THE MERCER REGATTA,

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 293, 11 December 1899, Page 6

THE MERCER REGATTA,

/ spoets o:n t the waikato

Sd^asuSr-Mr C. T. Edwards.

The Mercer annual regatta, which has been so'popular in past years, and which was revived successfully last year, was again hold on The waters ot the Waikato Kiver on Saturday afternoon last, and proved a most successful and enjoyable affair. The weather was beautiful, and a great number of visitors, chiefly from country districts on the Waikato, gathered on £ banks of. the river at Mercer (or •Te Paina," as the Maoris call it) to witness the native canoe races and the European rowing contests .Jo more suitable place for sports of this kind could be found than the smooth waters of the wide flowing Waikato at Mercer, and the bank, near the township afforded the spectators an excellent view of the races, while many of the visitors crossed over by the steam-launch Irene to the pretty wooded island of Tuoro, opposite the village, and enjoyed themselves in picnic fashion. The railway arrangements were very satisfactory and were under the personal supervision of- Mr A. Grant, the District. Manager of the railways. Financially, as well as in other ways, the regatta was attended with success, and great credit is due to Mr C. T. Edwards, the honorary secretary and treasurer, and the committee for the excellence of the arrangements and the carrying out of the water-sports. The most interesting feature of the day's gating, to the European visitors, was the Maori element, several hundreds of Waikato natives being present from their riverside villages; and the gay attire of the Maori ladies lent brilliant colour to the assemblage. The "Kia Ora" Maori brass band, from .the Eangiriri district, discoursed up-to-date music during the day from their elevated station on the top of a railway truck. Amongst the natives present were a number of prominent Waikato chiefs, including Te "Wherowhe'ro (brother of "King" Mahuta), Hori Kukutai, Te Uawhiti, Nga--tvharau, Hori Herewihi, and Te Whareroa. Mr F. W. Lang, M.H.E., Patron of the regatta, was present during the day, and took great interest in the regatta.

MAORI CANOE EVENTS

As on previous occasions at Wai-' kato regattas, the public interest centred in the Maori canoe races, and these events all proved to be splendid contests, well worth the journey from town. The Waikato. natives are par excellence the canoeists of New Zealand, and their constant pi'aetice with the paddle has rendered both men and women exceedingly expert in the handling of their long, narrow "dug-outs." The Mei-cer Committee devoted on this occasion the sum of £84 to, prizes for canoe races, of which there were seven on the programme, four of. them being Jiurdle races. The river Maoris had made great preparations for the regatta, and had built a number of new canoes, chiefly small ones, for the hurdles races, or "peke-taiepa." The largest of the new canoes were the iWhawhakia and the' Taraiwaru. The Jatter, however, was only built and launched a few weeks ago, and, being too sappy and heavy as yet, she did not take part in the races. The Tarai•waru, which is sixty feet long1, was cut out of a rimu tree in the bush near Pukekawa, on the western side of the river, and-is owned by a Ngatitipa chief named Te Whare'roa, who lives at Pungapunga, above Mercer. The water-sports opened at noon with a procession of canoes' up and flown the river. Owing tp some misunderstanding the whole of the canops did not take part in the procession, but the big Paparata and three.other large canoes (including the! Papapa and Erino Paraea) put in an appearance and paddled down-stream and Tip again. As the canoes, led by the Paparata, passed the landing - wharf, .where most of the spectators were' gathered, the canoeists gave an exhibition of the "fancy" paddling peculiar to the Waikato. Te Katipa, the veteran "Kai-hautu-wiika," or fugleman, of the Paparata, stood amidships in his craft, giving the time to his men. As the long canoes swept past in midstream the old chief, with a wave of lis greenstone "mere," shouted to the crews, "Aue! Taringa whakarongo!" ("Oh, ears, listen!") This was by way of preparatory word or caution.' Then the "hau-tu" g- ave the orders: "Hikitia!" ("Lift up!") and "Pakia!" ("Slap it!) whereupon every canoeist deftly raised his paddle clear above the canoeside, missing one stroke, and with the other hand smart]y clapped the dripping blade of the paddle. The next momenfeach man once more dipped jhis paddle deep, and the canoes sped on .along the shining water-way. This performance was repeated several times witlj good effect. As the big canoes paddled up-stream the crews joined in the chorus of an ancient song. Brandishing his glistening'greenstone club the Pa-parata's chieftain chanted the opening"* words of a well-known warcanoe song or "ngeri" of old: . Waikato c. ngunguru nei ("Oh Waikato waters, rumbling1 here") •whereupon the paddlers shouted with one voice the rousing chorus: : Au! au! aue-ha! ' I aue! Nekehia! The final word, "nekehia," is equivalent to the English "Move her along!" Then the crews paddled back to the bank for a short rest before the great race of the day came on. x A SPLENDID RACE. IUo more keenly-fought big canoe race has been seen on the Waikato B.iv\er than the splendid struggle which took place shortly after one p.m. between the Paparata and the "Whawtakia. The Paparata is a large kahikatea canoe, about 80ft. long, ■which has on numerous previous occasions been steered to victory. She is about eleven years old, and is owned by the Ngatinaho and Ngatitamaoho ■tribes, of Eangiriri, Whangamarino, and Afercer. On the occasion of the Ngaru'awahia regatta last March, the Paparata won both the large races,

beating- the Pupurikana, the well-' known crack canoe of the Huntly andj Taupiri natives. The Pupurikana be-! ing now discarded through age, after a long and successful career, the Huntly Maoris (Ngatiwhawhakia, tribe) replaced her for the Mercer regatta with I iiu> Whawhakia, a new kahikateaj canoe, built last season at the foot of the liakarimata liange. The Wha-j whakia is about 75ft. in length, and; her native owners had great expecta-j tions of defeating the Rangiriri canoe. An excellent start of this "war"! canoe race \va.s effected from oppo- j site the Mercer wharf, the Paparata and Whawhakia getting away well together. The Taraiwaru was entered, but did not start. The Paparata was manned by forty-three picked canoeists, most of them kneeling two abreast. Amidships in this canoe stood Te Katipa. v grizzled, gaunt old rangatira from llangiriri, flourishing a fine "mere-ponnamu." Katipa, who is a relation of the hue Major Te Wheoro, acted as "hnu-tu-wakn," or time-giver, for his canoe. The Whawhakia's crew, who all wore white singlets, consisted of 2S men. members of the N'Whawhakia. Xgatitipa, a.nd Ng-atimahut.il tribes, and a young man named Waikato acted as her "han-tu" in the absence of the yeteviin To Paki through illness. The course for the race w;is two miles, with two turns.

Going up the river'to the first turn-ing-mark, the two canoes kept, very close ' together, the Paparata's men paddling' a somewhat quicker stroke than the others. The seventy keenpointed manuka paddles of the rival tribesmen dipped with machine-like precision as the long canoes shot up to the mark half-a-milc up the river, and tire men at the steering paddles strained all their energies to gain the advantage, in the sharp turn. The Paparata was the first to turn, gaining about half-a-length's advantage at this point. Then the bows of the low-sided Maori craft were pointed down stream, and. away they dashed side by side at a great rate down the swift-flowing Waikato. The two "hau-tn-wa.ka," standing amidships, flourished their weapons in rhythmic measure, and encouraged their men with voice and hand, and now and again burst into short, sharp, snatches of well-known canoe chants. The Paparata's crew put on a great spurt passing the wharf, and edged their rival somewhat over to the opposite bank of the river near the island. Very little change took place in the positions of the canoes on the run down stream to the lower turning-flag, and the spectators watched with growing excitement the flashing- of the three score and ten paddles in the sun as the sharp blades glistened for an instant and dipped again. Away down at the turning-mark the canoes were seen to round the flag almost together, andthen commenced a- beautiful race home. The Whawhakia steadily crept up, her dark-browed- crew working as if for their lives, instead of for a- few pounds prize-money. Muscles strained and cracked, and the splendid physique of the river-men vras called on to do its uttermost. Now came the call for the "hau-tu, v- and. thefrenzied leaders were for the time being back in the days of old Maoriland. They waved awl flourished their hands-^-now on this side, now on that, and the, veteran red-capped Katipa was in his element. . Balancinghimself amidships, his greenstone weapon (a family treasure) quivering and flashing in the sun, the old moustaefie of the Paparata.. raised his voice hl.stentorian exhortations to his craw. This was'one of the songs he chanted, an ancierit canoe lilt, often, used on the'Waikato: — E pari ra koe te tal Whakaki ana mai Nga ngutu-awa. ... ■■• .:..; .." Hui nga ope au Ki-' te tai 'nru. •'■■ ■ Aue! Tiaia! ■-■ Aue! Koia hofc!. ■,; Hukere, - Waikatp! Aue, Ku-umea! . Tu'para. Tupara, Waikatot '■ . Toia, c! . . ; (Plowing there is the ocean tide , Surging towards me, Filling up the, mouth of the river. Gathering: are the armies At. the s^a of the west. >. . Now dip the paddles! That's it! Go along! Hasten, oh Waikato! Oh, a long pull! Now quickly, quickly Waikato! Pull away, oh!) By this time the canoes are close up,'and now begins the final struggle. Every nerve is strained for victory. There are/only a'/fjew feet difference, and the Paparata's'paddlers will heed all their- streng-th to claim "the prize. The paddle-strokes come quicker and quicker, the "hau-tu-waka" urge on their crews with frantio cries of ■"Hukere, hukere, Waikato!" "Tena tiaia," and "Hoea, hoea!" ("paddle away"), and the excitement is intense. Steadily, inch :' by inch, the 'Whawhakia crawls up on her opponent, but she cannot reach her bows. Paddling like mad, bending almost double .over their blades, and splashing the water over each other, the crews surge up to the finishing post, almost neck and neck — the Paparata's bow- is only about six-feet ahead of the Whawhakia's—the gun fires, and the race is won by a nose. ■' ', Paparata., £30.. 1 Whawhakia, £10 2 ' This race created great excitement, and the very close finish after a twomile contest made it one of the'finest struggles imaginable. OTHER CANOE RACES. The next canoe race of importance was the second race between the above mentioned larig-e canoes. This was over a two-mile course with two turns, as in the previous race, but, the crews were limited to thirty in each canoe. The Paparata carried twentynine paddlers and the Whawhakia twenty-six. This event proved to be another splendidly contested race, very closely fought from- start to finish. Both canoes got away well together. The Whawhakia assumed a slight advantage at one period of the race, but the Paparata men by hard paddling deprived them of the" lead. After rounding the last turn the final i half-mile race home was a moat exciting "go." Both canoes tore along I bow and bow for the greater part of I the distance, and then when near the Ifinishing'-post the Whawhakia's whifce- ] uniformed crew put on , a splendid : spurt and just succeeded in winning ■by a few feet, her three bow paddlers being just ahead of the Paparata's bows as the canoes finished and the grin fired. Thus the honours of the day btween the Paparata and Whawhakia were pretty evenly divided: — l Whawhakia, £15 ...........Jr. 1 Paparata, £5 2 As hitherto a v'er.y amusing feature of the regatta was the canoe hurdle races. There were four events of this I class, and the efforts of the competiUors (two in each canoe) to get their craft across the barriers .fixed in the 'river caused great laughter. The , hurdle races brought out large fields iof canoes,- eight competing in the first race The canoe hurdle race for Maori women was won by Rotana's canoe

Try Fluke, Hikurere second. The two all-comers hurdle races in canoes were won by Wi Maki's Hikurere, and by the Rotana Brothers in the Emma. Geo. Jack won the greasy boom event, prize £ 1 !()/. JIOWTXI! RACES. The chief feature of the rowing events wa..- the remarkable success achieved by the West \\rni Rowing Club, whose members won the whole of the gig races (five in number), with prize money totalling £:>(>. All the races were won easily, demonstrating, the superior training and condition ■ of the West End men. All the races' were rowed down-stream, and were; very fast. Clinker outriggers .were used. '. The following are the results in addition 10 those wired on Saturday; — Junior digs (under lv stone), lj miles. .First prize i' 7. second £1: West End X.C (W. T. Stephen>on, stroke; A. E. Stephenson. E. C. Steven-! son. J. Carrigan. 11. Stein, eox),l; Auckland II.C. 2. Junior Gigs (open). 1} miles. First prize, -■'£7; second £1: West End H.C. (A. Stephenson. stroke. A. Littleproud, IT. Sands, 1\ C. White. 11. Stein, cox). .1; Auckland K.C. :.\ lv this race a foul occurred at the start' owing North Shore taking West End's \xa.t> forcing West End down on to i Auckland, one of whose crew broke an oar in consequence. The starter and umpire, recalled the boats, but ISorth Shore declined' to come back and rowed over the course. The race was re-rowed and was won by about a length by West End, Auckland being second. North Shore refused to start again, chum-ing the race in spit*? of the umpire's decision. : Senior Gigs (open), lj miles. First prize £8, second £I:—West End II.C. (K. W. Rees, stroke,-G. 0. Stephenson, E. C. Stephenson. C. R. Pricker, Stein, cox), 1; St. George's X.C, 2. This was a good race, and was well contested. West End soon secured the lead, and though very closely passed 'by St. George's gradually increased "the advantage, eventually winning*by about a length and a half. Ladies' Pair-Oar Race. Distance about half-a-mile. First prize £2 2/, second £1 1/:— Misses M. and N. Paterson (Ngarnawahia R.C.), 1; -Misses Sullivan and Townshend (Tsorth Shore E.G.). 2.