DEATH OF A WELL KNOWN GUIDE

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1911, Page 5

DEATH OF A WELL KNOWN GUIDE

SOPHIA OF ROTORUA,

IBT TSLBGBAPH—PKB FBIOi ASSOCIATION.}

ROTORUA, December 4

The well-known guide, Sophia, died at Whakarewarewa early this morninjg. She was the daughter of a British officer, named Grey, her mother being of the Ngatimuanui tribe, Taranaki, and she was born either in Taranaki or in tire Bay of Islands, about 85 years ago. She went through awful experiences at the time , of the Tarawera eruption on June 10th, 1886, her whare at the buried village of Wairoa, affording shelter to some 40 natives. Sophia guided the last party (which included the illfated Bainbridge) who viewed the famous pink and white terraces and she saw the phantom canoe that natives regarded as a warning of disas- ' ter. Sophia, who was educated at the Mission School in the Bay of Islands, was a fluent talker and her descrijptions of the wonders of the thermal regions and of the eruptions were* ft source of delight and interest to to'urists. Among the notabilities *' phia had conducted over the Terra -es was tfi? Duke of Edinburgh and on ’he occas ion of the King’s visit to Rororua, i?ha iV conducted the Duchess >f foik louna, Whakarewarewa.