PAGEANT AT PETONE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 19, 23 January 1940, Page 4

PAGEANT AT PETONE

THE PAST RE-ENACTED

COLOURFUL EFFECTS

Scenes of a hundred years ago were re-enacted, and historic words were heard again yesterday afternoon on the Petone Recreation Ground, when a Centennial Pageant was presented to an audience estimated at well over 10,000.

When the official party arrived after the opening of the Wellington Provincial Centennial Memorial on the &&■ tone foreshore, the ground was rapidly filling and there were not many seats left in the stand, which was reserved;; for invitation-holders.

The official party included Lord and Lady Galway, the Marquess and Marchioness of Willingdon, the Hon. P. Fraser, Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. IJ. G. R. Mason, Attorney-Gene-ral, the Hon. D. Wilson. Legislative Council, Senator P. A. M. Mcßride, representing the Australian Government, the Chief Justice (the Hon: Sir Michael Myers), Sir Harry Batter bee, High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, and Mr. G. London, Mayor of Petone.

When all was ready for the start of the pageant, the grounds presented a vast colourful spectacle. In a cleared space in front of the grandstand, two heaps of earth marked the location of the huge stone umu, or Maori ovens, where the meat of two bullocks and two pigs, together with half a ton of potatoes, had been cooking since midnight, the previous night. ON THE TORY. In the middle of'the Petone Oval was a realistic representation of the barque Tory, complete to masts and yards. The first scene represented a composite pattern of events on the Tory, the advance ship of the New Zealand Land Company, between September 20 and 27, 1839 These events were in effect the sale of Whan ganui-a-Tara, or Wellington Harbour, and the land about it. As the portrayal commenced, the contrast of the gaily- j coloured'sailors' uniforms with the formal garb of Colonel Wakefleld and the young Jerningham Wakefleld and the elaborate mats and weapons of the Maoris was picturesque and impressive.; The two chiefs, the old wise Te Puni and his nephew, Wharepouri, ■ were seen on board the Tory, greeting their old and respected friend, Dicky Barrett, the pilot. Both chiefsspoke to the Wakefields through Barrett as interpreter, expressing satisfaction that the white men wanted to buy the land. Te Purii's speech was translated as; "We want to live in peaie^'and to have white people come amongst vis/ We are growing old, and waiif-our children to have protectors in people from Europe. We have long heard of ships from Europe. Here is one at length; and we will sell our harbour and our land, and live with the white, people when they come to us." -. •'•:.' Wharepouri's famous. speech was also given, as was* the shrill keening welcome by the Maori women to their relative, Dicky Barrett's wife, whom they had not seen for five years.," Other high lights of those eight historic days were given. These were the heated.objection of the chief Puakawa to the sale, the favourable opinion of the old sage Matangi, the dexterous and amusing spear-dance of Kaih^aia, nicknamed Taringakuri (dog's ear), and the final division of goods between the six tribes. Puakawa had the last word in a violent harangue, but the Addition of a. case of muskets to the. original five stopped some of the argument, and the exchange and sale were completed. The Maoris then left the Tory with their newly-acquired goods, and the deck of the ship was quickly transformed into the Pito-one foreshore. FAMILIAR NAMES. Mr. Harison-Cook, producer of the pageant, took advantage of the changing of the scene to tell his audience, of the derivation of local names: Po£t Nicholson, after the harbourmaster of Port Jackson, Lowry Bay after the first mate of the Tory, Lambton Harbour in honour of the Earl of Durham, governor of the company, Thorndon flat was named for the Essex residence of Lord Petre, the river (Heretaunga) for Mr. William Hutt, the island (Matiu) for Mr. Joseph Somes, deputy governor of the company, Mr. Francis Baring, Sir George Sinclair, and Pencarrow, the residence of Sir William Molesworth, gave, their names to the three headlands at the entrance, and Barrett's Reef perpetuated the pilot's name. ' The second scene depicted the hoisting of the flag at Pito-one on September 30. 1839. A band of muscular warriors came forward, bearing the stripped trunk of a tree, which was quickly set up. Sailors then dragged oh to the platform two lethal-looking "cannon." Amidst genera] rejoicing, the New Zealand flag, with its red cross on a white ground, its one blue piaster, and its four white, six-pointed stars, was, broken to the wind. A salute of twenty-one guns followed, together with a vigorous haka by 32 Maori braves. Following this, a hakari took place, in the form of a feast. The two umu were opened, and spectators were able to partake of, food cooked in the Maori way. Many of. the onlookers made a picnic of it, and some of the Hutt Valley's most staid citizens could be seen eating pork, beef, and potatoes from flaxen baskets without ■he aid of knife or ' fork. The official luncheon was on more formal lines. SETTLERS ARRIVE. After lunch, the Maoris entertained with hakas, poi dances, and waiatas, which were very well received. The final scene depicted the arrival of the early settlers from the Aurora, and the cementing of the friendship between the Maori and the white map.,. It concluded with Wharepouri's famr pus injunction to his. people, and the singing of "God Defend New Zealand."-- :.;•..■■■.-!■■ ' ■"■ The principal parts'were taken as follows:—Colonel William Wakefield, Eric Muir; Edward Jerningham Wakefield, R. Burgess; Dicky Barrett, P. L. Hunt; Captain E. M. Chaffers, L.. K. Morris- (assistant producer); Robert Doddrey (the ship's storekeeper) ,■ F.. Dick; Puakawa, Hapi Love; Wharev pouriv Simon Penny; Te Puni, A. Tinerau; Taringakuri, T. Tinerau; Wi Tako, Hamiora; Matangi. Tau Haraakehu; and Richard Lowry (the chief mate), J. W. Andrews (Mayor of Lower Hutt). The First Lower Hutt Rover Crew played the part of the sailors." Mr. Matt Love was in charge of the cooking. The chief cook was Kopu, and his assistants were Apou, Edwin,

Tamokepo, Hakaraia, ; and Tutaha. Members of the Ngati Ppneke and -the Ngati Taranaki assisted greatly in the conduct of the pageant.