Rochfort Resumes the Survey.

In the first part of this narrative we left John Rochfort paddling down the Wanganui River with his party of Maoris, Major Kepa's men, after an unsuccessful attempt to continue his bush explorations on the headwaters of the Manganui-a-te-ao, where the hostile Patu-tokotoko tribe had turned him back at the muzzles of their guns. Again he went to Wellington to consult headquarters as to the best method of dealing with the Kingite tribes and carrying on the reconnaissance survey. He reported to the Native Minister, Mr. John Bryce, and this time he asked for the support of “a few troopers” as an escort through the Hauhau country.

Bryce, cautious veteran of the wars, thought it unwise to force a right-of-way with Armed Constabulary. He directed Rochfort to go round to the northern end of his opponents' district, in the Ruapehu-Waimarino Country, and endeavour to secure the friendship of the high chief Peehi Turoa. (Peehi Hitaua was meant; this chief, already mentioned in this narrative, was Topia Turoa's brother; he lived at Ngatokorua, on the Waimarino Plain.)

The surveyor once more returned to Wanganui to see Kepa. On going up the river to Ranana he learned that the obstructionists had dispersed and had gone to their spring potato-planting at their various homes. So the much relieved Rochfort made his way to the high country again, retrieved his theodolite from the village where it had been seized, and went on with his engineering reconnaissance past the base of Ruapehu to the Waimarino Plains, without any further interruption.