Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

Colour sense of Māori finely tuned. Natural objects, phenomena (e.g. fish shoals, flaxes, weather patterns) distinguished by their hue. Māori, for example, distinguished various flesh tints of different kinds of kūmara and taro when cooked, and had words for the various ripening phases of karaka and kahikatea berries. Favourite colours and use of colour described (e.g. in distinguishing forest trees, in weaving). Dyeing processes described. Description of materials used in house built for Colenso by master craftsmen. Appendix gives a paradigm of the word whero (red).