Page 13 - A Walk from Wellington to New Plymouth

Notes:
Winsome Griffin, who made the website from which this narrative was taken,
(http://winsomegriffin.com/), has pointed out that in the six years between the journey of George
Curtis (late 1849) and that of William Wilson (five or six years later)
much would have changed in the various settlements along the way – and local Maori people
would have become more accustomed to seeing white people.

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After leaving Wanganui on Monday 7 George Curtis writes: “Having resaddled our horses we
continued our journey for another mile when we were stopped by another river and had the same
trouble again…” It is not clear what trouble is being referred to, or which two rivers. Most likely
he had trouble crossing the Waitotara and Patea Rivers though he does not mention them by
name.
(The township of Patea did not exist in 1849, though there might have been a small settlement in
the mid 1850s when William Wilson made his journey.)

Curtis does mention being carried across a river (for a stick of tobacco) – and then being carried
across another river for another stick of tobacco – then passing in front of a cliff before turning
up to the Woons’ misson station.
These two rivers were most probably the Waingongoro (which William Wilson was carried
across) and then the Inaha Steam which would be crossed shortly before reaching the Woons at
Heretoa.

The missionary Woon was stationed at Heratoa between 1846 and 1853.
(Heretoa is between Inaha and Rainie Rds – just two or three miles short of where the town of
Manaia is today.)

After that, Curtis travelled on and stayed with the missionary “Remesneider” (the correct
spelling is Riemensneider).
The location would have been the mission station that Riemensneider had at Warea. (In the
1860s when war came, it became too dangerous for Riemensneider and he had to abandon his
mission at Warea)

Between Warea and Omata George Curtis described: “…. by far, the finest country I had yet
seen and had a fine view of the mountain all day as we travelled round the base”. By this
description he must have stayed not too far from the coast from Warea to Omata, and skirted
around the seaward side of the Kaitake ranges.

He does not mention crossing the Stony River and the other smaller rivers he would have
encountered before reaching Omata.

Also he does not mention the distinctive and curious scattering of small hillocks which would
have been a feature of the landscape around this area, as they are to this day.