Eleanor Fuller (born 1863) arrived in New Zealand about 1877, recalls life in the Ngaruawahia district.
She was brought up by her grandparents in England, while her mother and father came out to New Zealand eight or nine years earlier. Eleanor travelled to New Zealand on the ship “Maribel”, the trip took 95 days. She speaks about her travel overland from Auckland after arrival. Then there is some talk on Māori coming out of the King Country after the wars, and their appearance.
The family moved to Auckland for some time, then moved back to the Waikato. After she was married, she moved to Whangamarina, then Rangiriri. She received a thoroughbred horse as a wedding present – they used horses for transport. She speaks about “swaggers” visiting and demanding things from them – she recalls an encounter her husband had with one, who had to be dragged off the property.
They had 48 acres on Manutahi Island [Rangiriri?], and lived there for a while, before moving to Riverview House in Taupiri. She speaks about “The Grey Lady” who would appear when someone living in the house was going to drown. There is then talk of Māori exhuming bones from a nearby paddock. The bones were taken into Taupiri and scraped. King Tawhaio died when they were living at Riverview – she speaks about the funeral gathering, which lasted a very long time. After the funeral, the coffin was taken away and buried in a secret location.
Mrs Fuller then talks about what Ngaruawahia was like when she first arrived. She speaks about transport, the cheap prices of goods, and the fashion for long dresses, puffed sleeves, brimmed hats, and tassel boots. She then speaks about the church, built by soldiers.
She recalls the time of the floods in Ngaruawahia - she says the town was practically under water, and recalls the rescue of animals. Then a story of a trip to a regatta in Mercer in 1886 – they went there by boat, and returned home in a large group by steamer, with the boats tied behind it. On the way home they became stranded on a sandbank and had to wait overnight. She speaks about making scones for all those stuck on board, but missing out herself - then the long tale of making their way home, and returning to cows that needed milking.
After this Mrs Fuller sings a song about ‘Maoriland’ and living in a whare. She then talks about a woman she believed to be the last Moriori in the Waikato - a woman over 100 years old with yellow hair and blue eyes. She also speaks about the first bridge over the river, and the gun turret at Ngaruawahia.
She recounts a tale of a man murdered in the Waikato, with the body found in the river. The murder was investigated by detectives from Wellington. A medium, a woman from Auckland, was consulted to try to find out who the man was, and where he came from. Her head was bound up with two pieces of material taken from the dead man's clothing. She divined that the murder happened when a European man found his part Māori wife in the house with another man, and attacked and killed him with an axe. Some years later, Mrs Fuller went to live at Taupiri and says she recognized the house where the murder took place.