Chapter XVIII

Darwin records the departure from the Galapagos and the pleasant sailing conditions encountered in the central Pacific, noting improvements in weather and temperature compared to the South American coast.

Darwin describes the remarkable phenomenon of low coral atolls rising from the vast ocean, noting their precarious appearance and distinctive ring formation.

Darwin notes Tahiti's initial unattractive appearance from a distance due to clouds, but records the welcoming canoe-assisted arrival and friendly reception by the missionary Mr. Wilson.

Darwin describes Tahiti's coastal alluvial plain, coral reef protection, and luxuriant tropical vegetation, comparing the beauty of the cultivated landscape to his observations in Brazil.

Darwin praises the mildness and intelligence of the Tahitian people, particularly the men, and provides detailed descriptions of their physical appearance, tattooing practices, and comparative superiority to European physiques.

Darwin describes the partial English language understanding among Tahitians and recounts a pleasant evening scene of children singing and performing on the beach.

Darwin notes that Tahitians now prefer money to barter and understand its value, though they prefer Spanish dollars to mixed denominations.

Darwin describes climbing to 2,000-3,000 feet and observing three zones of vegetation with different moisture and fertility characteristics.

Darwin provides a detailed description of the distant island of Eimeo, its coral reef encirclement, and the visual contrast between the reef, lagoon, and ocean.

Darwin describes organizing an excursion into the mountains with Tahitian guides, noting their carrying capacity and self-sufficiency regarding food and clothing.

Darwin describes hiking through the dramatic valley with its towering precipices and rich vegetation, comparing it favorably to mountain gorges he has previously encountered.

Darwin recounts an Ellis anecdote about Tahitians attempting to rescue a horse from drowning, demonstrating their comfort and dexterity in water.

Darwin describes the perilous climb along narrow ledges and cliff faces to reach higher streams, emphasizing the danger and the Tahitians' remarkable ability to navigate the terrain.

Darwin continues describing the steep ascent along knife-edged ridges and bivouacking for the night among abundant mountain bananas, with the Tahitians constructing shelter.

Darwin describes the Tahitian method of creating fire by friction and the earth-oven cooking technique used to prepare the evening meal.

Darwin catalogs the diverse wild vegetation available in the ravine, including bananas, sugar-cane, ava, arum, yams, and other fruits and vegetables, reflecting on humanity's natural adaptation to tropical environments.

Darwin describes an evening walk to a waterfall and his reflective observation of the mountain landscape gradually disappearing into darkness.

Darwin notes that the elder Tahitian guide prayed with genuine reverence before sleep and that both companions said grace before meals, challenging the assumption that such piety only occurs under missionary observation.

Darwin describes how missionaries convinced Tahitian leaders to establish a temperance society, resulting in a law prohibiting spirits and extensive enforcement, comparing favorably to other colonial contexts.

Darwin describes the return descent through extensive banana groves and along narrow knife-edged ridges, experiencing the vertigo-inducing perspective and sleeping under a rock ledge.

Darwin reflects on how his mountain experience clarifies Ellis's accounts of how defenders could use mountain terrain to resist larger forces and how wild men could hide in ravines.

Darwin reaches the ship and begins an extended reflection on the moral condition of Tahitian society based on his observations and comparisons with various travel accounts.

Darwin notes that Tahitians appear happy and content, contrary to accounts suggesting they live in fear of missionaries, and that he must defer to those with longer residence regarding criticism of missionary restrictions.

Darwin argues that missionaries deserve credit for abolishing human sacrifice, infanticide, and warfare rather than blame for failing to achieve Gospel perfection, comparing the present state to the pre-Christian past.

Darwin contextualizes criticisms of Tahitian women's virtue by referencing Captain Cook's accounts of prior generations and questioning the basis for moral judgments across cultures.

Darwin attends religious service in the Tahitian language and English, noting the large attendance and the pleasant hymn singing, though finding the pulpit language somewhat monotonous.

Darwin describes the convening of a Tahitian parliament to address a British government claim for compensation for piracy, noting the demonstrated reasonableness and good sense of the chiefs in resolving the matter.

Darwin notes that after resolving the debt issue, the chiefs asked intelligent questions about international customs and maritime law, and prompt laws were issued verbally.

Darwin describes Queen Pomarre's visit to the ship, her physical appearance and demeanor, and her and the chiefs' reactions to the ship's entertainment and rocket displays.

Darwin notes the departure from Tahiti and provides a final farewell to the island, reflecting that every voyager in the South Seas pays tribute to its beauty.

Darwin reflects on the immensity of the Pacific, the vast proportion of water to land, and the homesickness of having passed the meridian of the Antipodes.

Darwin describes the landscape of the Bay of Islands as hilly with fern-covered terrain, and notes the striking contrast between this location and Tahiti in terms of indigenous reception.

Darwin describes Pahia as a settlement populated by English missionaries and settlers, noting the neat English cottages and flowers in contrast to the small native dwellings.

Darwin notes the country's impassability due to thick fern coverage and salt-water creeks, with transport primarily conducted by boat rather than overland.

Darwin describes the ancient terraced hill fortifications used by Maori and notes how the introduction of firearms rendered the elevated positions obsolete, shifting fortifications to level ground.

Darwin details the design of contemporary Pas with stockades, earthen mounds, and flanking positions, explaining their effectiveness against undisciplined attackers.

Darwin argues that New Zealanders are the most warlike race he has encountered, citing their initial defiant conduct toward European ships and their culturally embedded martial values.

Darwin recounts a story of a chief who resolved to go to war because his gunpowder was deteriorating and must be used, illustrating the cultural priority given to warfare.

Darwin describes how Shongi, a prominent chief who visited England, was primarily motivated by desire for revenge and valued English innovations only for military application.

Darwin argues that New Zealanders are inferior to Tahitians in character and civilization, attributing some difference to tattooing practices but also noting expressions of cunning and ferocity.

Darwin notes that New Zealanders are filthy in their persons and houses, with little attention to washing bodies or clothes, providing specific examples of dirty clothing.

Darwin describes arranging to visit the Waimate missionary establishment with guide and transportation assistance from the British resident Mr. Bushby.

Darwin notes that the chief guide displayed traditional pride in not carrying burdens himself, though this attitude is beginning to erode, and describes the chief's communication style.

Darwin recounts a serious nighttime attack on Bushby's house by a chief and men, and describes the unprecedented trial and punishment by Maori chiefs, who considered the night attack particularly atrocious due to an ill wife.

Darwin describes encountering a chief with a remarkably ferocious expression, comparing him to a figure in a Schiller illustration, and later learns this chief was a notorious murderer.

Darwin describes the journey through monotonous fern landscape interspersed with villages and cultivated patches, noting the critical importance of the potato to New Zealand survival.

Darwin describes the Maori custom of greeting by pressing noses together, explaining the ritual and variations in force, and noting the absence of ceremony between masters and slaves.

Darwin describes the typical Maori hut structure with an open front, internal partition, and small chamber where property is kept and people sleep during cold weather.

Darwin notes the volcanic soil and discusses the theory that extensive fern fields resulted from forest clearing for agricultural purposes, explaining the absence of native grasses.

Darwin humorously notes that his knowledge of only three Tahitian words allowed him to respond adequately to the chief's extensive conversation without actually understanding it.

Darwin describes the striking contrast between the desolate fern-covered interior and the sudden appearance of an English farm with cultivated fields, expressing pleasure at this unexpected transformation.

Darwin provides an extensive catalogue of the farm's buildings, machinery, and crops, including both familiar English produce and warmer-climate varieties, expressing admiration for the transformation.

Darwin marvels that native workers, trained by missionaries, have accomplished this remarkable transformation in just five years, crediting the missionary lesson as the driving force.

Darwin notes that young men redeemed from slavery work on the farm and demonstrate respectable appearance and honesty, as evidenced by their return of found items.

Darwin describes the young workers as merry and well-humored, and notes that the missionaries' own sons participate in cricket, contradicting accusations of missionary austerity.

Darwin notes that young women servants at the mission station are clean and healthy, forming a striking contrast with the filthy women in native villages, and describes their negotiations about tattooing.

Darwin attends a Christmas party with missionary children described as merry and cordial, marveling that this scene of happiness occurs in the center of what was once a land of cannibalism.

Darwin describes participating in family prayers conducted in the native tongue and observing a market day where natives trade produce for goods, with missionary children facilitating commerce.

Darwin describes the remarkable kauri trees, measuring one at 31 feet circumference with another at 33 feet, and noting their distinctive smooth cylindrical trunks extending 60-90 feet without branches.

Darwin notes that kauri timber is the island's most valuable product and that resin from the trees is sold to Americans, though its usefulness was then unknown.

Darwin recounts that a forest only 34 miles wide separating two inhabited districts required over a fortnight's labor to open a road, and notes the scarcity of birds in New Zealand forests.

Darwin notes the extraordinary fact that such a large island with varied climate and elevation lacked any indigenous mammals except a small rat, and that gigantic extinct birds apparently filled ecological roles.

Darwin notes that European rats have apparently exterminated the indigenous New Zealand rat species and that various European weeds have invaded, including a problematic leek and dock.

Darwin returns to the ship and expresses gratitude toward the missionaries, describing them as well-adapted for their important work and worthy of respect for their gentlemanlike and upright character.

Darwin reflects on his fifth Christmas away from England and notes the likely progress toward Christianity among New Zealanders, with an anecdote of a servant reading scripture to others.

Darwin describes traveling to Waiomio, where limestone rocks resembling ruined castles serve as burial grounds held sacred by locals, though the party ultimately examines them freely.

Darwin describes a discussion between Mr. Bushby and a Maori genealogist about land succession, which the genealogist illustrated by arranging sticks in the ground.

Darwin notes observing a male slave employed in cooking and reflects that such work must be deeply humiliating in this warrior society where it is considered women's work.

Darwin recounts a story of a runaway slave caught by two pursuers who could not agree on ownership and were about to kill him, with rescue by a chief's wife.

Darwin concludes that New Zealand is not a pleasant place, lacking Tahitian simplicity and containing mostly undesirable English settlers, with Waimate as the only bright spot representing Christian civilization.