Page:The Boy Travellers in Australasia.djvu/234

210 Frank asked what the clothing of the natives was made of before the Europeans came to the country.



"It was made from the fibre of the flax," was the reply. "There are several kinds of flax, and it grows everywhere and near every village. Not only did it supply the material for garments, but for nets, baskets, lines, mats, dishes, cordage, and other things. They used cords made from it for binding the walls and roofs of their houses together, and thus made it serve in place of nails. Great quantities of flax are raised here nowadays, as you will understand when you know there are some forty and odd flax-mills in the colony, and considerable flax is exported every year.

"Most of the Maoris that you will see during your stay in New