Page:Overland Journey of the Governor of New Zealand.djvu/31

Rh and am very glad to visit you in your own country. I also rejoice to meet your celebrated chief Hori Ngawhare, and am sorry to find him suffering in body, though his mind is as clear as ever. I thank him for having travelled 50 miles to meet me here, and for his invitation to escort me through your country from Taupo to Cambridge, in the Waikato. I am glad that the Ngatiraukawas desire to see the Governor crossing their district. I know that there are two roads from here to Auckland, and that both are equally safe for me. Next time I will go by your road, but this time I will go by Rotorua and Tauranga, where I have promised to meet your friend, Mr. McLean, to consult with him how best to promote the interests of the Maoris. One of your chiefs (Tuiri) said, in his speech, that the Ngatiraukawas place the question of roads entirely in the hands of the Governor; but, my friends, this is a question principally for yourselves. Each tribe should say whether it will assist the Government in making roads in its own district, and no other tribe has any right to interfere, as I have explained at Taupo and elsewhere. The benefits of roads are great, and affect the Maoris equally with the pakehas; indeed, there are as yet but few pakehas in these inland districts. I am very glad to find that the Ngatiraukawas wish for roads, and the Government will assist you with money and tools, as it is assisting other tribes. Remember that roads do not affect the mana of the chiefs or the ownership of the land. This is quite clear. Let no man deceive you on this point. The telegraph is also of great use to the