Auckland, 1852, from Queen Street Wharf 76
Auckland, 1862, Maori War Canoe Race in progress 92
New Zealand's First Parliament Building 97
Auckland, 1876, showing Fort Britomart in course of demolition 112
Auckland in 1884. View taken from Hobson and Wellesley Streets 128
Public Library, Art Gallery and Old Colonists' Museum, To-day 149
View of Auckland's Harbour Frontage taken from a Seaplane 188
Albert Park, formerly the Site of Albert Barracks 197
Auckland from the Ferry Buildings, looking Eastward 200, 201
The Town Hall with the Sir George Grey Statue 204
Photograph of Auckland taken from a Seaplane 216
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales at the Town Hall 232
Map of the City of Auckland at End of Book.
The Coat of Arms of Auckland, printed in facsimile colours, has been inserted on the half-title preceding the frontispiece.
[Illustration: Plan of Auckland, 1840, by Felton Mathew, Surveyor General
Note proposed reclamations and dock accommodation]
THE MAORI HISTORY OF THE AUCKLAND ISTHMUS
[Illustration: "He Taua! He Taua!"--A War Party! Sounding the Alarm of an Approaching War Party
_After the original by J. McDonald, Wellington_]
In compiling this history, I desire to narrate in as brief and clear a manner as possible the doings of the ancient Tamaki tribes, as recounted in the folk-lore of their descendants.
I have, as far as possible, confined the history to the tribes of the Auckland Isthmus itself--referring to the history and peoples of other parts only so far as is necessary to the clearness of the general narrative.
There may be some doubt as to the chronological sequence and to many of the details of incidents herein related--such is inseparable from the legendary history of all races who did not possess written records.
However, the narrative as I now present it is in the form accepted by the people--as related to me by that generation of chieftains now almost passed away.
Ancient Maori culture did not embrace the knowledge of letters. We therefore possess no written records of the pre-European times. Our information is confined to the tribal folk-lore and folk-songs of the people.
We do know, however, that from a very remote past the Pacific had been peopled by races of a more or less Polynesian type, and that branches of these had also reached New Zealand.