THE PRINCE AT RQTORUA.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16822, 30 April 1920, Page 6

THE PRINCE AT RQTORUA.

p ; GREAT MAORI : WELCOME. I PICTURESQUE SCENES. (mom om special hf-pohter.) ROTORUA. April 29. To-dny was the day of days for th<? Prince in New Zealand. The morning broke fine, with an unclouded sun, but [ n .ljj>en wind blew from the south, llv . a.m. there was a great stir in , onmp, as preparations began for ihe i famous Hui. The setting of the " strange scenes that were to l>o enacted ( was wonderfully picturesque. The . stands were packed with people, and a • great concourse surrounded the marao, ' eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ' tribes. On a flagpole carved by the Maoris fluttered the huge tribal flags— Union Jacks bearing the names of the different- tribes. This flagpole had been specially carved for presentation to tho Prince. On a high slender pole, cut from the forest, fluttered a great New Zealand flag, with a crescent moon in the middle of the Southern Cross. Beyond was the tented field, and for a background a grand panorama of fern and forest clad hill and dale. At 9.30 the Princo arrived. Over his soldier's uniform he wore the fine kiwi mat already presented to him by j the Arawas. He was met at the en- : trance to tho Marae by the welcoming tribe, and presently there broke upon ' the air the famous Ka-mate chorus. With the Prince were Admiral Ilalsey, in naval uniform, and others of his Staff. The Governor-General and Ladv Liverpool, members of the Ministry and their wives, were prosent. The Prime Minister, of course, was olse- ; whore, and Mrs Massey sat next the Prince. Dr. Pomare, the Minister representing "the Native race, sat on the other side of the Prince to interpret to i the Maoris tho Princo's reply to tho ! address, and to tell the Prince the significance of various dances and chants with which lie was being The j Prince was received by Sir William j Herries, Minister of Native Affairs, who read in English the poetical address that had been prepared by tho tribes. The Prince's reply was as follows: — Chiefs and people of Aotea Ron, your welcome fills mo with gladness and with pride, gladness that following the path of my father, the King, I am come to see you in your own beautiful land, whose loveliness no other land excels, and pride that you should greet mo thus with loyal and contented hearts in the ancient manner. A mighty war has shaken tho world since lr'y father came to this place, but Maori people have held true to the oath which they sworo_ to i him upon tho d;y when ho stood here. Your warriors went forth to . fight and conquer his enemies in many : distant lands. I saw and spoke with them often on tho hard fields j of Tu. . They fought and endured ' most gallantly, as Maori warriors j over do, and many gave up life or j ■ health for the sake of us who remain.! Their bravery and their sacifice wero; seen by the Ring, who bade me praise ; the Maori people for their faithfulness and valour, even unto death. Chiefs and people, it is Queen Victoria's greatgrandson who speaks to . you to-day. _ Under her just govern- j. ment to which your fathers swore j fealty at Waitangi eighty years ago, |, the Maori people, secure in their - lands, found true contentment and • peace. Under her wise guidance Maori and pakeha grew ever closer. , together in understanding and good-' ( will. The welfare and happiness, to which Queen Victoria fust lot you, | . was then assured to you in like men-! sure by King Edward and King '■ George. I rejoice to hear that your . children make good progress in the i - schools which the King's* Government provides for you. For thus only can the youth of Aotea Ron, Maori and pakeha alike, grew up worthy of this free land and of the" mighty Empire to which they belong. For mv part, I will ever keep before me the pattern of Victoria, the great Queen, whose heart was with the Maori peo-1 pie from tho day on which they sworo I al'egiance to her rule. I have brought you medals from the King for your warriors who fought overseas, and these will be distributed later. 1 adjure you to care for these as valu- < able memorials, and hand them down • to your sons. Chiefs and people, I greet you from my heart, and so 1 farewell. 1 The reply was punctuated with ap- 1 plause as some of tho more striking < sentences in it were translated by Dr. 1 Pomare into their own language. 3 The conclusion of the speech was the f signal for an extraordinary exhibition of loyal appreciation. Then followed a e long succession of tribal war dances, 1 hakas, dances of welcome, and poi c danccs. i THE DANCES OF THE TRIBES. c Soon after tho Prince had taken his seat in the stand tho first tribe advanced, followed by the poi dancers. -r The opening dances were somewhat . tame, but in the background one saw tho excited Ngapuhis from the north all ready, jumping in the air, and ® flourishing their feather-headed taiahas. Two warriors, dancing grotesquely, led the tribe forward, till one fell prono upon the ground, and the other posod with his foot upon the prostrate form, indicative of an enemy vanquished in combat. Then the representatives of tho tribe rushed forth- e with a great shout as their battle weapons were raised threateningly \ above the lines. The dance they gave f was spirited, and was loudly applauded, t The Ruakawas, from Otaki, followed, but tho effect of their poi was spoiled by modern music played by fiddles and , an accordeon. As the dance came to an end, a chief was seen advancing with a pretty young girl, with a splendid head of unbraided hair falling to her knees. On her broast she wore a. tiki, and in her hand she carried a splendid greenstone mere. With modest demeanour she advanced, and was presented. Disengaging her right hand from the string of the mere, she ! took the Prince's proffered hand, then jj making an obeisance, she solemnly re- n treated down tho steps. AH this time, { as dance succeedcd dance, the Prince , was watching closely, and was evidently . keenly interested. His face was seri- I ous, and there was an absence of hiß usual smile, but later the clown-like c antics of some of the younger warriors brought a ray of sunshine to his faceIn the marae Sir James Carroll and r several prominent Maoris were walking about, staffs in hands, and pipes in B their mouths, so the Princo now lit a cigarette, and puffed at it whilst the j next tribe was proparing to enter tho t marae. These were the famous fight- s ing Ngatiporu from the East Cape. c Formerly wiry and alert, they are now j somewhat changed in form as the re- s suit of our civilisation, but thoy have not forgotten how to dance tlfe old r dances, nor how to sing the old songs, x Stripped to buff, barefooted, and wear- i ing. sashes of royal purple, they ad- j vanced in two sections, and as they sprang to the haka the ground vibrated * with tho thud .of their bare feet. They produced what' seemed to be the largest c body of dancers in the camp, and 1 prominent among them was Ngata, no v lonrrer the member of Parliament _ and ttichelor of Law, but one magically transformed into the real Maori, enact- I 1

P *"5 Wltll fervour these scenes fmm L the past that he himself so poeticaS describes. Their women came dressed in sombro black, ovor which thev Z the rustling puhi puhi, made from the dried blades of the New Zealand flax Their hakas and their pois wero loudlv cheered. J Presently, through the ranks of the women with the pois, enmo two lin M of crouching warriors. These suddenly appeared in front, and the whole "rom> broke out into a wild chant and dance ending with a final '-hee, haa heo a* thoy sank crouching on the ground There was a final outburst following v wailmg chant that came from the left whence men and women, rank behind " rank, went through a final dance The Ilawke's By trirls, the 'front rank with lon- stringed snide pois, tho back ranks with the smaller doufelo g pois % were very graceful. As thev fint isheci their dance a pretty maiden was v seen advancing, winsome smiles and rV- • | pollent. H-- U re< altornatinor n * she ap,l j pronehed tho stand. In one hand sho 0 carried a niere, in another a camera, e ; 'Wry graceful sho was as she repeated tho movements of the poi. Thus she e tho fon{ the stand where tho Prince was seated, and hnvin<* a ; taken his picture, she curtsied and rel >, ] treated as gracefully and as enchant, e ingly as she came. She was a born r. actress. A comedienne one moment a traeod'onno the next. Afterwards, other poi girls came up to the Prince whero ' he sat and nroso'nted for his examina--1 tion their tribal flags. i The Taranakis. a line body of men, advanced bearinc a banner on which ' ! was inscribed •"Kin Ora. Digsrer." They ! danced magnificently their' hakas and i no is in the manner of the olden days, . There was no finer exhibition during i tho hui, and cheers arose from the as- , i sembled multitude. It was noon before the- ceremonial ended, and tho Princo. slopping from the stand, walked anions the Maoris as his fnther > and mother had done before him. He - j w]s soon lost in the great crowd of ! tribesmen that surged enthusiastically about him with exclamations of wel- ■ come. As he stepped into his car and i d'-ovo off tho rrround, he was heartily cli Pored. Tile Maori welcome was at an . end, and it had indeed been n day to . remember. [ WHAKAREWAREWA EE VISITED. Tho Prince in tho afternoon, in addi. tion to meeting tho school children, was s present at a parado of returned Maori I soldiers, and presented a number of medals for war servi.o*. 1 After that he paid another visit to AVhakarewarcwa, walking out and back. 1 During his stay at he thoroughly examined every item in the list of tnp. wonders of nature to be seen there. | This evening ho goes to bathe in tho i Duchess bath, which was opened by his mother during the Royal visit of 1901. RETURN TO AUCKLAND. PRINCE'S REGRET AT CURTAIL, MENT OF TOUR. (pr;:ss association" telegram.) ROTORUA. April 29 The Royal party is timed to leave for Auckland late to-night, and after : that what will happen is not known. j Ifc is unofficially stated that tho j Prince, while refraining from any ex- • pression of opinion on the question of tho strike, is honeful that a satisfactory arrangement'of tho difficulties will i be reached, as ho is extremely anxious j that no part of his country tour should Ibo abandoned. His interest especially ; in the children no doubt would causo , him to regret exceedingly any step that wou 7 d rob them of the celebrations to which they have looked forward so long with joyous anticipation. His Royal Highness has indicated i that he would willingly give up tho j three days proposed for decr-stalking in tho Wairarapa l if they could bo I utilised in covering tho TaranakiHawise's Bay portion of the origiiwJi itinerary. Ho is especially anxious that ' tho question of his tour should not be j used as a lever to influence the men ono way or tho other, but ho dots feel that the children and the country people generally in the area affected tiy the proposed cut would bless a settlement that enabled them to realise the hopes ; they have lately "been building of participating in scenes that will live in their memories. THE NORTH ISLAND TOUR. DEPENDENCE UPON STRIKE NEGOTIATIONS. (PEESS ASSOCIATION TELEGBAM.) WELLINGTON, April 29. The statement that the inland tour of tho Princo of Wales in the NorOi Island has boon definitely abandoned is not quite correct. It is understood that the Princo himself is most anxious to fall in with any arrangements that j can be made, and that he is prepared to shorten tho time allowed to him for rost and country sport in order to keep faith with the people of tho country. It is quite ccrtain that his visits to some of the towns on the Main Trunk ■line will have to bo cut out altogether, even if the trains arc resumed at once, and it may even bo necessary to cut" out visits to some of the Taranaki towns. Much depends on the progress of the strike negotiations.. j In any case, it is probable that the J Prince will visit all the seaport towns ~i in the Renown if there are no trains in sj which ho can travel. This must mean a "j considerable revision of tho progrommo mapped out for him. ENTERTAINMENT IN SYDNEY. (Australian, and N.Z. Cable Association.) SYI>NEY, April 29. The City Council voted £8000 td entertain tne Prince of Wales. [The Sydney City Council rece ntly voted against the expenditure of £5000 for de-orating the city during tho Prince of "Wales's visit J]