BY THE SILVER SEA.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 5, 7 January 1929, Page 5

BY THE SILVER SEA.

COUNTRY CHILDREN'S CAMP.

TEN DATS' OF TENT XJFE.

PICTURESQUE PORT WAIKATO.

"THE LOVE OP KAHUKURA."

To-day will be one of regrets and to-morrow one of memories for 200 Waikato children who have been camping at Port Waikato for the past ten days. This evening the river steamer Manuwai will be homeward bound, an allnight trip, as the distance is some 80 miles against the stream before Hamilton is reached. It has been a wonderful holiday for young Waikato at the seaside, and the children have to thank for it the Waikato Children's Camp League, an organisation formed at Hamilton.

Last year a children's camp on a comparatively small scale was held at Raglan. During the past year funds were collected, a camp on a larger scale was planned and Port Waikato was selected as the location. It was a very happy choice—a long sheltered valley, bordered by a steep hillside crowded with luxuriant native bush, a strip of level grassy land in the foreground, with, along one border, a little stream flowing gently over a bed of sand and pebbles.

There is a good motor road to Port Waikato from Tuakau. It leads to the site of the famous Alexandra Redoubt; the river is croesed to the Onewhero side by a bridge, and then the way follows through undulating pastoral country that was thrown open for settlement in the days of the late John Ballance. It is a winding way through pretty little little valleys, which eventually follows the edge of the river, five miles wide at one place, and clustered with green little islands fringed with, willow trees, and, near the mouth where the estuary widens, miles of curving beaches of sand. Great Welcome After River Trip. By steamer the children came to Port Waikato, a twelve-hours' trip from Hamilton, with calls on the way at Ngaruawahia and Huntly to pickup additional juvenile campers. The majority came from Hamilton, but places as far afield as Leamington, Putaruru and Kihikihi, in the King Country, were represented.

On arrival at Port Waikato the local residents, European and natives alike, turned out to give their young visitors a great welcome; transport was ready to take them to the camp about half a mile away, and within an hour the children were snugly settled down under canvas. It was wet for three days in succession. A feeling of mild homesickness and depression grew, then the weather became all that it should be for life in the open, and for young Waikato, camp life became one continuous joy.

Catering for a family of 200 for over a week has been a task of some magnitude, but after the opening day a steady routine began and everything went smoothly. At one end of the camping grounds rows of tents provided sleeping accommodation for the boys, who numbered over a hundred, a large marquee with seating accommodation was used for meals and a store room and cook house of fairly substantial nature was built. The girls' portion of the camp was divided from the boys' portion by the small stream.

The officials in charge were Mr. W. H. Paul, of Hamilton, who originated the children's camping movement, Mr. H. C. Ross, Dr. F. Pinfold, Mesdames H. C. Ross and Pinfold (all of Hamilton), assisted by a small staff of workers. From Reveille to Lights Out. Through the full period of the camp everything went according to timetable, starting with reveille and cocoa at 6.40, to be followed by roll call, ablutions at the creek and saluting the flag before breakfast came along. During each day there were organised bathing parados, drill and recreative periods, intervals for meals, until 8.30 at night, when a long day came to a close. Then the bugle sounded "Lights out" and young Waikato laid down its collective head to dream of further triumphs on the following day.

Saturday was a "free and easy" day at the ca:np. The girls with one accord patronised the creek to paddle and to wash their hair, one section of the boys played Ked Indians and raiding parties roamed the hills, while another group of the lads started a cricket match, with the main road as a wicket, where dead ■'shooters" and low scoring alike ruled. During the evening the camp wireless gave the news of the day. With the steep hillside acting as a sounding-board one lay and listened to the ripple of the creek and the occasional cry of a mopoke, the information that Australia had lost the third Test match, the fact that the weather somewhere in the vicinity of Foveaux Strait was by no means promising, likewise the results of various races with, in at least one instance, the depressing intimation that "the second leg of a double" had failed to materialise.

Yesterday was a perfect morning for camp life. At dawn the tuis were calling their liquid song from the tops of the rimu trees, and the swish of the wings of wild pigeons could be heard overhead. There were many visitors. Good-natured Maoris came from the neighbourhood to conduct a haangi, and cook a pig and vegetables on the top of heated stones. The Maoris' method of preparing food was a great attraction, but coincidently a children's church service was held on an adjoining hillside, the first verses of popular hymns were selected, and youthful voices sang in unison. There was mild difficulty ia sorting out respective creeds, but that was satisfactorily arranged, and even

an* email boy, who waa somewhat hazy ae to how he usually spent the Sabbath, wee adequately catered forw

Greeting from Maoris.

The Maori visitors took a great interest in the children. They served the mid-day meal for all the campers, and later they gave folk songs and a war cry.

On behalf of the natives Mr. Ngakihi Tamihana gave greeting to the Europeans, and expressed the pleasure they had at being able to help the European children. Hβ said that they appreciated , just as much as tie Europeans that Mr. Edward Spargo, one of the old residents of the locality, had decided that the camp site and its surroundings—an area of about 40 acres—should be devoted for all time as a site for a camp for the children of the Waikato. Then he told the etory in a simple way of the great chief Kahukura, who lived there hundreds of years ago, a rangatira who wore the red feathers of the kaka on hia jacket, a rangatira who had great mana. For that reason the Maoris desired that the camping ground should be known as Kahukura Aroha (literally, "love of Kahukura").

Mr. Paul told how Mr. Spargo had placed the camping site at the disposal of the children. A few days later he inquired if it was likely to be of a permanent character, and had then made the gift of the 40 acres of land. It was a great gift, one that for all time would be appreciated by the people of the Waikato. The speaker also thanked the natives for their continual gifts of fruit, vegetables and eggs for the camp. At the conclusion of the gathering the natives again gave their war cry. Spontaneously 200 children gave reply: Holly—go— rock—go—ray, Holly—go—rock—go—ray, Wai—k—a—t—o! Waikato! Waikato! Waikato!