An interesting souvenir booklet has been issued at Weitara on the occasion of the recent gathering for the opening of the carved memorial meeting house and of the statue of the late Sir Maui Pomare. It consists of 100 pages and has a coloured picture on the cover of a Taranaki seashore scene with old-time carved house and canoes putting out from the beach, and Mount Egmont towering above. The statue of Sir Maui is also included. A preface explains the circumstances of Sir Maui’s death at Los Angeles and of the decision to cremate the body. The ashes, brought to New Zealand via Rarotonga, where a special funeral service was held for the loved chief, were, after a memorial service in Wellington and a Maori tangi at Waikanae, finally deposited at Waitara, to await arrangements for a permanent memorial. The invitation in the Maori language, which was issued to all tribes by the chairman of the Taranaki Trust Board, Rima Wakarua, Is also given in full, and contains the programme of the week's gathering. The main part of the book contains extracts from the books of Dr. Peter Buck on the history of Maori settlement of New Zealand, on Maori culture and decorative art, and a detailed and illustrated description of the carved house itself, with a list of all workers. The book finished with the words of many Maori songs and hakas that were sung at the pa during the ceremonies.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21827, 6 July 1936, Page 8
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243Untitled Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21827, 6 July 1936, Page 8
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