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fashion. 217 The last facet of his title is ‘chief of Austria’ (that is an Austrian chief, not a Maori
chief in Austria). As it has already been shown, Hochstetter was also regarded as a ‘Pakeha
rangatira’, or ‘European chief’, in Maori circles, 218 as he was accompanied by an entourage of
respected chiefs, which provided him with an elevated status due to the pedigree of those guiding
him. Notably, he was described by Te Heuheu as an “unabhängige Europäer höheren Ranges”,
and was even referred to by one chief as “Häuptling von der andern Seite des Meeres, Besucher
vom Himmel”. 219 In other words, it was an attempt by the local Maori to reciprocate the
equivalent social standing of a respected European individual in their own terms, which was also
a result of his being Austrian and only a ‘visitor’, together with his generally respectful behaviour
towards Maori and their customs, and the respect accorded to him by the New Zealand
Government. According to Reischek, Hochstetter was “not alone held in high esteem by
Europeans, but also by the Maoris, who have not forgotten him”. 220 This is not surprising when
one considers, first of all, that Hochstetter accompanied Toetoe and Te Rerehau on their final trip
to Bavaria, Württemberg and London, where they met the Queen in June 1860 prior to their
departure for New Zealand, 221 and secondly, the fact that he had already visited the home of both
217
Hochstetter, Neu-Seeland, 472. There are several trains of thought when it comes to the association with the kiwi.
On the one hand, the obvious conclusion one can make is that it was merely added to give Reischek’s title the
appearance of having stronger ties to the world of the Maori. If it is believed, on the other hand, that Reischek was
compared to a kiwi by Maori, then it is not an unrealistic premise, as birds were frequently used in Maori culture to
convey human likeness in some way, whereby birds assumed human traits and humans assumed bird traits: “[Maori]
interpreted the behaviour of birds in human terms, on that basis assigning to each species a particular character and
role. Then, when they spoke of human nature and behaviour, they frequently employed metaphors and other usages
that likened individuals to appropriate kinds of birds” (Orbell, Birds of Aotearoa, 14). The kiwi has two contrasting
characteristics: “Though timid by day they are bold and aggressive at night, and they are then capable of running at
high speed, crashing through dense undergrowth” (ibid., 28). Furthermore, “a person giving sidelong glances might
be said to be acting like a kiwi (whakakiwi)”, in imitation of a kiwi running away and looking back in anticipation of
stopping to defend itself (ibid., 30), and the expression “te manu huna a Tane” (the hidden bird of Tane, the god of
the forest) could also be “used to describe the return of a long-lost relative, a visitor who arrives at dusk, or a stranger
who comes to stand unnoticed like the kiwi” (Riley, Maori Bird Lore, 135; cf. 136-39). Interestingly, as the
unpublished manuscript reveals, it was after returning from a kiwi hunt, in which he utilised his compass skills to
lead his Maori guides back, that he received the kiwi reference. If there is any truth in the title given to Reischek,
then perhaps the most appropriate, if not also the most comical, comparison that could be made is between his
trademark long beard and the long facial whiskers and shaggy plumage of the kiwi, which resembles hair more than
feathers!
218
Scherzer (‘Hata’ in Maori) was, likewise, referred to as both chief and leader to Toetoe and Te Rerehau in Vienna,
with the title “rangatira o te No(v)ara” (“Te Rerehau’s Journal”, in: Hogan, Bravo, Neu Zeeland, 24).
219
Hochstetter, Neu-Seeland, 224, 531.
220
Reischek, Caesar, 19.
221
Hochstetter, Neu-Seeland, 527-29. There is a lot of confusion as to whether Hochstetter played an integral part in
the selection or recommendation of Toetoe and Te Rerehau for the Novara’s return journey. Fletcher states: “It was
he who had been instrumental in bringing to the Commodore’s attention the ambition of four Maoris and one halfblood
of making the voyage to Europe. The Colonial Government exercised a circumspect watching brief and by
Tuesday 4 January, the day of embarkation, the number had been whittled down to two” (Fletcher, “From the
Waikato to Vienna and Back”, 147). Hogan states Te Rerehau’s descendants believe the two chiefs were chosen
273