Pageant On Waitangi Marae

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30634, 28 December 1964, Page 1

Pageant On Waitangi Marae

fN Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Dec. 27. Four days of celebrations marking the one hundredth and fiftieth anniversary of the first Christian service in New Zealand Zealand ended at Waitangi with a spectacular pageant on Saturday afternoon and with services on the Waitangi marae today. About 0000 people visited Waitangi for the celebrations. On Saturday afternoon.

about 11.000 persons, packed tightly in the shadow of the great oak tree on the Treaty House marae, watched a cast of 45 re-enact the events which led to the arrival of Marsden at Rangihoua Bay for the service on Christmas Day, 1814.

European characters were played by members of the Kerikeri Players. Maori roles were played by Maoris from Paihia, Kaikohe, Kawakawa, and other centres, some of them direct descendants of the characters they portrayed. Performed with the meeting house as a background, the pageant opened at Hongi Hika's village at Kerikeri when a chief, Ruatara, first became interested in the outside world.

Five subsequent scenes de-

picted Marsden’s first meeting with Ruatara, the arrival in New Zealand of the missionaries. Kendall and Hall, Hongi’s visit to Australia, and finally Marsden’s arrival at Oihi.

During the last scene the audience and cast sang the hymn “All People That On Earth Do Dwell.”

The Bishop of Aotearoa (the Rt. Rev. W. N. Panapa) pronounced the final blessing and led the final procession from the marae.

This morning the GovernorGeneral (Sir Bernard Fergusson) read the second lesson at a service on the marae at which the preacher was the Primate of New Zealand (the Most Rev. N. A. Lesser). Tonight the Bishop of Auckland (the Rt. Rev. E. A. Gowing)

and Bishop Panapa officiated at the final mission service.