WELCOME FOR PRINCESS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31333, 1 April 1967, Page 2

WELCOME FOR PRINCESS

(From Out Own Correspondent) PORTSMOUTH NAVAL BASE, April L After a two-hour visit to the frigate Waikato yesterday afternoon, Princess Alexandra left with a silver brooch in the design of the Taniwha (a Maori river serpent) and sailor’s hat with the Waikato ribbon. The brooch was presented to the Princess by Captain E. C. Thorne as a momenta of her visit. The hat was a bonus requested by the Princess to surprise her three-year-old son. The Princess kept a promise she made when she launched the Waikato in Belfast, in February, 1965, to visit the ship when it was ready to sail for New Zealand. The Princess was piped on board the frigate and then learned startled when she

faced a traditional Maori challenge with brandished spear and tongue poked out at her. Other members of the ship’s Maori concert party in grass skirts sang “Pokarekareana” while the Princess inspected a Royal guard with rifles and fixed bayonets lead by Lieu-tenant-Commander A. Tyrrell, Auckland. Then the Maoris gave a final spirited haka. After lunch in the wardroom, the Princess walked about Die Waikato, meeting many members of the ship’s company. Footnote: Leading Weapons Mechanic W. L. Halbert, of Gisborne, who delivered the Maori challenge, is an old hand at the ceremony. He has poked his tongue at many celebrities including the King and Queen of Thailand, but this was his first confrontation with British Royalty.