Anchors

Mr. Barstow, in his paper on the Maori canoe, discourses as follows concerning anchors: "Of these there were three varieties: an oblong stone, with a hole through the smaller end; a stone enmeshed in a netting of flax or vines; or three or four crooked pieces of pohutukawa (Metrosideros tomentosa) lashed together with a stone between the shanks and the curved points, forming a rude grapnel." There were, however, one or two other forms, as we shall see anon. Polack remarks that "Canoes are generally anchored by filling a basket with one or more large stones or a heavy piece of wood." And again, "As we had met with some difficulty in pushing off our canoe from the last place we had stopped at, I had the vessel anchored off by filling a basket with heavy stones attached to a native warp made of flax." The use of wood with no stones attached as an anchor has not been recorded elsewhere, but the stone or stones in a basket or with a netting round them is a recognized form. Mr. Matthews writes as follows: "The large, smooth, oval stones used as anchors were now sorted out, netted over, and each supplied with ten or twelve fathoms of rope." In some cases large waterworn stones had grooves pecked round the middle to accommodate the rope cable to which they were tied. This form seems to have been common on the west coast of the North Island. It agrees with the form of stone sinkers common on the Taranaki coast.

The Rev. T. G. Hammond states that stone anchors were common about Patea some years ago: "They weigh from ten to twenty pounds. Nature has fashioned some ready to hand, but others have been formed by cutting a space right round the stone to keep the rope in position. They are variously shapen and of different qualities of stone." (See fig. 138, p. 274.)

Mr. T. W. Downes informs us that he has seen many old stone anchors on the banks of the Whanga-nui River, many having been collected by workmen on the river-improvement works and used in constructing walls of stones in the river.

The anchor of the "Tokomaru" canoe, that came from eastern Polynesia to New Zealand some centuries ago, is said to be still preserved in the Mokau district. Mr Skinner described it as follows: "The anchor is a large stone, and stands about three feet high, and weighs from three to four hundredweight. It is pierced for a cable; the first hole made had broken out, and they then bored another across the grain of the stone."

The following notes on stone anchors were contributed by the late Tuta Nihoniho:—

page 274

Large canoes were provided with two stone anchors. These were of different forms; some had holes to put the rope through (see fig. 139), and others were smaller in the middle than at the two ends, which provided a good place whereat to tie the rope. The rope used as a cable was made from leaves of the Cordyline, a more durable material than Phormium. The leaves of Cordyline australis (the page 275 common "cabbage-tree") were plucked, dried, then steeped in water for a time, then plaited into a rope by therauru method of five strands. When a canoe was provided with two anchors, one was kept at the bow, the other at the stern; but when both were used in anchoring, then both ropes were secured to the bow-thwarts. A fishing-canoe usually had one anchor, and when at anchor the cable thereof was brought up on one side of the carved head on the prow of the vessel, passed over behind the head, through the hollow between it and the projection on the hinder part of the figurehead, round that projection, and so on to the first thwart, where it was secured. (See fig. 140, p. 275.) The figureheads of these page 276fishing-canoes are of a form very different from the elaborate prows of war-canoes.

When about hauling up a heavy anchor, a number of men have to pull on the rope thereof, and, as a sufficient number of men for this purpose cannot grasp the rope for a straight hoist, the following expedient is resorted to: A paddle is thrust, blade downwards, through the flooring, with its point behind the tokai or behind one of the cross-pieces supporting the floor, the upper and round part of the paddle resting on the gunwale and close against the thwart. Another paddle is laid horizontally across on the two gunwales and close against the other paddle. The rope cable is laid on this latter paddle, close against the slanting one, and the slack passed down the middle of the canoe; hence all hands can tail on for the haul. The rope runs in the angle made by the crossing of the handles of the two paddles, which, being jammed, prevent it sliding along the side of the canoe when hauled on. When the anchor was hauled up to the top board of the canoe, a stout pole was-thrust through a loop of strong rope on the upper part of the anchor, then a number of men grasped the pole on either side of the anchor, and so lifted it inboard, where it was placed in the middle of the hold. The rope was then detached, and coiled up carefully so that, when the anchor was again cast over, its rope would run free, without hitch or snarl.

The anchors of important canoes had special names given them, and some of the names of those of the canoes that arrived here from eastern Polynesia twenty generations ago are still preserved.

In some cases another form of anchor was used, consisting of a stone the length of which was much greater than its breadth. To this stone two short stout poles were secured by strong lashings in the form of a cross, and a stout piece of rope fastened round the page 277middle of the stone, with a loop on one side to which the rope cable was attached. (See fig. 142, p. 277.) It is said that the four projecting pole-ends served to a certain extent as do the flukes of our anchors, and, by sinking in mud, &c, furnished additional holding-power. These cross-pieces were on the underneath side of the anchor when it was lowered; thus the weight of the heavy stone upon them tended to cause them to sink in mud.

In some cases a canoe would anchor in order to ride out a gale, and in such cases the crew stationed themselves towards the stern, so as to keep the bow of the canoe well up.

Not only did all canoes receive special names, but in the case of important canoes the sails, cordage, masts, anchors, paddles, thwarts, bailers, &c, were also named in a similar manner. The names given were sometimes those of tribal ancestors, sometimes those of famed natural features of the tribal lands, as mountains, ranges, and rivers.

The large stern anchor was called thepunga whakawhenua, and the smaller bow anchor was the punga karewa, orkorewa. One or both of these might be used.

Nihoniho does not state that stones used as anchors were ever pierced by hand in order to facilitate attachment to the cable, and apparently this was not often done. Suitable stones were occasionally found provided with a hole produced by natural processes.

Here follow a few anchor notes from Wai-rarapa natives: Some anchors were simply large rounded stones having no hole for passing a cable through, but they were enclosed in a kind of network of strong cords. (See fig. 142.) A hoop of aka? (stem of a climbing-plant) page 278 was made, being of a less diameter than that of the middle part of the stone, and on this hoop the stone was placed. Strong cords, attached by one end to the hoop, were brought up over the stone—not straight up, but crossing each other diagonally so as to resemble network— and were drawn taut and tied to a similar hoop placed on the top of the stone, the loose ends then being twisted together and formed into a loop to which the cable was secured. This cable often consisted of the tough pliant stems of a forest climbing-plant called aka kuku. The cords forming the network were termed kawekawe.

In some few cases stone anchors belonging to noted chiefs had incised patterns on them, such patterns being invariably that known as rape (a spiral). And it would be said, "Ko te punga o te waka a Mea, he rape." Thus fame was achieved. Such an anchor would also have a special name assigned to it.

The stern anchor of the "Takitumu" canoe was named "Toka-ahuru," and that of the bow "Matakana." After these two anchors were named two hapuku (cod) fishing banks or rocks situated at Tauranga and Nukutaurua.

The bow anchor of the " Arawa" canoe was named "Toka-parore"; the stern anchor was "Tu-te-rangi-haruru."

The generic term for anchors is punga, and on deep-sea voyages, such as those made from and to Polynesia in former times, three different kinds of punga were carried on every vessel, according to tradition. These three types were as follows:—

(1.)	Punga whakawhenua: Heavy ground or holding anchors, used in anchoring the vessel.
(2.)	Punga korewa (occasionally termed punga tarere): Sea-anchors. These were lowered a certain distance for the purpose of steadying a canoe in a rough sea. A lighter stone than No. 1.
(3.)	Punga terewai: A much lighter, smaller stone, used in sounding, and in ascertaining the set and strength of currents; hence described as a punga tutoro. Punga here should not be translated as "anchor."

I have also been told that the heavy form of anchor (No. 1) was sometimes employed as a sea-anchor when riding out a gale, being lowered at the stern of the vessel in order to both steady the stern and lift the bow.

As the stern of the ocean-going vessels was higher out of the water than the bow, the former part was swung round in some cases to meet a gale at sea. This was effected by lowering the stern anchor to a certain depth and allowing the bow to swing round. This often page 279prevented a canoe filling with water by dipping her bow into it, or by the waves breaking over the bows.

Mr. Colenso tells us that the rope used for attaching to anchors was a four-sided or square one; this was made of the unscraped leaves of the cabbage-tree, that had been gathered and carefully wilted in the shade, and then soaked in water to make them pliant. It was used for their anchors, and other heavy canoe and house requirements. The leaves of the flax would not be suitable for such a purpose. It might be added that the fibrous leaves of this Cordyline are much more durable than those of Phormium (flax), hence they were used for many purposes.

Drift-anchors were employed by the natives when fishing off the coast. These were stones of no great size, lowered a certain distance so as to cause the canoe to drift slowly. This was done in order to locate a good fishing-ground. When so found, then the anchor was lowered and the drift stopped.

The huge stone anchor in the Dominion Museum is said in Maori tradition to have been that of "Matahorua," the vessel of Kupe, the Polynesian voyager who discovered New Zealand many centuries ago. (See fig. 143, p. 280.) This vessel is said to have had two haumi tuporo, or square-butted pieces, to lengthen her hull, and two anchors with holes in them to receive the cables—"he punga kowhao te maunga taura" (See fig. 139, p. 275.) One of these anchors was a stone of a brown or reddish colour, resembling the kiripaka, or matrix in which the flint-like stone known as mata waiapu is found embedded, a kind of stone known or described as puwaikura. This was brought from Rangiatea. A stone of this kind was brought to this land in the "Kura-hau-po" canoe by Tama-ahua, and it was used as a whatu, or talisman, and buried beneath the posts of a house at Taranaki. The other anchor of "Matahorua" was of the kind of stone known as tatara-a-punga, and it was procured from a hill or range named Maungaroa, at Rarotonga, hence this anchor was called "Maungaroa." Kupe is said to have found at Porirua a stone of the kind known as huka-a-tai, which he utilized as an anchor, and took back with him to Rangiatea, in the eastern Pacific, as a proof, it is said, of his having reached a new land. He left "Maungaroa" at Porirua, where it lay throughout the centuries, ever respected by succeeding tribes as a relic of their daring ancestor Kupe, of "Matahorua." It lay at the old village-site at Paremata, north of the bridge and just east of the railroad-track. The Imperial troops stationed at the stone redoubt west of the line broke a piece off the stone, an act that angered the natives. When some of those soldiers were accidentally drowned in the harbour some time afterwards page 280the natives at once said that it was a punishment for the act of sacrilege. This anchor was seen at Paremata by the writer many years ago, and in later years the natives were induced to allow it to be placed in the Dominion Museum.

Such is the story of "Maungaroa" as believed by the Maori, and it is assuredly an interesting one. It may, however, be a myth that has grown up round this stone in the course of centuries, or it may be partially true—a story attached to the wrong stone. The stone is a big waterworn boulder of a local greywacke, apparently, which waterworn stones are found in great numbers on Wellington coastlines, and many are seen in middens and at the site of long-abandoned native villages. This stone would presumably not be found on the volcanic island of Rarotonga. Moreover, it is too big to serve as an anchor; a stone measuring about 20 in. by 21 in. is too heavy and cumbrous for a canoe-anchor, and could only be handled on a big double canoe, certainly not on a single one. The pierced hole at one corner bears the appearance of being a natural formation; a smaller cup-like hole is seen on another surface.

A stone anchor for a river-canoe from Whanga-nui is 16 in. long, 7 in. wide, and 5 in. thick—a piece of rough shell conglomerate. Four others are somewhat smaller, and one is larger. All show pecked transverse grooves to accommodate a rope.

When the "Tainui" canoe arrived here from Polynesia about five hundred years ago her crew settled principally at Kawhia, where they found a people known as Ngati-Hikawai living. One of the page 281crew, Kopuwai by name, took the canoe on to Mokau, where he settled with his family. Hoturoa, the chief man of the immigrants, had the canoe taken back to Kawhia and hauled up on land. He had a stone set up at the bow, and another at the stern, in order to mark the length of the vessels, which stones still stand there. That at the stern was named "Hine," that at the bow "Puna", after the two stone anchors of "Tainui," one of which had been left at Mokau.