From Leonard Darwin to Emma Darwin 23 February – 5 April [1875]

Dear mother

I am in the land of Maoris now, such curious looking quite savages, but most of th⁠⟨⁠⁠⟨⁠em⁠⟩⁠⁠⟩⁠ dressed in European fashion. I saw very few in the Middle Island and they had become quite Europeanised and not at all interesting. Here they come out in all sorts of costumes; one day we met a large party riding, the chief looked a great swell in top boots, a tall hat and dark coat; most of the women had side-saddles, and all had some brightly coloured garment about them, which made them look very picturesque at a little distance, but the effect is rather spoilt by seeing a short black pipe in their bright blue lips. The men commonly wear a coat and shawl wrapped round them like a kilt, a fashion which has also been taken up a good deal by the settlers in the out of the way districts But with all this dress they do not seem to have acquired any sense of decency, as when we were bathing the women walk by in a casual sort of way. I dont suppose you will see Ohinemutu on any map so I will give an account of my wanderings up to this place. We left Wellington by one of the worst steamers in the world and arrived safely at Napier. From there two long days coaching through a very barren country to Lake Taupo. For 120 miles we have hardly seen any cultivation except a few little patches of potatoes belonging to the Maoris. This is partly accounted for by the difficulty of getting the Maoris to sell their land, and the difficulty of settling to what particular family any land may belong to; all the land is supposed to belong to some Maori till it is bought, and the best titles they can shew is to prove that their ancestor eat the former proprietor. This is a political road and a political coach, that is to say that the only reason why they exist is to so open up the country that there never can be a chance of another row, All other roads that I have ever seen are quite feeble in comparison to this in badness of all sorts. For many miles up and down hill it is cut out of the side of very steep hills and the road was hardly ever wide enough for two things to pass, the wheels often going within a foot of the edge. But the driver was so good that we felt quite safe going down these places at a rattling pace, and swinging round the sharpest corners in the zig-zags. Near Taupo there is an active volcanoe with the fine sounding name of Tongariro, and on the coast there is another at White island, and all the way between these two in a direct line there are hot springs and boiling mud holes scattered about the country. Just opposite the hotel here there are about two or three acres of ground covered with hot springs, and all steaming and giving out an unpleasant sulphurous smell. In two or three places the Maoris have dug out holes in the ground, where the water comes boiling up, and in these places they cook their potatoes and shell fish that they catch in the lake. They lay out great slabs of stone on the ground, and sleep on them on cold winter nights.

The great shew place here is Roto Mahana, and there are some rather pretty lakes all of which we managed to do in one trip  We first sailed down two of these lakes, and landed at a Maori village, being provided with a letter of introduction to the chief, a very fine looking man, clad in a single blanket, who received us most hospitably  Many of the middle aged men can read very fairly, being taught by Missionaries; then came the war and every thing connected with the English became hateful, and all learning was dropped. They are gradually beginning to learn again, and to an outsider there is no sign of any bad feeling between the races. We slept that night in a nature hut; I am glad to have done it once, but once will be enough for me, as, although they gave us nice fresh fern and clean mats to sleep on, there were animal of all kinds and in great numbers crawling about. Next morning we started with a walk through a nature track in the Bush which is always cool and delightful, but in parts rather rough walking, as none of the trees that have fallen across the path were removed. Then the Maoris paddled us across two more lakes, and we joined the regular tourists track, and slept at a comfortable little inn.

Next day we started across the lake again with 9 Maoris to paddle us, and had rather an adventurous day. It was rather rough on the lake and the men were afraid to go on, so we turned into a little bay, and in doing so got broadside on to the waves, and as nearly as possible turned over, chiefly through the stupidity of the Maoris, who stood up and seemed to lose their heads although it was shallow water and a ducking would have been the worst result. After eating a great many half ripe peaches which grow about here almost like native trees, we assured to Maoris that there was no danger, but that in order to lighten the canoe we would walk round the first headland, and if they could get round safely we would go on. So we started off, and after a scrambling walk, sometimes through fern nearly as high as our heads we came in sight of the canoe again, and thus escaped the perils of water only to face the more awful dangers of fire. For the Maoris in order to shew us where they were had lit the fern, and the fire was spreading rapidly when we came up. Of course we easily avoided it by keeping to the windward side but if the wind had altered suddenly we might have been caught in the long fern, as these fire spread up hill with the most extraordinary rapidity  We then started across the lake again, and it made me feel rather uncomfortable seeing the man in front of me, take off his coat as a precaution. I dont believe there was the least bit of danger in any of these adventures but the two of party who ought to know most about it were both very nervous by nature and nervousness is very catchy  After having landed again we walked on to Roto Mahana—the hot springs—a place which it is almost impossible to describe. Some way up the side of a hill there is a place like half a crater, in which the big hot spring works, sometimes throwing its water 40 feet high. The day we were there it was quite quiet and we were able to walk down and look into the hole, which is usually a boiling pond, shooting up water at intervals. As the water comes out, it flows down the side of the hill and in doing so has deposited a series of terraces of the most beautiful white silica  The edge of these terraces *P [DIAG HERE] *Q is always the highest part, and in this way there is formed a pool of water of the most beautiful blue I have ever seen, not a deep blue like a lake, but a light blue with a great deal of white in it. It is the contrast between these sheet of water, and their white coral-like basins that gives this place its beauty. These terraces are of all shapes and sizes from little ones just forming not an inch high, to to great steps as high as a man nearly. But there are other things to be seen there. one hole from which nothing but steam comes, making such a noise that we could hardly hear one another speak. There are some nasty places to walk over, where the mud-crust on the surface is very thin, and the place is still shewn, where some lady put her foot through and got frightfuly scalded; it is also said that Maori woman and her child were burned to death, the baby falling over her back into the water, and she fell in in trying to save it. The Maori babies look so comfortable sitting still in the shawls on their mothers back and not being perpetually daudled about till they are nearly sea-sick. There is another terrace something like the one I have described where we all went and bathed; the water as it comes down from terrace to terrace gradually gets cool, and so by shifting about we could get any temperature, first a swim in cool water, then warm up in a little hot hole, and then rest a bit in the tepid water sitting down with only our heads out of water—the most delightful bathe I ever had.

The rest of our journeying to Auckland has not been very interesting; we continued over land nearly all the way there, the only thing on the way was a gold digging town of a few days growth. It was only officially declared a gold field the day before we passed through, and we just missed a curious sight. The rule at these goldfields is that any man on the payment of £1 can get a digging lisence and, with that in his possession, can peg off so many square feet, which remains his as long as he keeps one man working at it. On the first day there were 800 men obtained licenses, and as they were all applied for the day before, they managed to issue them all in about 10 minutes. There were many favourite places and it became a simple race to get these; first there was a great scramble to get to the license booth, and then a rush away again, making altogether a fearful scene of confusion. The only other sticking thing was passing through some burning bush in the dusk, sitting on the outside of a locomotive  I was travelling about with some government officials over a new line of railway not yet open. We had to go very slowly as they were afraid some sleepers might be burned, or a big tree fall across the line.

March 24^th. L15 S

On my way home again at last. After pottering about a few days at Auckland I embarked in the Mikaro for San Francisco. I do not expect to have a very comfortable passage for the ship is awfully crowded. I have not even got a birth, and have to sleep on the seats round the saloon, but this is not so bad as it sounds for the saloon is cool and well ventilated, as it extends from one side of the ship to the other. There is a cabin where I dress, but it is so crowded up with the luggage of twice as many people as it is intended to hold, that there is very little peace of mind when using it. But this is a fine weather passage as as long as I am not rolled off onto the floor I dont mind at all. Working I think is impossible, except a very little mild reading., and a great many novels. There seem to be a good many nicish people on board; two New Zealanders who are on their way to England, have proposed that I should join them in their wanderings through America and I think I shall, as they seem nice; at all events there is nothing I dislike more that travelling alone, especially to places where scenery is the object. I sit next to one of them at meals, and I shall find out what he is in a three week voyage; we sit at little tables scattered all over the saloon  Mine is a very mixed table  The man on my right is deaf which is rather a relief to me opposite me is a man of an elastic temperament; he can sit in barrel with his feet and head out at the same end and can scratch the back of his head with his foot, he does it for money, I hope to see him perform at San Francisco

I was very lucky in just catching a big bundle of letters just before the Mikado sailed, from Retta Bessy and Frank just when the Mivart row seems at its height. I am afraid shall miss a lot of letters at NZ, and not get any now for a perfect age. I am very much afraid that you may have to wait a month for some of my letters, as I never found out one of the foolish post office rules here. The two mails always left about the same time; but in cases when the San Francisco mail first I might have missed the other by not putting Via Suez on it, for without that all letters went by San F.

We are in a fuss about measles on board; not about the unfortunates who have got it but in fear and trembling lest we should be kept in quarantine for some time at San. F. When we came out in the Merope, I heard afterward that the authorities had been perplexed at the thought of having to put us into quarantine, not at all an unlikely event after 90 days in an emigrant ship. I wish we could get any special exemption now when there is a chance. We shall arrive at the Sandwich Islands tomorrow, where these measles may do us our first harm, and keep us from landing.

April 5^th.

The measles have done us what harm they could; we were not allowed to land at Honolulu and had to loaf about the deck for 8 hours within a stone throw of an island, which I do not suppose I shall ever see again. As far as we could see the island was very picturesque, and we heard that the most beautiful place—a cliff where the last king threw a whole army over—was within an hours ride of the town. Every one grumbled, but I think they did perfectly right, as the measles is a very fatal disease to the natives, and there had been no cases for some years. D^r. Harkness came on board at Honolulu and he told me that the king—a native—was a great admirer of fathers works, and that if I had landed he should have taken me to pay my respects. It would have been rather good fun seeing how he managed things, but I expect he is quite European in his manners. I am going to post this letter on the ship, as there may be some delay in our getting ashore even if we are not regularly quarantined. So I will close now and write again soon after landing. It is very jolly feeling on the way home again, and within only a fortnight from England—for letters I mean. It is no use giving you any place before Boston to write to  This journey is shorter than I had expected and there will be not difficulty in taking as much as two months leave here with out any fear of bringing the Horse Guards down on me

Good bye Mother | Your affec son | Leonard Darwin.