TONGAN QUEEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 236, 5 October 1936, Page 11

TONGAN QUEEN.

GUEST OF TE PUEA. MEETING AT NGARUAWAHIA. There was more than a touch of the dramatic in the meeting which took place 011 Saturday morning at Ngaruawahia between the Queen of Tonga, Queen Salote Tubou, who is visiting New Zealand, and Princess Te Puea Herangi, who has been called the "uncrowned queen" of the Maori people. Queen Salote. who was accompanied by her Consort, Prince Tugi, and her suite, broke her journey to Rotorua at Ngaruawaliia for a few hours, in order that she might see Te Puea r/id the work which she has achieved at Ngaruawahia pa —once the residence of her grandfather, King Tawliiao. Queen Salote was ■accompanied by Mrs. W. A. Boucher, wife of the agent for Tonga in New Zealand, anil Boucher. The preliminary arrangements for the visit wjre made by Mrs. 11. M. Colwill, of Te Akarana Women's Association, who has known Queen Salote for many years, and who is closely related to both the Princess Te Puea and her husband. Mrs. Colwill was also a visitor to Ngaruawahia, accompanied by her daughter, Mrs. Leo Kronfeld, Mrs. T. Kronfeld, and Mrs. Hirst.

Princess Te Puea had arranged a wonderful reception for Queen Salote. A traditional Maori powhiri was performed, with hakas, on arrival at the pa, and poi dances and songs were given by their best performers. At luncheon, which was served in the carved house, "Mahinarangi," Princess Te Puea, who is a delightful and thoughtful hostess, had arranged an original meal. This included whitebait from the Waikato River, specially selected for its delicacy and size by six of her Maori helpers, who had spent hours in it« preparation, and a salad of Island fruits, including pineapple.

Later these two outstanding women, who between them play an important part 111 swaying the destinies of their people, conversed in the meeting house, and Queen Salote inspected the pa and its picturesque cottages with their outer walls of punga stems. Te Puea has several schemes of improvement planned for the settlement which will be carried out when means permit.

Queen Salote and Princess Te P«ea possess in common certain instinctive traits; they both have an unshakeablo idealism for the destiny of their peoples, a natural unaffected dignity, an unselfish efficiency which always puts the welfare of otlufts before their own comfort, and a keen sense of humour to balance their seriousness of purpose. Before the Toucan party left for Rotorua in the late afternoon, Queen Salote extended to Princess Te Puea a cordial invitation to visit Tonga in the -near future. It is to be hoped that Te Puea will be able to accept this, for her health, though better than during the winter, is still far from good, and apart from the interest of seeing Tonga the sea voyage would probably greatly benefit her.