Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

Some further particulars and amendments made to William"s paper.

"The raupō was, if possible, cut in March, when it began to turn yellow at the tops. But in many cases it was cut as early as January or February, before the rains came" The ridging of the house was protected by slabs of ponga, not fronds: "The trunk of the ponga is like the kāuka, as soft as fibre; but where the branches meet the parent stem the wood is tough and brittle, commonly used for arrow and spear-heads. This outer wood is cut up into slabs and used as the Editors suggest"

The toetoe kākaho and upoko-tangata are not the same. The latter is the common toetoe or nigger-head that Māori boys use for the game neti. The former is known to Europeans, I think, as "toetoe-grass", hardly ever... used for thatching. Then there is the toetoe-rakau. [possibly Austroderia fulvida. Ed] This is like the toetoe-kākaho, but tougher in the leaves. The stalk is something like the to-huka or sugar-cane; the seeds are the same. The toetoe-pumata was found near swamps and lakes, resembling the ponga in growth. Another species of toetoe not named grows like the raupō in swamp ground - "ngaore tonu" (covering the ground like clover)."

The journal Editors footnote reads: "We think Mr Ngata uses the word "nigger-head" wrongly here. The species of toetoe used for the neti is the one with the smooth triangular stems. called in other parts toetoe-whatu-manu. The nigger-head is, we think, the toetoe-pumata, also called tūtae-kurī"

 In answer to questions of how work on a whare is progressing, replies can be "Kei te tirepa" (They"re putting the kākaho on) or "Kei te nati" (They are covering it with raupō and toetoe). Then everybody knows the end of the work is near.