more cold tea
(not having been in these early days wise enough to
make it hot I), read home papers, and retraced Our
steps to Tinp ot Castfe, a fifty minutes' wa lk.
Thus were many days sp em ; ste ady, ha rd work
for H ug h and Jo e; dusty hot walks for the rest of us,
Su nday being welcome as a day of perfect res t.
About th is time, seeing tile roug h wor k H ug h had
to do, and how hard it was on his good English
clothes, so different from t he Colonial, which made
me dread the day when h e would have to take to
them, 1 un picked a worn pair of trousers, and made
for Hugh a pair of canvas ones, like the "jumpers"
. he used to wear in the Long Course at Shoebury oess.
Next day I was busy washing and ironing, as we
But oh, w hat" different surroundings, and r can not
wanted to look tidy on Christmas Day, which Hugh,
say I preferred them.
The heat .in Tinpot Castle wa s dreadful, 900 a t
shade of the beantiful crimson-flowered pohutakawas
no on, but down to 68° in the eveni ngs. . Lo u felt it
or Christmas trees, reading letters from home, and
when ironing Some of Our clothes; which she had
later entertaining our stable neighbours at t ea.
pluckily helped Our servant to wash the day before.
Hugh, having bought from a half-caste for [6 a
Now the stables were get ting interesting ; at [he
end of a week some weather-board walls were up, and
the roof soon followed . j emrny the Darkie bega n
digging a well. Mosquitoes became a torm ent, and
we put up bars. Our mid-day walks were m ost ex­
hausting, sand-flies and dust bein g intolerable. But
how Lou and I revelled in the river in the cool of the
evening. But for a while I lost her company, as she
went to stay at Mount Stewart
r878 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 23
One day I stayed at Tinpot Castle, and for the
first. time plucked a gosling, brought to us by Jemmy,
who found it just killed by a dog; this made a
pleasant change in our commissariat. Sara and I
caste neighbour, Alf, said they were destroying his
oats, nearly ripe for the harvest.
Next we went to a Maori settlement to try to get
potatoes, which in December were unattainable, the
old ones being done, and the new ones not willingly
dug by the natives, who object to anything unripe.
J emmy had coached us to say :-" Homai te riwai "
(I want to buy potatoes}: but our courage failed as
we approached the settlement and Turi, a mu ch­
tattooed Maori, enveloped in. a blanket, ' rose as if
from sleep, extended his blanket to the full length of
his arms, and positively roared at us. We fled with
our lives, but no potatoes!
Mervyn and I spent quietly on the beach, und er the
chestnut mare, "Pretty Jane" (so-called in honour of
her previous owner), started one morning for Mount
Stewart, but soon returned, having' been unable to
cross some swamps. Lou, also to my great joy, ap­
peared about this time, having signalled, and been
picked up in our boat at Mount Stewart by Jemmy.
That day there were crowds of Maories about all
day, arriving in every kind of boat and canoe, dress
and undress, for the opening of a Whare-Karakia,
Maori Church, about 20 by 40, walls about 5 ft. high,

1879
24 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
made of wood and rushes, like their smaller dwellings.
One of their passengers was Brown, the painter, who,
with his tools, went after dinner with us to the
stables to paint that edifice. Great was our joy that
evening to hear that Jemmy tad struck water at a
depth of 62 ft.; for the stables stood high.
Next morning four Maori girls called on me at the
Castle. They were charmed with "Queens," the
ladies' paper" and everything they saw. I gave them a
cro chet lesson-such apt pnpils, and th ey taught me
many Maori words. At noon they came in crowds to
cut oats; two women collected wood and stones,
made a fire in a hole in the grQund, covered with
stones, on which, when hot, they threw water, put in
potatoes and fish, most carefully cleaned and scraped
with shells, covered them with wet sacks, and in half
an hour gave me some most excellently cooked.
On New Year's Day, 1879, we accompanied our
four friendly Maori gir.ls to their Whare-Karakia,
crawling in throngh a low opening, and being shown
flax mats on which to squat, as they all were doing,
round the walls in family gro ups, many asleep audibly.
Finding fleas very lively, and the atmosphere st uffy
to a degree, we soon withdrew, greatly to our
hostesses' disappointment, who had expected us t o
st ay for prayers and snpper.
Two days this week we had such torrents of rain
that we could not leave the Castle, and Hugh was
very rheumatic. Lon and I started poultry-farming
at the stabl es by sitting a hen au thirteen egg s,
whi ch to our dismay she refused next day to leave,
so we lifted her off, thinking we knew more about it
than the hen did. Lnckily she did not resent our
interference, and went back.
Again we had two pouring wet days, so that Castle
MY SI M P LE LI F E I N NEW ZEALAND .
25
1879
and cottage were flooded. It was our regular business
wh en walking to and from the stables , and at spare
t im es, one and all to coll ect firew ood for cooking.
The new kitch en at the stables had an ead h floor,
so L ou and I bu sied ourselves grubbing with our
hand s in the plonghed land for shells to strew th ereon j
these shells wer e the rem ains of Maori feasts, in the
days when they lived mainly on shell-fi sh. It to ok
us four days to lightly cover the sm all kitch en floor!
So zealons wer e we for work that, clov er being rip e
round Tinpot Cas tle, we gathered seed and scattered
it on our land near the stables. On our way there we
met a t iny pig, so pretty that we called it "Venu s,"
caught it, and put it into a little fenc ed enclosure at
the st ables. Then we felt we had really starte d a
farm, and delighted in feeding this pig more than we
did as th ey increased in aft er years.
Hugh and men went in our pnnt to Mount
Stewart, where all our heavy goods h ad beeule ft, and
brought back reaper, harrows, weighing-machine, tool­
che st, etc. N ext day he rode several mile s to see his
parents, wh o were plnckily rou ghing it too. I had a
busy morning plu ckin g godwit s, a kind of curlew,
which Alf had shot, and which proved excellent
eating. Then I made my first jam; sp ent hours
peeling peaches-a mo st tediou s job and great mis­
take-acting according to ignorant instruct ions, to
boil this fru it with sugar for a day, at the end of
which, worn ant and tired with standing and stirring,
in great heat, the result was a dark, unattractive­
looking and tasting compound. Experi enc e and
study of scientific authorities t aught me simply to
remove the stones, crack these, blan ch the kernels by
pouring boiling water over them, and boil them with
the wh ole fruit and equal weight ·of sugar, as fast as
 26 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
18]9
possible for twenty to thirty minutes, not leaving off
stirring the whole time, when, having jars ready, you
at once fill them with a bright-coloured clear pre­
serve, which will keep indefinitely in Mason's screw­
top jars. So quick is the process, that I was able
after practice to make 500 to r,500Ibs. of jams,
jellies, bottled fruits and marmalade every year, so
that my store-room was a perfect picture!
One of our trips from Tinpot Castle was across
the ri ver, to get oysters off the rocks at Kati Kati
Head; the name means H ~t()p! Stop!" significant
of the days when one tribe of Maories stood on their
Pah, and so saluted with stones and spears an invading
tribe in canoes below.
r879 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 27
On r6th, we heard of the arrival in Tauranga from
Ireland of Hugh's sister Mary, with her family of
sons and daughters, all to become settlers.
So keen were Lou and I for flowers that we started
a garden near the stables, where Hugh had thought­
fully ordered some native trees and shrubs to be left
for shelter, when the general clearing was being
done, otherwise the wind would have blown all we
planted out of the ground. We pulled up fern-roots,
and dug with all our might, feeling completely ex­
hausted, as do all "new chums" at the end of an
hour. But that feeling of fatigue has to wear off as

time goes on and it becomes evident that gardening

Trips to Mount Stewart to acquire all Our posses­
must be the woman's department, the men being too
sions were now frequent. Here there was always a
busy for anything so purely ornamental as flowers,
bustle, many other settlers looking for their property
or unnecessary as vegetables. Riding was a great
too, and it was a work of time and patience to reclaim
pleasure to Lou, but not to me, who preferred walk­
one's own-furniture, piano, pictures, fire- place tiles
ing, which, however, was impracticable for long
(ornamental, from Hampton's), washing machine,
distances in a country without roads.
a present from an old friend at home, who had com­
The stables having grown, we all moved there on
passion on us in our changed circumstances.
March rst, and soon got comfortably settled in a
Having one room walled and roofed at the sta hJcs,
small sitting-room, large bed-room, in which we had
we decided that our servants should move into it; so
to place the piano in a curtained recess, and loft
on February rst, after a pouring wet morning, they
which Lou occupied.
drove there in Our cart with some live stock (chickens
Our cow, a recent purchase, was found next day
and kittens), we following on foot to see them
staggering about, wheeliug round and round in a
settled, and so back to Tinpot by moonlight.
most alarming fashion. Luckily, a half-caste passing
Next day we bought from a Maori woman a large
by saw her, and said, "Your cow is 'tutu'd'; give
kit (Maori basket of flax) ful1 of potatoes for 3 S . ,
me a sharp knife," and promptly bled her by cutting
about rd. per lb. We now had some heavy rain, her ears, when she fell down exhausted, but did not
with very cold nights, as low as 55°, alternating with die, as many of our cows did from time to time
high winds and clouds of dust. Then again in this later on, when having eaten too greedily of a poison­
most chaugeable climate would come a lovely bright ous native plant" tutu."
day with refreshing breeze, 80° at noon and 680 in \Ve had now two days of incessant rain, which
the evening.
enabled us to put up blinds and curtains, and gene

TAiu\PUNA PUlJU BRARIES

 28
MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
1879 1879 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 29
rally beautify the house. As soon as it got fine, Lou
and I sowed all sorts of vegetable seeds, most of rock and water-melons, etc., begging in return, in­
which came up in four to six days. stead of money, for soap, candles, matches, or, better
Hugh bought from ' another settler a fine gray still, old clothes, which as yet we did not possess.
mare, Jessie, for £28. On one of his trips to Tinpot Hugh and I occasionally rode over swamps, across
Castle for supplies, Joe picked a sack full of mush­ a river, up-hill and down-dale-eight miles away­
rooms, so we cooked some, and made our first to see his parents, who, like ourselves, were having
ketchup with the rest. a perpetual picnic.
Hugh's carpeutering talent now showed itself, and Hugh now invested in fifty-six ewes and lambs,
all through Our life in New Zealand proved most which did very well on our undulating' land, and
useful. He began by making shelves for glass and were the beginning of a little money-saving in mutton,
china, brackets for saddles and bridles, and every­ and money-making in wool.
thing being made of wood, he was able to furnish The month of May had now come and, as we had
the house very conveniently and comfortably. been warned, it was a very wet one. W e started in
One day We saw four riders coming to call; these fine weather one day riding to the parents. After a
were the Bishop of Auckland, Rt. Rev. W. G. Cowie, mile or two, rain began, and came down in torrents,
Rev. W. MUlgan, and Messrs. Thorpe and Hoyte, so that Hugh had to lead me on Pretty Jane down
their guides. Of conrse they IUIlched with us, and the steep slippery hills. I was dripping wet when
we thoroughly enjoyed talkiug about General, now we arrived. I dressed in the old lady's clothes,
Lord Roberts, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and
putting on Illy damp habit to ride home by moon­
other mutual friends. We found the Bishop now
light. And so our patience was tried by rain, rain,
and at all times in years to come most sympathetic,
rain, beating into our small quarters, aud interfering
and we delighted in his visits, especially wh en
hopelessly with the drying of our clothes, which we
accompanied by Mrs. Cowie, who rode long dis­
ourselves so regularly washed. The tracks were
tances, and worked hard with him, and took most
dangerously slippery; Hugh had the unfortunate
practical interest in his large'Diocese. Having sons
experience of riding one day to the Uretara to post
of their own, they asked about ours, his education,
our Home Mail, intending to return home at 3 'p.m.
and were glad to hear that I made time to teach him
He did not, and at 5.30 came a messenger from the
every mormng. Uretara, saying his horse had slipped; Hugh had
We now started white-washing the ceilings of our fallen, and dislocated his shoulder, but it had been
rooms; then tacked scrim on the walls, and covered set by kind friends, and he hoped ,to be 'hom e to­
them with paper; this was wet-weather work and morrow, which he was, coming by water, and for a
most satisfactory. week was quite an in~alid.
As their crops ripened now in April, Maories Now, all this wet weather was splendid for plant­
brought us potatoes, "kumaras" (sweet potatoes), ing, and having got £20 worth of trees from Booth's
Hairini Nursery, Tauranga, we had a busy time
 30 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r879
putting them in selected places: ' Pinus Insignis,
Wellingtonia, cypress, birch, beech, oak, Spanish
chestnut, elm, lemons, oranges, currants, goose­
berries, raspberries, and strawberries. We also
planted r-lb. walnuts in lines where they were'
intended to make a plantation; they soon came up,
and in four months were leafy little trees, but not
many survived the depredations in th ose early days
of fowls, sheep, cows, and . horses. Later on, Our
fences excluded trespassers. . Lou and I were busy these wet days, making for
There was now so much rain that Our river rose
very high, -r ushing wildly between its banks, and
:flooding the mare level land. After Our Bishop's
visit to our lonely sett lem ent he took pity on us, and
sent us occasionally a visiting clergyman, who was
very welcome, and stayed with us, shivering with
cold in Our fireless rooms (for we had been told
before leaving home that we should "never want a
fire in New Zealand," and so provided for none at
first), or else with Our neighbour, the General, a mile
away, Who lent a room for Morning or Evening
Service as announced by the clergyman.
We found the high wind was damaging Our young
trees, so the next big job was to cut straight sticks,
and having driven one well into the ground at a
sharp angle, to wrap a st rip of rag round the tree,
and tie it to the stake. We sp ent all our spare time,
Hugh filling a barrow from the mound of earth
thrown out of the well at th e back of the house, a nd
I wheeling it away to fill up holes, and level the
rough ground in front of the hou se, which, with the
frequent torrents of rain, soon became a sea of mud.
However, ]0 improved matters by laying d own three
cartloads of shells, as already described for the
kitchen floor.
r879 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 3r
Our wooden shingle roof, not being waterproof,
necessitated keeping a supply of baths, basins, pie­
dishes, etc., handy to catch the drops, which, with
frequ ent movin g of furniture, enabled us generally t o
have a dry bed, in which respect we were better off
than som e of our neigh bours, who, with st ill mor e
primitive accommodation, slept under co ver of
umbrellas, and tri ed to make a joke of it .
her a brid esmaid's dress for an approaching wedding,
and converting Mervyn's Highland suits iut o jackets
and knickerbockers, my Scotch pride in.. the kilt
"having been considerably diminished by some of the
Maori's very similar garment!
Mervyn was made very happy by a present from
the Gen eral's nephew, Tom, of a green lizard, which
he kept hangin g up by his bedside in a mustard-tin,
fed it on flies, et c., and one morning awoke me with
screams of delight.
"Oh! Mammy, my Li z has got young ones," and
so she had; therefore , in course of time, th ey had to
be lib erated, or were eaten by the cat-s-I for get
which!
June had come, and with it very cold mornings,
48°, and often very wet. On loth we wer e busy
pa cking for the wedding at Mount Stewart: mattress,
pill ows, blankets, etc., in valise, and from the
G en eral's wharf started in his large boat, the Snow­
drop, being rowed by Charlie the Dane, our first
"sundowner," whom Hugh employed at 20S. a week
and" tucker " ; and Patrick, a surveyor, employed in
t he settlement at, I should be afraid to say, what
wage s!
On reaching Mount Stewart we found all busy
with preparations-scrubbing, and so forth, going on
32 MY SI MP LE LIF E IN NEW ZE ALAND . 1879
by all hands. B eing within a coupl e of miles of the
parents' place, H ugh an d I started on foot t o see
h em ; a man with a sledge overtook us hal f way,
a nd gave us a lift on his lowly, but easy, safe
car riage, level with the tra c k and du st, pas t a sch ool­
ho use , where our lead er 's ch ildre n a nd ot he r settlers
were being ed uca ted.
\ Ve foun d our sist er Ma ry and family staying with
t he parents, a nd , afte r earl y dinn er and ch a t, walked
bac k in t he dark, finding many more gu ests had
a rrived, who had to be accommo da ted o n the floor
anywhere. W e were all right with th e bedding we
had b ro ug h t, on th e floo r, of co urs e; a nd oh, the
fleas !
O ur h ost ro used all th e m en at daybr eak for a
swim in t he sea, a nd afte r breakfast, such as one
reads of in bo oks in " trav eller ' s yarns, " we prepared
th e wedding br eakfast table in th e billi ard-room, and
helped bri de and bri d esm aids (three) to dress, one
having to keep g uard over th e lockless door. Crowds
poured in by sea and land, but no best man, " th e
catch of th e season," so we wait ed a nd wait ed, unti l
at last the stea mer from Tauranga wa s sighted, when
the desired one, a sma rt young office r, soon a ppea red,
all spick and span, an d th e ceremony took place in
the drawing-room, our Irish Can on officiat ing. I
wa s hon oured by his taking me in t o br eakfast. We
sa t down a party of sixt y-four, followed by a second
party of thirty. Aft er th e feast the youn g couple
rode away to th eir. future h om e (four mil es off) a mid
gun-firing, ri ce, slippe rs, etc . Later th er e was a
dance to piano musi c by a bi g police-sergeant in
muddy t op -boots, a lady sett ler, an d mys elf, who
had nev er dr eamt that my limited mu sical p owers
would be so acceptable as they proved on thi s- and
MY SIMPLE LIFE I N NE W ZEALAND. 33
1879
many similar occasions during our twenty-eight
y ears in New Z ealand.
Next morning breakfast began at eleven, and
co nti nued at in te rva ls for hours, during which the
party di sp ersed , we being very gl ad t o get back to
ou r bright, clean home.
W e had come t o New Z eal and as a "land without
t axes," but with ou r ad vent they came t oo, a nd a
visit from our local rat e-collector to raise money for
roads, especially ours t o Tinpot Castl e. Hu gh gave
£5,"and then follow ed £3 as his subscription to th e
clergymau's half-ye ar' s stipend.
L ou and 1 h avin g gr adually ext empo r ised bachelor's
quart er s at the othe r end of the loft, we were pr e­
pared for an inv as ion on June zoth of the old Captain,
our lead er, G. V.S ., the Cr own L and s Ranger, a nd a
you ng man, fresher from home than even we were.
W e put th em all up for the night, fift een soul s, in th e
stab les . This visit of the Crown L ands' Ran ger
exasperated me, h e h aving been sent t o rep ort on th e
work of the n ew settlers, who were threat ened with
forfeiture of their land if they fail ed t o comply with
certain very st rict a nd unreasonable condit ions ;
wher eas 1 felt that we shou ld have been paid for
co ming to New Z eal and at all.
One Sunday we all st arted on foot to call on the
newly-married couple four mil es off, ac ross 'a ' riv er.
A friendly sett ler brought a h orse, and himself
wading, led us ea ch in turn on the bar e-back ed h orse
a cr oss, and led us to the house, wher e we were give n
a good dinn er, and detained by h eavy rain until du sk,
wh en with anoth er ob liging h orse we retrac ed our
steps over the river to the Gen eral's, for Evening
Service.
On Monday our kind cl er gyman ga ve me a
 34 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r879 r879 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 35
quantity of cuttings and plants from
Aucklaud, and found too late by two young men, who were fencing
volunteered
to stop another day, and help us plant our land. They often gave us eels caught in our
them, thus starting a lovely
flower-garden with river, which some of our party enjoyed very much.
escallonias, weigelias, ageratums, lasiandras, olean­ They also taught me to make bread, their mother
ders, roses, honeysuckle, etc.
being a famous baker, as was proved by the loa ves they
On June roth we started an
orchard by planting brought up in the evenings to our kitchen and asked
r04 trees: apple, pear, peach,' nectarine, cherry, plum, us to bake for them. The bread was excellent, mixed
damson, apricot, greengage, fig, loquat, orange, mul­ with home-made yeast, and was my unchanged
bery, etc.; and a kitchen-garden, with artichokes, recipe all my life in New Zealand, so I give it here;­
asparagus, 'seakale, etc.; and in flower-garden roses,
passion-flowers, primroses, verbenas, etc. Yeast.-rlb. each sugar, flour and potatoes; 20ZS.
About this time our first lambs appeared, and were each hops and salt; r gallon water. Boil for an
Soon very numerous; our farm suited them admir­ hour the hops and water, strain, and set by to cool.
ably. We had
always the earliest in the district, Boil the potatoes in I pint water; mash them very
and no sickness among them.
smooth, and mix them with the water they were
Our various visitors enjoyed exploring the place boiled in. Put in a large basin the sugar, flour, and
with their guns, and often brought home pheasants, salt; mix with them very gradually the mashed pota­
pigeons, duck, etc. toes and hop-water. Bottle, cork tightly, tying on
Round the kitchen-garden post and wire fence we the corks with string. It will be .ready in 24 hours.
planted blackberries (Californian brambles, £r a Bread.-In the evening put in a basin: flour, 10 lbs.;
hundred), and although they bore fine fruit, we never sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls; salt, I tablespoonful; yeast,
ceased to regret the day we had introduced therri, for I cupful (large). Add very gradually I gallon luke­
they spread terribly by root-suckers over acres of this warm water; mix thoroughly (which will take about
light land, and became a pest. So also did many ten minutes), cover with a rug, and place by the fire­
other import ed plants·-sweet briar, gorse, kangaroo side all night. Next morning, work this up for 15
acacia, hakea, etc. minutes, with as much more flour (2 or\ 3 lbs.) as
Mosquitoes, which had not found us out yet at the will bind all into a lump t the more it is worked the
stables, now became very troublesome at night, and better. Divide the dough into eight loaves, put them
we put up bars-a comfort, unless one of the pests in tins by the fireside, and when risen (in an hour or
had been made a prisoner. In that case we were . two) bake for one hour and a quarter.
tortured, and had to light a candle and kill it with
a palmetto whisk we had brought from Bermuqa. From August roth to September 6th we had no
rain, and so dried up was the land that we rejoiced
August r7 th, the first anniversary of our landing in
New Zealand, was unfortunately celebrated by the when it came again in torrents, soon followed by hot
sunshine, which made the grass and all our other
death in a swamp of a newly-purchased heifer,
recent sowings and plantings grow beautifully.
 36 MY SI MP LE LIFE I N NEW ZE ALAND . 1879
One fine day, Hu gh , Mervyn and I walked to see
th e old par ents, wad ing through th e T uap iro, and
cro ssin g many wet swa mps . W e go t t her e in three
h ours, and spe nt th e night with th em, wal king horne
next day, being th ere gree ted with th e bad new s that
our sheep had strayed do wn to the bea ch , where
tw enty-two ewes and eight lambs were dr owned in
th e man gr oves. D et ermined t hey sh ould not be
wasted, Hugh and J o spent next da y ca rt ing th em up
t o the orc hard, and buryin g th em und er fruit-trees,
g reatly benefi tting th e latter. After seven weeks'
work at feu cing, cos ting £50, our young bread­
instructors left .
On Se pte m ber 29th \ve enjoyed th e first-fru it s of
ou r garde n-green peas, so wn on May zot h, We
w ere now favour ed with equinoctial ga les, disastrous
t o yo ung vegetation. Milk and butter bein g scarce,
we bought from a half- caste a brindle cow and day­
old calf, for £12. Pretty Jan e presented us with a
foal, so ou r st ock was increasing.
O ct ober being a dry month, we avai led ourselves
of heavy rain on th e 13th to tran splant tomatoes, ca uli­
flowers, cu cumbers, vege ta ble marrows, melons. et c., so
th e garden looked quite furni shed. Magpi e, the cow
we had nearly lost in March, had ano the r calf, Jack­
daw, an other cow following suit, so th e dairy was
increasin g, also th e work slowly and surely. Although
too late in th e season, we bo ught fro m a neighbour
tw o pigs for curing; weight 4IOlbs at 3d., £ 5 2 S. 6d.
Then we had <J regular field -day, ' ru bbing in salt,
sugar and sa ltpe tre, and makin g br awn, por k-pies,
sausages, etc. This was wom en' s work, th e men
bein g busy planting po tatoes .
One day a pa rty of eig ht girls and youn g men
started on horseback at 10 a.m, fr om our house,
1879 MY STMPLE LIF E IN NEW ZEALA ND. 37
ca rr yi ng kit s of sandwi ch es, sausage rolls, cakes, etc .,
along a rough, p icturesque track through th e Gorge
towar ds P aeroa, where th e natives were still hostile,
hey have since becom e quite friendly . by th e dis­
covery some tw en ty years ago in that localit y of go ld,
lea d ing to the co nve rsion of one or two so lita ry
shanties int o the prosperous town of W a ihi, which
for cleanliness has no ri val in E ng land, excep t per­
haps Bo urne mouth, th at . most fas hionable healt
resort. W aihi now boasts of several goo d ho tels and
res ta urants, streets of fine hou ses and shops; quite
d ifferent from 1879 wh en our young frien ds ro de
th er e, had a picnic lunch, and came hom e by a st ill
roug her track leading them on to a beautiful sa ndy
beach, wh ere ano t her very promising gold- mine, the
W a ihi Beach, is now being exp loite d. A few miles
canter along th e ha rd sands bro ught th em to th e ford
acros s to Tin pot Cas tle, and so back to us very tired
and very hungry, and all slept here.
At th e end of Oct ob er maize was sown, th e seed
being soaked in wat er for so me days; then, to keep off
birds, rat s, an d mi ce, blackened with tar , and sanded
for co nvenienc e of handling. Two seeds at a tim e
were dropped tw o feet apart in th e fnrr ow made by
th e plough, with pum pkin seed tr eat ed in the same
manner in alter na te furrows.
Our visitors departed afte r tea and strawberries
and cream - our first. Lou had plenty of riding, and
j oin ed her friends in a trip to th e Uretara for a con­
cert, and on ne xt day to T auranga, thirty-seven mil es,
for th eatricals.
While she was away we made a sta rt at enlarg ing
th e house, Hugh ha ving engaged Dowland, a car­
penter, wh o, on October 29th, contracted to do th e
work we wanted for [400 by J anu ary 15th. H e
D
38 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1879
arrived in the cutter Spitfire with timber and bricks
from Auckland, which wer e landed on rafts at the
General's wharf, only a mile off. The men were
nearly a week landing the 20,000 feet of timber.
Having finished this heavy job, our servants and
children, after fifte en months' good, useful work, left
us to better themselves, and are now amongst the
most prosperous of early pioneer settlers. Lou
being away, Hugh and I had to find out how to cook 1
Our young Irish neighbour (whose husband is now
a wealthy store-keeper) was most kind an d he lpful
ilking our cow s: at which I to ok my first lesson,
also making porridge, wi th out w hich no Colonial
breakfast is complete. T a lone pr epared brea kfast and
the whole din ner for th e first time: soup, roast beef,
and tapioca pudding, and was not I proud of it, and
bot, to o!
We ate, on November 7th, our first early potatoes,
planted ] uly 21St.
Lou came back after a fort night's absen ce, q uite
appreciative of the black lead polish Hugh and I ha d
put on the stove, and of my bread.
W e we re all bidden to the wedd ing of th e Canon's
pr ett y yo ung Irisbcook (whom I presented with a
bouquet of lovely roses) in his dra wing room in their
comfortable house two miles off. T his couple are
now, like our nearer neig h bours , prosperous st ore­
keepers. .
Next day Lou and I churned and mad e Glbs, of
lovely butter-the best we had ever eaten, of course.
Hugh agr eed with a young settler, brother of our
butcher, to pay him f1 a day for two horses, himself,
and cart, to bring home our timber.
Our expenses were increasing, and views modi- ·
fying, so we decided to build rougher stables, and make
1879 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 39
the pr esent" stables " the nucleus of Athenree, our
dwelling-house, to be erected on a better site,
nec essitating the removal intact on rollers some fifty
yards of the stables. Before doing so, the drawing
room, 28 x 18, was built on wooden blocks rammed
into the ground; then followed the studs, upper
plates, ridge board, rafters, rusticated board walls,
battens for roof, shingles, window sashes, one being
a large bay comma nd ing a fine view of practically
unlimited Pacific Ocean, quite lifeles s.
Butter-making was now (November 26th) a great
difficulty on account of the heat, ice being of course
unattainable in such a place.
The exterior of the drawing room was now quite
pretty, with ornamental barge-boards at the gables,
and saddle-boards on roof. How we delighted in
watching this building growing.
Every day I proudly entered in my diary the
dinner I had cooked, Lou being away with her
brother, but these details lack interest after twenty­
eight years of the same.
Visitors of all sorts called on us; now a piano
tuner, of whose services we gladly availed ourselves
for 25s., providing him with free board and lodging
for the night, and th e same for the bricklayer who
came to build our chimneys and fill the fire-places
with the pretty til es we had brought from Hampton's,
contrary to the advice of those friends who had
assured us we should need no fires in New Zealand.
,. But we must have fire-places," was our reply, and
good use we made of them, with iron fire-baskets to
hold wood and a little coal; in years to follow, the
logs furnished by the trees, pines, gnms, acacias, etc.,
we were now planting, made,the mo st delightful fires
imaginable.
40 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1879
On December rzth the river was warm enough for
bathing, which Lou and I very much enjoyed. Hugh
now engaged as farm hand at 2SS. a week, aud
" found," Tom, the fine youug son of one of our
most respected Irish fellow-passengers and settlers,
whose advice on farming matters we always appre­
ciated, Tom married in time one of my servants,
and has now half-a-dozen fine sons of his owu and
has permanent work in the settlement as road
overseer.
Strawberries were now so plentiful that whenever
the weather was dry I picked them and made quan ­
tities of jam; but often the sudden downpours of
rain spoilt the fruit.
Hugh, Tom, and a tramp, at ISS. a week, with
occasionally help from me, were busy pulling fern
and weeds among the main crop of potatoes, which
we had all helped to plant in September. Some very
wet days came, too wet for this work, so we swept
out the drawing room, spare room behind, and Lou's
room above that, and Hugh and his men began
furniture removal. First our Broadwoo. I grand
square piano, then our military chests of d ra wers,
cases, and other portable furniture, saved from the
dear old R.A. days. Next day we transferred our
stables bedroom furniture into the new drawing
room; aud Lou's into her upper room. Then the
lower room was converted temporarily into a kitchen,
the old one with the mud floor being immediately
pulled down, because it interfered with the approach­
ing stables removal on rollers.
Our large drawing room was inconveniently
crowded with all our possessions, but that did not last
long. The carpenters at once began removing parti­
tions in the stables and lifting the building.
1879 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 41
On Christmas Day we four, Hugh, Lou, Mervyn
and I, started with the two horses (men's saddles),
riding and walking in turns to see the parents,
dropping Lou half way en route at her brother's.
We had a large family dinner party, the old people
having attached Irish servants to wait on them, \Ve
were all put up for the night in their comfortable
eight-roomed house and were so cheery that the dear
old Captain, aged 8S, actually danced with the young
people to my merry Irish tunes.
Next day it rained so heavily that we could not face
the return walk, aud therefore enjoyed a well-earned
rest. During a stroll to the manager, Johnston's,
cottage, we came across a protege of his, Eddie, aged
fourteen, whom we engaged at 6s. a week as "general
servant."
Having been provided with sandwiches we left
early next day, and had a very hot walk to the
Tuapiro, which we waded through, and there ate our
lunch, having called for Lou on our way. Then we
dropped in at Hillside (the Canon's) for tea, and on
reaching home, to our intense surprise, found the old
stables, 40 x 20, had been moved and atjached to the
new building. We congratulated the energetic
carpeuters, whom Hugh rewarded with grog.
Although next day was Sunday I had, contrary to
my usual day of rest, to bake bread, set the night
before-a very hot job on a very hot day. On Monday
I was up at S a.m. to make butter, pick strawberries,
and do a lot of extra cooking-roast goose, boiled
ham, cakes, etc., for a picnic to-morrow to the Waihi
Beach, a beautiful spot, where gold is now being
found, as I meutioned before. We were a party of
twelve, all riding; had a good lunch under the shade
of trees riear, and spring of excellent water, grand
 42 MY SI MF L E LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1880
ca n te r h ome over th e s an ds in tim e for m e t o se t
bread , get hi gh tea for all, a nd p lay for da nc ing till
ne arly mi dnight. W ith th e breaking up of our par ty
next day en ded the year 187g.
O n New Y ear's day T om, exp ert with a sc yt he ,
began cu tt ing oats for h ay, so w n Se ptem be r 25t h,
and I c nt o ut six flann el s h ir ts for Mervyn, whi ch I
w or ked a t d uring his lesson hours, in a nt ici pat ion o f
co rning winter.
The carpente rs, h aving n ow co n nec t ed the tw o
buildings, Brown began pain ting the h ou se ou tsi de ,
his goo d w ork a nd mater ia ls la sti ng for ten years,
w hen it h a d t o be don e again, a nd look ed w ell when
we left in 1906.
F ind ing h and work t oo slow Hugh invest ed in a
reaper, a nd with tw o m ares, Blossom a n d J essie,
cnt oa ts of October 6t h.
Th e ca rpen te rs we re getti ng on well with the stair­
case in Lou 's roo m, an d the ori ginal loft, which was
soon co nver te d into bedroom s ; also th ey built a
kit ch en at th e back a nd ver and ah in front.
The n ext tim e we w ent t o see th e pare n ts , I rode
Bl ossom, w ho m I found very rou gh, a nd h ad a most
un comfort a bl e ri de home, a nd felt eve n w or se next
day.
All thi s ti me the loveli est weat he r a lte rnated with
suc h do w upours of ra in that a ll wo rk w as constantly
int erru pt ed, a nd straw be r r ies very mu ch spoiled.
These g re w sp lend idly a t fir st, begin n ing in Octo be r
with low- g rowin g fru it (Duke of E d inbu rgh) h idd en
a mo ng the lea ves, a n d la sting six or eig h t weeks.
Theu , wit h a s ho r t rest starti ng in J anu ary, a second
cro p with npri ght stem , po lya nt h us-like g rowt h .
But alt h ong h w e c ult iva te d, divided, mad e ne w beds,
etc., etc ., t his w onderful d on bl e cro p la st ed three or
1880 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZE AL AND. 43
four yea rs only, d eteriorat ed, and finally disappeared
as cu lt iva tio n ad vanced , so th at for m any years past
th er e w ere no st raw be rr ies in K ati K ati.
Eddi e p roved a m ost useful boy for a time, h elpin g
m e w ell, especia lly with th at t ed ious, eve r- re cu rring
washing u p o f pl ates, di sh es, saucep a ns , et c .
J ann ary 15t h h ad co me, a n d ou r h ouse w as n ot
fini sh ed; the can tra ct or w as Irequ ently abs en t, look­
in g o ut for a no t her j ob , which in one respect turn ed
ou t to our ad va n tage, for h aving under taken t o p ro­
vide a kit chen-dresser (si ze n ot mention ed) , hi s
assista n t co ns t ruc te d a fin e large g-fee t one by my
di rect ions, great ly t o the wrath of hi s boss, who
had int ended it s hou ld b e 3 feet , the nsnal Co lo n ia l
sty le.
About thi s tim e w e all m ore or less went t hro ng h
th e usu al pai nfu l proces s of acc limatisatio n, by a
visit at ion of b oil s, the firs t I h ad ever h ad, a nd
mercifully the last; but th ey w er e very b ad , a n d left
in er adi cable sc a rs . L ou p roved a m ost kind, clev er
nurse, bnt was h erself suffer ing fr om t oothach e. As
soon as w e were conva lescent w e h ad to m ak e up
for "lost time by being do n bly indnstri on s, a nd
a m t omatoes b ein g ri p e, made a g reat bat ch of
c h ut ne y and cl eaned a lot of wind ows. Being
w ear y of sleeping in the d raw ing- roo m, w e m oved
fnrniture, a nd t ook possessi on of our b ed ro om (or ig i­
n al sitt ing-roo m in t h e sta bl es), o ur th en be d roo m
h aving been enlarg ed a nd con verted into a dining­
r oom, 2 2 X 16. We we re prepared for our firs t tennis·
party o n February 9t h, Illy m orni ng havin g been b usy
plu ckin g a nd cookin g fowl s, etc ., fo r abont a d ozen
friend s, who h ad h ig h tea w ith us, followe d by a hop
till midnight-most o f them slee p ing a t At he nree.
Ou r t omat oes in th e garden wer e so a bu ndan t that,
44 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1880
although we made quantities of chutney, sauce, and
jam, we gave away kits of them.
The newly boarded floors now became a n anxiety,
linolenm not being so common as now-a-days, and.
reqniring constant scrubbing, to which we had not
been accustomed! In hopes 01 saving such hard
labour, we had the kitchen and scullery floors
covered with bricks, which lasted for many years
most satisfactorily until undermined by rats, which
led eventually to having the bricks removed and a
wooden floor laid in a much enlarged kitchen.
On February 15th Hugh brought in from our
orchard a ripe Royal George peach and nectarine.
I received the very sad news of the death on
December rSth of our dear friend, the Laird of Fyvie,
N.B.
N ext day came some sporting settlers, begging for
a subscription to Kati Kati Races. Hugh gave a
guinea, and so pleased was one of our petitioners
with this and his good dinner, that he promised me
cornices-of which he considered his drawing-room
unworthy-for ours, and very handsome they were.
The kitchen dresser being finished, our dissatisfied
contractor refused to paint it, so I gave it a first coat
on Thursday, and second on Friday, after filling np
nail holes with putty by Hugh's directions, finished off
with a third coat on Satnrday ; this work lasting
well for all our time at Athenree.
OIl February zr st we saw across the bay a fire at
Mount Stewart, which sent up smoke and flames to a
great height; tben in about a quarter of an hour the
corrugated iron roof of a large building fell in, and
so there was an end to the fine new out-buildings and
stables, in which had been stored all sorts of valuable
implements, saddles, etc. The fire was lit by a small
1880 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 45
boy surreptitiously smoking in a hay-loft-s-a most
dangerous practice, and one we always had a dread
of with farm-hands, sun-downers, etc.
On March z nd Lon rode to the Uretara for a-dance,
came home at 5 in the morning, and after three hours
in bed, rode off again to the Kati Kati Races, which she
thought great fun, recounting her adventures on her
return to us after three days.
Our weighing machine having been unpacked, we
were all weighed on March 17th, when Mervyn was
nine years old; he was 5 stone, 3 lbs.; Hugh, 14
stone, 6 lbs. j I, 9 stone, 7 lbs.; and Lou, 7 stone,
9 lbs. I need hardly say' our record now, except in
Hugh's case, is very different!
\Ve were now getting peaches in great quantities,
a sackful .at a time from our grove, originally
planted by Maories ; the fruit was very inferior to
glass house grown English, but made excellent jam.
Vve had another tennis party to celebrate Mervyn's
birthday, winding up with the usual hop. At such
busy times I very much, missed the clever help of our
young Irish neighbour, who was kept at home with a
third baby, to whom I became godmother. I saw
her several year's afterwards-a very pretty girl.
We had now the pleasure of admiring Oetzmann's
case of carpets, two years packed, and in perfect
order.
NIr. Rolleston, Minister for Lands, 111[. Macinsty,
and Mr. Percy Smith called on their way from
Thames to Taurauga (80 miles), and lunched with us.
They admired our home, but NIr. Rolleston urged us
not to spend much on it, just to make the place
habitable, sell it to the first bidder, and move else­
where to better land. Needless to say, we did not
follow his advice, and lived to regret it.
 46 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NE W ZEALAND. 1880
Tom began digging on March zoth th e field pota­
toes (It acre) planted on October 24th. The kit chen. .
being the only suitable rain-proof place, was now
filled with sac ks of clover and grass seed (£20 worth),
brought from Auckl and by boat to' the G eneral's
wharf.
On April 4th, I8Bo, after bein g with us as a delight­
ful companion since May rath, 1878, L ou left us to
join her newly-married sister in Wellington, and I
ne ed not say how much I missed her practical help.
The followin g Monday I baked bre ad, washed,
folded and mangled the clothes by myself. All this
time carpenters and p ainters were living on our
"p remises, and giving a lot of extra work, but haviug
built for a friend of ours a four -roo med house within
a quarter of a mile of ours (whi ch unlu ckil y for us he
never occupied, but had been forced to buil d on his
forty acres, or else forfeit the land), th ese men 'm oved
into this cottage , and troubled me no m ore to feed
them. I found our family and party, with frequent
visitors and Eddy, for whom I ma de clothes, mended
and washed, quite sufficient. Starchin g and ironing
were ext remely difficult at first, and to one's ' fas­
tid ious eyes very un satisfa ct ory, but after a few years
they did very well.
We were hav ing very d ry weather, expecting rain;
so having invited Tom's father, who liv ed ten miles
away, to dinner, he and all ha nds mixed on a spread­
out sail, grass and clover seed, whi ch was imme­
diately sown, April 24t h, over about twenty-two
acres, thus com plet in g the work which entitled us to
our Cr own grant.
On May rst, as usu al, rai n ca me down in t orrents,
which started grass and clovergrowing like magic.
It began to get cold in th e evenings, and on May 7th
1880 MY SIM PLE LI FE IN NEW ZEALAN D. 47
we were very glad of a fir e of logs from ou r bush.
The wind was oft en very high; as I found to my cost
when, havi ng don e the washing, I left the clothes out
overn ight t o dry and fou nd next mo rn ing t hat the
line had snapped, th e clothes fall en, and all co vered
w ith mu d. But in New Zeala nd, when you wa nt a
t h ing do ne, you mu st do it yourself. T hus washin g,
ri nsing and wr inging had t o be do ne agai n, as a
ma tter of course. B ut, t ry as I m ight, the work was
t oo mu ch for me, so I dispensed with Eddie, and was
lu cky to ge t in his place Tom 's siste r, Agnes, a nice
br ight girl, at l OS. a week, wh o mil ked and did a ll
kinds of useful work. She, too, soon marrie d well.
' Ne wer e able t o sp end a night o r t wo occasiona lly
with Hugh's paren ts, leavin g T om a nd Ag nes in
charge, an d she in tu rn wou ld rid e home frequently
for a holiday.
I had now mo re time t o devot e to Mervy n's
ed uca tio n-qu ite necessary, as he was nine yea rs
old and mos t anxio us to learn, also to play the pia no;
so we began mus ic-lesso ns and con tin ued th em so
successfully that he soo n took plea sure in playing my
old pieces and got much enjoyme nt ou t of our pian o.
On e day our cat brought in a q uail, which I t ook
from it , pluc ked a nd myself ate, giving it a bit of
m utt on in excha nge . T his became a common prac­
ti ce with succeeding ge nera tio ns of cats.
The pinus insig nis trees that w e had pla nted a yea r
ago had made suc h go od growt h th at we real ised
th ey were overc ro wded and mov ed several to a
greate r dis ta nce, alte rnately with blue gums (euca lyp­
t us glob nlus), English oaks, and native puriris- fine
little trees from last yea r's sowing .
About th is tim e we had a visit fro m the Propert y
Tax Co llect or-a great sou rce of irritati on to enter­

48 MY SIMPLE LIFE I N NEW ZE ALAND. 1880
prising people such as We were-s-havin g determi1.ed
to make our home as beautiful as possible. The
Government Surveyor was more welcome when he
came with his men to put in grade pegs along the
,
neighbouring Hiku ran gi Gorge, th e beginning of our
connection with the futnr e Waihi . Of co urse we
III
accommodated our friend with such comfortable
quarters as we wer e now a ble to offer during his
two or three days' work.
Next day Hu gh st art ed on foot for Martr ay, his
parents' home, to ac com p a ny by ste a mer to T aur­
anga his father, wh o was swo ru in a s a N ew Zealand
magistrate. It was July, and m id-winter, with the
usual torrents of rain a nd high wind, so that again
the clothes-line broke; but my good Agn es, with her
equable t emper, soon repaired th e damage done, and
not long aft er this we a do pted galvanised wire lines,
which saved us all further worry a nd minimised the
work. Owing t o th e low temper ature, poor quality
of the cream, etc . , chur ning was a wearisome
business, butter not coming for two and sometimes
four hours. ' time pu tti ng in-gerani urns, pelargoni urns, helio­
On July tzth we, having arrived on, foot at
Martray the previous day, spent a very bu sy morn­
ing, cooking, cleanin g, laying tables, etc., for the
Oraugemen who arrived-a party of fourteen fine­
looking Ulster men with drum and fifes-and had a
good dinner of roast beef, Irish stew, pies, plum­
puddings, etc., wind ing up with loyal spee ches,
songs and chee rs, breaking up befor e 9 o'cloc k.
The Crown Lands R anger calle d again, expressed
himself mu ch pleas ed with am improvements, say ing
" all that had been done was well d one ."
My turkeys, having incr eased to fifteen in number,
didrnuch damage in th e garden and field cr ops j so
Ii
illl
1880
MY SIMPLE LIFE I N NEW ZEALAND.
oue evening Tom and C ha rl ie (a tramp whom H ugh
49
!!
was em ploying at ISS . a week and board) c aug ht th em
roosting on a fence, put them in sacks and, wadin g 1]1
th rou gh our river, deposited them on th e opposite
side, wh er e th ey wer e supposed to pick up their own
living ; but bein g a rath er inaccessible, dist ant place,
~I I
they were seldo m visited, until on e ~ne day, a fortnight
later, th e tw o old birds appeared at the house, but no
young on es, whi ch in fact wer e never seen again from
that day to this; so ended. our romantic dr eam of
" wild turkeys in N ew Z ealand."
\V e had the misfortune of losing our fine m are,
Blossom, found dead in th e st ables one e vening by
II
Cha rlie, who, uua ccustomed to horses, had (we Ii
i!
think) put off feeding th em till later than usual, T om
. having go ue for a holid ay, and Blo ssom was found
lyin g in a pool of blood, apparently having been
kick ed by J essie in th e ne xt stall, wh o was rather
bad-t empered and pr obably huugry.
I got fr om an old friend in Auckland a present of
cutt ings and plants, which Agnes and I had a bu sy
tropes, penstem ons, ag eratums, hydrangeas: escal­
loni as, deutzias, mesembryanthemums, gue ldc r roses,
laurels, oxalis, roses, arums, ixias, agap anthus-a
spl endid contribution , m ost of which grew well and
helped to convert our wilderness into a garden.
Next came a little g aiety in the form of a dance.
On e Frid ay moruing we walked (crossing the Tuapiro
in a Maori ca noe, which we fonnd tied to a stake on
the bank) to Martray, had an early dinner with the
old folk, th en walk ed three or four miles furth er to
L arkspur, our sist er Mary's pretty place on th e slopes
of a steep hill overlo oking the U retara t ownship, and
found all bubbling with excitement there in anticipa­

50 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1880
tion of the dance that evening, to which many came,
although it was a very stormy night, beginning
dancing at 8 p. m. and going on vigorously till 4 a.m.,
with intervals for supper at midnight and soup at 3.
We spent a day or two there, walking home on Sun­
day, having tea at the Canon's, followed by Evening
Service, and so home in ankle-deep mud roads in
pitch darkness.
Times were bad for horses and cows, so, for their
benefit, Hugh got from a dealer in Tauranga one tall
of clover haY-is lOS.
One very wet day-too wet for gardening-Agnes
and I put together a dozen of cane-seated Austrian
bent-wood chairs, which had come from Auckland in
the flat.
August brought so much garden-work, also rain,
that Hugh put up a little corrugated iron shelter, to
which we could run during those drenching showers,
and .so we went on working, digging and hoeing,
planting and sowing, Agnes being most helpful, an d
in return persuading me to help her with the mil king :
such a bright girl, of a type that does not exist now,
and destined soon to leave me, having an offer of £35
from her friend at the Rotomahana Hotel, which .
naturally unsettled her. Early in September she and
I finished makin g a strawberry bed with five hundred
plants. We were often working in the rain, which
gave me many a sore throat, with bad head-ache,
from which latter I suffered greatly from earliest days
in New Zealand, but never spent a day in bed; there
was too much interesting and necessary work to be
done, varied with a good deal of entertaining, as
when September came, and fine weather, parties of
young friends paid us surprise visits, riding in some
cases many miles; so were, of course, asked to
1880 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 5I
dinn er and tea, generally winding up with a hop and
nigh t's quarters, finding it hard to leave before dark
next day.
We sowed quantities of annuals, many of which
became permanent from self-sowing year after year,
such as foxgloves, everlastings, columbines, etc.
Foxgloves became a noxious weed, poisonous to
young turkeys who ate their seeds. At Mervyn's
lesson-time I made the drawing-room carpet (Oetz­
mann's), a very heavy but satisfactory job, which
occupied my spare time for four weeks, and which
gave us comfort for many years and always looked
nice after a daily run over it with a carpet-sweeper
(in those days a novelty in New Zealand) which we
had brought from home.
We had so many windows that the cleaning ofth
was quite a business, always a difficulty, and not a
popular job where alternate showers, dust and sun­
shine made the task by no means a light one.
After nearly two years at Athenree, a traveller
came with a packhorse loaded with patterns of all
sorts of cotton and woollen stuffs, socks, etc., so we
gave him an order, thus ensuring my needle being
kept busy. Then another enterprising local store­
keeper called with groceries, which he offered to
deliver regularly; thus we were getting almost too
civilised.
Ploughing took up most of Tom's time. Our
horse, Fishhook, gave us much trouble as . he ob­
jected to the plough, so Tom's father sold his good
horse, Bob, to Hugh for [ro, and Fishhook and
pretty Jane's foal.
We were now getting frequent requests from
.friends at home to receive their sons as farm cadets
at [100 a year; having several spare rooms, which
52 MY SIMJ' Lb. LI F E IN NE W ZEALAND. r880
were seldom occu pied, a nd, feelin g th e loss of cheer­
ful society, we consented in some cases, and soo n
heard they were on th eir way out.
In add it ion to our vari ed daily work, Agnes and I
frequ ently clea ned sadd les, brid les a nd bits, wh ic
wer e less well looked after as y~a rs rolled on and we
beca me less critical.
Mervy n, being now nine an d a-half yea rs old, was
able to ri de an y horse and ma ke himself useful at odd
j obs on the far-m .
S orrel, in trod uced by c ultivation, was o ur mos t
troublesome wee d in a ll crops, and gave us ple nty of
work in the gard en, as it ra n for yards unde rground
a nd ch ecked al l oth er g rowt h co rnpletel
Mervyn, who in after y uars had en tire charge of
our cows, had not ye t lea rned to m ilk, so that work
fell to my sha re, when T om an d Agn es wen t ho me.
Funds having been supplied by the Coun ty Co un­
cil, a three-span brid ge (unluck ily all of wood, piers
a nd a butme nts ha ving sin ce bee n re placed by those
of con crete made with sto nes from the bed of the
stre am ) was built across the T uapiro, much to au
joy and that of the ot her settlers, who were tir ed of
fording th e river, so met imes ha ving to wai t hou rs for
the tide to reced e.
Mervyn's grandfather havi ng given him a goo d
pony ([5), he was a.ble to ri de ab ou t quite ind e­
pendently.
T owards the middle of Novem ber (corres po nding
with May in England) Hugh ca ug h t six tiny phea sa nts
in th e orchar d, whi ch we p ut in a coop. T wo imm e­
dia.tely esca ped throu gh a very sm all ape rture j the
others I fed, lik e chickens, on hard -boiled egg, oa t­
meal, etc., bu t one by one th ey all died .
Thanks to the Tuapiro Bridge , which enabled
1880 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 53
carriages and carts to cross comfortably' and safely,
we had our first visitors from Tauranga in a buggy­
a light four-wheeled wagon to carry anything, with
pair of horses.
All this time Hugh was very busy, alternately
weeding farm crops and making endless cupboards,
washstands, shelves, etc., .for the house. Having
l
been warned by toothache that he should see a den­
tist, and reluctant to face the long ride to Tauranga,
he put off the evil day and was rewarded on his 'II
I
return one morning from the fields by finding me
in our drawing-room, ensconced in an easy-chair,
having a tooth stopped by a travelling dentist from
Sydney, N.S. W., who attended next to Hugh's and i[1
' Agnes', and, having dined with us, went away with !,I
a good cheque and testimonial, ensuring him some
weeks' work in the settlement, which extended for
twenty-five miles along a narrow seacoast line shel­
tered by mountain ranges. Thus we heard little
and saw still less of the majority of our fellow­
I
passengers, until one day one of them-an enter­
prising, capable young Irishman-came up with cattle
for sale, and Hugh bought nine yearlings for £25 and
sold our old cow, Magpie, for £4 ros.
We had not in these early days acquired the art
of sizing, staining and varnishing floors, so I spent
days of hard labour putting one coat of brown
paint, then a second and a third, on the borders of
dining and drawing-room floors.
Having, on . November 8th, sown on our best land
(the cropping-field) Sutton's Imperial and late drum­
head cabbages, we began on December rfith to trans­
plant them and continued doing so by the thousand
until the end of March, thus having through the
winter plenty of cabbages for ourselves and our cows,
E

MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. I 88 ~
54
one of which cabbages, weighing 28100., we gave t (1
our near neig h bour, who boiled some for din ner
every day lor a week.
So me of our garden experiences were very success­
ful, others q uite the reverse ; but we learnt to' bear
our disappointments philosophically, though perhap
not quit e calmly, when we found that ou r newly­
purchased calves had broken through the post an d
wire fence and had eate n all th e ga rde n cabbages,
ug h, seei ng my grief, imm ed iately repa ired
. , so we had peace, but not plenty, for '
ristmas was always an ext ra busy ti me on rhe
fa rm, and in t hose days of reapers wit hout binders i:
was necessary to invi t e friends, white and Maories,
round to help with the ha rvest, and give them a go od
dinner in the field where they were working, thus
enabling them and the horses to have a good hour ';
rest in the heat of the day.
On January znd, I88I, we heard the exciting new!
that our old ship, the Lady Jo celyn, was in sig ht,
approaching Tauranga, having on board two farm
cadets for Athenree and another special settlement
party organised by our leader-this time for Te Puke,
near Tauranga.
So next morning we got up at 3, had bre akfast
and walked to Fraser's Point, nearly two miles off,
whence in the Canon's boat with a party of his youn~
people we set sail for Tauranga, which, with a fair
wind, we reached in four·hours, engaged a room at
Grassick's boarding-house, .dined and walked to the
wharf, where we found numbers of friends and the
"Reception Committee" of leading citizens spler­
didly got up for the occasion.
- We went on board the 55. K ati K ati and fer
MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 55
IS
hours were tossed about, waiting. for the Lady
Joce lyt~ , which did not come in within reasonable
istance, so we landed on Maunganui and were
- spit a bly entertained with tea by the courteous
Harbour Master, and so back t o Tauranga by 8. Up
again next mo rn ing at 6, and with H ugh and the Re­
ception Com mit tee only, I, contrary to strict etiquette
On so im porta nt an occasion, got on board the Kati
J(aH, a nd under the shelter of Mount Maunganui,
we break fast ed on board 55. Albion, by the kind
mvil at ion of Captain Garrard ; then off agai~ outside II
t he Moun t, where we met the Lady Jocelyn, look­ II
i n ~ so h uge, bein~ towed in by 55. Waitaki, the 1.1
Albion proceeding on her way to Wellington, we
going round and round the Lady Jocelyn, whose hun­ Ii
dreds of passengers crowded at the ship's sides to see
Ii
'\
us -to them old Colonials. The officers and crew 'I
were fearfully excited when, having parted her cable. 1\
\'
the first anchor dropped, so they let go another, I;
\
which held just in time and so enabled us to get on 1\
board across the Waitaki. i'
We were cordially greeted by our old friend,
I:
\i
Captain Jenkins, and other officers; then made
acquaintance with Bob and Frank, our cadets, and
by them were introduced to several passengers, with
some of whom we became friends, but the majority
we never saw agam.
A few hours later the whole of Tauranga-such a
crowd I-came on board and were most festive and
so noisy with band, etc., that I was glad to retire
with a few friends for tea on the Waitaki and back
to Tauranga at 8 with Bob and Frank, ' who went
next day with Hugh to see the Lady Jocelyn off to
Auckland and brought back their luggage.
We called at various hotels on new arrivals and
Sb MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEA I.AN .... . 1881
went to their reception dance in Lauch's Hall, kept
up with great spirit till 3 a.m. The following da y-s­
when we bought a frame beehive, having had a present
of a swarm of bees, which we put on board the Bethi«
with our luggage, timber, etc.-we sailed away,
getting home safely after six days' absence.
The cadets' first impressions of Athenree were
very favourable; they began by helping to land
and cart timber and luggage, ana then unpacking
and settling their own things, putting outside their
door many pairs of boots to be cleaned, and three
months' sheets, clothes, etc., for the wash ; the
latter Agnes and I did by degrees, packing all away
when dry that they would not require at Athenree ;
but, like the rest of us" each man had to black his
own boots, not one in our 'e mploy ever having done
so for us during our twenty-eight years in New
Zealand.
The cadets learnt how to make a stack of oats and
thatch it with rushes; they also made themselves
useful with horses, riding on errands, etc., and visit­
ing other settlers, whose visits to us became more
frequent with new attractions.
Hugh engaged Mike, a tramp, at £1 a week to do
more fencing, at which he was expert, so Bob and
Frank had the opportunity of learning under him
this most necessary work, digging holes, ramming
round posts in, driving in wire staples, and laying and
straining wires, sometimes seven deep. This same
Mike, a tall, fine Irishman, and vain, was very smart
on Sundays and limped about in ligh t, high -he elc
boots. Having seen mine, which H ugh wa s blacking
on trees, he smilingly looked at my feet, then at his
own, and said: "Mrs. Stewart, ma'am, would you
lend me the loan of your boot-trees to stretch moine,
they're too toight ? " So I did.
IRSI MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 57
Our river being famous for eels, Frank, who was a
keen sportsman, took much pleasure in catching
some, which I had (after he had skinned them) much
pleasure in cooking for his supper.
Having as a visitor a charming English girl called
Ada, and being anxious to make the acquaintance of
several Mount Stewart cadets, fellow-passengers of
Bob and Frank's, we spent an extra busy day
roasting lamb, chickens, etc., and making aU sorts of
good sweets, and having in. vited over fifty, people,.
most of them arrived in drays, on horseback, or on
foot, one afternoon for early dinner, followed by
tennis and quoits, high tea in the wide verandah,
dressing in every available room for the dance that
followed, with supper at midnight, soup at 2, and
broke up after 3, when the majority rode away,
leaving nineteen in the house for breakfast, fol­
lowed by a picnic on the river-bank, and the
following day Ad a and the cadets put back carpets,
furniture, etp,
Mervyn bein? nOW nearly 10 years old, and my
work too pressing to attend regnlarly to his lessons,
be rode daily seven miles to the so-called "N o. I
School," near Mount Stewart-much too far for him
and his pony, as we soon 'found out.
Our next unexpected visitor was a travelling
photographer, who took several views of the place,
charging us 50S. for eighteen copies.
We now gave our usual half-yearly picnic on the
Waihi Beach, March being early autumn and almost
the most beautiful month in that part of New
Zealand, and in drays and on horseback started­
a party of over twenty-at 9 a.m.; and having
feasted on good things, ail farm produce, including
cucumbers, etc., winding up with tea-the water
SS. MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. IS81
boiled in a billy, that most useful one-gallon tin with
a lid and handle-we got back to Athenree for
9 o'clock supper.
Next day, Bob having had a fall from a horse and
hurt his knee, I applied arnica lotion all da y with
great success, having taken care to give hi m pillules
of the same, thus escaping erysipelas, which in ny
ignorance had slightly affected a previous pa t ient.
Now our large kitchen clock and others were gong
badly after the voyage, and what chance was there
of getting them attended to? More than we ex­
pected j for one day came riding in a watchmaker
from the Thames, a mining town forty miles to the
northwards, who put all our timepieces in order at a
fair price and night's lodging.
Our importance as farmers seemed rising when ihe
local constable called for Agricultur~l Statistics and
Census Returns.
All this time Ada was with us, making herself most
kindly useful, enjoying riding to races, dances, etc.,
but also suffering very much from those horrid bo .ls,
a plague to most new-comers in New Zealand, and
which I did my best to cure with frequent hot
poultices. .
Frank, having brought out a splendid outfit and
grand Mexican saddle-bags, generally volunteered to
.ride the nine miles to the Uretara for the home rruil. .
due once a month via San Francisco. It was quite
a load for his horse, as the cadets and ourselves
had a large correspondence, also many papers and
magazlOes.
As a rule, we all walked on Sundays to Hillside
for Morning or Evening Service, and I made hot- ·
cross buns on Good Fridays, pan-cakes on Shreve
Tuesdays, and, of course, plum-puddings and mince­
1881 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 59
pies on Christmas Days; thus, as far as possible, in
our home in the Antipodes keeping up home customs
and traditions.
In these early days we had wonderful crops or
tomatoes, far better than in later years, with much
more care and cultivation. For instance, on Sep­
tember 23rd, 1880, I sowed in a drill in the garden
once ounce of Carter's large red tomato seed; began
transplanting them from October zoth to November
17th, on the latter date putting in 700 plants in the
cropping-field, which, as in Bermuda, grew at their
own sweet will, without pruning or staking, merely
laying dried fern and native heather under them, and
beginning in February continued till April to yield
such a crop that they were brought home in wheel­
barrows, sometimes in a dray, and I made many
gallons of tomato sauce (selling some of it at IS. 6d.
a quart bottle), chutneys and jams, the latter flavoured
with lemon or ginger.
With so many cadets, new arrivals from public
schools at home, football became popular, especially
on Saturday afternoon, the usual Colonial holiday in
the country, and it was in Kati Kati that the
Gallaghers-one of whom since well known as cap­
tain of the All Blacks-learnt the game.
The life and climate of Athenree were most healthy,
great hunger and sleep producers. The commis­
sariat, depending mainly on farm produce, needed
much time and thought, especially when in May of
this year, colder weather having come, Mike killed a
bullock (s cwt.), of which we sold about 801bs. at 4d.
to four neighbours, each of whom got a present of a
shin, and for home use I salted 200Ibs., spiced
2Slbs., and the rest we soon ate in roasts, stews,
steaks, soups, etc., inviting all the young people we
60 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZE AL AND. 1881
could muster in a hurry for tea, supp er, and a
dance. Among them wer e a nephew and niece of
Hugh's, eugaged to be married. Their weddi ng ­
cake I offered to make, with the ass ista nce of ou r
nearest neighbour, who sat' up all ni ght t o bake it,
201bs. we ig ht , in our oven, which with so much co ok­
ing we could n ot spa re by day, and the cake-Mrs.
Beeton's "Bride "-was a g rea t succ ess a nc much
enjoyed, when on June 15th the we dding to oc place
in the bride's mother's drawing-room, the Ca no n
officiating. I t was followed by breakfast for twen ty­
four, to which I contributed a r ound of sp iced beef
and a mould of creme de volaillo, At 3 o' cleck we
gave the young couple a ch eery se nd -off ar.d di s­
persed, returning home in our dray, iu which ve had
given the Canon a nd his w ife a lift.
Hugh's practical R.A. education now serv ed him
in good stead a nd en abl ed him t o survey and lay.
out convenient, well -graded cart-roads all over the
farm, instead of the usual be e-line track; v it h a
wo oden bridge acro ss the river, in st ead of the usual
steeply-approached ford, generally shallow, b ut,
after heavy r ain, som etime s danger ously de ep. This
bridge connected the tw o sides of our farm a nd
was most use ful for ca rting post s and rails for
fencing from th e bush, and gra ss an d clover seed for
sowing on the cl eared land, and me, with a hot
dinner for Hugh and all hands when they were
working. . so w ing . So me gre w into la rge plan ts, b ut it had
Ab out this time Lou married, 'set tled on a sheep­
st ation near Marton, and our lives drifted apart for
with the exceptio n of one short visit t o Athenree a
year or two aft er with her baby-boy, we never m et
again, women's lives in New Zealand bein g too
busy t o a dmit of much tra velling, which, moreover,
1881 MY SIM PLE LIFE I N NE W ZEALAND . 61
in tho:,e early days , was most in convenient a nd
expens rve.
Am on g all our g ues ts the m nch-wish ed-for travel­
lin g t ail or had not yet appe a red. T he refore, w ith so
many me n abo ut the place, their cl othes severely
tried in the bu sh, on hor seb a ck, etc., my serv ices
were fre q uently re q uisition ed , beginni ng by m a king
for Merv yn ' s c om fort in hi s dai ly ri de t o sc h ool a
pair of riding trousers out o f Hu gh 's regime n ta ls .
These wer e su ch a su cce ss that th er e was nothing
the ca det s d id no t ask me to do, from strapping th eir
ridin g breech es t o re-linin g a dress-coat. Bein g
winter aga in (july), there were pl enty of wet days
fo r this work; th e a fte r noo ns of th e fine ones I
d evot ed afte r househ old d ut ies, from 7 a.rn, t o 2.3 0
p .m ., as recreation to garden in g, a nd, with Agnes'
help, mad e a not he r I, ooo-plant straw berry bed a nd
plante d hundreds o f cabbages a nd caul iflowers from
seeds I had sown in March. In Sep tember I so we d
some stones of dried dates I had eaten, which in six
m ouths had gr own into little two-lea ved palms si x
in ches high, but havin g very lon g t ender tap-roots.
Few su rv ived t ra nspl anting; th ose that did made
very sl ow growt h, bu t wer e graceful, pretty shrubs.
An oth er cr op that fail ed was J ob' s tear··g r ass ,
st ro ng ly recommended in t hose earl y days of sh ort­
feed as "sple ndid fodder for stock and horses ;" we
tried it in d rill s, on ploughed la nd ' an d sur face­
suc h a st rong: pec uli ar smell t h a t not a single a nimal
w ould touch it, b ut rat h er, a fte r o ne sniff, would t u rn
a way d isgus ted. An d so w ith many more exp eri­
m ents which in ou r z ea l and wish t o satisfy t
hu nger of all the a nim als w e were accu m ulati ng we
p erseveri ngly mad e. The soil w as so light tha t a
62 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZE ALAND . (.8t
horse-roller became a necessity. and Hugh rnaue a
fine on e of the ha rd puriri wood in the bush whch
lasted all our ti me at Ath enree a nd was. with most of
u r farm impl em ents, ofte n lent to neighbours.
Oc tober. as us ual. br ought im perative gardeni 'l
work, that t iresome sorrel becomin g more and mae
a pest. I n hopes of dest roying it, I took advice a
in a b ucket mixed arsenic with water, st irr ed it we 1,
an d, so armed, started for the garde n, when 1 WiS
ca lled ba ck to feed a tramp, a nd wh ile so doi ng rry
ducks sampled the con tents of th e bucket, which
almost instantly killed three of them. Afte r su
sad experi enc e, I was mor e carefu l in futu re and a
similar disas ter never happened aga in. T he rest of
the poison killed all the surface sorrel, but had m
effect on the roots, which to ok years of patient dig­
ging with a fork t o eradicate. Strawberries were
now so plentiful that, eat them as we would , served
in a soup-tureen with cream, invite our friends te
bring baskets and pick for themselves, or pay cadet>
halfpenny a pound to get them picked for myself
there were such quantities that I made 2871bs.
jam. Then, in February, peaches ripen ed quickly:
and in that hottest of months I made 4071bs. of jam
of them. I did the same with small lots of preserved
tomatoes and pumpkins, making a grand total of
7601bs. Thus I was prepared for a siege and stood it.
The husband of my friendly Irish neighbour
having decided to give up farming and take to
business, to which - he had been brought up, we
regretfully, at the thought, of losing her and my
pretty little god-daughter, bought such furniture as
they wished to dispose of and her poultry, over which
I was now growing enthusiastic, and so continued to
the end, having eggs all the year round and poultry
1881 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 63
in some form or other always available for our own
table and the surpl us for sale. In November of this
year (1881) vve had another visit from the Bishop,
whom we were delighted to entertain for the night,
and whos e kind sympathy I mnch appreciated when
he found that Agnes had at length yielded to her
friend's pertinacity and had decided to go to her.
Annie, another settler's daughter, was much youllger,
but I was thankful to get her. Our kind neighbour,
t he Genera l, just at this time also left Kati Kat i to
live in Auckland, so we began to feel lonely and com­
forted ourselves a little hy giving the name" General"
to a good horse we bought from him for [,ro.
G. V. S. having declared his intention of standing
for Parliament, Hugh, attended by Mike, rode off one
morning to Waihi, Waitekauri and Paeroa to canvass
for him, and a lively time Hugh had with his zealous
hen ch man, who fought literally and metaphorically
am ong the miners for the good cause (unfortunately
unsuccessfully), and by his unsteady seat on his horse
ga ve H ugh next day no end offrouble during the weary
twent y miles' ride home. Mervyn's holidays having
on Decem ber roth begun (Agnes and Annie left in
charge of Athenree, as far as my work was concerned).
he and I on the z rst rode to Larkspur to spend a
night with Hugh's sister, next morning visiting for
the first time th e local stores and Post Office and
various friends, meeting on our way our genial young
storekeeper riding to his wedding in the bride's
;
sister's house. It was a long day for Mervyn and
me, as we wer e not home till 10 o'clock.
'I Next day brought extra work to make up for my
holiday, especially with Christmas so near and no
end of visitors expected. We decorated the house
with ferns and flowers (no holly or mistletoe at mid­
!
64 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1882
summer), and Christmas Day was most brirht and
beautiful. We had a good, old-fashioned English
dinner at I, and all went to Hillside for Evening
Service, my two girls getting their holiday re xt day
and leaving me in sale charge.
On 29th came from the Bluff a wire from Illy dear
and only brother Jock, Poona Horse, on sicl leave,
saying he and his wife h oped to be with us in a few
days, having had 88 days' pleasant sail from Plymouth
to Sydney, thence to New Zealand. But there was
no time to dwell on this joy for a dozen moo soon
appeared to help cut oats, and the girls having come
back we took dinner to them in the field and gave
them supper when they came home. All m) spare
minutes were devoted to making the travellers' rooms
as comfortable as possible and getting mysel f up as
becomingly as circumstances permitted in orcer not
to be too great a shock to my brother after eleven
years' separation. On January 4th, 1882, we met in
our verandah, they having driven from Taurarga, he
looking very, very ill, having suffered much ha-dship
and privation in the Afghan campaign, of w h.ch he
told us a pleasant incident. O n his march bick to
India he was in company with a cer tain battery of
Artillery; recognising it as formerly Hugh's, he
enquired if any of the men remembered him; some
did, among them a fine young Sergeant-Major
Stuckfield, who had been Hugh's soldier-servant in
Portsmouth, and left us to go to India, where le got
rapid promotion. Having obtained Our address from
my brother, he wrote Hugh a letter of most respectful
devotion and enquiries for U Missus and the baby."
He was very anxious to come to New Zealandif his
service in the R.A. would ensure him employment,
which in those days was not at all likely, aid so .
ended this pleasant little episode.
1882 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 65
So proud was I of my brother a n d his wife that I
invited all our friends and Hugh's relati on s (nearly
100) to m eet them at a dance on January r St h.: I n
the meantime three more ca de t s, Harry; Herbert and
Charlie, arrived from h ome, so a t la st all our sp are
ro oms were occupied and w e did n ot feel lon ely. The
work alone would have been snfficien t to d eb ar that,
but now it was interpersed with" play," many of ou r
guests being delighted to h elp me at cake-making a nd
the endless good thin gs for s uppe r. Bread had t o be
baked-every day ex cept Sunday, so that we import ed
half a to n of flour a t a time whe n th e r oads were
od and rain not fall in g, using 1001bs. of flour a
week, al ways rem en hering to keep up . the su pply
o f yeast, w h ich was also h ome-made. When I had
en minu tes to sp a re they h ad to be d evot ed to the
pia no, for th e cadet s had brought out the n ewe st
valses, which I had to learn for th e r St h, F ra n k alo ne
being able t o play. This reminds m e of a n amusing
in cident.
O n the ni ght of the dan ce, when th e fun was at its
h eight, I sm elt fire, and in a wo oden h ouse was
natura lly alarme d. My olfa ct ory n erves w ere
pecu liarly sensitive. N o on e else h avin g been ro used ,
I sniffed ab ont dog-like a n d ran th e scent t o earth in
the ball-room, whispered t o Frank, th e p ian ist, to
"stop," as I th onght the h ouse was on fire; together
we walk ed all over the pla ce, the sm ell st ill close by ;
a t last,in hi s qni et way h e remarked, " By jove, it's my
ipe," and th ere sure eno ugh was a h ole in his dr ess
coat, slowly burnt throu gh by hi s hot pip e, w hich h e
had hurriedly put in his p o cket when I had asked
him t o pl ay.
F or the dance our preparation s were manifol d,
add ed to the daily routin e of providing everything
66 MY SIMPLE LIFE I N NEW ZEALAND. 1882
from start to finish for at least twelve people. The
cad ets were most lively and go od-n at ured at furni­
ture removal, carpet lifting, floor polishing, etc, The
ver andah was filled with easy ch airs, sofas, et c., with
cosy corners in every available spot. We had picnic
dinner and tea for all in kitchen, anywhere : then
there was eagerness to dress before 8 o'clock, the
appointed hour. Every room was filled will pounds
of candles alight, the reception rooms be.ng illu­
minated by endless keros ene ' lamps, which I had
trimmed and filled in the morning. I had lud scant
time to transfer mys elf into black velvet, p ci nt lace
and diamonds. when t he sound of wheels merle itself
heard on the shelled drive a nd out of a ca rl issued our
first guests, well pro tect ed against the rain, which was
co ming down in torrents, and so into my r rnm, the
ladies' cloa k room (H ugh's dressing roon being
for the gentlemen), to titivate. The next a r rivals, and
the next and the next, were riding, some having come
12 or 14 miles. The squish squash of their habits as
they streamed into my room was a ca ut ioi . My
wardrobe of dry clothes I put at their disposil, th en
ran to this room with pin s, to that with a sh irt stud ,
and to all with button-holes, until hy degrees we
'mustered sixty stroug in the dining -room lor tea,
coffee, sandwiches and cakes, which were pat.onised
steadily for two hours, dancing having begun soon
after 8 o'clock to the strains of music kindly provided
by various young friends. All our rooms were plenti­
fully furnished with doors and, French windcws, so
at 10 o'clock all of the dining-room were locked, and
from the kitchen, larder, store-rooms, &c., we
covered th e table wjth turkeys, hams, fowls pies,
jellies, creams, trifles, etc., my velvet train being
\ had with amateur jockeys, half-broken race horses
much in the way. But the pretty, well-ordered, gay
1882 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 67
scene in the ball-room was worth all the trouble, and
so we continued to find it during all the after years of
our sojourn at Athenree. There were twenty-eight
dances on the programme, including a Scotch reel
and the Cotillon. Having had hot soup at 2 a.m.,
several extras, winding up with Sir Roger de
Coverley, they dispersed between 4 and 5 o'clock in
broad daylight, many more than we had provided for
sleeping in the house, as Hugh found when, hungry
for breakfast at eleven, he went prospecting and
found sleepers in rugs coiled up in floor corners all
over the rooms, the majority being new chum cadets
whose horses had got away during the night. So we
all met at lunch time, and willing hands (for it was
a pouring wet day) put the house in order once more.
On Febru ary rst, having an enormous pile of socks
to mend, my sister-in-law and I were busy working
and chatting in the drawing-room. Presently we
heard a distant rumbiing, which gradually increased
and, seeming to come nearer, we remarked, "It sounds
like galloping horses." Soon the house began to
shake and sway, the bay window to rattle violently,
and everything to feel altogether most weird and un­
comfortable. "It must be an earthquake," we said
to one another; and so it was. A very disagreeable
experience--our first but by no means our last in this
land of volcanoes, craters, geysers, and hotsprings.
My brother being fond of horses and races deter­
' m in ed to patronise the Kati Kati races on February
8th and insisted that I should go too ; so having bor­
rowed a spring cart he drove me the nine miles
there, the rest of our party riding. What a day we
and very, very enthusiastic, excited natives. The fun
was fast and -furious, when rain came on, so suddenly
68 MY SIM?LE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1882
and heavily that the crowd, white and brown, in
gayest holiday attire, soon dispersed.
The following day I spent all my spare moments
making peach jam (ISO lbs.), Annie had left to help
her mother, but she was, luckily for me, soon replaced
by Mary Ann at I2S. 6d. a week. She was a neigh­
bour's sister and a capital servant, who eventually
married Tom, and is the prosperous mother of a fine
family. "
On February 14th we all rode over to Mount
Stewart for a dance given by the cadets "t here arid
enjoyed it very much, riding home in brilliant sun­
shine at 7 a.rn, I went to work without going to
bed.
From February 27th to March 3rd it rained almost
incessantly-an idle time for men, who stood round the
kitchen fire watching cooking operations and groomed
their horses, trimmed manes, tails, etc., at intervals.
For us women it was a trying time of mud, dirt and
wet clothes. Besides, our regular Monday's washing,
at this time over 200 pieces, was for five days hanging
on the lines, until at la.st the sun came out, a
breeze sprang up and our troubles for this time were
at an end.
My brother suggested a moonlight picnic on the
Waihi beach, so having folded, mangled and - put
away the clothes, we set to work and made all sorts
of cakes, pies and sausage-rolls, reserving piles of
sandwiches till to-morrow. Then after early dinner
we started, a party of thirty, in carts and on horseback,
to the beautiful Waihi Beach spring, where the boys
lit a fire, boiled water in billies, made tea and
feasted. Then followed songs, dances and athletic
sports on the sands, and so home at one in the
morning by moonlight. That had to be a busy day,

Bullock Team in the ' Bush ,
.picn ic lunch and at length continued our drive
Wairoa Bridg e between Kat; Kati and Taur-anga.
1882 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND . 69
because, leaving Agnes and Mary Anne in charge,
Hugh, Jock a nd I drove to the Uretara H otel, the
most comfortable old-world inn kept for many years
in the best style by Mr. and Mrs. McDonnell, T he
following morning L ouie joined us and we four soon
started by four-horse coach t o T auranga, about thir
seven miles of monotonously uninteresting, ill-laid-out
roads, through lonely, lifeless country. We put up
comfortably at Bellevue House; the following -morn­
ing breakfasted at 6.30, and in a coach and four
started on a forty miles ' drive to the famous Hot
Lakes. We had lovely views of sea and forest to
Oropi where, after their twelve miles' pull, the horses
were watered. Then on through splendid bush
(forest) to Tererenga, where, having to wait over two
hours by a road-side clearing for change of horses (an
incoming team from the Hot Lakes) we ate our
through this now rather depressing, because perfectly
sunless, silent bush over nineteen bridges and a very
rough corduroy road (a mud-track solidified with
fallen trees laid side by side as close as irregular
growth and knots would allow) till we reached
Lake House, Ohinemutu,in time for 6 o'clock dinner,
which was a very good one at pretty tables, with
civil attendants and guests innumerable, it being now
March 7th, the height of the season, mainly for rich
Australians, health or pleasure-seeking. The charge
was lOS . a day including baths attached to the hotel.
The following morning with a native guide we went
sight-seeing in the near neighbourhood to Sulphur
Point; the Ruranga or meeting house and marvellous
hot and cold sulphur springs, in those days quite
open, unfenced and dangerous to visitors, who would
get terribly scalded if by a false step along the narrow
F
 70 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZE ALAND. 1882
tracks, t hey stepped int o a boiling pool where the
natives were cooking, washing, etc., al fresco. After
lunch we went by coach ( 2~ mil es) t o W hakarewar ewa,
a region of geysers, boilin g springs and sulphur holes,
at each of which a t oll was clamoured for by the
covetous natives. Thence we went on by a good
road, past tw o lovely little lakes, one blue, the other
green, and through a sh ort bit of pretty bush a few
miles to W airoa, the scen e in after years of a t errible
volcanic eruption, whi ch dem olish ed McRae's
hotel, where we now put up at 12S. 6d. a .day. After
te a, spoilt with condensed milk-compulsory there,
where the natives woul d not allow a cow t o be kept­
we took a walk to a pr etty waterfall and to the
picturesque old mission station, afterwards com­
pletely destroyed and valuable lives lost in the
eruption and earthquake. After a very plain dinner
at which the Maoris in the verandah outside watched
us with envious eyes, greatly to the disgust of my
brother, who wanted to disperse them as he would
have th e natives in India, but was dissuaded im­
ploringly by McRae, we retired to rest and st arted next
,'. morning at 6 with the well -known guide, Sophia, a
party of nine (two men and two lady touris ts having
asked leave t o join us), in a large boat pulled by eight
st alwart Maoris nine miles across Lake' Tarawera,
W e st opped half way at a native settlement, where
for I S. a kit they sold us pra wns, peaches and apples.
After la nd ing we walked Over a mile of desolate t ea­
tre e and scrub (rough underg row th) country t o a
stream, w hich we cro ssed in a canoe a nd soon reached
on foot the far-famed Lake R otomahana, on th is side
. sheltered by the marvellously beautiful white t erra ces,
a nd on the oth er by the pin k. Thr ough warm, blue
pools in w hite basins we calm ly walked, following
1882 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 71
Sophia closely one by one like ducks. From time to time
she anxiously counted us. We were shown hot mud­
holes, steam bursting out of bottomless pits, Maori
" porridge," which Sophia made us taste off the end
of astick, assuring us we "couldlive on it." We
preferred to re serve our appetites for lunch on the
shore of the lake of prawns and potatoes, cooked
before our eyes in transparent kits in a boiling spring,
tinned meat, br ead and jam, lemonade and ginger­
beer, supplied from our hotel. Immediately after
this we crossed Lake Rotomahana in a canoe,
ascended the rosy pink terraces and, as part of the
programme, were told by Sophia to undress behind
some tea-tree bushes and bathe in this mostdeliciously
warm water, in which I could willingly have laid
down and gon e to sleep. After a few minutes' dip it
left such a feeling of drowsiness, lassitude and thirst
(with water, water everywhere but ne'er a drop to
drink), that for the rest of the day 1 sincerely wished
I had 1Wt bathed after a good lunch. After dressing
we ladies changed places .with the men, who then
had their bathe. We went back as we came, only by
canoe to Lake Tarawera instead of walking. When
about half-way across the lak e down came a deluge
of rain, so that wet, tired and thirsty on rea ching
McRae's hotel at 4 o'clock, we were delighted to
find that a coach with passengers from Lake House
was waiting to take us back to those comfortable
quarters, where my brother spent a fortnight, enjoying
baths and his health deriving much benefit there­
from. But Hugh and I must needs hurry back to
Athenree after our six days' absence, having very
much enjoyed the holiday and wonderful sights, the
most beautiful of which, the terraces, were in after
years so completely destroyed.
72 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1882
My brother's three months' visit was now un­
luckily coming to an end, so we issued eighty invi­
tations, and on April nth gave him and his wife a
farewell dance on the same lines as that of January
·28th. It was equally successsful, if not more so, be­
cause it was a fine instead of a wet night and the
lawn and walks were patronised between dances.
Next day was given to packing up and" good-bye"
to the dear couple (who travelled via Melbourne to
Bombay, arriving there on June rst) for ever in this
world to my brother, who passed away at Aden
in r893.
On May 24th-a holiday, of course-all the cadets
(six at this time) rode to the opening of the Waihi
Gold Battery-an important event, the beginning of
great riches for that locality. It was only nine miles
from Athenree, but unfortunately we never availed
ourselves of its benefits, but, on the contrary, suffered
as employers from ever-increasing wages and diffi­
culty of getting help, which ultimately forced us to
leave the country. In those early days we were well
off, as, for instance, on this general holiday, when
Willie, a young Scotsman whom Hugh employed,
offered to dig my flower-borders rather than see me
do it. So clever and obliging was he that we could
not hope to keep him long, and, having heard of a
good opening, he left us for Wyoming, where he soon
became a very prosperous settler.
As usual, the month of May!brought plenty c. rain,
but a certain Monday being fine, after washing,
cooking and preparing supper, I was fortunate in
enlisting a company of four cadets, and before dark
we planted 3,500 cabbages for cow-feed. For them
that night's rain was welcome, and induced us next
day to plant 2,000 more, also a hundred young trees­
rR82 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 73
pinus maritimus, cupressus macrocarpa, blue gums
and red gums-from my nursery, which 'afforded
hundreds more during the season; so that our bare,
treeless home was now growing quite wooded and
picturesque.
Each cadet having a horse, they took great interest
in building and roofing stables, furnishing stalls and
making everything ship-shape on the site of the
original" Stables "-our present house. But the new
buildings were less elaborate and costly, according to
our modified views after four years' experience. With
help whenever available, I made another 800 plants
strawberry bed, and next summer had such a crop
that I made of strawberry jam alone 2211bs.
Mervyn, now past I I years old, was getting on very
well at school, but the seven miles' ride five days a
week there and back was too much for him and his
pony, 'who seemed likely to succumb; so Mervyn
stopped with his grandparents at Martray, only a
mile from school, and walked home, soinetimes for
the night and so back to school next day, thus
accomplishing a record attendance under most trying
circumstances. He was, in fact, training to be an
unusually good walker as years went on, and emu­
lated Hugh and me, who never were as fond of riding
as were most of the new settlers and all colonials­
born. Thus, after a very busy morning's baking,
cooking, etc., Charlie the cadet, a great mountain­
climber, persuaded Hugh and me after early dinner
to take a two or three miles' walk to the foot and
then climb to the top of Mount Hikurangi, 1,240 feet,
which was pleasant, and oh what a lovely view of
mountains, plains and Pacific Ocean in this wonder­
fully clear air! After resting awhile, we commenced
the steep descent, much more fatiguing than the
/
74 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
1882
ascent, with most insecure foothold on rocky slopes.
Kind Charlie allowed me to use his sure foot as a st ep
now and again, and thus I got down safely after a
four and a-half honrs' walk, one of our cats leading
the way for the whole distance. In August we had
Some very cold weather. and Hugh was for a few
days troubled with chilblains, but was able to walk
round the farm to look after the' ewes and their tiny
lambs, also two of our poor cows who had been
"tutu'd" and were dying by inches in remote
places, to which we carried kerosene for medicine
and gruel for nourishment, but all, alas! of no avail.
At the end of onr fourth year I had become an
enthusiastic gardener and so continued, finding far
more pleasure in growing flowers, vegetables and
trees than in any other occupation. The cadets dug
a very long four-feet-wide border as an edge to one
side of the lawn, and in it we planted everything that
would look pretty one foot apart. A blue gum and a
Cloth of Gold rose-cutting, side by side, had a close
race, so that when we left, twenty-four years later,
they had attained a height of the gum roo feet and
the rose 60 feet. They were in beautiful ent angle­
ment-the admiration of the country-side. Having
been accustomed to a great deal of rain in Aagust,
absolutely necessary for the planting of evergreens in
this light, dry soil, on August 23rd, among other
trees, we planted fifty stone pines, securing them with
stakes on their steep hillside. Not one survived the
ensuing fortnight, when there was absolutely no rain.
We spent those days seed-sowing, chiefly along the
post and wire fences, an Australian plant called
hakea, evergreen and prickly, bnt apt to die suddenly
and unexpectedly at any stage, thus leaving an
objectionable gap. Another great drawback was that
1882 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 75
its large pods burst and sent their winged seeds in
every direction, creating another noxious weed.
Our primitive open-air washhouse was now being
turned into a laundry, a bricklayer at lOS. a day and
"tucker" (food consisting of three meat meals)
having come to build a chimney, which, with brick
stands for two copper boilers, took him a week, but
proved for ever after the greatest comfort. The
larger one had a capacity of 25 gallons for boiling
clothes, the other IS gallons for jams, hop-beer,
etc., etc.
With such frequent changes of temperature, dress
was a puzzle, and so to his cost Frank found it, wear­
ing Scotch tweeds one day and white drill the next.
He got a yery bad cold with rheumatism and lay in
bed for days unable to move without help. But there
being no doctor nearer than Tauranga (37 miles),
he recovered under my care and nursing--a labour of
love-he being the nicest boy we had ever met. After
he had stopped with us nearly two years, he went
home again, then tried Mexico, Texas. aud finally
Mashonaland, where, having risen to be a J. P. and
Mining Commissioner, he died of fever at Fort
Salisbury, at the early age of 33, regretted by all who
knew him.
On October 9th, r882, Hngh, Mervyn and I got u p
at 3 a.m, to see the cornet-a splendid sight-in ,
cloudless sky. This was a very dry spring, when
strawberries were in perfection and much appreciated.
Another cadet (Edmund) arrived, all enthusiastic
sportsman and gardener, who revelled in his quarters
and was most useful aud cheery during the sixteen
months he spent with us, taking a tu rn at all kinds of
work; supplying us with fish and game and eventually
getting an appoi ntment in Borneo.
 76 MY SI MPLE LIF E IN NEW ZEAL AND. r 883
The road having at last bee n comp leted from
T hames t o T auran ga (eighty miles), a four -h orse
coa ch to carr y mails and passengers sta rted run ning .
• W ith many changes of horses, it was a tw elve-h ours '
trip, from 6 a.m. to 6 p. m. It ca rried onr letters a n
papers in a bag, for whic h H ugh paid £2 a year . H e
aw aited the coach at the cr oss-roads, two hu ndre
yards from our gates.
OUf bee-far m wa s ra pidly increasi ng-u ltima.tely
we had thirty fram e-hives-a swa rm and some ti mes
t wo a day having to be h ived. This occu rred at th e
busiest, hott est tim e of day, but at this op erat ion one
seldo m got stung. It was onl y wh en tak ing hon ey
that th e protect ion of veil, gloves, etc ., was needed.
r8~3 began very happily, with th e news of t he
M ain Street, W aihi , show in g M arth a Hil l.
immediat e arrival of my step-father, wh om I ca lled
"the Gov.," and A. B., his wife, from hom e, so we
sent out inv itations for a dan ce on ] anu ary ro th,
and gave final t ou ch es to our expected visit ors'
rooms, These were all ready whe n they a rrive d by
coach from the T hames, more than forty miles, de­
claring they were " not in th e lea st tired," but quir e
del ighted with the driv e. They pr oved the easiest
of guests, ad apting th ems elves t o th eir novel sur­
roundings and helping in every possible way- A. B.
doing t he flowers wit h exquisite tast e, pic king and
sh elling pea s, etc . ; while Hugh took th e" Gov."
for a ride. Our party form ed a lar ge part of th e
con gregation at Morning Service at Hillsid e, wh er e
we were refreshed with peaches and other seas onable
fruit s gro wn by th e Canon. A. B., who had always
been devoted to ridi r-« at hom e, to ok to it again in
New Z ealand, and got all the pleasure she could
out of life in the Antipo des. Our dan ce on th e ro th
Typical Bush Scene.
was an other grea t success, kept up with th e usu al
I 883 MY Sn IP LE LI FE IN NEW ZE ALA XD. 77
spmt fro m 8 p.m, to 5 a.m, on rzth, all th e work
being do ne by ourselves.
Mervyn being nearly twelve y ears old, we decid ed
by our Bi sh op's ad vice t o send him to th e Chu rch of
E ng la nd Gram mar Sc hool in Aucklan d, wh ere the
B ishop 's three so ns w ere being ed ucate d, so I packed
his clothes a nd my own to acco mpany him, with th e
" Gov." as ou r esco rt . H aving se tt led a ll in th e
honse, after waiting more th an an ho ur at the cross ­
roads on a Saturday , we saw th e over-loaded coach
app roaching . T hen a sho ut from th e driver , "Full
up," a crack of the wh ip, and away they went, leaving
us t o co me h om e agai n crestfallen a nd limp, to awai t
Tuesday's coach, wh ich ca rried us safely via \Vaihi
an d Paeroa to t he Tham es. H er e at th e Pacific
H ot el we put np for th e night, leav ing next mo r ni ng
a t I I o'clock by steame r. \Ve had dinner on board,
an d a rrived in Auck lan d at 3 o 'cloc k. \ Ve drove to
the Ch urch of E ng land. Gramm ar Sch ool, whe re we
fonnd the Bis hop distri buting prize s, afte r which he
took us to Bis hop's Court for tea with Mrs. Co wie,
wh o, with her usu al kindness, promised to look after
Mer vyn at sc hoo l, and very often in vit ed him t o
Bish op' s Co urt, wh er e th er e wer e bea utiful grou nds
an d orc h ard . Next day was devot ed to shopping,
a nd by night-st eamer th e" G ov." a nd I we nt back
t o th e Thames, went ashore at 5 a .m., go t into th e
coach at 6, br eakfa sted at Hik ut aia H ot el on co ld
m utt on a nd d oubtful eggs, and reached hom e at
z p. rn., just in time to welcome from home, H enry,
a no t he r cade t, Harry having left for India ea rly in
the month . T he weath er bein g at its hott est and
finest February, all our relation s and A. B .'s (of
wh om she had se vera l in the settleme n t) came to see
her and th e" G ov."-som e to show their new babi es.
78 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r883
Without nurse or nursery we all dined together,
being on one occasion a party of twenty-one, one
young mother and her three months' old daughter
paying us a fortnight's visit. Some of our fields
were now white with mushrooms, and they were
brought home in such quantities that there were
mushrooms in every corner of larder, kitchen, store
room, etc. We cook ed them three ti mes a day and
made quarts of ketchup, the intervening times being
occupied with peach pre serves of every kind. This
amused everybody when from February roth to 25t h
it rained incessantly, so that our river was flooded to
a greater extent than we had ever seen it, and many
low-lying fields were under water. When it cleared
up the cadets went out sh ooting and fishing, one
bringing in five birds and an other fifte en fish, all of
which" needed immediate attention, " so I was told.
March 14th being the" Gov's " seventieth birthday,
he celebrated it by giving me a comfortable buggy,
considering the dray rather too rough.
One day we all drove to Mount Stewart, where the
orchard was a perfect sight, with grapes, rock a nd
water melons, cucumbers, etc., of all of which we
were urged to eat, and to carry away as much as we
liked. The" Gov." and A. B. sp ent a couple of
days with Hu gh's parents, returning to us to pack up
for the Hot Lakes via Tauranga, to which they went
by coach on March 28th, the finest month, coming
back to Athenree in June. Being uow "carriage­
folk," and therefore a ble to get more quickly over
the gr ound than in a cart, we went out a little more,
one Sunday to Hillside for Morning Service, and · on
to Martray for dinner. Having picked up a niece
and two babies en route, disaster ensued, for our
axle broke and we all sat down in th e soft mud road,
r883 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 79
quite unhurt, but obliged to finish our trip on foot,
and with humbled pride take to a cart again for the
return j ourney. Towards the middle of April we
had a whole week of heavy rain, during which ap­
peared from the Thames an old tramp, wet through,
asking for " tucker," which he got j then for a "j ob,"
which we promised him; and then for a "suit of dry
clothes, because I'm subject to rheumatic fever, and
I'll be laid up here for six weeks if I keep on these
wet clothes i" so of course Hugh supplied him, where­
upon the old fellow disappeared, went to bed in one
of th e ., shakedowns" we had provided for such, and
st opped there for two days, tolerably satisfied with
hi s qu arters and the food I carried to him ; but, being
much too tired to work, he said he would move on
when he got hi s wages, ros. for a week !
The torrents of rain had so deepened and widened
the un bridged rivers that the coach was st opped and
th e mails were carried on a pack-horse. Even that
was te rr ibly dangerous and fatal to a fine lad (the
sa.me that had driven us from Tauranga to Ohinemutu)
wh o, clad in oil-skins, plunged into a river; he and
his horses bein g carried away by the current were
drowned, on ly his little fox-terrier swimming safely
across. In April or May we always started a drawing­
ro om fire towards 5 o'clock, and st opped it in October
or November. We seldom had a fire all day because
of the troubl e of looking after it, most of my time
being sp ent in the kitchen, the men being generally
out, but visitors were welcome to keep up a fire for
themselves. On May 4th Mervyn came home for
holidays till eSth, looking- tall and thin; his reports
w ere very good. Honours were crowding on Hugh,
t oo, when he was elected Chairman of the Road
Board. OR .May 24th we got a case from Mas on's
80 MY S I MP LE LIF E IN NEW ZEA LA ND. 1883
Nursery, Auckland, containi ng Lisbon, mammoth,
sweet and variegated lemons, cit ro ns, limes a nd
shaddocks, twenty-four trees in all, which we planted
in a sh eltere d sp ot at the foot of t he lawn, and in all
the after-y ears we we eded and I t fed " th em so well
that they yielded beautiful fru it in great quan tities.
he Lisbon lem on s were by far th e most profitabl e.
T hey had a ready sale at 6d . pe r dozen, p ric es having
gone dow n since we landed in T auranga and for the
fir st time sa w a lemon-tree ! Ha vin g planted and
st aked th ese tr ees, we next day atte nded t o th e flower­
bed s, my spec ial j oy, and near th e verand ah we p ut
in daphn es, di osm a, lib onia, rhyncosphermum , jas­
mi noide s, and roses, the best of all; and round a nd
ab out th e lawn, pomegranates, India rubber, fuch sias,
magnolias, ca rnelias , rhododendrons, azaleas, olea n­
der s, hydrang eas.
-On J un e 5th, the G ov. and A.B. cam e back acc om­
panied by our old friend L ou a nd her six months'
old boy, all of whom, of course, we wer e delighted
to see. Naturally, th ey want ed a fire all day lon g in
the cold a nd wet, so we inv ested in our firs t coal, £3
a ton, to sa ve the labour of wood-cutting, always
difficulty. Se eing this, th e G ov. an d A.B. almost
daily took a walk about the farm a nd br ou ght h om e
dry kindling- sticks to start the fir e. Theyaccommo­
dated themselv es most admirably to coloni al life,
A.B. sp ending her mornings helping me in the house
us e of fifteen horses all t old, and invasion in the
at jam-making, ironing, mending, etc. ; and th e G ov.
middle of the night of a roadside settle r's h ome for
so busy with Hugh in his workshop constructing hiv es,
shelter whil e h elp was co ming. But they bore it
gates, etc., th at wh en a t 1 o' clock the usually wel­
chee-rfully, and for many years loved to speak of this
come dinner-bell rang, he frequently ejaculated, so
and othe r adventures in New Zealand.
interested wa s h e in hi s work, "Bother that bell!"
After seei ng them off fr om Athenree Hugh and I
On the last day of June, after many very wet days, .
drove to Martray for the old folks' entertainme n t of
it was so fin e that we all a scended Hikurangi, I for
the second, a nd as it proved, last time.
I
the Orange men, wh o m arched in with drums, fifes
.\
MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NE W ZEALA ND. 81
1883
B ob t ook round invitations for a dance on July
l oth, and in the very nick of time R amsay, a travel­
ling piano-tuner, called and put our B roadwood in
order. Prep arations for the ball- supper, in addition
to the dail y meals for our larg e hou seh old, made
cooking pa ra mo un t. A.B. sho wed us how to bon e
turkeys, which wer e filled w it h ton gu e, stuffing, etc.
We made p igeo n pies, cre mes de volaille, jeil ies,
creams, trifles, etc., ad li b. The ro t h ope ned with
torrents of rain, dr eadful for preparation s; sti ll we
went on . The go od-na t ure d G erman driver of th e
s to re -car t, wh o usu ally turned up at dinn er tim e, se e­
in g my a nx iet y, ch eerily sai d : "Keep up , Missu s,
dey'll all come" ; so th e cadets wit h pl aids mad e
cos y nook s in the ver andah. At sunset th e weather
cleared and contin ued to improve, so th at ove r forty
(all but very di stant friend s) turned up, had a very
ga y night a nd danced till daylight, when aft er a few
hours' r est, all go t up, shoo k and re-laid ca rpet s ;
and being comfor tab ly sett led, I helped our gues ts to
pack.
Pun ctually at 9 o'clock the following morning,
July r zth, th e G ov ., A.B., Lou and her so n, with
much lu ggage, left in a coac h a nd five for Tauranga,
thirty-fiv e mil es. They were nearly twenty-four hours
on the ro-a d on ac count of its muddy, so ft st at e a nd
their he avy load. They had three breakdowns, th e
 82 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
r883
and flags. A party of twenty-four sat down to
dinner, followed by loyal speeches and songs. On
our return home we let Agnes and Mary Anne ride to
the Uretara for the Orangemen's ball in their hall in
the township, from which they did not return till
7 a.rn, Having changed their dresses they at once
sat down to milk the cows, as the day wore on taking
a nap now and again over their work!
On August 23r d of this year, 1883, we awoke to
find the distant mountain ranges white with snow,
and how we felt the cold! Fires were going all day,
which the cadets kept warm! This unexpected cold
was very trying to all.
Mervy n came back from school in Auckland, look­
ing d elicate and ,with a cough. At the same time we
heard of the resignation of the headmaster, so some­
wh a t relucta ntly We decided to keep our boy at home
and ourselves educate h im- a n arrangement I have
ver sin ce regretted, as it debarred him from associa­
ion a nd co m pet iti on with others, w hi ch would pro b­
ab ly have led to h is entering some professio n in
wh ich his energies wou ld ha ve had a wider Scope
than in t he ro utin e of farm-life and loc a l poliric s.
nst when the numerous merr's wardrobes were all
needing repairs, m ore than I cou ld a ccom plish With
so much ot her harder work a nd inabili ty to rest how­
ever much nee ded, a travelling t ailor called, aske d
.or work and got it at 5s. a day. with board an d
lodging, and was kept b usy for a week or cwo The
we had a few days' VIsit [r om a yo ung E nghsl
martyr !O a.:.-thUla.. wh o, feeh ng vel)' ill, persu!l.deo me
{J pinch the flesh of h is terribly spotted arm, Jnt
which h e injected morphia, a sensatio n I sha ll never
forcet,
ur next visitor was a y oun g Voakes from South
1883 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 83
Africa, who, wet through walking from the Thames,
called in for" tucker and a shake down j" he got them,
and Hugh engaged him to fix a pump in the well and
do some fencing. When digging post-holes he always
finished up with his hands, minutely examining the
earth in hopes of finding diamonds as he had done
in Kimberley, S.A.
Having a limited water-supply from the well only,
and having always regretted the waste of rain water
off our large roof-surface, Hugh engaged Mont­
g ornery, the bricklayer, again, and with other help
dug out a large underground tank with a capacity of
6,000 gallons, to which Montgomery gave brick walls
and cement. This for the future kept us well off for
rain water. _
Ffom earliest days we, especially Hugh, had never
been satisfied with our 300 acres, because we had no
easy access to the sea, from which we were divided
by a road and 160 acres of Government land.
In October, 1883, this Lot 94 was offered for sale.
In our own buggy, with a pair of horses, Hugh and I
. started on 23rd for Tauranga, feeding ourselves and
horses by the roadside en route and putting up at
Menzies' very comfortable hotel. At the Sale by ­
Auction next day Hugh bid up to his limit, £200,
and the Lot fell to a stranger for £210. Very much
disappointed we harnessed up and got home in the
middle of the night. That land is still desolate and
uncultivated, being held by the purchaser" for a rise,"
and we never accomplished a short cut to the sea.
December came again with ever-increasing work,
for it was shearing-time, and I had nine men all told
to cook for; their work was stopped more than once
by sudden heavy rain, and then there was a general
.. loaf" for the men!
 84 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND,. r884
1884 began very gaily for Hugh and me, for we
drove to the eight miles' distant lovely -home of
friends, whose little daughter was to be christened in
the drawing-room. There was a large gathering of
mutual acquaintances for the ceremony and then a
sumptuous repast of so many courses that we were
filled with admiration and astonishment.
One day's holiday meant double work on the fol­
lowing day, and it being a very hot one, I did not
enjoy churning, the butter being so soft that I could
do nothing with it. However, I got up next morn­
ing at 5 o'clock, found my I) lbs, butter quite firm,
and a few hours later sold it for rod. per lb. to
holiday-makers camped on the Waihi Beach; so I
began making money j
On January zath, when we had all, after break­
fast, scattered to our various occupations, a wonder­
ful crowd appeared at our gates, all Maoris', in
buggies and on horseback. On inquiry we found
it was Te Kooti, with over a hundred followers,
making a sort of royal tour through the country.
This Te Kooti was a famous rebel leader who
had been amnestied not long before, after having
main tained a guerilla resistance, accompanied by some
cruel massacres, for many years after our "Kingite"
neighbours had accepted British authority. He was
allowed a strong armed bodyguard, as otherwise
relatives of those net'fives who fell in the Poverty
Bay massacres would have sought revenge. Some,
however-among whom was a French half-caste in
our neighbourhood-had a superstition that it would
be impossible to hit him.
Out of his buggy he stepped, motioned to two
fine Maoris with loaded guns to follow him, and
asked for "a drink." We invi ted him in, and
1884 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 85
noticed how frequently and anxiously he looked .ba ck
for his guard, especially as he stepped on to the
verandah. There he spied Mervyn, and went for­
ward to rub noses, which Mervyn appeared not to
enjoy. Next, turning to me, he whispered clearly:
" I want te beer,"
" So sorry we have none." .
" Never mind, I like some tea."
And so, begging him to be seated in the drawing­
room, which he thought "ka pai " (very good), I
made a big billy of tea for him and .some special
ladies in his buggy, giving water to the rest, ' and
inviting all into the garden to pick flowers. This
they did to their hearts' desire, leaving absolutely
not one bloom. They decorated quite artistically
themselves and their horses, the most novel idea
being one fuchsia flower instead of the usual earring. .
. When they went away they all galloped towards
tinpot Castle, calling in at Alf. Faulkner's, who
offered Te Kooti a glass of whisky, which he de­
clined, saying, "I want te brandy."
A young nephew of the house was sent off flying
on horseback to the Uretara, and returning within a
couple of hours with a bottle of brandy, he found
Te Kooti had taken quite enough whisky and sighed
no more for brandy.
With so many young men constantly coming and
going, we began to see that it was desirable 19 pro­
vide them with something a little stronger than tea,
so I started hop beer, and kept it up without inter­
mission for the next twenty-two years.
. This is how I made it. To ten gallons of cold
water add t lb. dried hops, 8 lbs. moist sugar, and
2 lbs, maize (Indian corn). Let stand for twenty­
four hours i bOll quickly for two hours; strain into
G

8b MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. I884
a wooden tub in a warm place. When ferme ntation
starts (in a week or two, according to temperature),
which will' demonstrate itself by small surface
bubbles, strain through a canvas bag. Bottle, let
stand till foam rises, then cork, tie down bghtly.
It will be fit to drink in two to four w eeks, and
prove a most wholesome, refreshing light beer All
the cadets who desired were taught this, as vell as
bread and butter making which might prove rs eful
w hen they left A thenree.
The first week of June, I884, w as th e coldest we
had known in New Z ealand, there being a thin
sheet of ice on puddles or shallow vessels of water
outside until 9 or IO a.rn, Bananas, heliotropes,
cannas, and nasturtiums felt it very much, but were
not destroyed. This cold was, in the following
weeks, su cceeded by the usual wet, warm, writer
weather. 'rVe had so much wished for a fine :une
I7th, w hen , at H illside, took place the wedding of
the eldes t daughter of the house and the senior
Athenree farm cadet . Although within two miles'
Walk, we could not, chiefly on acco un t of our wedding
ents, fac e it on foot, so H ug h and I took the
idegroo rn in the hu ggy, lea ving th e three rerruin­
ing cadet s to foll ow in a cart. Very few ot her in­
vit ed g uests ap pea red .
e bride looked cha rm ing in white veiled in I.~ ._ ,
an d her bri desm aid in p ink. T he Ca non conduc-ed
the service imp ressively . It was all over by tlree
o'clock, when, afte r wine and ca ke, the bride havn g
put on a claret-coloured travelling dress, and kissed
us all " g ood -by e," the happy pair , a m id [I. stor m of
rice, slippers, rain, and hail, dashed a way in a co ach
and fo ur wh it e horses to Tauranga, being st opped at
the U retara by a rope across th e ro ad held by tie
I884", MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 87
bridegroom's numerous friends, who wished him
" good luck," and would so much like to drink to
the h ealth of him and his bride, but- -. Here
followed the chink of coins on the road. They were
immediately picked up , the well-wishers made for
the hotel, and the co ach and four proceeded .
Our kind host and hostess would not let us go
home in such weather, therefore we made ourselves
useful cutting up and packing wedding cake for
distribution, writing an account of the ceremony for
newspapers, enj oyed a splendid suppe r, then made
efforts to get away, but the night was pitch dark and
rain came down in torrents, so w e slept at Hillside
m ost comfortably, and got h ome by n oon next day
through seas of rain and mud. This was very goo d
we ather for tree planting, so we put in a great many
orange, olive, and apple trees, which, in the co urse
of a few years, yielded abundance of fruit, th e
oranges improving vastly in size, flavour, and sweet ­
ness every succeeding year, until, at the time of ou r
l eaving Athenree (1906), th ey were th e best that we
had eate n in any part of the world. The olives bor e
w ell, but w ere not p ro fita ble, because we had no
m eans of ext ractiug their oil or kn owledge of b ow
to prese r ve t hem. Apples, for som e yea rs, did very
well, unti l firs t oue kind and t hen a noth er succum
to bli ghts and pests so prolific in N ew Zeala nd, a nd
which made fr uit-grow ing a very a r d uous ta sk for
th e farm er in hIS busy life.
the middle of August 'we had a week' s in cessant
ra in, so that work was at a stand- still, except for the
women, who almost despaired of getting the house­
hold wa sh ing dry. When at last w e had a fine day
w e h ad a great misfortune in the death of our fine
horse, Nelson, who was drowned in our river, ov er
88 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1884
which,by way of a short cut, instead of crossing the
bridge, Hugh's man drove him. They got out of
their depth, and capsized. Hugh had the painful
task of helping to drag Nelson out of the' steep­
banked, swift-running river and burying him.
October, always a busy month in the garden, be­
came annually increasingly so as my knowledge and
experience grew, and this year-r884-I availed my­
self of all the occasional help I could get to prepare
beds for. marrows, cucurn bers, melons, pumpkins,
etc. On October z rst we took this season's first
swarm of bees, and on the 24th picked our first 30 lbs.
of strawberries, with daily more and more. Thus
jam-making began again.
On 30th we had our first early potatoes-" early
rose," planted on July 7th.
On November 3rd, having all three had twinges of
toothache, Hugh, Mervyn and I started in our buggy
and pair at 4 a.rn. for Tauranga, calling en route to
see the Kati Kati Cheese Factory, opened that day.
Then on a few miles for our usual roadside halt for
refreshment, we reached Tauranga at 2 p.m., an d put
up. at Menzies' Hotel, which we always enjoyed. It
was such a restful day or two, and in those days
no railway to the Hot Lakes, very gay with travellers
from all parts of the world on their way to New
Zealand's Wonderland, as was eviderit the following
morning when they came in from Auckland in great
numbers by the new steamer Clansman, We spent
the afternoon with a dentist, who filled one tooth each
for Hugh and me and five for Mervyn (£ 3).
The next day we devoted to pl easure in the way
of shopping, receiving visitors, etc., and got back to
Athenree at I I p.rn,
Next morning, to our delight, we saw in a field
r884 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 89
across the river four fine heifer calves which we had
given up for lost, they having kept themselves fat and
warm in the bush all winter. They came home when
there was plenty of grass. This was the intelligent
custom of dry stock in all the ensuing years.
In October and November the bees mould swarm
just at the busiest, most inconvenient times; but we
liked honey, so in those early days we kept on filling
more hives, putting supers on the old ones and
generally making ourselves sticky and hot 1
. November also meant bathing in the river-most
delightful; but the walk there and back took time.
Just at noon one day, when the dining-room table
would shortly be wanted for dinner for ten people, a
stranger drove up to the gate, with blankets, sheets,
towels, etc., to sell. Such articles tempted me. with
eight bedrooms to keep supplied. so I asked him in.
Soon the table was covered with serge, tweeds, and
dress-stuffs-none of which I wanted-but no sheets,
etc., which I did. The man talked incessantly,
praising these goods:
.. Splendid bargains," "bankrupt stock." ., un­
rivalled chance," .• experienced tailor will call to­
morrow to make them up." "such an opportunity
will never occur again! "
First dinner-bell rang-quarter to one. I took our
table-cloth out of the sideboard drawer, pushed aside
his" £20 worth goods," but he never stopped talking,
so I said:
"We'll dine . in the kite hen. " And proceeding
thither he followed and said:
"You shall have the lot for £ro." So, weary and
hungry, \ \ i e took it, and for ' many years after were
saddled with shoddy garments of my make (for n eed­
less to say the "experien ~d tailor" did. not tu rn up)
90 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 188 4
and useless remnants. Having got his cheque, the
man departed, to swindle similarly the whole settle­
ment, raking in [ICO in a very few days. In after
years we had occasionally such visitors, but only once
were taken in again, as time will sho w.
After a dry November, when shearing was quickly
got over, we had a great deal of rain in early Decem­
ber, so that snails were thick on the ground and
a mong our young pumpkin and melon plants; we
gathered them "in buckets and carried them to the
ducks, who very much appreciated them.
Hugh and I having chosen three acres of sheltered
land not far from the bee-farm, they were ploughed
and cultivated and. all hand s helping. sown on
December 9th in wattles of various sorts for bee feed,
and blue, red, Jarrah, peppermint, swamp gums,
and stringybark for future firewood, for which wattle
was al so most suitable, after being stripped of its
bark, out of which for tanning purposes we had
hoped t o make a fortune. This was never accorn­
plished be cause of th e high price of labour.
1885 began in surprisingly English fash io n-the
ground whit e with hail. We went to wish th e old
parents a happy new year and found a wedding going
on-that of one of th eir grand-daught ers.
This unexpected cold affected us all on e way or
another. My" help" got toothache, so did 1. She
went home to rest, and left me all the work to"do !
On our next trip to Martray we had th e great
pleasure of meeting Hugh's cousins Henry, Louie
and Phoebe, j ust arrived from Ireland, with whom
during ,their three months' visit at Martray and at
Athenree we had much very pleasant intercourse.
Towards the middle of January (rather less than
five weeks) the three acres of tree-seeds were up and
188 5 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 91
promising well. We had very little .ra in that month,
and welcomed it when it came because there was
scarcity of feed for cows, horses, etc. "
On February 19th we got up a picnic for the Irish
cousins; a nd, some driving, ot he rs riding, went to
Waihi, fording several streams . At length after
travelling nine or t en miles we reached a deserted
saw-mill, where we had our lunch, and then explored
the lovely surrounding bush and saw our first kauri
trees, those splendid giants of th e New Zealand forest
or bush.
n April 6th was held at the Uretara the first Ka ti
K at i fair and sale of cattle, sheep, a nd horses. There
was a large attendance from Tauranga, Paeroa, etc.
The sports that followed were very am ateur a n
.
amusmg.
.
A day or two afterwards a half-caste called with the
bad news that our old Bowe ntown frien d, Ca p t
od's boat, w as adrift wi th only h is little dog Nero
on board; the local con stable with a part y of m en
searched the channel and beaches for days b ut fo und
n o trace. On th e ninth day the p oor body w
ound j ust wh ere the boat h ad bee n di sco vere
n T u esday, A pril zot h, we were t hrown into
eat excit ement byih e followin g te legram whic
ugh received from Maj or Cantley, R.E..
"Please co me t o Au ckla nd immediately. ! want
o g et you t he ch ar ge of Artiliery-s-Authority must
follow-l leave Wednesday night 10 Hinemoa-»­
nsw er by m esseng er."
So we pa cked up a tonce, not forgetting his R .A.
books, etc" a nd sa w him off by T a uranga COUGh.
But th e R ussian war-scare blew ove r an d nothin g'
arne of it, except th a t Hug h ha d a very pl eas ant
ine days' t rip and a guin ea a day.
 92 MY S IM PLE LIFE I N NE W ZEALAND. 1885 r 885 MY S IMPLE LIFE IN NE W ZEA LAND . 93
On May 4 th, l 885, our cow Lady presented us with with ever -inc reasing worry as years went o n, we
a fine white calf, May, who is here mentioned be­
made up our minds to give up receiving farm -cad et s,
use she was alive and gi ving milk wh en we left
Athenree in 1906. a nd so grea t ly rednced t he wo rk. O ur app le t rees
ere doing so well that th is wint er we pla nt ed 84
n May zoth, my goo d servant, Mary Ann e, left us
more, also some pears, olives, lau rels, et c., and later
to marry T om. I had no one to replace her; so with
a valu a ble gift from the Auck lan d Do main Co mm ittee
s ix m en in the hous e had mo re than enough to do,
of olives, cyp resses, bamboos, lemon grass, pla nes,
and I found it very hard to have breakfast punc tually
ash es, birc hes, m aples, et c.
at 7 a.m. If I was lat er, all day I sho uld be trying
H aving heard of a man a nd wife T . wa nt ing a
to ma ke up for lost t im e. Mervyn was a wonderful
situatio n, we engaged them at :£ 1 0 a quarter with
help to me a nd so cont inued in all the after years,
turn ing his hand to every kind of useful work. boa rd and lodgin g and found th em very useful; so
m uch so that I was able to in dulge in som e garde n­
Ju ne began dry a nd cold, so our two fat pigs
ing, plante d so me ea rly po tatoes a nd ca bbages, sowed
were killed, cut up a nd salte d ; besi des I made much
nic e bra wn, pork pies, etc. many seeds, bot h vegetable and flowe r, weed ed my
flower- bord ers and plante d more pin us insign is, now
The washing was really too mu ch, so after some
red uced in price from nurseries to [ r for fifty, the
persuasion H annah, a Maor i, ag reed to come for
first we ha d bough t hav ing been [5 per hu ndred. As
2 5. 6d., if she might brin g her three childre n and

years went on we were gla d to give to anyon e who

have three meals a day. Of Course I ag reed ; they

would dig th em up and t ak e them away the self-sown

cam e late for breakfast but with good ap petites.

seedlings from ou r trees, which we ou rselves were at

Hannah did her wo rk satisfac to rily, ha vin g been

this time alr eady beginning to tr anspl ant.

educat ed in a Convent School in Auckland, and the

On Sept ember zqt h ther e w as an other weddin g in

children helped themselves all day long from a large

t he family, a neph ew of Hugh's, who with hi s br ide

boiler of potatoes and turnips cooked for the fowls.

sett led in Kati Kati and mad e o ne of the pr ettiest

Hugh heard on June rj th that he had been ap­

homes in th e place.
pointed a J.P. for New Z ealand on the unanimo us

requisiti on of the Kati K ati settlers.

Our nicest cade t, Geor ge, havin g left us ea rl y in
Aft er a ser vantless mon th, relief cam e for me in a the month for S yd ney, N. S.\V. , he there spe nt £r
wi th whi ch I had ent rus te d him at And erson and
half-caste girl, Katie, wh o helped me with the work,
Co ., Pitt Street, Sydney, on tree seeds, which I
including milking; but, al as! for earthly hopes, after
sowed after stee ping them in boiling water for
twenty-four hours her cousin Clara called and
tw enty-four hours. W hen th ey grew into bi g trees
enticed her away, without even saying "good-bye."
they made Athenree one of th e lov eliest places
The early settlers' good, useful dau ghters were marry­
imaginable. There were acacias decurrens, deal bata,
ing fast, and the difficulty of getting help thus
beginning t o make itself felt, and continuing to do so diffusa, pycnantha, and stri cta; Eucalypti; leucoxyl on
(crimson flow ered), piperita (peppermint), Gonioc alyx

94 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r 885
(spotted), sideropholia (iron bark), obliqua (st ringy
bark), marginata (Jarrah), resinifera (forest
mahogany), Kennedya monophylla, Waratah, etc.,
etc.
One day in October, just as I had hurried through
my work and we were starting for Martray, I saw a
swarm of bees hanging from a tree in the garden.
Hurriedly I took them in a box and then hived them,
but not satisfactorily, for on returning home at night
I found them clustered outside the hive, and while
gently brushing them inside I got several stings, one
in the eye giving discomfort and paiu for two or three
days until cured by a poultice of pounded dock-leaves.
This summer, with such help as I could levy, I took
fourteen swarms in October and November, thus
ensuring plenty of honey and work.
One very hot day in November I was busy taking
honey, being protected with, over my large hat, a
white net bee-veil, dyed black across the eyes for
comfort in seeing, the white net falling over the neck
and being there confined by a loose black and green
silk bodice of my mother-in-law's. My hands were
enveloped . in gauntlet gloves. Suddenly visitors '
appeared at the gate, and thus being caught I received
them, new arrivals from home, with as dignified a
manner as possible. They concealed their astonish­
ment as best they could, the lady mentally ejaculat­
ing:
" Shall I ever-look like that? "
She and her family settled in Kati Kati but I never
heard of her taking honey. First two of her sons
and a nephew stayed with us, and then three
daughters, while Mr. and Mrs. A. themselves were
entertained at Martray until they found a house to
live in.
188 5 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 95
Mervyn being nearly fifteen years of age, on Decem­
ber 9th he was confirmed in our Church in the
township by Bishop Cowie, who delivered to a large
congregation (among whom was a Roman Catholic
lady with her baby, which Mrs. Cowie was anxious the
Bishop should christen) a good, practical, Christian
address, after which he and Mrs. Cowie rode back to
Athenree with us for the night, which was always of
use to poor Mrs. Cowie, who suffered from insomnia.
The Bishop very much appreciated at 6.30 a.m, a.
specially hot cup of tea which Hugh made for him,
me and himself with the aid of a Primus lamp.
Our next visitors were from home-the Rector who
had married us, and his kind wife, just landed in
New Zealand, to visit their married son and two
daughters. It was a very pleasant meeting after
nearly eight years' parting, for we had paid them a
visit in Yorkshire shortly before sailing for the
Antipodes. Their stay in Kati Kati brightened Christ­
mas time greatly for us, and I needed it, being again
without a servant, as Mrs. T.'s health necessitated
her leaving. She and her husband moved to an
adjoining cottage, where on January 25th, r886, she
presented him with their first son, to whom they
gave the fine name of Marmaduke, the hero of a
novel she had read at Athenree.
My next help was Jenny, young and inexperienced,
but quick and obliging, who stayed with me nearly a
year, eventually marrying well.
The usual harvesting, shearing, fruit-preserving and
picnics went on.
One very wet day a travelling tinker and mate
called in for food, shelter and work; they got
them all, spent two days with us, and having mended
thirty articles-dishes, jugs, cans, kettles, knives and
umbrellas-went rejoicing on their way with 25s.
 96 MY S IMP L E LI FE IN NEW ZE AL AND . , r 886
Ab ont this time we had a four months' visit from a
young nephew of Hugh's, his g odson and namesake,
wh o was a pl easant com panio n for Merv yn , an d
bein g older tau ght h im to mil k, butch er, etc., which
accomplishments Mer vyn Soo n excelled in and culti­
vat ed to the end of our time in Ne w Z eala nd.
H ug h having built a smithy adjoini ng our farm
bu ildings, Mq ntgomery, the bricklayer, put up a fir e- .
place, which, with bellows a nd all the a ccessories,
mad e us very ind ep endent wh en Salt, " t he Village
Bl acksmith, " paid us per iodical visits t o shoe our
horses, rep air farm implements, buggy , etc., etc.
In ' April I had a m ost te mp ting invitation from
cousins of H ugh's t o spe nd May with them in
Sydney, but on acco unt of my large family -two and
four-I egged- I felt bound to d ecline. This I have
never ce ased t o regret , as one of the co usi ns who
was most an xious to see me died sho rtly a fte r.
Mervyn be ing now past fiftee n we engaged for him
a tutor, with whom 'h e read three hours daily, the
' rest of th e tutor's tim e bein g at first given to ot her
pupils, and eventually, wh en we offered t o lend him a
ro om in the hou se, to a n "aide d " sch ool, to which
came "regularl y white children an d Maoris, ma ny of
wh om witho nt this ch an ce would never h ave learnt to
read or write. Th e tut or wa s very pl easant, also
musi cal, which helped in the formation of a Glee
Club, which met from time to time at members"
houses. When our turn "ca me we had them all for
high ,t ea, winding up with a hop.
, On ' April 28th Maclean, a Hi ghlander, came
through with sheep from Napier. Hugh bought
. eighty ewes for £3 2.
One day on our return drive from Martray, within
- on e' and a-half mil es from home, suddenly the front
1886 MY S I MPLE LIFE IN NEW ZE ALAN D. 97
seat of th e bu ggy ga ve way. Hu gh ca lled out,
IIL ook out f " a nd w e were pitched out in the mud,
the horses, q uite unconcerned, trotting on with
Mervyn , who had a seat with hi s back to us, st ill in
the trap, H e jumped out t o assist us, wh o, be ing
only muddy, q uite unhurt, foll owed o n 'foot, and
found t he bu ggy safe a t o ur gates, th e h orses having
trav ell ed beaut.ifully a lo ng the r oad and r ound a very
sharp co rner a t th e c ross -roads.
Alt ho ug h it was winter (May) Hugh 's sister Mary
got up a large pi cnic party, forty in all, including
th e wo nde rful old p aren ts; they met a t Athen ree;:
a nd walking, ri din g, or driv ing, went a bo ut two
mil es t o a lovely sh eltered P ah (old native fort),
wh er e we had a n ex cellent lunch. They returned to
U3 for tea and a n ea rl y dance.
Th e following day was so co ld that I found my
sealski n coat th e gre atest comfort for th e, drive to
M artray, ,
One day in June I pl anted three dessert-almond
tr ees, gro wn from nuts that one of the ca de ts had
taken off the d inner-table on h is voyage out ; the
tap-r oot s wer e long and tender- only one tree
survive d ; that was six or eig ht feet hi gh wh en we
left tw enty years aft er. It had blos so me d many
early springs , but in ou r time had borne no fru it.
June ro th, 1886, was a memorabl e day in Ne w
Zeala nd--t ha t of the terrible volc anic er uptio n a nd
eart hquake a t the Hot L ak es, from whi ch we were
a bo ut eighty miles distant. The m orning with ns
was fine and bri ght; soon the sky go t iuky black
from R ot orua (Hot Lakes) to W a ih i, nin e mil es
bey on d us. Having felt tw o ear t hquakes during the
ni ght, ther e w as a no t he r at bre a kfast- t ime , then
ano t he r. Soon rain seeme d to fall in a steady, light
 98 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r886
shower, and I hurried out to plant Cabbages. But
this was not rain, but dust and ashes quietly falling
in the dim twilight at noon. There were more
earthquakes, ashes stil-l falling, until the whole place
was whitey-grey, a nd the atmosphere smelt strongly
of sulphur.
"What had happened?" we asked one another,
with anxious faces, and could give no satisfaction to
the neighbours who came to enquire, for we were
quite isolated-no tel egraph, no telephone, no any­
thing r and in these respects matters made no
advance i n twenty-eight years.
On the r rth the ash-falling had ceased, the
weather was clear and fine, but it was very ash ­
dusty in and o ut of the ho use, making sweeping a
ho peless business because of t he clouds of ashes
flying from off t he la nd seawards. Being practical
nd economical, I ca refully gat h ered in a dust pan
the strange slltte- pen cil scrapings-like st uff off th
verand ah floor, put it in a glass jar, and filling
severa l ti n m a tch -vox es full, sent p resen ts of it all
o ver t he world.
N a t until th e r z th was this myste rious visitat ion
••terpret ed to us ; t he n we read in th e T aura nga Bay
e nty Times of the awful disast er in the H ot
L akes District, and destruction of th e beautiful
t err ac es. with the [ass Qf: fort y H~s
O n th e 13th there were l b ret volcan oes in act ion,
visi ble a ll day long from our J raw ing-room 1lay
wi n dow ; a t this sa fe d ist an ce a very fine sight ,
the 14 t h there were endless m obs of cattl...:
bei ng driven past At henr ee from T a uranga (wh ere!
all grass ha d been destroyed by volcanic sh ower'S
much h ea vier than ours) to the T bam es- any whet':!
or feed for the. Door starving animals. W e we re
r886 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 99
inundated with letters from more fortunate, distant
New Zealand friends, enquiring for our welfare.
Soon our troubles were forgotten when we saw the
ben efit our fields, orchard, and gardens had derived
from the volcanic dust, scattered so impartially and
providentially all over the farm. We were stimulated
to .renewed activity, and planted more fruit-trees­
nectarines, mulberries, quinces, and persimmons
(Japanese date plums), a handsome. tomato-like
fruit, but of such a sweet, slimy substance that it
was not popular for dessert and quite unsuitable for
preserving. The trees, however, were most orna­
mental, especially with autumn tints of scarlet or
.orange, whi ch almost concealed their fruits of the
same colours.
In July a travelling photographer called, and took
three views of the place, charging us £4 ros, for six
of each.
Au gust was a very wet month, turning the earth­
roads into seas of mud, and giving us a novel
experience, i.e., a visit from a Circus Company.
They had, one night, given a performance at the
U retara, and started next morning for th e Thames
via Athenree, the manager in his buggy leading the
way, followed by dromedaries at liberty, and many
iron-barred cages of wild beasts, drawn by the stud of
performing horses, driven by members of the troupe,
including the clown, who had forgotten to wash h is
face ! Within °a quarter of a mile of Athenree this
cavalcade broke down in an extra soft, swampy bit
of ground. The shades of night" were falling fast;
t hey spied our lights, and begged for food and
shelter, which they got, also breakfast, for all of
which, as payment, they offered us a peep at the
menagerie, allowing us to look through the bars at
 lOa MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r886
tigers, leopards, emus, kangaroos, monkeys, a black
panther, and a Tasmanian devil; and with our best
wishes for a nice trip they crawled away!
On another day, just as I had finished baking,
chnrning, and cooking, a friend [rom a distance
appeared, with her three children and Mr. Granville
Waldegrave; after a chat they drove to the Waihi
Beach, returning to us for dinner. Mr. G. W. is a
good man and grea t traveller.
On September rjth Hugh's dear old father, who
had for weeks been sufferin g from bronchitis,passed
,away at the gr eat age of ninety-six, and was, two
days later, laid to rest in the Kati Kati cemetery.
On September 29th, after IIZ days' voyage, the
ship Waimea reached L ondon, in which had travelled
a nephew, niece, and children, who, we heard later,
had had a shower of Rotorua ashes on their ship
immediately after leaving Auckland on June roth,
and wondered what it was.
On October rzth we were favoured with a visit
from ' Mr. K., a new clergyman, whom we put up for
the night, he continuing his journey the following
day to the Uretara, where, being made vicar of the
parish, he settled with his wife and son, and was
still in residence when we left, his spare time being
devoted-and very successfully-to the rearing of
ostriches.
My improved little servant, Jenny, being now
urgently wanted by her mother, I had to find a
substitute, and got Mabel, a fine Irish girl, through
Hannaford's registry office in Auckland, So obliging
was she that she begged to be shown , b ow to milk
in order to let Mervyn off occasionally ; for the work
of milking, morning and evening, is a great tie. Sh
also che erfully helped to plant potatoes in the fur ­
18.87 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. IOI
rows, following the plough as we all did at such a
busy time, having our picnic-dinner in the field while
the horses fed and rested for an hour.
Mervyn had become an enthusiastic stamp col­
lector, and was delighted to receive two albums
from Stanley Gibbons, London, which afforded him,
in their filling. a very great deal of pleasure.
r887 found the house full of young people who
had yesterday come at our invitation for a picnic in
a lovely sheltered gully within five minutes' walk of
our house, to which they came back for tea-several
for the night. Through this gully ran a mountain
stream, which, in the after years, Hugh cleverly
brought to the house by means of a hydraulic ram­
the first of which we saw working most satisfactorily
at the ' home, nine miles distant, of one of the
Generals, our shipmates. This summer we began
to enjoy plenty of our own apples, the fruit of trees
we had planted in July, r879. '
Mervyn's height on January 24th, r887, when he
was nearly sixteen years old, was six feet, less one­
eighth of an inch, his weight 12 stone 7 lbs., after
which he grew very little, except a beard. He
having now derived all possible benefit from his
tutor's instruction, we parted from the latter with
regret, and were very glad to meet him again in after
years. Mervyn made himself generally useful-milk­
ing, gardening,_fishing, killing sheep for the larder;
working with the farm-hands, etc.-and was always
able and willing to help me with every kind of house­
work when I had no servant. One day, in addition
to the ordinary work, I made bread, rolls, oat-cake,
plum-cakes, buns, sausage-rolls, rissoles, Russian
salads, fruit salads, etc. Several young friends and
relations came to stay, followed next day by many
H
 102 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1887
more - sixty-seven in all- for Mervyn's annual
Patrick's Day birthday picnic to the Waihi beach,
where we had Our lunch with the usual interest of
making tea. Then home for supper. Having re. '
ceived th em from a, friend in Bermuda, Hugh planted
two Avocado pear or subaltern's butter stones, but
they had suffered in the voyage and did not even
germinate, whi ch we regretted, as they are a de­
licious fruit, a nd were unknown in New Z ealand.
Hugh and Mervyn sometimes went out fishing,
and I was gla d when they were Successful.
T here Was n ow a charming family in the General's
house, a mil e off, so that life was brig hter for us
all. They vied with me in giving dances and pic­
nics, and cheered up the whole settlem ent. When
we killed be ef they were our customers, as were
several ot he r nei ghbours. Hugh always shot the
po or animal in th e head with a r evolver. Mervyn
did the rest-brought it hom e in quarters and cut
it up on a table under oak trees. Then I did my
sh ar e as cook .
H aving no d oct or th ere was fortunately very little
N ow th at we had bea utiful trees, Howers, a nd
sickness in the settlement, every wom an having t o
shru bs a bou t t he h ouse I felt very wlhappy w he n
t reat hers elf and her household . But occasionally
in wintor st orms th e fea rfully r ough south-east wi nd
eri ous illness or accident made a doct or's advic
thrashed them u nm ercifully, killing so me and wound.
imperati ve. T he n some kind ne ighbour would r id
ing all.
or drive all the thi rt y miles to T auran ga an d bri ng
One day t bere was a cry of " Pigs in th e orchard ! "
when e very a vailable man in or ou t of the place left
is work for a hunt, a nd captured six. T hese wild
igs gave capital sport and fun, bu t were m os t
estructive, rooting up grass by the a cr e, and e;ttiJ;lg
all the win dfalls and p otatoes in orch ar d an d garden.
As lon g as th ey were feeding and. gro wing fat on
our la nd no one admitted ownership, but when they
were cau gh t or kill ed trouble sometimes followe
1887 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 103
Mabel, my servant, having got' a fortnight's
holiday, I was again single-handed, except for
Mervyn's most efficient help. One day two stra ng ers
appeared riding from Waihi, who, we found out,
were Jews making a tour of the country. . \Ve asked
them to dinner, which they liked so mu ch that they
came back next day for breakfast, so hungry that
when they found me in the honey-room filling a
dish of the for mer in th e comb for th e t able, they
helped themselves to it by the handful!
Our communication wit h E ngla nd was now (1887)
improving greatly, and we felt the distance sepa ra t ing
us growing less when on May 28th we received, via
San Francisco, the London mail of April ar st-e-by
far the quickest on record. Thus we were calmly
and industriously getting through our ninth winter
in New Z ealand, with occasional little concerts in
the Orange H all, and dances in our own a nd one or
two neighb ours' h ouses.
the medico back j ust for one visit, w h ich usuall y was
of mo re value as a. salve to th e conscien ce of an xious
elatives than of benefit t o t he patient.
A dear you ng daughter of th e Canon' s succ um bed
to serious inj uries fr om burni ng. Sh e h ad, a u wash ­
ing-day, li t a fir e in a secluded gully at t he edge of
a strea m to p ro vide h ot water for the work. B ei ng
a grea t reader sh e had sat dow n wit h he r bac k t o
t he fire, and was engrossed in a story in th e paper
she had saved from kindling, wh en su ddenly she saw
 I04 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
1887
flames behind her, her clothes having canght fire.
Had she not lost her presence of mind she would
have thrown herself into the stream, and thus have
perhaps escaped unhurt, instead of which she ran
home, several hundred yards up a steep hill, crying,
"Mother 1 mother! I'm on fire 1" The flames were
promptly put out with rugs, carpets, etc., but not
before fatal burning had tak en place; and after one
visit from the Tauranga doctor, who gave directions
that eased her pain to some extent, she passed away
quietly after three weeks' patient SUffering, lovingly
attended to by her sorrowing mother, brothers, and
sisters.
Our nin-e year old oaks, gums, and pines being now
a good size, and the weather early in November
warm and sunny, we organised a "fete champetre,"
and entertained about twenty friends to lunch under
th e shade of these trees, of which we were very proud.
Then followed tennis and chat, winding up with high
tea in the broad verandah.
During Dctober and November we took twenty-one
swarms of bees. ."
At this season, corresponding with ApriJl1and May
in England, we felt bound to keep up the old home
custom, and so "spring-cleaning" was the order of
the day; but there was no useful charwoman, or any
kind of extra help to be had. Therefore, all hands
were enrolled to sweep chimneys, shake carpets, dust
books, pictures, etc" and put up white curtains. Such
work was done, if possible, in fine weather, which
generally brought us visitors for dinner, tea, Or bed,
sometimes all; but we went on working just the same,
a duster often protecting our hair, and a big apron
always OUr dress. Just as we had finished for this
season, came -our dear Bishop for the night.
1888 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 105
Next day came the shearers, who finished up with
branding our young stock.
Two days after we had our half-yearly picnic to
the Waihi Beach, a party of fifty, for whom I was
cooking the whole of the previous day.
In return, some of our near and far neighbours gave
cheery dances, to which for many years we always
went. As Mervyn was nearly seventeen he accom­
panied us, and of late years when we felt less in­
clination to sit up all night with no hope of rest next
- day, he did the honours of the family alone.
1888, our tenth year, was heralded by another
fete charnpetre," winding up with a dance. Our next
exciting change, not a pleasurable one, was the long
dreary driv e to Tauranga, to see a dentist, the pre­
parations for three days' absence being voluminous,
and accumulated work on our return still more so !~
especially now that harvesting was in full swing, and
there were ten hungry men to coo'e.or, besides the
piano-tuner, who took three days to re-coverthe piano
hammers, and left with [3 lOS.
Our colonial oven showed signs of old age after
nearly ten years of daily bread-baking 'an d cooking,
so it was sent to Tauranga for repairs, and what was
I to do? Providence sent Tinker Simmonds, who did
55. worth of mending, and showed me how to use a
., camp-oven "-a Is-inch round iron pot on legs, and
with a handle, so that it could either stand or hang.
Bread or meat are excellent cooked in this vessel,
with fire under it and over it, i.e., hot embers on the
lid. While thus experimenting I had a surprise-party
for dinner, and with an hour's hard work achieved a
surprise-triumph! Sheep's head broth, cutlets with
tomato sauce, boiled mutton with caper sauce, vege-,
t ables, jelly, stewed pea ches and cream, followed b

r06 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1888
coffee and music! Still, I was glad after nine days'
bereavement to welcome back my trusty colonial
oven.
We were getting such quanties of honey, for which
now that everyone kept bees there was no sale, even
at rd. per lb., that we gave it away to all who would
take it, and st ill it came j so instead of 8 lbs. sugar
for 10 gall ons hop beer, I used honey, which made it
much clearer, and mor e sparkling. I also tried fruit
preserving with honey, but unsuccessfully. It looked
muddy, never solidified, and soon fermented.
In March I was the lucky recipient of a quite un­
expected [roo windfall, and oh ! the fun we got out of
'"that little legacy. The house needed painting,
and that was done, so satisfactorily too, both as to
labour and materials, that it looked fresh still when
we left eighteen years after. All the lovely climbing­
plants, passion-fruit, dolichos, maurandya, ipomoea,
jessamine, honey-suckles, rnandevillea, etc., had to
be cut down, which grieved me sorely; but com mon­
sense conquered sentiment, and th e improvement
repaid me.
On this Patrick's day, instead of our usual picnic on
the beach, we had our lunch in a lovely spot by our
own river, Hugh's mother being one of the party j it
was on her account, because of her great age, she
having come eight miles for th e birthday party, that
we did not this year go any furth er.
Potato-digging was an extra and tedious job, taking
up too much of Peter, the Scotch farm-hand's time,
so Hugh made a bargain with Alf, the half-caste, to
lift the crop,' and get one bag in six for himself as
payment.
At this time we had a n unusually merry party of
young people staying with us. A kind neighbour had
10 7
188~ MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
invited from a distance a batchelor with such brilliant
red hair that he was called "the Mag enta Man," to
try and select a wife from Kati Kati's bounteouS store
of lovely damsels- On a certain day he was exp ected
by coach from the Thames, so our party, some riding,
some walking, went to meet him. The gay est of our
young men galloped on a mile, stuck up the coach :­
"Is the Magenta man on board? "
" No, sir." Dismounting, he handed hi s bridle to
one of the girl s who had jus t ridden up, and said to
t he dri.ver:­
" H ave you any spectacles?"
II N o, sir."
" Oh, this will do as well j " seizing a ha ndful of
, cushion-stuffi ng and bal ancing it on h is up per clean­
shaven lip, he j umped into the coach, change d hats
with the driver, who thought, and no wo nder, th at he
had a lunatic for a 'passenger, and shouting, "Drive
0 0 , " they pulled up at the cross-roads where a u
young people we re awaiting the "Mag enta Man"
and were dum fou nded at tb isappari. tioll. so much 5
that he laugh ed, d ropped his fibro us moustache, a nd
hus ended th is match-ma king. Bul for years afte
as the coach came up that hin to the cross-road
eals of laughte r from the passeoger~ proclaime'
that the driver was relating this ridiculous narratlV
Hugh '" engineering and labour·saving talent m
long made him desirous to make use of our nver
watur-power for chaff, wood, and bone-cutting, et
HaVing in Septem ber got the matf'...rials {or :l wheel,
he, and several men at 55. a day , began the dam, So
interested we re we all in this great and good work
that nothing else seemed to matter. Our dreams
were approaching luUi lment, .when in May the usual
torrents of rain came down. and the waters wer
 108 MY SIM P L E LI FE IN NE W Z EA LA ND . 1888
tearing through the mill-race. On, on went the rain,
until on the 13th, P eter, afte r an early inspection,
came running ho me to say ;- . soiled clothes into th e copper-boiler (mine held 25
"Captain, the dam's burst ;" a nd so it was, or
rather th e river had forced a new chan nel for itself at
one end of th e dam, and ou r useful big bri dge was so
damaged that it had to be removed. It was a de­
ressing sight later in th e day to see the rui ned dam ,
wh ich was never rep aired . Then we chose a new
site for th e bridge, whi ch H ugh soon p ut up again on
'lir mer foundation. Next we counte d th e sheep that
ad been drown ed in the flood, and whose ca rcasses
were bu ried t o g reat advant age und er lemon and
orange trees.
P eter, being a first-rate carpent er, did much good
wo rk with Hugh in th e house, kn ocking away the
d ining-room ceiling, whi ch was rather lo w, and
finishing picturesqu ely th e roof-ceilin g, on one side of
whi ch ran a gallery leading to upper bedrooms. When
th is room was finished to our satisfa ction and th e
adm ira tion of all, Peter left us to return to Scotland.
A week later a very han dsome hanging-lamp arrived
anonymo usly by coach from Au ckland, whi ch Hugh
imm ediately hung up. It wa s exac tl y what we had
wanted, but not so mu ch so the accou nt for £3 5s. that
followed next day; th e ques t ion still remains un­
a nswered : "Who sent that lamp? "
uring this year, 1888, Miss Gordon-Cum ming,
raveller a nd authoress, visited New Zealand, and
nding som e of her old friends exhaust ing energy and
streng th with clothes-rubbing and wringing on wash­
ing-day, determined in the kindn ess of her heart to
find some alternative and a less arduous process for
heir benefit. Consequently, in July, fr om her pen
there appeared in the St. James' Gazette the following
r888 MY S IMPLE LIFE I N NEW ZE ALAND. 109
directions, of whi ch I im m ed ia telya vailed m yself and
made use of for all future occasions ; " Pu t a.ll th e
ga llo ns), fill it with cold wat er , add t-Ib: yell ow soap
cut in pieces. Next morn ing light the fire under the
boiler, a nd as soo n as the wate r boils, add tw o table­
spoonsful of ker osene; boil as fast as possible for hal t
a n hour , t ake out th e clothes, pass th rough an india­
ubber wri nger into clean, cold water, wring again
into " blue'd " wat er, an d ag ain into th e big clothes­
bask et ; han g on lines to dry, which mayan a fine
da y be su ch a qnick process t ha t in an hour or two
the clothes ca n be folded, m an gled and put away."
ut not alwa ys ; som et imes a week will not do, as my
previous expe rience has sho wn!
In September we had a visit frorn two Auck la nd
ot hers, th e one <}In I nsur an ce age nt, the other his
n edical exa mine r. _ Mervyn h ad hi s life insu red, I,
hav ing of late oft en felt very ill and dr eading to be­
come an invalid, co ns ulte d th e doct or, who said 1
need ed rest and adv ice and sh ould go to Aucklan d .
A neigh bour's son agr eed to co me to Athenree as
caret aker for £1 a week, and on October 6th my
iu sband, my self a nd Mervyn left home by coach .
W e cha nged hors es at Paeroa, where th ere was no
lime for di nner. W e changed again at Hikntaia,
go t a hurried cup of tea, r s. each ; a nd through awfnl
swamps a nd bad road s reached the Tham es, for ty
mil es from Athe nree, in seven hours. W e go t into a
cab, rush ed qua rter-mile to the Wh arf an d saw our
boat for Auckland st eaming aw ay ; it had got tire d
f wait ing for our belated coach from Tauranga . So
W~ three turned ba ck and put up at Symingt on's
H ot el. Sunday followed, a very wet day, and the
Dee busy, but now semi-deserted, gold-mining t own

IIO MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r888
looked unutterably wretched. We weni: to morning
service at St. George's Church, but found it so empty
and lifeless that Mervyn and I in the evening paid our
first visit to Salvation Army Barracks, which were
neither empty nor lifeless, and the speakers, among
whom were several Maoris, were eloquent and very
much in earnest.
On Monday we left at 8 a.m, in SS. Rotomahana
and reached Auckland at 1. We took rooms at
Mountnessing, Grafton 1{oad, a most comfortable
boarding-house, the charge being 30S. a week. That
time we spent seeing a doctor, receiving many
friends, doing much shopping, an d engaging a ser­
vant, Ada, at r2S. a week. We passed a pleasant
day at Onehunga Parsonage with friends formerly of
Kati Kati.
Our loug drive from Athenree to Thames of the
previous week had not tempted us to try it again, so
we returned home by SS. lana to Tauranga, leaving
at 5 p.m., and after a fine passage arriving t here at
noon the next day. Thence, after lunch a t t he
Tauranga H otel, we went on by sea once more, a five
hours' trip, to our old landing at Tinpot Castle,
where our young friend, the caretaker, met us with a
cart for our luggage and we wended our way the three
miles home. Next day, when I had just got their
rooms ' ready, arrived the new servant, Ada, and a
nurse to take care of me. The latter was delighted with
Athenree and all the fun she Cleverly managed to ex­
tract out of life there, so that she proved a very pleasant
guest. But in less than a month she was summoned
by wire to Auckland to attend a more important case
than mine; and thus to the last I w as left to take
care of myself while suffering more t han others knew.
Hugh's mother suspected this and made me a present
I889 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. III
of a most comfortable sofa which she had bought in
Dresden fifty years previously. On this I rested for
an hour or two every afternoon in the pleasant bay­
window of our pretty drawing-room, commanding a
view of flower-beds, fence, road, the coveted , unoccu­
pied Iand, channel separating us from Bowentown,
sand-hills beyond, then the Pacific Ocean, limitless
and lifeless. A few weeks later I had again to go to
Auckland for medical advice, and was six weeks at
Mountnessing, au enforced separation from Illy two
dear boys at Athenree which I felt bitterly, especially
as th e time included Christmas and New Year's Days
(r889), for which I had intended to make an effort to
get hom e. There came a wire from Hugh telling me to
stop where I was, because Ada, the servant, "wanted
a holiday." was coming to Auckland, and leaving them
quite alone. How bitterly I felt this selfishness of
hers and my own helplessness.
I determined to try and improve matters by giving
up the country and coming to live in town, so as soon
as I felt well enough I crossed with a Land-agent
over to Bir:kenhead, North Shore, by a ferry-boat, and
saw a house that might have suited us, the price being
[r,200 or [80 per annum, and others in the su burbs
of Parnell, Ponsonby, etc. But we were destined to
occupy none of these; we could not sell Athenree,
which was our only New Zealand home for over
twenty-eight years.
Having met with great attention and kindness from
two ladies inthe boarding-house, and noticing that
both looked ill and tired from the heat of Auckland, I
invited them to return with me to Athenree, which was
always lovely with its fresh air and shady tr ees in
summer. We travelled by night in the SS. lana to
Tauranga, and when off Mayor Island, an hour's
 II2 MY SIM P L E ' LIFE IN NE W Z EA LAND.
r889
steam from T auran ga, and in a st ra ight line from
Athenree, Hu gh ca me out to me et me in a small
boat, ac co mp anied by Alf, the halt- caste. The sea
was rough, and a ltho ug h the SS . lana was stoppe d
for me, I h ad not the pluck t o cli m b down into the
boat; so Hugh and h is crew ca me on board, the boat
Was tied on behind, and a way we sp ed to T auranga,
where we dined, and left a t 4 p.rn. in this open boat,
h oping to be a t Tinpot Cas tle befo re dark. This,
howev er, was not to be Our happy lot. R ain soon
came on a nd wett ed ns three' ladies in Our best
trav elling costumes throu gh and thr ough. One of
my friends owne d a ca nary, who m she tenderly pro~
tected un der her sk irts. D arkn ess came on ; the
tide rail ou t ; we conld go no further. Alf and his
m an carried us one by one ashore on th eir backs; but
on Matakana beach, wh ere we found o urselves, there
w as no she lter. T h ese two natives, having matches,
most clev erl y lit a fire. Th is th ey did by scratching
for dry,grass under an ove rha ng ing sa nd ba nk, which
grass they man aged to kindle and then very, ve ry
gra dually p iled o n sma ll, then larger an d larger,
p each-sticks, nntil We had a regular b on fire, round
a nd round which we walked, turn in g ourselves as if
j oint s on th e spit an d seein g clouds of steam rising
fr om our dripping garm ents . One of our friends
gave us ea ch a th im bleful of cognac from her flask,
which r evived us g reat ly. So hours passed, the tide
turn ed, and we star ted again; but th er e was not
enough wat er, we stuck in the man groves, and there
had a not her ted ious delay. Eventually we r eached
Tinpot Castl e at 4 a. m, quite done up afte r our
tw elve hours' trip and st arted t o walk t o Athenree,
which I knew was three mil es; but my friends did
not, else they would ha ve co llaps ed. I carried the
188 9 MY SIM PLE LIFE I N NEW ZEALAND. II3
canary, Hugh being laden with bandboxes, etc ., a nd
as my poor friends mo an ed a nd groaned, " Ho w far
is it ?" I spurred them on with, "Over the next
hill ," "Beyond that ris e," etc ., which, co nsidering
that th e whole di stan ce wa s nothing but steep ups­
a nd- do w ns, was rather misleading. H owev er, a t last
we were sa fe hom e. The serv ant had co m e back , so
room s we re ready. My frien ds went to bed, a nd
a ft er hot punch slept till noon and felt no ill- effects
w hate ver, whi ch was fortunate, as th ere was no
do ctor within thirty miles .
I feel glad still wh en I re call h ow much quiet
pleas ure a nd ben efit to their healths those tw o kin d
fri end s de r ived from their six or seven weeks' sta y
w ith us. They attracted so m any visitors t hat t h ey
were never dull, and helped me with all my ext ra
work, j am - making, etc., this h ottest mo nt h of
Febr ua ry ,
'vVe had now su ch quantit ies of peaches tha t we
sold them in W aihi for rd. pe r lb. , and made of
those th at were bruised and un saleable excelle nt
wine. This is the pr escription :-In a wo od en t ub
we crus hed roolbs. pea ch es, added 10 gallo ns co ld
wat er, and cove red it up. A wee k lat er we st rai ned
th is, a nd to every ga llo n added 31bs. sugar; st ir red it
well, filled a barrel, and as ferment at ion set in a nd
th e w in e foam ed out of th e bunghole r eplenished it
from a reserv e s upply. When a t th e end of a wee k or
tw o (the weather bein g very hot ) fer me ntatio n had
ceased, we put the bung in tight, hav in g a good
ear th-cellar, made by excava t ing to fill up the
original well, whi ch we no lon ger used, a n d ther e
left it for twelve months, when it pro ved excelle nt
she rr y- li ke win e and st ill mor e excelle nt at two years
of ag e.
 II4 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r889
After seven months' good work Ada left us to get
married and was re-placed by Helen, a lady-help,
who was most obliging.
Lemons, oranges and citrons were now so plentiful
that I began can verting some into candid peel, thus:
-Cut the fruit in half across; scoop out all the
juicy part; put the thick skins into salt and water
for three days; take them out and boil in fresh water
until so soft that the head of a pin can easily be put
in. Drain and set aside. Boil rlb, sugar in half- pint
water for five minut es and pour it over the peels. L et
all stand covere d for a week; then strain off th e
syrup and, wh en boiling , put in th e peels. Boil
gen tly un til t hey look clear (about one hour), then
lift the m out, sp rea d on a dish, powder with sugar,
dry in [he sun or a cool oven, and put away in tins.
Ha ving invested some £20 of my windfall legacy
in house and table linen, chi efly fro m Smith and
Caughey, Anckland, many of whose goods are still
(after nineteen years) in use, I was busy in my
. restingo-honrs cutting out sheets, pillow. r.ases, table­
cloths, etc., hemming and marking them H.S., 9.
188
Hugh found it increasingly difficult to get farm­
labourers, so we availed ourselves of all kinds of
help-tramps, Maoris, and homeless young men from
home. These latter were glad to come to Athenree
and, in colonial parlance, "work for their tucker."
This proved rather a one-sided arrangement; the
young men complained that I "made them too Com­
fortable," "such a j ally place' for a loaf," "must
really begin work next week," etc ., and so were very
happy while it lasted, especially enjoying shooting,
and all of us roast pheasant.
Towards the end of July (unluckily for him mid­
winter) I had the great pleasure of three weeks' visit
1889 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. II5
from my cousin Archie from Edinburgh on a tour
round the world. His advent was the signal for much
fun and merry-making, especially when followed
another delightful visitor-General Strange, Royal
Artillery-who was touring New Zealand with a
Maxim gun.
How I lived through these times is a mystery, as I
often felt too ill to stand, much less to goo on work­
ing; but I did it. Our old friend, the Thames watch­
maker, was here for four days-a good but very slow
worker, who, one morning hearing me running
quickly at my work, rose leisurely from his chair,
p opped his head in at the kitchen door and en­
quired :
"Can I be of any use?" which so took me by
surprise that I asked:
"What for?" and seeing I was only cooking, he
. answered:
"You were in such a hurry, I thought the honse
nust be on fire."
Being fond of all kinds of needlework, and having
to occupy my afternoons on the sofa, I made
cushions, cosies, etc., for gifts, bazaars and such-like.
E mbroider y silks were very dear-4d. a skein in
Auckland . Therefore, seeing an advertisement in a
h ome paper, I sent £1 to Providence Mills Co.,
Bradford, Yorkshire, and by return mail got 180
skeins of equally good silks, all numbered for con­
venience of matching. These having been sorted one
wet afternoon by Mervyn, I put them into a corru­
gated sateen case, which to this day is a joy to me.
r890 began better than did the previous year,
because we three were together. Still my health was
not improving, which was most disappointing. Our
nice neighbour, a widow, was also ill, so we could
 II6
MY SIMPLE LIF E I N NEW ZEALAND.
1890
sympathise but not exactly . cheer one another.
Still we both went on giving picnics an d part ies t o
amuse the yaung people, a nd busied ourselves
making Greek, Indian, F rench and other costun
for a fancy dress ball in the, Ora nge H all On Jan uary
t
24 h, fro m which t hey all ca me home at six DeKt
morning and slept till noon lOur party SOon broke
up, the young men scattering to all parts of the
world, and my help returning to her home, being
succeeded by Dinah, a very good servant, at las. a
week.
In the midst of this hot weather Hu gh had one of a>
o
his occasional attacks of rheumatic-gou t, which IE
invalided him for a few days, and which he ultimately o
+'
cured with a guinea box of Fraser's Sulphur Tablets. f/J
o
a.
On June znd he was appointed Postmaster at "0
Athenree-salary £s per annum-and immediately c
(1$

set to work to build a Post Office at his Own expense. III

r1J
Mervyn being very fond of football took a half­
~
o
I
. holiday On Saturdays, and played at the Uretara or

III

more distant places, even to Tauranga.

III

s,
c:
All hands were busy in July digging horse-carrots_
..l:
al

a good crop. Some were sold in Waihi for £2 a ton .

+'
<t
Having now attained to a hot-bed under glass, in

August r sowed tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, and

many choice flower-seeds, which nearly all grew

beautifully, and were transplanted in September.

We so much enjoyed at this time unpacking a case

from home with two Swiss cuckoo clocks, one for

Our dining-room and the other for a wedding present
to a newly-married young couple. How we watched
this new toy, and regretted for ever after having, in
an impulsive mood, soon given it away to another
bridegroom !-he loved it so! Flirtations, engage­
ments, weddings were th e order of the day, many of
the two former taking place at Athenree !
r8go MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. II7
In November, when we had plenty of honey, I
made vinegar thus: Put 'broken honey-combs into a
stone jar; to every pound allow one gallon of boiling
water, which pour over the honey; cover with
muslin, place it in a sunny widow. In about six
months you will, after straining, have sharp, clear
vinegar, and need buy no more. Such, at any rate,
was my practice. Failing honey I used sugar, an
excell ent substitute.
At 5.30 p.m. on November rzth, 1890, we felt two
shocks of earthquake, a disagreeable experience, to
which one never gets accustomed. A few days later
we had the pleasure of a short, bright visit from our
Bishop, who proceeded next day to Kati Kati for
con firmation.
Be ing seized with an ever-increasing desire to . ha ve
live hedges instead of post and wire fences on the
property, and finding bakea on the whole the most
esirable plant, I effected with' a niece a most satis­
fac tory exchange. Of her abundance of hakea she
ave me II tOZS . at IS. 3d. for 86ilbs. of my super­
fluous honey at zd. !
W e got invitations for a fancy dress ball in
T auranga, which, on account of advancing years and
a iling health, Hugh and I could not accept; but
Mervy n did, and was most distinguished as an
Indian horseman, the costume being my home-made,
hum ble imit ation of his uncle's Poona Horse uniform.
E arl y in December Hugh, with a Planet Junior
seed-drill, sowed in a field four miles of white
carrots and two and a-half miles of swedes. The
ollowing day he and all the men be could muster
went to Waihi to vote for Shepherd Allen,' who,
unfortunately, was not returned.
T hen Hugh had the pleasure of a few days' visit
I
lI8 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 18g1
from Colonel C--, Royal Artillery, an old friend of
his early days, the same to whom we gave our
second cuckoo clock in honour of his approaching
marriage. We invited all our friends to meet him,
and under the oaks, which had grown immensely,
we had our lunch, followed by walks, talks, and tea,
after which they departed. One of our guests, so
keen on waving his adieux, looked back, took too
sharp a turn, and capsized the trap with his wife,
who was quite overcome, but, refusing my offer of a
night's quarters, pluckily continued her nine miles'
drive home in the repaired trap.
Niels, a Dane, was now kept busy, with Hugh's
directions and help, clearing ground on Mervyn's
ninety acres, a quarter of a mile off, for a water­
course to a suitable spot for a hydraulic ram to
supply our house with water. They were much
hindered by rain, which came down in torrents on
January rst, 18gI. However, it did not stop the
young people going to a fancy ball in the Orange
Hall on the znd. On a lovely morning, the 3rd,
they returned, some to work, the majority to sleep ,
being ready for tennis, tea, and a hop to wind np!
Our young men were in great demand for harvest­
ing all round, p referring these outings to prosaic
potato-digging at home! They shot a good many
godwits and caught plen ty of fish. T hese were much
appreciated on the t a ble. In February . we had
eautiful peaches, some dozens of w hich we sold in
aihi at IS. j but prices soon wen t down as they
beca me more plentiful. T omatoes also were a dru
in th e market. With my horne-mad e vinegar Dim
a nd I boiled gallo ns of tomato sauce as . follows :
Blbs , tomat oes cu t up fin ely, I gallon vinega r, al b,
salt, zl bs. brown sugar, 3lbs. ap pl es, 3Ibs. onions,
189 1 1dY SIMPLE - J..IF E IN NE W ZEALAND. II9
lOZ. garlic, 30zs. black pepper, I OZ. each cayenne
and cloves. Bo il all together slowly for th ree hours;
stra in; bottle, cork tightly an d seal.
My good Dinah, aft er a years stay, left me in HuB,
th e hott est weat her, an d, needless to say, soon go t
married. Sh e was succeeded by Maggie, a goo d
natured irish girl-lOS. a week, 28s. 6d. tra velling­
expenses, and 5s. fee to the R egistry O ffi ce where I got
her. With all that I had to teach her everything. This
was hard for her and for me j but she soon improved .
We both appreciated the grand water-supply which
the hydraulic ram was by this time conveying to the
house, thanks to Hugh's skilful engineering, with
about twenty taps in and around the house to draw
from. In this respect and that of store-rooms, cup­
boards, shelves, etc., made by Hugh, I was better off
tha n any other woman in Kati Kati or even New
Zealand!
One day the kitchen chimney was on fire . The
roaring noise and flames bursting out of the top were
most ala rm ing. Hugh was in Anckland on business,
so his help was not available. I ran to the slaughter­
house, where Mervyn and a friendly butcher had
killed one of our bullocks for beef. This quiet,
practical man said :
.. It's the best possible way to clean your chimneys
all such a wet day, when the roof cou ld not burn."
And so we admired the beauty and nse of the fire,
which soon went out.
On the morning of June 24th, 1891, I was garden­
ing, kneeling on the grass and planting bulbs from
Floral Park, New York, when I heard a low,
rumbling noise, and felt the ground heaving under
me. This was another earthquake.
July was a very wet month, and we planted more
 18 92 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 121
120 M ~ SIMPLE LI FE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1891
November was the busy month for sowing maize
peaches, nectarines, other fruit and shelter-trees. The and sunflower for fowl-feed, the latter being most
pruning of fruit trees had now become an important desirable when in autumn the birds were moultjpg.
and long job in winter. Each month brought some As the first feather dropped, generally the first sun­
extra work in veg etable and flower-gardens and .flower had seeded, and for the ensuing weeks Hugh
orchard. The more we did the more we wanted to would cut and fill a kit with seed-heads for th e hens,
do; a nd having extended all these departments, they who devoured them so greedily that in a fe w mi nutes
had to be cultivated, weeded, etc. Having so many
the husks alone remained.
deciduous as well as everg-reen trees, their leaves fell H aving raised rock and water-melons from seed
all the year round. This provided plenty of work, sown, one of each in September, in an egg shell in
especially on Saturdays, in raking and burning. boxes in the veranda h, November was the t ime to
Years having passed since our visit to a dentist we plant th em out- generally a successful op era tion, as
took another trip to Tauranga, having wired to kind
by simply cru shing the sh ell th e plan t got the benefit
friends who had invited us that we were coming.
of th e lime and the roots were undisturbed.
But we arr ived before the wire, got a warm wel­
r892 began w ith a full house a nd the usual extra
come and most comfortable quarters, our host
work, ha rvesting and, th is year, thrashing wh eat for
placing his carriage and horses at our disposal during
. my po ultry, which was go od for eg g prod uc tion and
the days we spent with him. Altogether we enjoyed
less heat ing a nd fattening than mai ze in s umm er .
ourselves very much-even our visits to the dentist,
On J an uary rfith we heard the sad news of P rince
under whose gentle treatment I actually fell asleep.
Albert V ictor's death and a t once hoist ed our Un io
The charming daughters of our host (then a widower)
Jack half mast high.
got up at 4 a.m, to give us a good breakfast and see us
his year we had so good a crop of whe at that we
off by coach. We had a very cold drive to McDon­
sent six sacks of it to the Kati Kati miller, who in
nell's Hotel, Kati Kati, where we had a second good
due t ime returned as many more of flou r, polla rd and
breakfast and so on to Athenree. Spring (October)
bran . We had also ve ry good clov er, which was
having come there was plenty to do on my poultry
st ored for winter feed for the cows. The fowls als o
farm, especially when my incubator began hatching
got their share of it. Cut into chaff and mixed with
chicks and there was a large little family in the
pollard and milk it made wholesome lime-producing
brooder-house or foster-mother. Next to gardening,
food, inv aluable.for the formation of egg sh ell.
poultry-rearing was my favourite outdoor occupation,
W hen winter came, guavas rip ened and I made
and, beginning in earliest days by knowing nothing,
slowly and surely I year by year gained more and more lots of jelly.
Mervyn was constantly bringing home much fish,
practical experience with ever-increasing success,
schnappers (something like a haddock). Therefore
until by dint of patience and perseverance, undaunted
Hugh built a smoke-house and with loads of pine
by visitors or weather, I was rewarded with eggs all
needles, which were always falling and lay thick on
the year round, and ducks and chickens for dinner
whenever wanted.
I2Z MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r892

the ground, .rn ost successfully smoked these fish.

They were excellent for breakfast, which now-a-days
was varied with mutton chops, beef steak, liver and
bacon, ham and eggs, all farm produce, not to men­
tion abundance of milk, cream and butter, with plenty
of horne-made bread, marmalade and jams.
With an annual return of 8,000 to 10,000 eggs I
was able to sell some at prices ranging from 6d. to
IS. zd, a dozen, guaranteed new laid. I reared from
ISO to 200 chickens and ducks annually, with a ready
sale at IS. 6d. to 2S. each, but we ate most of them.
Sometimes we wuuld get an order for a hundred
dozen lemons, 6d.-sos.; and from now on could
oli
always supply it. But the demand was limited. ll)
to
Onions at rd. per. lb., cucumbers 6s. doz. tomatoes <:
ll)
..c
rd.Tb., were also saleable, so that gradually I was +'
-c
increasing my pin-money by £80 to £100 a year.
1;1
A most deplorable accident occurred on July 23rd. <1l
<:
At 9 a.m. a young half-caste came riding in haste to Ql
o
say that "the Mount Stewart boat had foundered off (/)

the Kati Kati Heads with three men clinging to the

mast." These were a nephew of Hugh's, his brother­
in-law, and their partner in a fishing business. Hu g h
offered £5 for help and sent his man with whisky in
case of need, but it was of no avail, the boat and
poor men having disappeared almost immediately.
They left three widows and several fatherless chil­
dren. Mervyn rode through the Settlement telling
the sad news and gathering ' a search party; but
although all the young men in Kati Kati were out in
boats or on horse back for days, many of them dining
and sleeping at Athenree, nothing was found, until
on the sixteenth day one poor body, that of our fine
young nephew, came ashore on the beach and was
laid to rest in the cemetery.
18 9 2 . MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. .1 2 3

On December 1St, 1892, I sowed twenty-four pips

of beautiful Tonga oranges that Mervyn had bought
in Auckland. They soon germinated and grew into .
fine tre es, with frequent transplanting, being healthy
and six or eight feet high, but not yet bearing when
we left in 1906.
A day or two after, we were enlivened by strains of
music, and found it was the Waihi Miners' Band
driving past to the Kati Kati Orange Hall. We
turned out in force, and with refreshment in the
shape of my hop beer. On their return home next day
they called in, played to us on the lawn, got dinner
and strolled about the place.
The weather being very hot, Hugh regularly got
up at 5 a.m. to churn, I following suit when he called
out "Butter has come," to pass it through the
butt er worker and make it up into pounds, wrapped in
parchment paper stamped "Athenree Separator."
This work was followed three or four times a week
with bread-making, to be baked after breakfast.
H aving finished that meal, the poultry had at once
t o be attended to, Mervyn having given them a feed
bet ween 6 and 7 a.m, before milking. After his
breakfast he daily cleaned my fowl-house and fed his
calves, horses, etc. We three were as busy as bees
until .we met at one o'clock dinner, after which we
rested awhile, and like giants refreshed dispersed
again to our various occupations.
One day a commercial traveller called begging help
to repair his damaged bicycle, the first to pass
through the district. Hugh's tools and talents were
promptly at his disposal, and mended matters. This
young man was for ever grateful for this and a night's
hospitali ty.
r893 began with so much rain that the majority of

L1t RA1U
124 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1893
our visitors at this festive season had to be put up for
the night.
Having a walnut tree bearing well, I pickled six
bottles-full successfully, with my horne-made vinegar.
It would be wearisome to enumerate my chan ges of
servants and helps; the regret at parting with a good
girl on her marriage, or reli ef at a useless one leaving
because "Mother has broken her leg," or "is dying,"
or "wants me to look after the baby," et c. Then I
wa s often for weeks without help, but got no
sympathy because all my friends were in the same
plight. For a time I had Florence, a charming
Australian, most cheery and zealons, who worked
well and played the piano well, attracting endless
visitors by her music and ch ar ms. Among these
were two young m en, quite strangers, and by their
dress evidently "new chums," who appeared in a
buggy at the gate, got out, walked into the verandah
and knocked. "Come in," said I from my sofa
where I was resting, and could see them through ~he .
French window. Hesitatingly, they entered.
"How do you do? Won't you sit down? Excuse
my getting up ; this is my easy hour."
"But you don't know us."
"That do es not matter a bit; del ighted to see
you! "
" Did you get our wire? "
" No."
" We sent on e yesterday from Auckland."
"Oh I that won't come till to-morrow."
" What are we to do? "
" Send away your buggy, and stop here."
"Show Mrs. Stewart that letter, Noel." This
proved to be an introduction from my Cousin Archie
to us of these two very pleasant young men travelling
1893 MY SIM PLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 125
round th e world, who spent a day or two with us,
making sundry notes, which on e said was for his
diary, the other for a book - ea ch warning me to
" beware" of the other.
On March rzth, Hugh's mother, now very old
(over 90) and frail, spent a day with us, which
proved to be her last visit to Athenree, for she passed
away on April 19th, and was laid t o rest beside the
dear old father in Kati Kati cemetery.
We had a visit from a very good dentist, who
attended to us all, and many neighbours, in our
d rawing-room . As my lady-help wa s the chief
sufferer, a nd had to take chloroform, administered
by a friendly doctor from Waihi, I had t o act as
dentist's assistant and tea-provider.
Florence, getting rather w eari ed of admirers,
especially of one , and seeing . no other escape, after
several months at Athenree, to my grea t regret, left
me, and naturally soon married, but not that man.
On June 29th I heard of the death at Aden, on
May 18th, of my dear brother. For many years I
had given up wearing black for mourn ing, having no
:essmaker or time myself to make new black things,
Which, indeed, would have be en far less mournful
nd more becoming than my usu al working-clothes.
he busy life was robbing me of sentiment.
An old " sundowner," Bob Leslie, whom Hugh
ha d engaged to dig carrots, having done some work,
got £2 lOS. from Hugh, and after some wet weather,
rendering the roads very soft and muddy, walked to
the U retara " to buy clothes;" he bought something
else, for he was known to have returu ed in th e middle
of the night covered from head to foot, especia lly
arms and hands, with mud, murmuring, "A good job
I was not riding thro ugh them swam ps; far safer to
126 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1893
go on hands and knees!" Hugh sold surplus carrots
at 2S. 6d. per cwt. in great quantities.
Towards the end of August I got, by post, from
Providence Spinning Mills, Bradford, Yorkshire, a
great bundle of giant and other wools; the former
to make a "tricot couvrepieds " for my sofa, imagin­
ing such a big piece of work would keep me busy for
reeks. But the wool and needle both being so t hick,
r began the rug on one Saturday, and finished it the
'next, and possess it still , as good as ever.
One da y Mervyn an d a cousin caugh t 36 scnnapp ers,
put them in the smo ke-house, leaving Bo b Leslie to
smoke them; this he did so effectually t hat he nearly
burnt the house down. All th e ot hers being out
J enny, the s~rva n t, a nd I cau ght up every available
b ucket, an d from t he horse-t rough supplied by the
hydra ulic ra m, ran backwards an d forwa rds the short
di stance with wate r as fast as we could, and put out
the fire. I t was an alarming outbreak in a spot sur­
rounded by pine trees, which migh t easi lv have
carr ied fire to the ho use.
1894, New Year's day, foun d me busy a nd in­
terested, making pictu resque costu mes for a fan cy
dress ball in the hall on th e 4th. Mer vyn was a
" Bedouin Arab ," his pre tt y cousin, "Nancy L ee."
T hey came home from the baU at 6.30 ' a. m., had an
early breakfast with H ugh and me, and retired till one.
This was followed towards the end of the month by a
dance at Athenree, the most popular form of enter­
ment for a house full of young people for the holi­
days. One of our girl-guests was so fond of milk
that she always had her special jug of it filled by
Mervyn in the dairy. No one else was allowed to
touch it.
One Sunday, Hugh and I had, as usual, strolled
1894 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 12 7
round the farm. On our return home, this pretty
girl ran to meet us.
"Oh, Mrs. Stewart, there are five young tramps in
the kitchen, so tired and so hungry; I gave them all my
milk, but they want something to eat." This they
got. Then I enquired r-i- .
" What are you all doing on the road on Sunday?"
" Looking for work."
" How's that? "
"We chu cked up our billets at Christmas, went
gu m-digging, got burnt out" lost everything except
th e clothes we are wearing, and want work."
Hugh did not really want a ' lad of this type, but
sai d I might engage one at lOS. a week. This I told
th em.
" Which of you can plough? " "
Choru s ; "We can all plough! "
"Which of you can milk? "
Louder chorus; "We can all milk! "
"Then you must decide among yourselves which
you will stay for lOS. a week. "
" W e'll all stay! "
" I will come back in ten minutes, and hear your
decision."
Th e lot fell to Tom Sargeson, as good a farm-hand
s we ever had. Thus we were very lucky. What
became of his mates we never heard, but Tom stopped
with us two or three years, got an insatiable desire
to travel, took a trip home as a sailor, and saw many
co uutr ies ; returning to New Zealand to marry, and
se tt le down as a house-painter.
After sixteen years of good, steady wear we re­
h eed our drawing-room carpet with a new one
ro m Hampton, Pall Mall, and left it at Athenree not
11.1ch the worse for wear twelve years after.
128 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEA LAND. 1894
On M ay loth this year, 1894, we at e th e first ripe
persimmons off trees planted in 1886-a sweet, sli my,
disappo inting fruit we th ought it.
T he inv aluable T om, amo ng many other acc om­
plishments, was skilful with mortar and tr owel. On
wet days he repaired all t he fire-plac es t hat needed
it. He was also an arti st in water-colours and spent
his evenings very happily paiut ing soldiers or jockeys
and horses for choice!
\Ve had so much wet weather that it made Hugh
ill. We sent to W aihi for a doctor, wh o pronounced
it bronchial catarrh, and Hu gh was quite an invalid
for a month.
One fine day Mervyn planted along our river-ban ks
one hundred cupressus macrocarpa trees from seed I
had sown less th an a year previously. Many of them
had grown into fine trees when we left Athenree
tw elve years lat er.
I had such an accumulation of feathers and down
from home-consumed duck s and ch ickens, th at after
baking and picking th em, I made many pillows. Still
there were mor e, so with ticking and tap estry, I made a
two foot six inches doubl e cushion, called in furniture
catalogues a Parisian Pouf or Oriental Settee, quite
handsome and comfortable!
My good serv ant, j enny, aft er bein g with us over
a year, left to get married, and was, luck ily for me,
soon followed by Agnes, young and inexperienced;
but I was glad of any help.
On Septemb er z nd there was snow in Auckland
but not at Athenree, alt hough here it was bitterly
cold, with sufficient frost to black en early pot atoes,
cinerarias, heliotropes, cannas, ban an as, etc.
On Novem ber 8th we received letters from home,
dated September rjth, stained and torn, marked
1894 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. I29
I t Saved from the wreck of the Wairarapa," off Great
Barrier Island.
From earliest days t here had been a debt on the
Orange Hall, used for all social gatherings in the
tow nship. The term of the mortgage havin g ex­
pired, and th ere being a difficulty about renewin g it,
ete rrnined to payoff the debt by means of a
baz aar. My hours on the sofa were ple asantly spent
at all kinds of plain and fancy work for this good
ause. I t ook ord ers for shirts, som e extra large ones
for a very t all friend in Waihi. Our piano-tnner
called for his regnlar visit, and seein g me so busy be­
came interested, and sent me six dozen pipes for
" Aunt Sally," whom we introduced on bazaar-day!
Contri buti ons from hom e and near friend s came
po uring in. The unpacking of parcels was quite ex­
iting. Then came the pricing of articles, requiring
zare an d judgm ent, so I always shut myself up alone
in a room to do it. Then I put everything away
arefully out of sight in a cupboard-room which
l1ugh had built for me. Thus 1895 opened busily
with qnite a new interest, added to the usual hon se­
II I of visitors and cart-loads of fruit to sell or to pre­
erve . I made d ozens of bottles of cid er, lemon
yrup, et c. T he former was delicious, thus made :
:ut up a ny sort of small or windfall apples ; to every
billy of fruit add t he same measur e of boiling wat er
in a wooden tu b ; cover up. After a few days bubbles
will be seen on t he top. Strain through a can vas
bag. T o every ga llon ad d r-Ib sugar, sti r well,
bottle, cork, tie tightly with string. In tw o or three
weeks in hot weath er this will be fi t to drin k, effer­
vescing a nd refresh ing- a most popular beverage.
1anuary r Sth, the baz aar day at last. F lags
dorned our ent rance-gates. Admission free. F lowers
130 MY SIM PLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1895
and vegetables for sale under the trees. Dining­
room laid out for refreshments: tea, coffee, lemonade,
cider, sandwich, cakes, pastry, fruits, sweets, etc.­
any one thing for a penny. Thus those coming from
a distance could get a meal for 6d. The drawing­
room had several stalls covered with useful and orna­
mental things. attended to by kind friends and rela­
tions. One lady spent all day at a "Post Office,"
wh ere for 3d. could be bought a letter containing toy
or trinket and a packet of sweets. This was most
popular with the children, and so was" Aunt Sally,"
pipe in mouth. " T hree shots a penny," cried Tom,
armed with sticks; it made £2. The total proceeds
were £26 for the Orange Hall, whose owners wr ote
me a most grateful acknowledgment-ample reward
for my trouble and somewhat over-exertion; for I
was not growing younger and felt it! Also the hope­
lessness of efficient help when I was suffering. Agnes
went to a school-treat, was thrown from her horse,
and could scarcely move for days, having hurt her
knee; so her father came and took her a way for ten
days' rest; but after that she was still laine, so we
decided to part.
My turn for a rest had come, so having taught Tom
to make bread, I went by a little steamer to Tauranga,
thence by a larger one-and a very disturbed, rough
night-to Auckland, and drove by appointment to a
Nursing Home. Here the life did not suit me at all,
so I was out nearly all day and knocked up so com­
pletely that I changed my quarters to the North
Shore, a short ferry-trip from Auckland, and there I
spent a month pleasantly and restfully. I renewed
acquaintance with the Public Librarian, an old Ber­
muda friend, the old Army days being a delightful
subject to discuss.
(IS MY SIMPLE LI FE IN NEW ZEALAND. 13 1
The house I was boarding in was very old for New
alan d. It was said to be fifty years old and had
ht :(~n a pilot-station and fort. It stood in a pretty
uden, where a man was at work (7s. a day) "tidy­
fig up." which seemed to resolve itself into digging
J'p earth, pla nts and bulbs by the spadeful and re­
placi ng t hem topsy-turvy! Such heroic treatment
/as a trying sight for one wh o loves flowers. These,
tI the shape of chrysanthemums, I saw to perfection
\ t a show in the Choral Hall, April r8th. The
looms were immense and of every possible colour, all
uown in th e open air.
pril 28th, our silver wedding day, we celebrated by
log photogra p hed, Hugh having joined me on the
rth S hore. T oget her we returned home via
uranga on May znd, delighted to see Mervyn well.
on sequence of this visit we made another effort
11 Ath enree. For a year or more we were kept
uspense and uncertainty with enquiries and pos­
1 bla purchasers, even tually withdrawing the property
sale, We succeeded only with our third at­
rnpt.
We had in Jun e a flutter of excitement in a visit
JIlin a high official of the Waihi Gold Mining Com­
ny. asking leave to continue a water-race many
miles long from Waihi, to culminate in Electri"c
Works on our land. Visions of electric light and
.very po ssible labour-saving appliance rose before our
ire d eyes; but they were never fulfilled. While
iope las ted we were happy and enjoyed the pleasant
society of the young surveyors who camped in our
rn and often spent an evening with us.
In Novemb er Hugh began selling July lambs, 7 S •
ch. T he same purchaser took new potatoes, ad,
r lb. , eggs 8d. dozen, and butter Sd, per lb.
132 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1896
A kind cousin at this tim e sent me a draft urging
me to go to her in Edinburgh for medical advice,
but how could. I leave Ath enr ee for an indefinite
period? So I did not go.
1896 began busily and gaily, with no end of picnic
parties and visit ors, among them sometimes one or
other of my old servants who had married, and from
year to year brought a new baby to show me. Great­
nieces, too, were get ting plentiful, and it amused
me to have one or two for an oc casional visit, teach
them little hymns, collects, music, patch-work, etc.
They also, if inclined to weed my walks and flower­
beds, earn ed nice little sums in pennies, which they
were proud to spend in the Store on their return
hom e.
Two ladi es came from Rotorua to stay with us.
They were fati gued after the long drive, and had to
st op in bed, fearing they might have contracted
typhoid fever, which was prevalent in Rotorua,
Mercifully it , was not so. Their visit was most
opportune, as th ey helped me t o get rid of a terrible
old woman wh o had been recommended to me as a
"general." They took her in their bug gy to Waihi
to await the coach to the Thames, for which she
started, aft er unwise refresh men t, in th e highest
spirits. I had hardly got rid of her when t here
arrived on foot a young coupl e with a dear little
baby, asking for food and shelter, having walked
many miles after a quarrelwith relations with whom
they shared a cott age. T he man went ne xt day to
look for work, got it, and to ok a way his wife an d
child in two or thr ee days.
One day in May two big me n call ed to ask for
work. H ugh engaged them to fell trees for firewood.
Dinner was over; I had uo servant. Th e men were
MY SI M ~ L E LIFE IN N .l::W ZEALno ..., . I33
hungry, 5 0 I fed them. T hey unpacked thei
" swags in t he tram ps' quar t ers, got a good suppe
II
nd went to bed. N ext morning, when I wenl fo
the beef-steak pie J had made for 7.30 a.rn, breakfast
It was gone ! So was th e cold roa st beef and ha lf
of bread ! Quickly I fried ham and eggs for
I. P resently, w hen feeding poultry, I cam e ac ross
our two new men.
ood morning. Did you hear that we, had
Visitors last night? II
,j No, ma'am ; we did not."
I j T hey took all my cooke d meat. "
II T he villains! We'll watch for them to-night; so
l ' will. I
., I hope you did not go to bed hungry? II
•• Us hungry? How could we, ma'm, with the
dinner and supper you gave us? "
ut 1 believe they had been out of work for some
rune, were really starving, and did rob my larder.
I had unexpected visitors, making ten for dinner
h n day, so I was busy-rather too busy-when
rehef came in the shape of Emily, a good servant
m Auckla nd, destined not to stop long because
he found it H too quiet."
ne Sunday Hugh and I strolled' along the Gorge
Road to watch twenty bullocks dragging eight tons
mining mach inery for the Waihi Gold Mining
mp any. Slow ly and surely they plodd ed along,
pulling with all their might, encouraged by the crack
f sto ck-whips and incessa nt shouts - H Brandy I "
H W hisky ! " "Lion! "Tiger I " "Bob 1" " Jack! "
JJ
II Charlie I" "Billy 1 "- up and down the double­
yoke line. However, this means of transit was too
low, therefore a traction engine was sent from
T aum nga, which took in water at Athen-ree. Like­
K

134 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r896
wise the staff took tea and hop-beer, returning next
day with a load for Waihi.
Early in November we regretfully parted with
Tom, who, having been with us three years, felt a
longing t o travel, and so carried out his wish by
turning sailor. Luckily for farm work he was soon
re-placed by Frank. We were having such dry
weather that watering was too laborious; therefore I
made 160 yards of white drill hose, which, after being
oiled, answered fairly well to carry our good water
supply to my thirsty flower garden.
Having plenty of loquats I made a pie of th-em­
not nice..
.Bees in swarms here, th ere, and everyw here; even
in one bedroom, which, in consequence, no one could
enter. The bees were building between the weather­
boards and lining, so that boards had to be torn
down and boiling water poured over th e bees. Thus
they were expelled.
Just before Christmas there came a great party
of Rotorua Maoris, who asked leave to camp for a
night on Mervyn's land, adjoining Athenree, They
had a great many h orses, for which they bought
feed. We gave them hop-beer and cider, in return
for which they danced and gave us a haka to the music
of their own brass band.
We enjoyed our Christmas. dinner under our oaks
one lovely summer's day.
1897 began very hot and dry, increased on 4th by
a roaring bush fire, with dense smoke enveloping the
country, and gradually coming nearer and nearer
Athenree. On the third day we felt our house must
go, as the fire had leapt across the river to our side.
Mercifully some gaps in our plantations of pinus
insignia and eucalypti ch ecked the flames, and so we
7 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 135
ca ped, The fire-swept country was dreary and
solate and black for many years, and deprived
ur sheep of much feed.
One very hot January day a ro-ton pump, said to
h, wort h £2,000, went by hauled by a traction
II ~ ine from T inpot Castle landing to the W aihi
~() ld Mining Company. On th e following Sunday
• had a very pleasant day. T wenty members of the
W uihi Brass Band, with many friends of th eirs and
(about fi fty in a ll), came by coaches and horses
..pend the day. I had been cooking all Saturday I
111.1 with help from th e you ng guests ga ve them all
m ner on t he law n, both before a nd after w hich the
nd discoursed really lovely m usic. T hen came tea,
II Id ling and harn essing, and awa y they all went with
ers and th anks.
\ l the end of the lawn H ug h had built ~ fine.
unmer-house, furnished wit h easy ch airs and ta bles,
I r<:rt.~ I sp ent the hot aftern oons whenever I got a
I l..mce, Hu gh often maki ng and bri ng ing me tea
here.
Early in March we sent out a hundred invitations
dance on the 17th, which from on e cause and
r)IJlhe r- ad vancing years, uncertain h ealth, scarce
h . ' I I'~-had not been kept up as at fir st. Matters
hHving improved with the advent of Mollie, a spl endid
Iy-help , we spent our spare time with preparations.
I Iug h hung up a 350 candle-power lamp (kerosene)
hich we had imported from Chicago. The house
l "; brillia ntly lit up, and before 8 o'clock arrived our
nests in the usual independent colonial style. Ladies
It! lIlg carried their ba ll-dresses in a kit in front of
hem , some of the frocks needing a hot iron to smoot h
o ut the creases. The crowd and talk in my bed­
rn- the ladies' cloak-room I-which I had evacu­
136 MY SIMP LE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1897
ated at 7 p. m., can bett er be im agin ed than des cribed.
Then came te a, coffee, dancing and suppe r--all over
at 5 a. rn, Breakfast for visitors at IO and general
dispersion. There was so m uch supper left that on
Sunday we had ano t her sacre d concert on the lawn,
this tim e th e band numbering tw enty -six and g uests
over fifty- a charming entert ainment with lunch and
tea for all. T he cool grass and sha de of trees were
much app rec ia ted by our friends from W aihi aft er the
dust and gla re of th at place.
In th ose days, in that out -of-the-way spo t, we wer e
fortunately not familiar with influ enz a, bu t early in
June I felt as if I cou ld work no more; sti ll I had to
go on, but on th e fourth day, afte r feeding fowls, I had
t o lie down for a few hours and for severa l days did
the same, our do ct or from Waihi sayi ug I had a sharp
a.ttack of influ enza-needless to describe my suffer­
ings. All th e world has experienced them, but from
not "giving in " th en I have never recover ed.
On June za nd many set tlers ga the red to plant
J ubilee trees in th e recreation ground at the
U reta ra, with much sing ing of "God save the
Qu een."
Hugh, in th e mid dle of winter, spent nearl y two or
thre e week s in bed wi t h th at painful ailmen t ,
" shing les."
In Angust we had rain more prol onged and
heavy th an it had ever been before. W e had tw o
old tramps storm-staid her e. No on e could work
outside, but all were hungry at meal-times!
September brought fine weather; then all turned
to gardening. A pa.ge would not con tain the list of
flower and vegetable seeds that we sowed. I worked
with all my might in th e gard en, findin g it most
soothing aft er cooking and such-like. No one can
97 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 131
over-estimate the pleasure of tending flowers. T he:
ire the one thing in the world that do es not dis­
rppoint ; th ey are true friends.
Hugh appli ed to the Acclimatisation Soci ety an
a t tiny tr out, whi ch he put in our river; but the,
fell a lJrey to shags and eels, for we never saw th em
gam.
I n Novem ber Mervyn made me a present of a dozen
bu tilons fr om H ay's Montpelier N ursery, Auckland.
hey were of most varied colours and grew very
rapidly into six and eight feet high trees, sowing
heir own seeds and in two or th ree years form in
u ite a pla nt ation. Hugh plant ed ban an as in the
me locality. The plants g rew well and were very
em amenral, but the fruit did not ripen th oro ughl y.
. a dded conside ra bly to our dahlias-double, single
cactus- which d id remarka bly we ll and gave no
ub le. E very second or at the utmost third yea r
up the pla nts, threw away the prolific super­
undance of tubers, and re-pla nt ed one of ea ch.
Just before Christmas, Frank ask ed for a fort­
igh t's holiday to get married in Auckland. \Ve h
ng-aged his br ide to help me wit h the work , but sne
id not acq uiesc e, which, unfort unately, ultimately
Jed to Frank leaving us.
Havi ng this seas on been very successful with the.
rearing of du cks, I wa s able to execute an order' for
'arty-four at 2S. from Waitekauri, a . mining tOWD
'y ond Wa ihi.
Th is Christ mas D ay was for .me th e busiest on
record, which is sa ying a good deal. Crowds of
Ma oris met h ere to perform their ablutions at our un­
lim it ed wate r-sup ply on their way to a gr eat meet­
ing at Alf Faulkner's. My lady-help 's father
brought a horse and took he r home, thu s leaving
138 MY SIM PL E LIFE IN NEW ZEAL AND . 1898
me to coo k roast beef, ch ickens, plu m- pudding,
etc., for selv es an d visitors, who went in th e aft er­
noon, whil e I rest ed, to see the Maori Sp orts, and
th ere me t all the world a nd his wife.
r 8g8 beg an with ex tre me ly hot weath er, and no
help except fro m Hu gh and Mer vyn, who had ple nty
of ot her more cong eni al occupations than firewood­
chopping, washing clothes, d ishes, pla tes , et c., but
they did it for me. They were most useful on Satur­
day, Marc h 5th, keep ing up th e kitch en fire, working
up my brea d , rolling out pastry, mixing ca kes, a nd
preparing fish for sousin g, because next day by long­
standing invitati on cam e th e Wa ihi Band. Including
visitors, w e had nearly seventy for dinne r a nd tea.
Our fri endly neighbour, Mrs. AIL F aulkner, brought
a gen erous contribu ti on to the feast of roast goose,
preser ved q uin ces, melons a nd cakes, wh ich were
handed to me by E uphe mia, her Maori cou sin, from
Gi sb orn e. Euphemia offere d to help me, a nd most
efficiently she did 's o, worki ng hard all day and
leaving on me so favourable a n impression that
wh en a week later sh e asked me to take her I gla dly
agreed , for r os, a week, and never regretted it.
Wi th so many year s' practical experience, chickens,
ducks and egg s wer e very pl entiful, a nd I readily sold
all that I could spare at suc h p riccsras enco uraged me'
to go on and have m or e next year.
Early in April we had a call from two lady cyclists
from W aihi, th e first to be so venturesom e, as the
road was very rough a nd winding.
At the end of the month I was t he proud wi nn er of
first prize for chrysanthemums at the Kati Kati Show,
the first held there-a most creditable display of
flowers, fruit and vegetable s. Unfortunat ely it .did
not becom e an annual affair, owing to differences
18g8 MY SIMPL E LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 139
f opinion in the management. Still, in hopes I
wen t on planting, and now got from Hay, Auck­
la nd, a charming collection of bulbs, all of which
ew to perfection-e-alliums, alstrornerias, babianas,
cyrta nth us, lachenalias, scillas, sparaxis, freesias,
stern bergias, tritonias, tulips and z ephyranthus.
Anot her crowd of Maoris asked leave t o camp in
one of our fields. These were quite wealthy, and
pa id 6d. for grazing, and IS. a feed for each horse;
bo ught mutton at 4d. and potatoes at rd. per lb.
E u phem ia was most clever a t bottling fruit. She
loved to watch m e cooking, lo oked so interest ed, and
said, "Let me do that next t im e." Curry, rissoles,
astry, lemon-cheese and so forth, succeed ed well;
and w hen her work was over, jumping astride a bare­
backed horse, she would ride home to make the same
oo d things th ere. She whitewashed the kitchen
wal lsand ceiling, her dark curly locks enveloped in a
owel, a nd her bare brown feet noiselessly jumping
from step-ladder to table, table to chair. Sh e could
sew, but w as not able to cut out, so I taught her,
g inn ing with an apron, then a blouse; th e latter
with a pap er pattern. However, this she despised,
and cut ou t t he next one for herself without pa ttern ,
lt oget her by eye, allowing for t ucks and gat hers,
such as she had seen and admired on on e of my
visitors. a nd an admirable fit it proved. .
A young Scotch engineer, just landed, and sorne­
what stra nded, called one day as king for work of
any sort. Although Hugh did not need help he en­
gaged hi m at IOS. a week (times being hard for casual
w or k in the nineti es), .and found him very clever and
useful ; so much so that he very soon got work at gs.
a day from the Waihi Gold Mining Company. How
could we compet e with that?
140 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 18g8
On wet days I cut out Am er ican leather co vers for
my little trap cushi ons, a nd a rainy month soon got
them finished-quite a triumph of upholstery.
Athenree, alth ough only nin e miles from Waihi,
had a much mil der climat e, tempered by Pacific
Ocean breezes, whereas Waihi enjoys bracing
mountain air. Consequ ently it had no flowers in
mid-winter as we had. As that t own ad vanced , so
als o did balls a nd banquet s, needing floral decora­
ti ons, for which I got many orde rs, and was able to
send for 5s. a large box (usual drap ers' dress size)
packed with red, white and pink camellias, arums,
daffodils, violets, fr eez ias, etc., not omitti ng to en­
clo se button-holes for th e ge nt leme n, all in masses of
feathery wattle.
One of a m ob of fat ca tt le being driven from
T auranga to Thames fell lam e, so that he could
tra vel no mor e, therefor e th e dri vers ask ed leave to
kill him in our yard, ga ve me th e t ongue and to ok
away the carcass in our car t.
By the Waihi coach came in July an an onymous
parcel from Auckland of twenty vari eti es of ann uals,
per ennials and cuttings, which I pro m ptly plant ed in
every available sp ot in flower- garden, beds, and
borders. The maj ority lived and bl oom ed, but th ey
had a fight with frost ea rly in August which bla ckened
bananas, cannas, cinerarias, nastu rtiums and
tacsonias.
Farm-work was all behind for want of a ma n, when
one came from an office in Auckl and at 20S. a week.
My heart failed me wh en I saw h im; he was a good
enough work er, bu t a most disagreeable in mate of
our peaceful home.
Once more our hopes a nd spirits rose when a sur­
vey or and' staff came t o ca mp at Athenree to survey
18g8 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 141
\ railway from th e Grand J unction G old Mine,
W aihi, through our land to th e sea. With wh at in­
terest we watche d th e men cl earing a lin e, pu tti ng in
pegs and ge ne rally brightening up the scene dur ing
1he fortnig ht they sp ent with us. Howev er, ag ai n
we wer e d oom ed to disappointment, for the Mine
m a nagement chauge d a nd th e railway -any ra ilway
in that locality- is still unmad e. This was one of th e
re asons for our leaving Ath enr ee eight years lat er.
T owards t he end of th e win ter I plant ed ten various
hou vardias, inval uabl e for cutt ing and butto n-h oles,
nd sowed endless annuals.
H ugh found hi s pl ou ghman insufferabl e, and to ld
h im t o " gu," but th er e was no room for him in t he
coach aud he could not walk, ha ving a great deal of
luggage. H e appeared at meals sullen a nd morose,
nd told a g irl-visito r of mine th at he " int ended to
bu rn d own the house to-night." Therefor e, Mervyn
vent for the local Constabl e, but fail ed to fi nd him.
No t hing would ind uce me to go to bed so Hu gh, hav­
ing bro ught in plenty of firewo od , h e agreed t o sit
li p too, and we closed round th e drawing- room fire, I
darn ing st ockings, H ugh read ing aloud to me and ou r
isitor. Presently we heard ste ps in the vera nda h
approaching th e F rench window ope ning into t he
draw ing-room. " O ur last moment has come"
thoug ht I, picturi ng our old l una tic with a revolver ,
hill happ ily it was on ly a fine-looking belate d
traveller, askin g for a bed. Vi e told hi m of our
anxiety, with wh ich he sympathised, but not enuug h
to preveut him go ing to bed, pro misin g t o come to our
rescue at th e sligh test call. W e d id not distu rb hi m ,
zit her wer e we again distur bed. At dawn Hug h
mad e tea, wh ich we all enjoy ed, then from the bay ­
wi ndow we saw th e sun rise. Our protecting visit or
 14 2 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
departed with thanks; so also did the old lunatic,
with out a row, having got a lift in a neighbour's cart.
Hugh SOon got Bill, a fin e young worker.
Lieut. Sharp, S.A., came for a "shake down, his 1I
bike having come to grief.
Euphemia having, Maori-like, got tired of the order
and routine of AthenJee, wen t home for a fortnight.
My girl-visitor kindly stopped to help me, and among
other things covered-most skilfully, some with
tap estry, others with cretonne--our sofas and chairs,
preliminary to spring-cleaning.
As an illustration of how th e New Zealand Govern­
ment tri es to check pests we had, on October 17t h, a
visit from Mr. Boucher, Government Vine Inspector,
who found phylloxera among ours, dug them up and
burnt them. . These vines had been imported from
America. W e had neither en ergy nor pluck t o try
vine-growing again.
The fame of my prize-winning chrysanthemums
having spread, I was inundated with req uests for
plants and spent much spare time in lifting, labelling,
and packing them for p arcel post all over Ne w
Ze aland.
aving thoroughly weeded the ca rr iage-d! ive
r ound the house, we gav e Alf an order to cover it
wit h shell s, whi ch he did for £ 3. T hese shells needed
t he cr ushing of light traffic to make th em pleasant to
walk on, especially in thin shoes ; they wer e a
dazzlingly white an d trying to the eyes in brig ht sun­
shine; but we could get nothing else, th ere being no
gravel-pits as at ho me.
In Novem ber, E uphemia, planted kurnaras (sweet
potat oes) for me th us : ha ving got from bee Auntie
bundle of cuttings, or shoots, from las t yea r's kumara,
she planted one of each in a drill, four feet apart in
18g8
Ibo8 MY SIMPI.,.E LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. I43
"very direction. These soon grew and ran all over the
iund, care being taken to lift the vines from time to
lime so th at they should not t ake root alon g their
iourse. In 'aut umn we had a good crop, which
s uphemia dug and stored in a pit-hole in th e ground
overed with earth. ' ... . . .
T he Government Post Office Inspector paid Hugh
one of his surprise visits. Needless to say, he found
III the office-work correct, but mad e rather disparag­
i llg remarks about the housemaid's work,
On December 8th Mervyn, being Honorary Secr e­
ta ry of the Kati Kati Road Board, dr ove t o W aihi
\0 int erview the Premier, the Ri ght H onourable
~ ic h a rd J. Seddon, applying for various local public
works. He was well received, and lunched with Mr.
Seddon, at th e invitation of th e Super intendent of
t he W aihi Gold Mining Company. Pra ctically
very thing asked for has since been con ced ed by
io vern ment- th e last being a railway throu gh th e
district, which is now under survey.
IC99 opened with great heat and rain. T owards
he end of the month we had a visit from ou r Bishop,
now P rimate, on his way to Kati Kati for. confirma­
tion ; and again on his return to Auckland.
On e day in February H ug h and Mervyn dr ove to
the Black Hill, an eminence near W aihi, whe re the
Volu nt eers were enca mped, a nd dined at mess.
Ouite a n old-t im e exper ience for H ugh
hey heard that t he W aihi Beach G old Mine had
been sold for £ 35,000. But that report was pr emn­
ure-s-it is not sold yet.
Some of Mervyn's politica l friends and admire rs
:giln now to call from tim e to time to t alk over
Smgle T ax. and election ma tters, giving him a great
int erest in life in New Z ealand.
144 MY S IM PLE LI F E IN NEW ZE AL AND. 1899
Towards the middle of Mar ch, whe n I was
enj oying a little m ore re st because of Euphemia's
help, that du sky dam sel asked leave to go next day
with uncle and aun t ie to the cir cus in P aeroa,
twenty miles awa y : .. I'll finish all my work before I
st art and co me straight back with th em ." But she
did not! S he ra ng no eight o' clock bell the next
m orning (Sunday). H er ro om had bee n uno ccupied.
So I got breakfast ready, then dinner, th en supper,
with visitors for all, including a special friend of
Mervyn's, with a requ est to him t o cont est Oh inemuri
at th e a ppro aching Genera l Elect ion, Monday,
Tuesday, W ednesday passed. On Thursday" auntie"
sent for her sewing -mach ine, which she h ad lent to
Euphemia, "becau se she did no t know what had
become of her." At th e end of a week suspense was
at an end, Hugh having walk ed to auntie's and been
told that Euphemia was" booked," i.e., th at she had
married a French half-caste and wanted h er clothes
sent to W aihi, where she was settled I H er husband
was a min er, work ed in the B attery, a nd, after a few
years, died of consumption. Euphemia was no t long
a widow, an d for second husband had a Scot ch
fisher ma n, called Stewa rt , set t ling in th e neighbour­
hood of our old T inpot Castle . I missed her go od
all -rou nd help to my last da y in New Z ea la nd , never
h aving known a girl with so retentive a memory, or
one who coul d pl uck chickens as quickly.
Again this year, on April 19th, I had the goo d
fortune to win first prizes for chrysanthemums and
da hlias at .the Kati Kat i S how.
L ucy, a very pretty girl, ca me from Auckland as
serv ant, but she knew nothing, a nd objected t o the
.kitchen j so I bro ught her out of it and set to war
to teach her, an arduous task when I wa nted to have
MY S IMP LE LI F E I N NEW ZEA LAND . I45
th ings parti cularly nice for our Go vern or , Lo rd
Ran furly, wh om we expected for lunch very sh ortly .
W hat p olishing of silver and glass, mowin g of lawn ,
weeding of flower-b eds, pluck ing of chickens, maki ng
nf butter, rolls, pies and ca kes we had, and h ow I
.njoyed it all! \ Ve sent ou t invita t ions t o forty rela­
tions and friends, but only th ree of our very nea rest
neig hbour s came ; th e rest were t oo shy ! T he
ovem or ar rived from t he U retara , wh ere at the
ho tel he ha d th e nigh t before been ente rtained by
the settlers at a ba nquet. H e was accompanied by
his Priva te Secretary, an aide -de-camp, R .A., a nd a
w ot hers. His coach-dri ver a nd police esco rt were
rovided for in th e kitch en . Ou r lun ch was a g reat
uccess-e-Co. T yrone and Royal Artillery being our
lin ks. W e st rolled roun d t he grounds, L or d
anfurly, the most sy mpathet ic of Gove rn ors, taking
; LI1 interest in my poultry-far m. Seei ng two lar ge
coops, with wire-netti ng runs attached, containi ng
hens, h e asked why th ey we re there.
" T o cu re t hem of clu cking. W e call those th e
agey Institut es. It 'takes a week of confin em en t
nd go od fceding t o effect a cure , th en th ey soon
start layi ng agai n." W e ad opt ed th e nam e and idea
from th e Ame rican H agey Inst itutes est ab lish ed in
Now Z ealan d for the cure of in ebriat es. Th e la t ter
wa s, unfort un at ely, permanently successful in very
few cas es. T he Govern or and hi s suit e wen t on th eir
way, much to our regr et, and we felt quite Hat after
hi s depart ure.
ucy magn ified it int o a .g rea t en te rtai nment, a nd
p ublished, we were to ld, amo ng her Auck la nd frien ds,
t hat she" had had three out of five -d ances w ith t he
G overn or," and there were non e !
Hugh , t hink ing tha t I wo rked too hard in the
 1 899
146 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
garden, bought a Planet Junior wheel-hoe, which
helped me most satisfactorily. I was using it with
great energy, attired in "simple garden costume"
and shady hat one day, feeling hot and untidy, when
Hugh appeared with two strange men, whom he
introduced to me. I apologised for my appearance.
One, a delightfully courteous man, just out from
home, raising his hat, with a low bow, said:
"Mrs. Stewart, you are an ornament to your sex! "
I returned his salute with a profound curtesy, which
cemented our friendship, and led him to the house.
In July Hugh planted tw elve Poor Man oranges,
hardy, early-bearing, prolific trees, yielding large
fruit, some weighing r lb., of fine, ar omatic flavour,
excellent for marmalade. There was , in our time,
a practically unlimited demand for th em in Auckland
at 7s. or 85. a case, about rd. ea ch.
Just as Lucy was gett ing useful she re ceived a wire
from hom e: "Come at a nce-serious illness;" so we
sent her in my trap to Wai.hi en r oute to Au ckland,
and with all th e work, I could do no more of my be­
loved gardening. We had the expected night or two
of frost in ..1 uly, damaging the usu al tender plants,
always a melancholy sight. Then came soft, warm
rain, soothing to them all j also a wire from Lucy,
saying, she "may go blind, so can't come back,"
which made me sorry.
Mervyn was enjoying a visit in Auckland, so I had
not his efficient help. Hugh and I took the oppor­
tunity of re-papering and painting his bedroom.
Having taken a fancy to have the Brahma strain
this season in my poultry-farm, I made an exchange
with a girl-friend in Tauranga of fourteen of my prize
chrysanthemums for a fine Brahma cock. Then, for
another dozen plants I got from the winner of First
r899 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 147
P riz e for pastry at th e Kati Kati Show, the recipe of
how to make it.
On October 9th we entertained Mr. Goldie, Mayor
of Auckland, to luncheon.
On r 3th ca me to us the expected news: "War is
declar ed," and we felt we must, all take up arms.
n th e meantime matters nearer home attracted
Mervy n's attention and a few days later he gave his
first address to the electors of Waihi, with a view to
en tering Parliament, and met with great encourage­
ment. During the next few weeks he was con stantly
mvay giving addresses in all the leading pl aces
hroug h th e Ohinemuri electorate. We rec eived his
many friends, who called to report pro gress of his
.um paign, during these early summer weeks keeping
lrnost open hou se. Among our visito rs was Mr.
Sedd on, -the Premier, who came with two S ecretaries
III a coach and four and lunched with us. Un ­
fortunat ely Mervyn was away from home, but the
I 're mier knew him and looking round our comfort­
ab le, pretty hom e, he said : "If I had a son with a
snut iful place like this who wished to go in for
political life I would cut him off with a shilling." Of
ur se he knew which of the half dozen ca ud ida t es
would be successful on polling-day; D ecember 6th .
Lxciternent and suspense were almost too trying,
lervyn beiug in th e thick of the fray and we at
henr ee cut off from it all. Polling day ca me .
If ug h was R eturning Officer at Athenree so could not
iccom pauy me to Waihi, whence a special buggy was
~I1 L for me. I got in by 9 a.m, and was met by
Mervy n in great form. Kind friends of his invited
me to th eir house and after lunch introduced me to
Mervy n's most influential supporters. I was recog­
nised in the streets as "Stewart's mother," and felt
 148 MY SIM PLE LI F E IN NEW ZEALAND.
1899
very proud. I was almost forced into carriages for
short driv es, and presently heard gr eat ch eering,
heralding th e return from Paeroa of "Stewart, Hip,
hip, hurrah l" We din ed with our hospitable friends;
music and singing followed. Th en appeared two of
Mervyn's Committee with th e disappointing news,
"Defeated, Stewart, but not disgraced ." Jackson­
Palmer was the Successful candidate. So we all
dispersed to bed and th e fOllowing morning I
returned home by coach with the first news to Hugh.
For days aft er I was very ill and Mervyn was in bed
with influenza. H owever, gar de ning soon revived
me. Plum pudding and mincemeat had to be made
and the Boer War filled our thoughts. Hugh got the
latest telegrams three times a week from the Kati
Kati Postmaster. So we heard of Buller's sad reverse,
of the death of Lord ROberts' son, and spent a most
depressing Christmas. . D ur ing the hot weather I had from the first felt
190 0 began with hurricanes of wind and clouds of
dust. So dry was th e whol e country that when on
the 19th some mischievous person threw a lighted
match into the fern and tea-tree between our house
and the sea, the fire SOOn spread, came roaring
t owards us, threatening very soon to destroy every­
thing. Our man had just brought home a load of
firewood, so seeing horse and cart in the yard I filled
it with plate, jewellery, pictures, and other valuables,
and sent it down to a safe valley on the other side.
Still the fire came nearer, Hugh and his men trying
to beat it out. I took blankets off the beds, made a
heap of them in the centre of the la wn, covering them
with carpets, rugs and sacks. It WqS impossible to
rest idle and see doom approaching, so I visited our
several cupboards, took out all the clothes I could
carry, and put them with the blankets. My lady-help
1900 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 149
was all this time saving her own property, including
her saddle and bridle. Mercifully, when our case
seemed hopeless the wind changed and we wer e safe.
The reaction was very trying, but we put all our
valuables, blankets and clothes in their proper places
nee more and returned to the routine of work, with
a hideous, scorched-out look from my afternoon rest
sofa.
With the news of the relief of Kimberley our
spirits rose, and still higher with that of the relief of
Ladysmith. We sang" God save the Queen" at our
work.
After two months' drought, very prolonged for our
district, rain came. We welcomed the first. drop­
very gentle to begin with, generally presaging a down­
po ur, which we sniffed at with the greatest gusto.
very unfit for hard work; this did not decrease with
ad vancing years. Everything seemed a trouble. So
dep ressed was I that I made my will a.nd then felt
bett er.
O ne hot Sunday some Waihi friends called on
hor seback to borrow my trap, a lady of the party
being so completely knocked up that she could ride
no further. She rested here, they had t ea and left
ej oicing with all they had asked for. .
A fter such warm, refreshing rain we had our usual
abu ndance of mushrooms, and flowers bloomed
everywhere- glor ious masses of chrysanthemums,
d ahlias, sunflowers, cosrneas, hydrangeas, cannas and
abu til ons,
One Sunda y a strange lady appeared at our veran­
dah gate.
"Can you tell me wh ere I co uld get a cup of t ea. ?"
C' H ere, w ith pleasure."
L

ISO MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
19°0
"I have com e from Waihi On my bike and am £0
thirsty. "
So she joined us at dinner and told how she had,
only a month before, landed from LondOt} t o start a
millinery shop in W aihi and, knowin g nothing of the
country, had determined to explore, not dreaming
that in this direction she would travel miles and miles
without seeing a house-a contrast to London. She
spent the afternoon with us, leaving with a few new­
laid eggs for her breakfast; but unfortunately she lost
her wayan the roadless pl ains and found hers elf, with
night advancing, in the limitless bu sh, where luckily
she met with one who sh owed her the right way
back. Needless to say this poor new c h u m Soon left
Waihi, wh ere her hats did not suit the C olonial taste.
On the following Sunday th e o pen ing of the
Paris Exposition took place, leading my thoughts
back 'wit h tender reminiscences to th e happy child­
hood days spent there.
So full were our thoughts of Mafeking that nothing
else mattered. When au May 19th we heard of th e
relief, H ug h hoisted th e Union J ack and we sang
the N a liona1 Anth em off and on all day, in and out
of the ho use, an d kept it up on the 24th .
Sunday generally broug ht visitors and extra work,
but the climax came on on e at the end of Ju ne,
when a distant settle r was ca rried to our b o use, havJng
a ps ized h is waggo n with thr ee or four ho rses in th e
G orge on his ret urn h ome from Wn ih i aft er d isp osin g
he previous day of his load th ere. He loo ked like a
ounded Boer with black hair a nd beard, ha n dker­
chief bandag ing his foreh ea d a nd evidently very
much h urt. T hey la id h im on a spa.-e bed. I
bathed him a nd' made him a s cmnIorta ble as po s­
sible. HearIng h is horses h a d been brough t into o ur
19°0 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 151
yard, I wrote a note t o his possibly anxious wife (ten
miles away) saying what had happened-that he was
safe here and would drive home later. Hugh tied this
note to the neck of on e horse who would be sure to
make for hom e and turned it out of our gat e, thus
relieving the suffer er's mind. However, he felt q uit e
different when a few hours later Mervyn drov e him
home and, passing the house of a near neighbour of
ours, wa s told that they had stopped the horse, op ened
and read the note addressed to the injured man's wife
a nd thought it "too unimportant" to tie on ag ain ;
a with a flick of a whip they sent the hors e gallop­
ing on .
At 8 o'clock one eveuiug, in the middle of winter,
th ere was a feeble knock at the back-door, which
Hug h ans were d, a nd found there a young Scot ch
fisher ma n in terrible plight, pale, shivering with co ld,
a nd wa te r pouring off his clothes. Quickly we
ro ugh t hi m in, Hugh helped to undress him, put
him in ' a warm bed, covered with blankets, a nd
ubbed his frozeu limbs. He, too, had h ad a capsize
In th e Gorge. Coming home from selling fish in
W aihi a nd bein g overtaken by darkness his h or se had
ta ke n the spring-cart over the edg e of thi s most
dan gerous road . D own a steep bank ' int o the river
below w ent hor se, trap, a n d mau; th e latter escaping
o w ning almo st by a miracle, as he was en ta ngled
in t be ha rn ess ; luckily the horse kept qu iet, a nd th e
or man ext r icated h imself, clambered up the cliff,
and rea ched our door-a mile or two of a \valk- ·
nlrnost at Ius last g asp . As soon as possibl e we had
collecte d neighhours within a mile or so, and they
res cued horse a n d trap. After a couple of d ay s the
poor y onn g man was able to get to hi s hom e near
Tinpot Castle, but I think hi s health was perman ently
 152 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. IgOO
injured. He went home and met his death as a
Quartermaster in a P. and O. steamer, in the Bay of
Biscay, having been knocked down in a gale, and his
lungs injured by fractured ribs.
Again we had a satisfactory brother and sister to
help with th e work. In order to encourage them to
milk the cows regularly, punctually, and thoroughly,
I promised a prize if, at the end of November, they
had supplied me with enough cream to make 100 Ills.
butter; this they did, and got a hat each. In
December the bait was 150 lbs., which hooked a white
silk scarf for each. Thus I tried to brighten their
lives. At the same time Hugh brightened the drawing
room by importing from New York two Angle lamps,
which burn kerosene, sh ed beautiful light, have no
under shadow, no sm ell or heat, and will burn for
22 hours.
On December 8th we gav e one of our usual large
picnics to the Beach.
Christmas-day was saddened by the thought of so
many relations and friends wounded, sick, or
prisoners in South Africa.
I g OI began with an amusing episode. My help had
a proposal, which she accepted, from an elderly
Nidower wit h nine ch ildren. He had called a fort­
night ·previously to buy fowls from me for his
daughter's wedding-breakfast. He, Agnes, a nd I,
help ed to catch them in th e yard ; she was very
br ight and pretty, so quick an d clever at pouncing on
the selected birds that our purchaser Was capt ivat ed,
and a fter a second visit popped the quest ion. I ga ve
her a holiday to ind ulge in love's y oung d ream , H er
sister came to st ay with her ; t hey disc ussed m atters,
th e result being that the poor wid ower was Jilted .
Crest fallen and sad, he tu rned to th e sist er for com­
Ig01 MY SIMPLE LIFE 1N NEW ZEALAND. 153
fort, but she would have nothing to say to him; he
married a widow with as many more children, and
the faithless girl accepted a younger admirer.
On 24th we heard of good Queen Victoria's death,
and felt sorry.
On 26th we drove to the Court House, Uretara, to
vote for rating on the unimproved value of land.
On February znd we all left off work for an hour
a t noon to pay the last tribute of respect to Queen
ic toria while her funeral was going on. I sat under
the shade of trees in a lovely spot on Mervyn's
land, reading the Burial Service, and feeling
altogether most mournfully depressed. But that had
t o be overcome when pleasure-parties, holiday­
makers, came pouring in for dinner, tea, flowers,
frui t, milk, etc. By the sale of surplus produce of
sm a ll things I made £18 this January, but that did
not last every month in the year, alas.
!:arly in F ebruary Mervyn left us for a trip to
Auckland, S tratford, Marton, etc.; was away five
weeks, and came home stored with knowledge and '
in for mation. Du ring his absence I had another try­
ing experience. A neighbour, one afternoon, brought
to our house a , lady-settler wh o had had a carriage
ac cident on her way fro m W aihi. She felt she was
dyi ng , so we sent nine miles for t he doctor, and
ge nt ly as possible undressed a nd put her to bed. One
by one came neighbours to enqu ire until the room was
filled . To all, t he poor sufferer wished " G oodbye,"
and rnauy tears were shed. E agerly 1 watched for
the doctor, who came at last, a nd I explained to h im
the case, led him to t h e sick-bed, where we anxiously
wa tched him examine the patien t. I n answer to my
en qu iring looks, he gravely shook his head.
"Is it hopeless?" I asked as he left the room.
 154 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. IgoI
" No," said he, "quite the reverse. Mrs. - - has
had a wonderful escap e; she is not hurt in the slightest
degree." ,
"What may she eat? "
"Anything she fan cies, but you had better take
something yourself or you will be my next patient."
Then I went to th e sick-bed.
in disorder, How disgusted th ey were. We kept
"How long can I live?" was the faint question.
th em for the night, and early next morning they re-
"For many yea.rs I hope; you have had a merciful
aced their steps to Auckland, sadder, but perhaps
esc ape from very serious injuries, and mu st take some
food; what would you like? "
" Some bread and milk," whi ch, with most elabor­
ately detailed instructions from her, I prepared. She
thoroughly enjoyed it, and went away after a good
night's rest.
The wooden blocks au whi ch our house had rested
for nearly twenty years were showing sig ns of decay,
the floors of th e rooms ro cking as we walked across
them, so Hugh eng aged a carpenter to put in new
blocks, which made things fin n again. The wooden
shingle roof wa s no longer watertight, so that had to
be replaced with corrugated iron, more serviceable
but eminently less picturesque. And oh, the dreadful
noise demolishing the old ro of and putting up the new
one J W e wer e in such a hurry to get th e work
finished, having had a line from the Governor asking
us to put him np for a night. The old kitchen had
just been demolished, bri ck floor taken up, to make
room for a larger kitchen with wooden floor . 1 was
hoeing and raking the shell-drive, working with all
my might and main, wh en two pretty g irls appeared
in dainty costumes, carr ying tennis shoes and
rackets. Who were they ? None other than my
quondam help, Lucy, who weaved such a romance
abont the Governor's first visit, and h er sisier. They
IgoI MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. ISS
had read in the Auckland H erald of our coming
g uest s, and" thought they would like to meet them."
So they carne all the way from Auckland, and were
dropped at our gate by a passing carrier. I had to
explain how in opportune was their visit, because the
house wa s in possession of carpenters, and every room
wiser girls.
ow bu sy Agnes and I were removing chips and
saw-d ust, cleaning windows, fire-places, fenders and
fire-irons. She showed signs of collapse, finally gave
ill, and three days before the visit, left me. I was in
a f x, but help came from her sister, a nd we got on
splend idly with cooking, bed-making, etc. The
over nor arrived on the afternoon of St. Patrick's
Day with his private secretary, coachman, and
police escort. He was taking a driving tour to get
tho roughly acquainted with his dominions, and tried
to visit every school on his way, pointing out to the
hildren th e kind of Empire they belong to. He
uggested to their teachers that a brief space of time
hould be devoted weekly to explaining the meaning
the week's cablegrams of the news allover the
world-s-hew it affects the Powers; then asked for
holiday. After tea Hugh took the party [or a
wulk, 'We dined at?, and had pleasant talk and
sm oke t ill I I p. m. The followin g morning some
f ou r nearest neighbours called, and after lunch all
de part ed, leaving us feeling better and happier for
t his bit of sunshine. Such re-organising, with count­
trig a nd putting away of spare silver followed, that
I here was no time for moping!
Bill having got his first tip - [I - from the
 I56 MY SI MPLE LIFE I N NEW ZEALAND.
Igor
G overnor, grew qui t e up-lift ed, gave H ugh a week's
notice, an d persuad ed his siste r t o do the same.
Ha ving heard from th e G overn or th at th eir R oyal
Highnesses Duke and Du ch ess of Cornwall and
York were coming to Auckla n d in June, and that
we should be inv ited t o th eir recepti on, I sent black
velvet, sa tin, point la ce, et c., t o Milne & Choyc e,
who turned out costumes worthy of the oc cas ion.
On May zoth came our mu ch -pri zed invitati ons,
whi ch produ ced a delightful simmer of excit em ent,
but not grea ter th an d id the arrival by coach, fresh
from hom e, of a mos t charming couple- No and M.
She was one of th e pre ttiest Wom en I ha d ever seen,
and fas cinated us all with her delightful w ay s an d
lovely gowns. Later on, wh en th ey were g uests at
Gov ernment H ouse, Vict ori a, during th e royal visit,
M. was allud ed to in the papers as <t th e most
b eau tiful woman in Mel bourn e." Their engage­
ments were so numero us that a t the end of a sh ort
week we mu st needs part with th em, but met them
again in Auck la nd.
In hon our of the ship th at wa s conveying t he
oy al pair t o Au ckland, H ugh m ade an ar tist ic pretty
additi on, which he called" th e Op hir," to my bed­
r oom.
n Friday , 7th Jun e, we
t for Auckland, of
which memorable trip I give
the a ccount from my
letters at th e time ;_
Parnell-Aucklan d,
JU1le l UI, I 9 0I.
"DEAR MERVYN,-Here we are a fte r a mos t un­
com forta ble j ourney. At Waihi P ost Offi ce We found
the out-goin g coach crammed , so went t o Pilling's
Hotel, where we had tea. Then a pa ir-ho rse buggy
turned up for us-e-six people a nd luggage, on e
I MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 157
nssenger t o dri ve. I was amazed at the change en
oute. t o P aeroa after twelv e years' absence . Life
veryw here ; towns with sho ps gal or e. Then the
i.iilroa d, tunn els, cro wds of navvi es, etc . -most en­
ou rag ing . Newly met all ed ro ad nearly th e wh ole
way, wh ich affecte d me co mpa ra tively little, as I was
wedged in tightly between Dad and a no t her man in
lu: ba ck sea t, made for two and lengthen ed for
th ree by cushions, whi ch en abled my two panniers
or thor ns, whichever you like-to sit on a rail
r.tCh . Near Paeroa th e road was goo d. W e passed
I rowds comi ng from a fun eral, W e went by train
.in to T hames, put up at an hot el, rather decayed.
ter di nner we t ook a wa lk. I was st ruc k with the
1III e wid e st reets , pavements, and ga s-lig hts; wish ed
I I ley could be transferred bodily to W aih i. V'l e had
I d reary bedroom in a cott age adjoi ning th e hot el,
our next neig hbo ur being a ti psy innkeeper who
lked loud all night in his sleep, or else sno red
luuder st ill ! He awoke me a dozen ti mes . I re-
li ned snatches of sleep only by counting his snores !
\\ " bad a good breakfast in a fine room . The hotel
\\ 1$ crowded. 170 peo ple fed there the previous
hi}'. On ly one wa itress an d one housemaid- girls
01 fi fteen or sixteen, who looked lame with fat igue.
sve one of them a sh illin g, and she wants t o
1J1l1c to me ! 55. Wt7Rltie1'e very full; 5S. return ,
l over t he boat. W e were a long ti me gett ing off
d so at IO. 3 0 . T he day was sunless and cold,
ith dri as ling rain at int ervals all the way. Man y
ere sea -s ick. I was not, but did not face din ner.
rd d id, I need hard ly tell yo u. Auckla nd Harbour,
ter four ho urs, was very grey, mist y, and chee rless,
xcept for a beau tiful pr ocessional line of five dear
n-o'< war in read iness for T uesday. T hey re­
 I58 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. IgOI
minded me so of Portsmouth that I knew not
whether to laugh or to cry. George M. met us at
half-past two, shouldered my trunk, Dad his bag,
and took us to a very nice pair-horse cab. He had
had such a job to secure one early in the day, all
being engaged for the races-£'3 for the day. We
drove by back streets to Parnell on acconnt of the
crowds in Queen Street. This house and garden are
charming. Our kind hosts have given us their fine
bedroom, with bath-room adjoining. The Duke and
Duchess will not be better treated. Dad went out
shopping. I did not, because it was raining steadily.
E. has a lovely black brocaded satin for the royal
recepti on. My gowns are here, and lo ok all right.
You know we are all in Court mourning?
"June 70tll.-I posted to you, en route to St. Mary's
-such a nice church. Canon McMurray's text was
from N urn bers xxiii, 21: .' The shout of a king is
among them." He made the most of his opportunity.
All the time I am thinking of you in charge at
Athenree. We had such a lovely surprise visit at
7.3 0 p.m. from N. and 1'1., who are staying at tl.e
Star H otel, having gotJired of Rot oru a in such wet
weather. T hey leave, alas! to-day for W ellington,
there to join in the royal fes tivities, M. having no
gowns in A uckla nd . T h ey lunched a t G overnm ent
H ouse. Mr. Sed don inquired for us. M ISS Seddon
is charm ing, M. says, and is sending us tickets for
the review and presentatio n of medals to the officers
and men of the So u th Africa n contingents, also for
the Maori demonstration a t R otorua. We were also
told that H.M.S . Pmguln is going reg ularly t o
T a uranga from Fridays to Mondays, and that the
officers want to come to Athenree in ' their la un ch, so
you must call.
IgoI MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 159
"jlt'ne l lth, 7907.-We awoke yesterday to pour­
ing rain, which lasted the whole day. Having gone
'n by 'bus we found the town crowded, lively, and
.i uddy. We called on N. and M. at the Star, and
ran with them to Prince's Street to see the rehearsal
of the procession to Government House. The
G overn or's coachman, who had been at Athenree,
was driving the royal carriage . . Our khaki boys
looked really noble-so serious, too, as their horses
were rather jumpy with the band. We saw N. and
M. off from Onehunga to Wellington. Now the
'PMr can be seen quite close, dripping wet, not even
,I patch of blue sky, but one felt very loyal and in
ou ch . Indignati on is rife, because Seddon yesterday
morning forbad railway-trucks bringing Maori
noes when too late for any other mode of con­
veyan ce, so there is no nice aquatic display. Dad
.md I dined at an hotel; the landlord and his wife
were going to the Citizens' Reception, their married
lau ghters to Government House. We called at
e rnment Honse, being stopped at th e gates by
nrry and policeman- ' No admission. t 'But we
nrc fri ends of His Excellency, w h o tol d ns to ca ll
whe n he was at At henree.' , I must beg your pard on, '
oJld th e bobby, (1 oug ht to have recognised Captain
.uid Mrs. Stewart, as I come from W ai hi, ' an
wed us on , sen try s rniling affa bly. At Go vern me nt
iuse a good -looking yo ung Ne w Z eala nd gunn
o k our cards, read th em and bea med at th e ",'lords
' la te Royal Ar tillery .' r Hi s E xcelle ncy a nd Lady
Ran furly n ot a t .horn e ; t he Duke a nd D uchess a re
xpected immediately '- a day before t hey were due.
o th ere was great exc ite ment , W e called next n
th e P ubli c Li brary and Ar t Gallery a nd were show
ver h is k ingd om by Mr. S . What a bea utiful col­
 160 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. Ig01
lection of Sir George Grey's curios, etc. Great
preparations for the' Citizens' , At Home, gas being
laid on and decorations put up. The prettiest arch
is here, all ferris and arums. The others strike me as
paltry-too squat, altogether patchy, but in pouring
rain what would look more like wet hens? I am
loyal and elated to a degree at sight of the Ophir
within handkerchief-waving distance from my
window.
"JunrJ tzu; 1901. We awoke yesterday to lovely
sunshine. The great day has gone and I am glad I
was here. My bouquet of white flowers, quite a
dream, from Pilkington's came early. Then I went
to McIndoe's nursery and got a bouquet for our
hostess. Later we went to our friend F. M.'s ware­
house in Queen Street. A long wait, frequent
showers, not very amusing, Presently H.E.
appeared on his way to the landing-place, being the
signal for loud and prolonged cheers. But the whole
thing was too solemn and quiet. There were at least
six bands, scarcely any played; at last came distant
strains of • God save the King,' and their Royal
Highnesses drove past. ' 1ust like their photos,'
remarked someone close by in a disappointed tone.
Firing guns had brought down a thicker drizzle.
The Duke wore a mackintosh and the Duchess was
partly hidden under an umbrella. Only a pair of
horses in their carriage, therefore many did not
recognise the Royal pair, whom they had perhaps
expected would wear crowns.
"At 9 p.m. we drove to Government House. Our
hostess looked charming, and Dad said I was 'all
right.' We had a long delay in the carriage-li ne.
Our first greeting ' was from the pleasan t P riv
Secretary, who had bee n t wice at Athenree. In t he
or MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r6r
ll-room, converted into reception-room, we met
lT1:tny friends. 'God save the King' heralded
Rtrya lty. A line was cleared in the centre of the
I IJO m for the procession, intensely military and
leasing. Prince of Teck, quite the finest-looking
na n ; Lady Ranfurly, the most beautiful woman.
( rnly their Royal Highnesses and T.E. stood on the
da is. We all filed past, Captain Hill Trevor, A.D.C.,
, 1I ling out each name very loudly and plainly. The
naj ority nodded to their Royal Highnesses, who
oo k hands with all. Some seemed too nervous to
I d ell out a hand. I took time to curtsey low to
h in turn and met their eyes. T.E. were
mp letely overlooked, or rather they effaced them­
lves, but I could not, resist making a slight halt,
luch, with a low bow, was pleasantly acknowledged.
I ter the presentations there were about six musical
-ms from the best professionals, but all very dreary
I, ' I ause of the etiquette of no applause in the
I" se uce of Royalty. Then all (Mr. Seddon, Sir J.
vrrd, etc., included) solemnly walked out again,
II time to supper in one room, we in another. A
111 1,:;l excellent supper-plenty of champagne" oysters,
II licious cold savouries, which were shamefully
',1sted, as at Athenree-not appreciated by Colonials
ierally, Dad carved a fine turkey, and was much
".11 ronised. He spoke to some R. N. officers, evidently
If ,mgers ; asked for those belonging to H.M.S.
I )wgltb~ , the Commander, a lieutenant and their
wives , being introduced to us and invited to Athenree.
\Ve. got home a little before one o'clock.
.. June 13th, 1901. I am so delighted to get your
le tt er but feel very selfish to be enjoying myself so
m uc h when you write; • No news. How could there
H he re ? ' Yesterday at 9 a.m , we drove to Potter's
 162 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
Ig01
Paddock, took our seats in the Grand Stand for the
Review, and saw everything splendidly. As Soon
as Seddon appeared a cheer was started, but
unfortunately mingled with groans and hoots­
'Canoooooooe.' The Mayor, Sir John Campbell, a
fine old gentleman, was tremendously cheered-he
returned low bows all round. The troops were really
wonderful, especially the school-cadets. The
Duchess arrived. with T.E., and for about an hour
in a pavilion close by they sat waiting for the Duke,
who appeared at last in General's uniform on a
lovely charger and with splendid escort, who rode
round the lines for inspection. Then followed the
march past, the tiny cadets perfect little pictures, far
more important than their seniors. Royal Marine
Artillery and Royal Marine Light Infantry too smart
for words, also the man-o'-war's men, to the gay tunes
of' A Life on the Ocean Wave' and' Soldiers in the
Park.' The trotting of New Zealand troopers came
to an end in front of the Grand Stand. Their horses
went nearly mad with bands and cheers as they
approached the Duke, but I saw no spills. Next
came the presentation of war medals, beginning with
Major Madocks, R. A., then Captains Hughes and
Tad, D.S.O., these being specially presented to and
congratulated by the Duke. We had a long wait by
block ed traffic to get away; th en after lunch we
waited outside this house and saw their Royal High­
nesses drive by so close and so slowly that we could
have shaken hands again. They went on to lay the
foundation stone of the Victoria School for Maori
girls, many of them being gathered there and delight­
ing the Duchess with their "ongs and acting; so
much so that she encored th e performance. au
coming out there wer e such crowds of bowing
19°1 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 163
people that the Duke kept his hat off. He is quite
rs bald as you. They went to Bishopscourt for tea.
W hen we met the Primate he told us that he would
rtainly have invited us to meet them had he known
we were in Auckland. 'Would not that have been a
I rea t ? because, as you know, I had been presented to
her mother, the Duchess of Teck, who was accorn­
pa nied by th e then tinylittle Princess May. All this
fun will live in my memory for ever. Dad is more
tired of it than I am.
" [wne 14th, 1901. Yesterday, after a howling gale
II night, the day was not much better, with the
uldition of incessant pouring rain. Therefore we
Iecided not to go to the Maori Sports at Rotorua and
(lent th e day paying visits (our last to dear Mrs.
wie, who had become quite an invalid. Both she
lid the good Primate have since passed away)."
So end my letters to Mervyn. Our only other
cite rnent was a pleasant lunch on board H.M.S.
uin ;
After nine days, our longest absence togeth er from
rhe nree, we got home by SS. T¥aimarie, t en hours
, Paeroa : thence coach to Waihi for 'e arly dinner,
mel 50 home, finding all well.
1\ day or two after Mervyn rode many miles (ten
r twelve) to attend the first meeting of the Butter
I uctory, started by his energy, perseverance, a nd
pr.ictical hints gained while touring furth er South.
lriis factory has proved a great success and has
i ved many settlers from bankruptcy.
ur Vicar now came regularly once a fortnight t o
nd uet at 3 p.m. Evening Service in No. I School,
I,iur m iles distant from either of us, in opposite
lirections, Mervyn assisted by reading the lessons.
expected ly one day came Lieutenant Nares,
 164 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
IgoI
R.N., H.M.S. Pengltin, and two blnejackets, to put a
flag on Mt. Hikurangi, the scene of my two ascents.
I did not attempt another, but Mervyn joyfully
accompanied them. They spent two or three days
at Athenree, all so pleasant and delighted with th e
"lovely :::ountry-place "-so much so that one of the
officers' wives came next with a girl-friend. Although
it was wet and cold, real winter weather, they made
the best of it. Bnt no one from Royalty downwards
should come to New Zealand in winter. The cold
makes itself as much felt as at home in the way of
sore throats, rheumatism, &c., and the houses are not
so warm or comfortable-roads are seas of mud and
rain comes down in absolute torrents. In Summer
the contrast is striking, and one lives in the open air,
but it can rain then too, although at Athenree as soon
as the rain stopped the ground was apparently dry,
so light was the soil.
One day, when my help was in bed with a cold,
came two fine young tramps asking for" tucker " and
work. Having been fortified with the former, H ug-h
told them to cut down a big pinus insignis that was
shutting out our sea-view. It was soon evident that
neither of them could use an axe. Mervyn went out
to encourage them. Looking seaward, he said,
" That's the Peng~t£n coming in." A change fell over
their faces. "This work don't suit us, sir," and off
they went as quickly as possible. Could they have
been deserters?
In July work for me was plentiful and interesting.
Early potato planting, orange marmalade making,
packing lemons for sale, also butter and eggs, rearing
little chicks and ducks in foster-mothers, giving
abundance of regular feed to laying hens and ducks,
plucking a pair frequently for the table, and a hun­
rqor MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. r65
d red other occupations-too many, too much as a
matter of course, to enumerate. And how time did
fly. The days were never half long enough until 10
o'clock came and then the luxury of well-earned rest.
But our bed had grown hard, therefore one fine, bright
y we carried the hair-mattress on to the lawn, spread
ut sheets, unpicked the ticking cover and teazed out
the hair, all hands being employed at the job, so .t hat
befor e night we had made a most complete success
of it!
aving one or two bedroom windows with unattrac­
tive views, Hugh sentto Auckland for: glacier decora­
tions, which we applied with the greatest ease
according to directions, and liked very much.
' uphemia called to announce her approaching
cond marriage, in honour of which I gave her two
illowsfilled with my poultry feathers.
My devotion to gardening led me into overwork, so
for fear of being laid up altogether I had to rest more
m th e afternoons, which was a great trial for me.
Hut I am fond of needlework and made all the
lnn nel, flannelette, white shirts, pyjamas, &c., that
1 1 1I ~h and Mervyn wore, besides most of our outer
~llrm ents . Then, as spring and summer advanced,
I had freqnent long-distance visitors for afternoon tea
nd sometimes a bed.
The bachelors of Waihi having invited us to a
ball, we three went in by coach, put up at Flett's
Iotel, and from g p.rn. to 2.30 a.m. were very gay,
ret urn ing home next day by noon .
Sunday was not a day of rest. J put a lot of chicks
nd ducks into a second foster-mother, lit the lamp,
whic h heated an d set the house on fire. Mervyn
l1y put it out, wit h the loss of two chicks only,
Lit it was exciting.


r66 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. Ig01
Hugh was busy early in October picking and pack­
ing Poor Man oranges for the Auckland Market.
Towards the end of this month we always left off
drawing-room fir es, having begun th em in April.
For-twenty-five years I made a note in my diary of
(I First and Last Fire," with scarcely a week's varia­
tion in the date.
Mervyn was all this time working with mig-ht and
main to get the Butter Factory well under way. Un­
luckily we lived too far away to derive any benefit
from it and to the end made our own bu tter, which
necessitated, as I have already said, getting up very
early on a hot summer's morning. But we had a
large cool dairy and I never had oily butter like many
less fortunate women.
My good help having left me to be married, I was
again single-handed for about a month; then came
Annie, a good worker. All hands t ook up the big
drawing-room carpet, chimney was swept, aud the
annual spring. cleaning took place, with hanging of
summer drapes and curtains. So busy a nd interest ed
was I that in the end I collapsed, but not until the
work was done!
Nex t da y we had another little visit from Lieu tenant
Nares a nd two bluejackets, H. Nl. S . Penguin, for sm­
vey work. .
ne aftern oon a n eighbour called for medicine,
ha ving been drin king water out of a nearly empty
ta nk in wh ich was a decomposed rat!
F or th ree weeks 'lp to Decem ber ot h we had had
no rain. T he gro un d was dry as d ust, so we were
very tha nkful w hen we heard t he rain-d ro ps.
My ch rysant hemu ms were very m uch affected by
black fly. I sprayed them with fir-tr ee oil, soap su ds..
ke rosene, all sorts of in secticid es, but ma ny Were
cs troyed,
Ig02 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 167
Sickness with old age was increasing in the Settle­
ment. Many of us longed for occasional medical
advice. Therefore G.V.S. was made welcome when
he introduced a "doctor from home anxious to settle
a mong us." He was old, shaky and red-nosed, and
did not stop!
On Christmas Eve we had a visit from a prosperous
ouple, the wife being second daughter of J 0 and
Sara, who had come out in the Lady JOCelY1~ with us i
she had been twice married, which seemed incredible
until we realised that we had been twenty-three
ears in New Zealand.
I902 began with our invasions of visitors, and
met irnes profitable sales of garden and dairy pro­
d uce. On January 6th the official ceremony of
opening- the Kati Kati Dairy Association Factory
lo o k pla ce.
One day, riding- to Waihi, Annie was thrown from
her h orse and so much hurt that she could not come
buck, A child-friend came in her place, who was so
dru id of the dark that I had to put her to bed, but
Illy for two nights. On the third she told me not
to l ro uble, that she was no longer frightened. She
lived to bless me for having sympathised and then
II. .is oned with her. But she was not strong enough
.. I th e work, so nex t came I re ne from Auckland,
.rrrving in floods of tears. She was clean and tidy,
u t oh ! so lachrymose. Early on t he third day she
'w e m e three months' notice, that being the time
r which she was boun d to me at IOS. a week under
pt.na lty of forfeiting her journey-money, 25s. ; but in
I he evening she reduced the notice to one month,
obbing : II I can't stand this miserable place." Alas,
oor me, to have been thus taken in. The girl had
been se nt to me as a punishment to break off an
undesirable engagement.
 168
MY SIMPLE LI F E IN N EW ZEALA ND . 190 2
In th e midst of my worry we had d elightful
visitor s-Madame Spontini and her husband. She
was a clever clairvoyant a nd palmist. More over, she
was possessed of a most sympahetic nature and _com­
forted me often. She help ed me a t all ·my work, eve n
b utter- ma king. I tried to cheer unha ppy Iren e,
iu stru cting her in everything th at m ight be of use to
her, but all o f no ava il; she was t he " lady, " I was
th e " help." F eelin g ill and sad a lmo st to tears I
chee re d up on receivin g from G ibbo us, W ellin gt on ,
a parcel of lovely b ulb s-ane mo nes of so rts, bobartia
a nran tiaca, brod icea coccinea, Jap an ese iri ses,
ranunculi of sorts, Sc hizostylis coccinea and trich o­
nerna purpurescen s- and indulged in the joy of
planting th em.. . ove r-crowded a nd need ed cutting down, so we en -
March I7th was a gay, busy day. In hon our of
Mervyn 's birthday We entertai ned th e Kati Kati
band, th eir wives a nd s weet hea rts . The fun was at
its height when our Pe11.g1tin fri ends appeared for
survey work, a ud we put th em up. The blu e jack ets
before and afte r work wer e most us eful, ac tu ally
scm bb ing the kitch en floor, apparently deli ghted .
Certainly I wa s, as th ey did it so well. Iren e was
quite cap tiva ted with them and in a few day s left [or
Auc kla nd. She was replaced in a week by J essie,
fig ht and goo d- na tured, but a terribl e muddler. She
was mu sical a nd her singin g ch a rme d all a t our
Sunday even ing services, t o whi ch she us ually biked,
while Mervyn d rove me, Hngh bein g left a t hom e on
gua rd because of our num erous Sunday calle rs from
distances.
ug h, Mervy n a nd I h ad receiv ed invitati ons to a
. b all at Government H ouse. W e could not all leave
home, so after Our R oyal visit, t his was Mervyn's
turn. H e went. The ball took pla ce on Apri l 15th .
MY S IMP LE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1 69
190 2
e enjoyed -it immensely and was most kindly
received. H e had t o come ba ck qui ckly for his
wee kly visit as a direct or t o th e Butter Factory.
W hen he drove in st ead of riding, he alw ay s t ook
from me to the manager a nd his wife a present of
fl owe rs, fruit a nd vegetables.
On e Saturday I had t o go t o the Court House to
vote for G.V.s. on the R oad Board, and he was
elect ed. About this time Hu gh was employing as
fnrm-ha nd, Bill, a young fellow that he liked. They
w orkcd together clearing tea -tree in a pa ddock near
home, which enco urage d me t o carr y afternoon te a
to them, a nd th ey a pprec iate d it. The weather was
very cold a nd we burnt a lot of wood. Trees wer e
aged two Maori lads to fell a nd convert one into
8-inch len gth firewood for 16s. and dinner. Next
they wa nt ed b reak fast; then an in crease of 7 s. They
iLall for three days' work. Thus we did not get
ur lirewood for nothing ; but I had ple nty for coo k­
Ill!,; when, 0 11 May 3 0 t h , I had a n ext ra am ount to do,
hilv; ng to fill a big lun ch-bask et th e followin g day
r Kat i Kati a nd W aihi offic ials, esco rte d by Mervyn ,
.no ra ry Clerk Kati Kat i R oad B oard, wh o visit ed
he Recreation R eserve at the H ead s to disc uss and
ma ke pla ns for improvements. These w ere made
a nd form a very popular sum me r-camp for the minin g'
pula Lion .
ne day in J une Hugh we n t for a walk round the
arm to co unt new lambs, wh en to his horror he
fuu nd a fine ewe lying dead, th en a not he r, then
nother ; at last abou t thirty in all in several field s,
j nnlly coming on two dogs lyin g asleep go rged with
blo od a nd mutt on . J-Ie ran up to th e house for his
gun, shot th e tw o dogs a nd sent for th e Consta ble.

170 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 190 2
Then followed days of mis ery-a nightmare to me of
Maoris, policem en, lawyers, de composing sheep,
winding up with an Arbitration Court in one of our
sheds, when it wa s d ecid ed that the Maori owner of
the dogs sho uld pay Hugh 7s. 3d. ea ch for 30 ewes,
not IS. of which he ever re ceiv ed. Onr spirits went
down to near zero wh en, following on these horrors,
came the sad news of our King's serious illness and
postponement of his Coronation. W e could only
sorrowfully whisper" God sav e the King."
On July 6th, at our sch ool afternoon service,
Violet Adela Mari e Ma cmillan, t o whom I stood
god moth er, was christened.
F or th e first three we eks of July we had no rain,
but clear, bright, su nny days, with more or less frost
every night, so that th e usual tender plants were
blacken ed. However, it was perfect weather for
sowing seeds and weediug. A neighbour's water-cask
was empty becau se of the d rou ght, so a refr actory pig
was put in it, but had to be ha stily provided with
other quart ers wh en pour ing rain ca me down the
spout and threatened to dr own the pig.
Our for tnig ht ly C h urc h services bein g now firmly
established, with a co ngregatio n varying frOID IS to
3 0 , the idea oc curr ed to me t hat musi c would be very
des irable for th e old, to remind th em of th e dear
hom eland, and for th e yo un g to lea rn the tunes.
T herefore I wr ote ma ny letters t o this effec t to
relations and friends a ll over th e world, begging for a
few toys and nicknacks to form th e nucleus of a sale
to raise funds for th e purch ase of 8. harmonium.
Next I inv est ed in m uslins and prin ts, cut out and
made so many blouses, apro ns, chil dr en's fro cks, etc.,
that a part of my c up boa rd -room was soon filled and
looked like a shop. It was on August 6th that I
190 2 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 171
wrote my first begging letter and on December 7th
the bazaar took place. That, August 6th, wa s su ch
an exciting day that little work was done-caron a­
ti on-day we hoped, so we decked the house with
flags, and all except Hugh and me went very early
to the U retara for a loyal gathering and demonstra­
tion, whi ch they enjoyed immensely.
Some sp ecial friends in Waihi having sent us
invitations for a dance in their lovely house on 15th,
Mervyn drove m e there in my little trap over a very
dry but very r ough road, mercifully by daylight. W e
dined and dressed a t Flett's Hotel and went to the
an ce of ab out fifty; a great success, with most
excellen t supper, winding up with hot soup. This
w as very acc eptable before starting at 2 a.m. on our
two hours' drive hom e on a bright moonlight, frosty
night. I felt rath er sleepy making up arrears during
the d ay. A few days later Mervyn had the sad task
of a ttend ing the funeral of a friend who had died of
pn eum o nia. I sent a lovely wreath of tag osaste,
wh ite camellias, daphne, di osma, violets and ferns.
T ow a rds the end of August both Hugh and Mer­
" >'n were called away for the day as witnesses in a
la w-c ase ; so for the first time I was left in charge of
th e P ost Office aud felt quite important l The civil
r.oach -d river gave me every assistance in receiving
nnd dispa tching the mail-bags, and I felt quite ex­
perienced the foll owing day when the Postmaster and
his sworn Assistant had not returued ! So one way and
a not h er I had a very busy time and got frequently
kn oc ked up.
A m em ber of our ch ur ch congregation, a fine old
ma n and nearly blind, but able to ride great di s­
rane es, called one morning to offer his help in raising
mon ey for the harmonium. I gave him a Subscrip­
 172 MY S I MP LE LI F E I N I\'EW ZE AL A. ND .
190 2 190 2 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 173
fresh ed, they departed. For several days after we
had similar enquiries from other firms, but our sup­
plies were not equal to the demand.
On November 13th Mervyn left us to attend the
Auckland Di ocesan Synod. During his ten days'
absence Hugh and I busied ourselves papering his
office and th e staircase leading to it, which was a
pleasant surprise when he returned to us-very
breezy and fresh.
Early in December bazaar work began in earnest.
C ake and bonbon-making. Putting up 150 "Post
Office" parcels. Extra window -cleaning. Decorat­
ing drawing and dining-rooms. Then visitors arrived
to help, one very artistic young girl-friend from
uckland displaying the bazaar goods most taste­
fully on all the stalls. W ednesday roth was luckily
(Y'
b \Ve:v e com e: fine. The Kati Kati baud played under the trees,
with th e promise from me of £1 for every £10 I
migh t make. Result, £4 for them, my gross total
1 ,,~ i Il g £41 9s., £ 8 of which my blind friend had col­
lected ; and all were pleased with their money's
worth.
Next day Mervyn and I made an inventory of things
left-s-a bout £13 worth. Then came another and
an ot her parcel of contributions from home; therefore
we d ecided, t o have a supplementary sale, which was
held on the same lines on April r jth and reali sed
2.
At Christmas-time a lady-neighbour of ours a mile
iway gave a very successful dance, to which we all
o. a went, and I was able to take a share in playing dance­
a
m usic. But I was of more practical use when a few
n" d a ys aft er, hearing this same lady was very, very ill, I
went to see her and did what I could to relieve her
T
s ufferings.
 174 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND.
1903
On Christmas-day we had a cold dinner in the
verandah, the heat being too great in the house. We
had cold ducks, chickens and ham, six vegetables,
plum-pudding with whipped cream and mince-pies­
all home-made and mainly farm-produce.
190 3 opened with heat and drought-grand harvest
weather. Our oats and wheat were very good j but
there was a great deal of rain before they were stacked
and thatched. On January rath "Viator," of the
New Zealand Herald, paid us a visit and described
Athenree as follows :_
"Six miles from Kati Kati, and ten from Waihi, on
the branch road to Waihi Beach, so much frequented
by families in holiday-time camping for health, is the
Athenree Post Office on Captain H. Stewart's pro­
perty (brother of Mr. G. V. St ewart). It was by no
means the best land for settlement, though now the
choicest and most attractive feature of the district,
and an object lesson for anyone to visit. All are wel­
come to see what has been and can be done in t wenty­
three years under difficulties and drawbacks few
would tackle. Plantation has grown into forest that
conceals the improvements and actual work do ne.
Surrounded by a plantation of choice trees--oak, elm,
beech, birch and plane-in variety, grow crowded
gum, macrocarpa, and elaeagnus together, vying with
a magnolia and cloth of gold rose in embrace for
supremacy and ornamentation of the hous e that is the
entire work of the owner, and was found on more than
one occasion large enough to house and entertain
Lord Ranfurly and suite, with coachman and esc ort
of two policemen, a pressman and Mayor; and yet to
look at tbe quaint and original structure one says:
'Where were they all stowed a way? I Captain
Stewart is a carpen ter, made by himself, and works
.l :")
· ') 3

, I

, 1

t
u, t
 178 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 190 3
buyers from Kati Kati and Waihi. Late in the after­
noon all that was left :was sold by aucticn, which
relieved me of the goods, also of about £ro which I
lost by this transaction. Still, I made £22, and was
so completely knocked up that I was glad it was
over.
On May 17th a kind neighbon- called, asking me
to drive with her to Waihi to see the opening cere­
mony of the Waihi Hospital. We lunched at P ower's
Hotel, and walk ed to the Main Street, where we saw
the Premier, Mr. Seddon, drive up, and having bowed
to him walked to the Hospital grounds (about half-a­
mile), an d were Soon followed by the Premier, the
Mayor, Volunteers, Fire Brigade, Cadets, several
bands and other organisations, t o say nothing of
thousands of spectators-an orderly, but undemonstra­
tive crowd. A hymn was sun g, followed by prayer.
The Right Hon, R. ]. Seddon, P.C ., LL.D., Premier
of New Zealand, gave an eloquent address and opened
the hospital t o the strains of "Goq Save the King."
Presentation of Certificates of S1. John's Ambulance
Association to ten ladies and gentlemen to ok place,
and after more addresses, music, and doxology, the
crowd dispersed. Truly a wonderful sight for us who
remembered that desolate spot not so many years
ago, where the natives were still hostile. Gold had
done it all. A day or two later, when I had just made
20 lbs, butter, and was going out to feed the fowls,
Hugh handed me a large envelope enclosing the
following; " T he Governor and Countess of Ranfurly
request th e honour of Captain, Mrs. and Mr. Stewart's
company at a Ball on Tuesday, April 15th, 9.3 0 p.m.
Government House, Auckland. An answer is re­
quested addressed to 'the Aide de Camp in waiting.'"
I wrote, accepting with pleasure the kind invitation,
180 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1:903
stationer a hundred collecting cards, of which the
Governor approved so well that he ordered a second
hundred for himself and paid for all. I posted mine
with a few lines to every man, woman or child I
knew all over the world, and before the end of the
year had collected over £ 80. Each card and
amount I, of course, acknowledged; moreover, I let
every collector know the total amount. Thus I
wrote over 300 letters on the subject, and received
many from the Governor and his son, Lord Northland,
A.D.C., with warm thanks. Also for all my friends
all over the world a prettily got up souvenir, with
portraits of their Excellencies and Lord Northland,
as well as views of the Home exterior and interior.
The night after the ball we saw the popular
Australian actress, Nellie Stewart, in "The Country
Mouse,' in H. M. Theatre.
Our days were spent in shopping and paying visits.
Within the week we were home again, having passed
a night in Waihi, and been present at the Roller­
skating Carnival in the Academy of Music, a fine
hall, capable of accommoda ting 1,500 people. Before
leaving Waihi on June 13th, Lord Northland's
twenty-first birthday, I wired to him: "M;any happy
returns of the day." We found Mervyn and Harry
had prepared for us a: good dinner of boiled beef with
potatoes and carrots, and a rice' pudding.
Cre am had accumulated, so I had to make butter
at once, I7lbs. Then we heard that the organ had
arrived from Montgomery Ward, Chicago, and went
to the school to receive it, the local storekeeper
having most obligingly sent it without charge and
with a strong man, who, helped by Hugh and
Mervyn, got it into position. Then came the un­
packing, and a very beautiful instrument revealed
1:903 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. I8I
itself, in appearance being like an upright grand
piano with very handsome case. But it was new to
us all-had no stops; only knee and foot action. The
instructions were so full that Jessie and I soon
learned to play it. We drove over together for
practice on Fridays after school-hours, and made
the scholars sing the hymns intended for Sunday
service. Thus they soon got familiar with the tunes,
and a fortnight later we had a bright musical service,
with a congregation of forty-seven, the elders among
whom were much moved by reminiscences of the
ea r homeland. On the previous Friday a young
Scotsman, herbalist and preacher, had walked in
'r om Waihi so tired that we put him up for the
night. Next morning he was so ill with asthma that
be stayed in bed, and remained there all Sunday,
ind needed a great deal of attention. On Monday
1C got alift home with a friendly carter.
On August rst Mervyn drove me to Waihi over
a very, very rough road, but in perfectly lovely
weather, to pay, by invitation from the Secretary, a
rt of semi-official visit to the Hospital, where we
re received by him and the Matron, who showed
l I S al l round the nice, pretty, convenient buildings,
well-furn ished, bright and clean. I had paid £5 for
II "Athenr ee " bed, but never had the pleasure of
seeing it allocated. At this time there were fifteen
itients in the Hospital, proving how necessary such
nn instit ution had been. We were destined never to
up y a bed in it, but from its earliest days Hugh
and Mervyn paid each £1 a year, which would have
nLitJed us to board and lodging for an indefinite
period had necessity arisen. Mervyn worked hard to
e t subscribers in 'our settlement. Many of those
who joined had reason to bless him for his importunity
N
 I l)2 MY SI MPL E LIFE IN NE W ZE AI. A N ~ . MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 183
'3 190 3
h en accident or sic kness occurred; while others "You are not a Colonial? "
lived to reg ret the ir noncompliance and consequc n " No; on'y landed one week from Lanc'shire."
xpenses, After lunch T met by appointment in the " Have you ever been in service before? " '
W a ihi H all t wenty of my yo ung coll ectors for the "No, I'm a cotton-spinner; my husband is an
New Z ealand Veteran s' H om e and tri ed to inspire iron-worker; he's cum to New Zealand for shootin',
h em with ent h usiasm! Next day I resumed the fishin', and foot ball."
daily routin e of work, recreation ta king the form of "Where is he now?"
, planting a dozen new roses fro m H ay, Auckland. "Looking for a job. I took the first that cum."
T he most im perat ive work in Augu st was th e Poor Polly was simply in despair when she saw the
hatching, feeding, and rearing of tiny chicks ~ open wood-fire and Colonial oven, also ' kerosene
ucks, which needed attention at intervals of abo u lamps. She said she had never lit a fire or trimmed
two hours from dawn LO da rk, freque ntl y in torrents lamp in her life, had always lived at Bury, with
of rain. gaslight and cooker, and began to cry sadly. I felt
arly in Septem ber T wrote [arty-two ge tIe re­ so sorry for her, remembering my early home-sickness,
minders to backward collecto rs for Veterans' I orne, a nd did all the work for a few days, begging her at
having received so many well-filled cards tha I was least to watch me. But she grew more and more
a ble to send L ord Northland [30' lep ressed, until a happy thought occurred to me.
bout this ume Dr. Ma kgill, Heal th Officer, spent .. W ill you 'make a cake? " Then she smiled at last,
a day with us. We had expected hi m on an official nd with hands in flour (she was very clean) was
visit, and I had pictured him old and severe! It w••~ ra nsformed into a busy, bustling little woman, only
a very agreeable surprise to find him quite th ba rgai ning that I should keep up the fire and attend
. reverse ; and to me refres hing ly military a fter his 10 the baking, "because I can't remember to put on
share III the South African war. We begged wood ! " She made excellent scones, currant buns,
"~ome again, It but prornonon to Wcllinztcn .ind Simmel cake. I taught her to pluck a fowl-her '
" good-bye II for us. Irst experience. " We always buys them ready to
ing had notice that the BIshop was conun
.ook at 'orne." Polly was so much happier now that
for co nfirmation I started a httle drawing-roo
I w as able on Sunday, November 8th, to leave her
a t Arhenree to teach the young neighbours
'o r the day. We drove to Kati Kati Church, which
Catechism, etc .
w as well filled, for in addition to a larger and more
For some lit tle time 1 had had ;l3 interested congregation than usuaUhere were eighty
eeling quite ill, wh en b~ coach, from a registry otnce Faura nga and WaihiVolunteers, who had marched
In Auckland, came Polly Harris at 128. <I week. 1 into camp the previous day to hold a rifle meeting on
went out to meet her. t he King's birthday. In the afternoon there was
ave you had a pleasant drive ~ "
., Cerem onial Parade, mounted, Review Order," after
.. We've been a bit shook oop." ,
wh ich we drove home. On Monday the Waihi
184 MY SIMPLE LlFE IN NEW ZEALAND. I903
Volunteers won the cup for shooting, and called in at
Athenree to tell us of their victory, getting all the
flowers they wanted, also hop-beer and milk.
With scarcity of help and abundance of work at
this season-planting potatoes,. maize, pumpkins,
etc.-I gave my help at every spare moment, with
Hugh and Mervyn j following Tom with horses and
plough, dropping one or other of these seeds in the
furrow.
My school-organ was put to a new use on November
27th, when holidays began, and the energetic teacher
organised a "break-up" dance, at which over fifty
were present, and I played most of the 'music.
A day or two later, Polly, who was getting so happy
and useful, received a ,telegram from her husband
telling her to join him at Dargaville, where he had
got work as a blacksmith, so without more ado she
packed up and left by 'coach.
"You will miss him if he comes to meet you,
Polly."
" Oh, someone will tell him."
"But there is no 'someone' in New Zealand,
where you are not known."
And off she went. Just as I had expected, Mr.
'Arris came late at night for his Polly.
" She's gone."
" Gone," said he; "I'll be after her," and so he was,
having, we heard -afterwards, brought plenty of
luggage, "hopin' to get some shootin, and fishiu' at
Captain Stewart's." Polly promised to write, but
forgot. I wonder what became of her.
, Next day Mervyn drove me to Waihi, which now
boasted of a Registry Office, and there I engaged
Celia at I2S. a week j a good servant who stayed with
me about three months, until her mother opened a
boarding-house and needed her help.
186
MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 190 4
trained for work, but most objectionable otherwise,
and so dishon est that one's property was never safe.
With all my precautions I was robbed of some
valuable jewellery. At the end of two and a-half
months I sent her away.
On April roth the new Bishop held a Confirmation
Service in St. Peter's Church. There were twenty­
six candidates. . He called at Athenree on his way
back to Waihi~ and delighted us with his sympathetic,
genial manner. He very much admired our American
Angle Lamps, comparing them favourably with
electric light.
Our young friends at Hillside having made a t ennis­
court, a Club was formed at the moderate su bscription
of Is. for the season, and there was a me eting every
Wednesday, at which the heads of families (six, or
eight) provided tea in turns. This was a very popular
gathering, especially among the men, who at the
conclusion of play had to hurry home to milk. On
these occasions I took care to lock every door an
cupboard possible before leaving Athenree, but forgo t
one of my bedroom windows; thus, I suppose, th e
naughty girl of whom I have spoken was able to rob
me.
A favourite niece who often came to sJC:e me for a
few days and always made herself useful, was
approaching her eighteenth birthday. As this was
on May 24th, I determined to. give a dance in her
bonour, and sent out about a hundred invitations a
month beforehand. Soon came replies, generally
accepting. Trips to Waihi dressmakers became very
frequent, the report ,having spread that some Naval
Officers were coming. This rurnour, alas, was not
realised in fact. A kind neighbour, a very clever
amateur cook, offered to make all my cakes, which
MY SIM PLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 187
190 4
offer I gladly accepted, of course, and most delicious
they were. In Waihi Mervyn engaged professionals,
piano and violin , to play for dancing, as I was no
longer strong enough to enter tain and play. Kind
neighbours call ed to offer help, and under the trees
we sat plucking chickens (six pairs), and three brace
of pheasants, being rewarded with tea at intervals.
We baked bread every 'day. Made six gallons of
soup, twelve quart moulds of jelly, trifles, fruit-salads,
and endless other good things. The 24th came; the
house was transformed into a bower of beauty. At
7 p.m. the guests (invited for 8) began to arrive,
nearly roo, some in the first Waihi "cab" (a hand­
some carriage and pair); and, to piano and violin
dancing, began with unl imited refreshments. Then
supper ; after that the Cotillon and more dances
ill 3.30 , when fhis, our last ball, broke up. The
musicians having been left behind, had to sleep here.
n counting the silver, I found one fork missing;
search was made for it in vain, and I gave it up for
los t. About a week later, when passing an upholstered
.. cos y nook," my keen sense of smell detected some­
th ing , and on lifting a cushion, th ere were on a plate
t he rema ins of a chicken-wing and the fork, which
some facetious guest had thus concealed.
On June zoth I received this touching telegram:
" G ood bye. Ranfurly;" and felt our New Zealand
flashes of sunshine were over. Lord Plunket arrived
a s new Gov ernor, but I saw him once only, in January,
1905, in Waihi,
Our position at Athenree, owing to advancing years,
failing health, increasing work and decreasing help,
was growing intolerable, so we put the property in
th e hands of agents for sale, and intending purchasers
began to call. First came a couple from Auckland.
8
M'i SI M " I. E LIFE P, NoEli\' 7EAUND. I

a ,I
190 4 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW Z EA L AN D . 189
abo ut tw enty friends ca me from th e co unt ry r ound
and spe n t wh at to th em seem ed a very pl easa nt
eveni ng. It was a novel and st rang e form of ente r­
tain me n t for Hugh an d me.
H a ving read in t he New Z ealand. H erald of Si st er
ecil's good work in th e C h ildre n's Home, Au ck ­
la nd, an d h ow much in n eed of help she was, I wrote
sympathetically offering to make so me cl othes. S he
r ep lied gra te full y, naming wha t she most needed, so
Mervyn did th e cu tting out to sa ve me t he fati gu e,
an ti 1 had th is inte res ting parcel to m a ke up, adding'
a few w h ite croche t ta rn- o-tshanters, w h ich w ere so
becom ing th at a t Sisler Cecil's reques t I made t wo
oze n m ore to sup ply ali th e dea r little ones.
I wa s so ill at Limes a ll t h is winter an d spring t
my garden ....·as n eglected . As s um mer a pproach ed
as abl e . to do a li u le we eding. The flower-beds
I no st spoke reproaches: they looked as if I were
IrI e.'
~arly In Dece m ber 1 wen t t o a bazaar in aid 0
h, VIC:U-' S sti pend. Spent much mo nev and met
iiny friends.
e new vicar of Wailn and his bride, lately from
pa id U5 a visit, and were most easy, apprecia
gu ests.
Iugha nd I wound up the o ld year by gt:tlIDg u
.1 sual in hot wea ther at 5 a. rn, to ma ke butter

.n e ~2 IbF.. ms king 20'7 lbs . for I he month's

19° MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 19°5
So tormented were we with strangers to see the
place with a view to purchase-in 'm ost cases to
gratify curiosity only-that we decided to withdraw
it from sale and resign ourselves to our fate.
February roth was an extra busy day of baking,
cooking, and packing, for in honour of a niece
Florrie's birthday we had organised a picnic to the
Waihi Beach Gold Mine neighbourhood. We mus­
tered a party of fifty, and had a good lunch in a beau­
tiful pohutakawa grove, after which all scattered for
strolls, cricket, bathing, and inspection of Mine. We
re-assembled for tea, and went home by moonlight
at 10 p.m, This was such a success, and made all
so happy, that I forced another effort, and sent out »,...
:T
invitations for a garden party on March 17th: III
::l
I drove with Hugh and Mervyn to a summer camp
at Fraser Point to call on friends. There was a well­
defined cart-track on the short cut on the sands, but
on our return home we thought we would do better
and try a shorter cut, Hugh having got out to gather
cockles. Presently the mare gave an ominous snort
and shiver, and down we went into a quicksa nd. the
mare leg-deep and the trap to the axles. " Jump
out," said Mervyn. which I promptly did, an d was
soon on terra firma. I ran for help to some men­
Maoris digging gum on the shore. They brought
some long pieces of wood, undid the harness and
liberated the mare; then by sheer force and goodwill
levered up the trap, drew it on to firm sand, put in
the mare, and home we went, passing a hole where
a neighbour had had a similar experience the previous
day. .
Another niece, Erin. came to stay, and helped me
make Turkish delight, chocolate caramels, p ink and
white cocoanut rock, cakes, biscuits, pastry, etc.,
Ig05 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. IgI
one day, and the next to cook chickens, ham, lamb,
pies, etc., for the garden party. My special friend
the clever teacher came from a distance and managed
things beautifully. The tea-table was most artistic
and tempting with all the good things just enume­
rated and baskets and plates of peaches, nectarines,
and all sorts of fruits, March being the most abun­
dant month. At 3 p.rn, our guests began to arrive­
nearly sixty in all. Some friendly amateurs enter­
tained us with piano, violin, and violoncello in
the verandah. There was a cheery run of eating,
strolling, flirting, and dancing until II.30 p.m.,
some of our guests saying it was the pleasantest of
all Athenree entertainments.
All my spare time was devoted to working for a
ba zaar in aid of a new church in Waihi, the ener­
getic vicar being dissatisfied with the original early
days' edifice-now that the town had grown so much
and contained a church or chapel of almost every
denomination. The Mayoress and other ladies
having declined the honour, the vicar asked me to
pen the bazaar, which, on May 4th, at 7.30 p.m.,
in the large Academy of Music, I had much pleasure
in doing, having, as a pioneer-settler, known the site
of th e new church when it was uncleared bush. I
sai d :­
.. Lad ies and Gentlemen,-It is with very great
pleasure that at the request of the vicar, I, as an old
ident ity who knew Waihl, as it were, before its
existe nce, open this bazaar, so splendidly arranged,
for the new church building fund. The present
edifice, which for some years was too large for the
parish, has now proved itself too small for the grow­
ing population of this fine town. In these circum­
stances I would suggest that we make a tour of the

192 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 19°5
hall and purchase liberally from the various attrac­
tive stalls for which the vicar and Ladies' Guild
have worked so hard in providing so many useful
and ornamental articles as are displayed, feeling sure
that we shall get good value for the money spent
on so laudable an object." Then by way of good
example I made purchases.
Having made up our minds that we should never
sell Athenree, we decided to have some rooms re­
papered and painted, and engaged a most competent
workman with sons, who did the work very satis­
factorily and artistically during the wettest month of
July. It was also bitterly cold, so that Mervyn had
his first experience of chilblains, being exposed in all
weathers when fetching cows and milking and
driving or riding to political meetings in all
weathers, night and day.
While the dining-room was being painted and
papered, and having no servants, we all took our
meals in the kitchen, 'tfter supper Hugh reading the
daily. paper aloud to a. most appreciative audien ce.
Within three weeks we had returned to our usua
rooms, which were really extremely bright and
pretty.
In August we received an invitation from the Kati
Kati Road Board to a soiree on Sept. 15th, in com­
memoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Kati
Kati Settlement, to which, of course, we went and
were much entertained by speeches, songs from the
Glee Club, winding up with the invariable dance.
Mervyn's annual trip to Auckland came round in
October, so we were lucky in getting a nice little boy
(Tommy) to milk, etc., during his fortnight's absence.
He ordered from Hay, Auckland, a collection of
delphiniums and chrysanthemums, which, with later on
1906 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 193
some cactus dahlias, made a grand show the following
summer and promised beautifully for the next, when
I was really" gone."
On November qth the railway to "vVaihi was opened
by the Premier. Hugh and Mervyn ' went to the
ceremony and mayoral banquet that followed.
Christmas brought more visitors than ever, with
teams of hot, thirsty horses, for whom Hugh had
such pity that he arranged pipes which carried water
from our house to a large tub on the roadside, where
all creatures, two or four-legged, could drink and be
thankful.
1906, New Year's Day, destined to be our last in
New Zealand-little as we knew it-saw Hugh and
me for a wonder alone in the house, the others
having gone to the Bowentown Regatta, which we
viewed from our bay-window through a telescope.
Next day we three were up at 5 a.m. milking and
churning, so that with the great heat I was very tired
and felt so ill that I wondered how long I should last.
ut, after resting an hour, I revived and prepared for
a trip to Waihi.
On January roth, Mervyn drove me to the Vicar­
a ge, where was a charming lunch-party, followed by
a visit from the Governor, Lord Plunket, and Cap­
tain Bingham, A.D.C. The Bishop was also there,
and in heavy rain we all proceeded outside, where,
under an awning, a great crowd of all denominations
we re assembled to witness the ceremony of laying
th e foundation-stone of new St. John's Church, a
proud and happy day for the energetic young Vicar
and his wife, who had worked so hard for tnis object.
A day or two after, when we were enjoying r.ur early
dinner, a hot, perspiring man appeared in shirt­
sleeves with coat on his arm, in the verandah.
 1906 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 195
194 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1906
sofa I began with the alphabet, noticing remarkable
"Come in and have some dinner," which he did.
variations in accent, the Irish pronouncing the French
Having been cooled and refreshed, he said he had
U correctly from the first. All were much interested
walked eight miles to see the property, which he
and anxious to learn. Such a novelty after the daily
wished to buy, "because it's the prettiest place I've
routine of farm-life! They had a good tea, when
seen out of England," which was very likely true, but
French conversation was started, and all went away
we did not come to terms then. .
very bright and happy, with visions of meetings once
A day or two latter Euphemia, now Mrs. James
a week ' all through the dreary winter. But twelve
Stewart, drove me to Waihi with my exhibits of
were all we enjoyed; after that the club broke up,
flowers, lemons, butter, cider and hop-beer for the
because Athenree was sold. So interested was the
show. I won first prizes for everything and felt
French Consul in my venture that I wrote occasion­

quite proud. Euphemia accompanied me to after­

ally to tell him of our progress, always in French of

noon tea at one house and supper at another. "Two

course, and great was my pleasure at receiving one

Mrs. Stewarts," she said, " 'j ust like sisters." On

parting at our gate she remarked, "We have had a
happy day, have not we? "
On entering the dining-room I found that Hugh
had laid down on the floor a pretty new linoleum (£2)
in honour of the new paper and paint.
Times seemed tome very dull for the young people
in the country. My health forbade any more big
'entertainmen ts, especially at night; I could not fight
against Providence for fear of serious consequences.
One day Mervyn said, "Why don't you start a F rench
club? " The idea was a surprise, and, so wer e my
feelings when, on suggesting it to some young neigh­
bours, they said, "Oh, do." Therefore I wrote to the
French Consul in Auckland, who was most sym­
pathetic, and introduced me to a lady, who recorn­
mended to me "Longman's First French Reading
Book and Grammar" and" Charlin's Anglo-French
Course" (Second Part) as the best for beginners. On
Wednesday, April 4th, we held our first meeting, the
house being gaily decorated with tricolour flags. We
were twelve members-all honorary. Only two be­
sides our family party knew any French; so from my
day an official-looking letter as follows : ­
"Club Fran<;ais, Auckland, le 27 Avril, 1906.
"MADAME,-Nous avons l'honneur de vous faire
savoir: que par un vote unanime de notre assernblee,
reunie hier au , soir, vous avez ete elue Membre
d'Horineur du Club Fran<;ais a Auckland. Ce titre
vou s a 6te confere com me. un temoignage de notre vive
sympathie a l'occasion de l'ouverture du Club Fran­
~is .qui s'est forme sur votre initive et sous votre
direction a Athenree.
"Veuillez agn~er, Madame, l'hommag e de tout
notre respect. Le President R. Boeufve-e-Le Secre­
taire N. A. Winter, B.A.
" Madame Adela B. Stewart, Athenree, via Waihi,
Nouvelle Zelande." '
Having had a request from the Committee to judge
chrysanthemums at the Tauranga Flower Show,
accompanied by a pressing invitation from a dear
young married couple to pay them a visit, I took the
long coach-drive on April 24th, my hostess' birthday,
 II
I

1
\

196 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1906

and met with a most warm welcome from her and her \
I
husband in their lovely home a mile or two from
Tauranga. My visit was altogether delightful; the \
I
show was lovely,' and I renewed acquaintance with I
many whom I had not seen since we landed in New !
Zealand twenty-eight years previously. My return i
coach-fare to Tauranga (thirty-seven miles) was 20S. I
By my absence the Club had missed a meeting, so we j
returned with renewed enthusiasm to French the
following \Vednesday, and I had much home-work \
I
I
to attend to. Autumn leaves had fallen thick all
round the house; as the trees grew, so also did the !l
work of raking and burning. Mervyn helped me, »r+ It"-• • ~...,_ iY :;w.:-. I i
still I was too tired. ::r
ct>
People would . continue coming to look at the :J
-s
ct>
place, keeping our nerves strung ·up. Our enquirer so
of the early New Year tried us again and again. His :2

importunity succeeded, and feeling our position ':1:"

N
getting desperate, as far as help from man or woman Cll

was concerned, we yielded, and sold the place at a 2­

P'
:J
great sacrifice. 0­

,. , ,. .
\r. .'.:.c:· J~~1
One of the New Zealand Herald staff called to ,~ ,~ ~ I
."40!:" . ... I
make enquiries and report on the projected Waihi to ,..:;f,i I
.. ~ ~ \ 1

Tauranga Railway. We entertained him for a nig ht,

and he expressed great regret that we should be \
forced to leave so beautiful a home because of the
hard work and advancing years. 'r You may depend \
that we have not taken so serious a step without long
and anxious thought," I replied.
" Your work is recorded in heaven," he soothingly 1
II
said.
Then we began to pack. Hugh went to Auckland l
to sign deeds, transfer the property, and so forth. I I
could not sleep, so spent the night hours packing. I
I
My lady-help cut her finger, and so was incapacitated. !
I
I
\
.,
1906 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND• 197
After three days' absence Hugh 'returned,saying, "I
hope you are packing up. Our passages are taken by
the T1wakina from Lyttelton on July 5th." just a
fortnight, and one to be remembered! The news'
spread like wildfire. .
"Would there be an auction? "

"No."

"Would there be a private ,sale?"

" No."

All, except a few pictures, books, and personal

treasures went with the place-furniture, implements,
cattle, sheep, and horses, even a store-room full of
provisions and abundance of fowl-feed. So thankful
were we to have sold that we were lavishly generous
to the purchaser.
I had a touching farewell with the members of my
French Club, who gave me a beautiful purse and
card-case. We engaged a boy to milk so that the
new owners should not suffer for lack of milk, cream,
butter, etc., after our departure. Neither did I
neglect the sitting and laying hens, little chicks,
ducks, and turkeys, which, as usual, were the earliest
in the settlement. Visitors were so numerous that
during this last week I did almost the record cooking,
as all were entertained at dinner, tea, and sometimes
bed to the very last. Our farewell Sunday afternoon
service at the School was a trial. A niece took my
place at the organ, and the Vicar read a very touching
parting address.
Two days later the new owners arrived by coach
on a most lovely midwinter morning. I pass over
their unfeigned admiration and astonishment. "Are
we to get all this?" "Are we to get all that?" as
they looked round the beautiful scene and lovely
bright home.
o
198 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1906
" You will come back and stay with us some day,
won 't you ? " they kind ly asked. But : they them ­
selves left the place in twe lve months, after selling
every movable thing on the property.
T he following day, June 27th, the coach took us to
W aihi. With closed eyes I passed the plantations of
fine trees, which so many years ago, when young,
strong, and hopeful I had made; they seemed like
friends. We drove to the Waihi Hotel, where many
came to say "good-bye," and through torrents of
rain we went in the evening to the Miners' Union
Hall for a farewell social, organised by many kind
friends in our honour.• I think it is due to them to
copy the following hearty addresses : ­
"CAPTAIN AND MRS. STEWART, ATHENREE.
lIOn the eve of your departure from this Colony,
which has for so long been your home, we, your
Waihi friends, desire to express our keen regret at
the loss your departure will occasion us. For years
we have a.ll enjoyed the open-handed hospitality and
hearty welcome that awaited everyone at you r old
home, Athenree, and it will occasion a keen pang of
regret in passing the beautiful old homestead, that is
now occupied by strangers, and your familiar faces
.are no longer there. Transformed from a wilderness
state to its present picturesque homeliness by your
own perseverance and energy, your old Kati Kati
home will always be a landmark to your New
Z ealand friends; and it is to such pioneer settlers
as you that this country owes its prosperity and
present importance. We trust that in leaving us to
go back to the old Homeland you will be spared a
long life of health and happiness amongst your still
older friends, and that quiet peace will be your lot
1906 LE LlFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 199
after the strenuous days of Colonial life SO success­
fully borne. Unitedly we all wish y ou Go d-speed. ­
Waihi, J un e 27th, 1906. Taos, GI L~IOU R, Mayor.
on behalf of t he citi zens and friends. II
' MERVY N J. STEWART, E SQ., ATHENREE.
"DEAR Sm,-Your many Waihi friends cannot
allow you to depart without expressing their
appreciation of the work you have done in the
many public movements with which you have been
connected; not only those of local interest, but in
the large sphere of Colonial politics. We think your
public spirited disinterestedness and energy might
well serve as an example to many of our Colonial
young men, and trust that the blank made by your
departure may be filled by someone who will devote
something of the same spirit to local movements
with which you have been so intimately connected.
We fervently hope that in your new home you will
enter upon a career for which your talents and
charac ter are so eminently fitted and that will satisfy
in the fullest manner the aspirations that you cherish.
-Wa ihi, June 27th, 1906. THOS. GILMOUR, Mayor,
n behalf of the citizens and friends. It
hese addresses were read by the Mayor, who
presen ted us each with a beautiful souvenir, for
which we each in turn expressed our warmest
t hanks ; and so, with much shaking of hands, we
parted from all there, and the following morning
from a crowd of friends gathered to see us off by
train for the first and last time to Auckland. There
for a day or two with our dear old friends, the
F. M.'s, we bade endless adieux, and on Saturday,
June 30th, left in the Tarauera. We had a most

200 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 1906
comfortable trip to Napier, where on Monday we
landed, and as Dr. de Lisle's guests breakfasted at
his hotel and went a short trip by train to Hastings,
where we were introduced to Mrs. de Lisle in their
charming new home. · Next day we landed at
Wellington-our first visit to the capital-a fine,
busy place. We called on the acting Premier, Mr.
Hall-Jones, who was very cordial, and said he
regretted our leaving New Zealand-" Hugh and I,
because we had done so much in the past, and
Mervyn because he had such hopes for him in the
future."
We had a very rough passage to Lyttelton, found
our luggage had been landed at Wellington, which
caused us some pardonable anxiety, but after endless
telegrams backwards and forwards it all turned -up in
time. We walked about the town covered with
snow, and felt the cold less than we should have
expected after so many years with none. We took
possession of our cabins on board R.M.S. Twrakina,
8,210 tons, under Commander F. Forbes, with about
130 passengers on board, and sailed at 3 p.m. on
Thursday, July 5t h.
We had very fine weather, but it soon grew
intensely cold, and it needed pluck to. go on deck for
a constitutional out of the well-heated saloon and
charming ladies' boudoir. Nearly everyone took
cold. I collapsed with influenza, indulged in bed
for a week, feeling most thankful ' I was not at
Athenree.
On July 24th we anchored, went ashore, about 2t
miles, in a tender, and landed at Monte Video, where
we spent an amusing day sight-seeing and trying to
make ourselves understood in shops where only
Spanish was spoken !
1906 MY SIMPLE LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 201
After so many years in New Zealand old Monte
Video was a charming contrast, some of the streets
presenting quite a gay, theatrical scene, with hand­
some carriages, giant-wheeled carts, drawn by ill­
matched mules, mule-drawn tramcars, fanciful
uniforms, sombre monks and nuns, mantilla-clad
Spaniards, and picture-hatted coloured ladies.
On our return we found the Turakina black with
coaling. The days were so monotonous that I started
a little French club, and had several interested
members. There were plenty of concerts and dances
and sports, in which the Captain most loyally feigned
to take the deepest interest! Soon came a few days
of tropical heat, when we had plenty of ice, even ice­
creams I Landing at Teneriffe to avoid another
day's coaling on board was the only excitement until
on T uesday, August 14th, after a voyage of five
weeks and five days, we arrived at Plymouth in
perfectly lovely weather at 2 p.m., and in London
the following day, finding it on the whole exactly as
we had left it more than twenty-eight years ago.
TAKAPUNA PUBLIC LIBRARIES
.~
•