HISTORY MADE

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 65, 18 March 1938, Page 8

HISTORY MADE

A GREAT DAY.

i WAIKATO MAORIS. LORD GALWAY WELCOMED. TE WINIKA'S JOURNEY. (Bj - Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) XGATvUA WAHIA, this day. To-day history was made 011 the Waikato River. To-day half a century fell away, and the past lived again. After many, many years the ancient "highway" of the Waikato Maoris was used to carry a distinguished, guest to his destination. To-day his Excellency the Governor-General, lord Galway, o;>ened the great new carved house of the Maori King, Koroki, newly built at the pa at Ngaruawahia. That a function should have been judged important enough to warrant the attention of the Governr-General was indeed an honour to the Maoris, but the representative of the British King arrived ih no prosaic way by road or rail. He was taken to the pa in tli<? fashion that old time custom demanded —in a Tana waka, the war canoe. It is true the house would have been opened by him however, he arrived, but that he came in the old time way was evidence to the Maoris that their custom is not a thing of the past. Te Winika was the canoe used—tJie canoe which von Tempsky broke just when it was about to leave the Waikato Heads to take warriors to Ngaruawahia to fight the soldiers of the British Crown. Message of Peace. Strange it is to-day that, when the journey begun so long ago to-day wjs finished, Te Winika should have carried a representative of that same Cr nvn on a message of peace. The very building of Turongo, one of the finest j examples of the ancient Maori era "t*- | men's art in Ao-tea-roa is itself tang--1 ible proof of a renewed unity anion; the Maoris of their capacity for s isI tained selfless effort—in a word, the | worth of tradition.

This then is the background for liie events of the greatest day the Waikato, indeed Maori New Zealand, has sei-i. for years.

A great blood-red craft, long and lean, carved prow and stern high a"i uprearing. bedecked and plumed, lies waiting at the landing stage on Ire Waipa River at the foot of the Xgaruawahia Domain. Thirty-six half-n.iked and tattooed warriors are with it.

His Excellency arrives. He is clad in ornate and magnificent formal dress for the occasion. Lady < ialway and three aide-de-camps are with him, also ceremonially clad. They step into the canoe, and their seats, raised like a dais above the level of the paddlers, makes them doubly conspicuous. The word is given, the warriors strain and Te Winika moves. Rainbows float in a crescent as paddles flash, turn and dip in unison. Surely few stranger journeys have been taken by a Seneral. As the craft rounds from the Waipa River into the Waikato towards the pa the two long plumes, the puliihi set in tlie fork at the head of the prow carving whose name is Tauilm, point the way to home. Slightlv behind come two escort canoes, each with 12 paddlers. Then do those left behind at the embarking place and those waiting at the landing stage hear the roar echoing down the serenity of the long river reach and back from the willow green banks of the ancient Hautu. Waka canoe chant. The leader or kaihautu rises to his feet. He waves his mere and the chant swells to a climax. It is a gloriously fine day. hot and I still, so still that the voices of those at j the pa- can be heard far down the river. } and the hiss of the paddles from bank to bank. Te Winika approaches home.' A party of green-garlanded wahines are at the landing-stage. One old woman stmds j ■ oil the stage and begins a ceremonial chant. The others take it up. so the , deep roar of the warrior* gives place to! the high, thin wail of the women. Still nearer conies the canoe, the paddlers 1 give one last chant, and Te Winika draws alongside. The journey so long ; ago begun is completed, and the Maoris 1 have done the highest honour they know ! to the representative of the British King. Gathering of 5000. The Governor-Oeneral. Lady Galway j and the three aides—Captain R. (i. ('•. Bryon. military secretary. Captain R. 1-". 1 H. P. Stuart French, military aide, and I Lieut. D. R. C. H. Lombard - Hobson. ; R.X. —land first. To greet them i- an old woman, with whom Lord and Lady Galway ceremoniously shake bauds, j Tliey do the same with a line of their ; women welcomers. Scorning to use ' motor cars that are waiting, they walk ■ up the long avenue from the river liink to the nuirae. where some .">OOO Maoris have gathered in a great semi-circle to meet them. Here they are given a ' more ceremonial welcome by a haka and poi party.

Lord (ialway stands under the carved j eaves of Te Mahina. a ran«i with his I great heiglit. his orders and medals, and ' liis ceremonial dress. He is an out-j standing figure. He speaks and ! crowd leans forward to listen. Ho j assures them that his welcome has : indeed been an experience, that the Maoris' work is worth while and that j he will convey manifestations of the ! welcome to His Majesty the Kins;. I

The official party, besides those who j arrived in the canoe, were the Counters i of Orford and Lady Anne Walpole: his j Excellency, the (Governor of Vauvau. ' Akanola. and his wife: the Hon. F. ! Langstoiie. Acting-Minister of Lands, j representing the Prime Minister. Mr. ' Savage; the Hons. Li>e Mart in,.and i'. I Fraser: two judges of the Native J«U;d j Court. Messrs. MeCormick and A<he. and officials of the various l)epartme:i;s concerned witli Maori welfare. I An appropriate gesture was made 'i; the Auckland Institute and War j Memorial Museum, as the ethnologist. ! Mr. \. Fisher, made a special trip tr» j loan a ceremonial bailer for the ca:i.n» ' trip. This was one presented formerly to the museum bv Te Puea Heran>--i : C.B.E. " ~ ' I