Terraced Cultivation

The formation of small terraces on hillsides was by no means a common or usual occurrence in these isles, but such a method was occasionally adopted to a limited extent, as in places where flat land of a suitable soil was not available. Thus, in his account of Great Barrier Island, published in Vol. XXII. of the Transactions of the N.Z. Institute, Mr. Weetman writes:—"There are places, notably at Korotiti on the east coast, which mark the site of their old habitations and cultivations, the slopes of the hills being terraced, and the ground supported by stone facing; while in other places enclosures are fenced in by stone walls, which are as straight and well built as those constructed by Europeans. Out of these enclosures large trees are growing, more than a foot in diameter…. There are also; in places now likewise covered by forest, large heaps of stones which had evidently been collected from the surface prior to cultivating the land."

E. J. Wakefield tells us of a small terraced cultivation seen by him at Te Paripari, near Pae-kakariki, in 1840. "Some neat plantations of the kumara, or sweet potato, betrayed the neighbourhood of a settlement. They extended about thirty yards up the face of the hill, in terraces formed by logs of wood laid horizontally, and supported by large pegs. The terraces were covered with sand from the beach, which the natives assured me was the best soil for the growth of the kumara. In storms, these plantations must be covered with salt spray, and swept by the north-west wind; but on this day a hot sun shone upon the bank, and I was told that such a position was esteemed highly productive."

"In some cases," writes Mr. S. P. Smith—"Both kumara and taro had to be protected from the wind by neat little screens surrounding a dozen or so of plants, work that required patience and industry." This would be the case in windy situations, where breakwinds divided a small field into a number of little patches. There are also signs that, in windy exposed places, where flat page 224land was lacking, such as Porirua, small garden plots were made on little artificial terraces on the hill-sides. A considerable number of small formations of this nature are seen at Titahi, Waitawa and Koangaumu in the above district.

Stone-faced terraces are said to exist in the Waimarama district of the East Coast. Many hills or spurs on D'Urville Island are said to be terraced; possibly these were terraced hill forts. An interesting paper by Mr. Rutland on numerous artificial terraces and pits in the Pelorus district appeared in Vol. III. of the Journal of the Polynesian Society.

An account of Whangape Harbour in The British Colonization of New Zealand, published in 1837, contains the following:—"Some part of this land is cultivated by the natives in detached patches, but the greater part of their cultivation is on the steep sides of their magnificient hills. Patches are enclosed and cleared, and planted up almost to the tops of the hills."

In a work entitled Rovings in the Pacific from 1837 to 1849, appears an account of the district about Wharekahika, near East Cape, as seen in 1840:—"Every hill was under cultivation in greater or less degree, and most of the natives we fell in with were engaged in agricultural pursuits…. The natives appear very partial to cultivating the face of the hills; they contend that the crops are better in such situations, probably owing to alluvial deposits washed by the heavy rains from above. I have seen crops of maize growing in such acclivitous positions as quite fatigued me to reach them."