MEREMERE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 14 August 1923, Page 4

MEREMERE.

. a THE EVENING STAR.

. - I A correspondent writes: "I should like to coii{jriituia.i.e w .^..C>. uijou ujj fcj.oeiit>no fcuut entitled "xiie oeasuu. liegins,'' wiiicn appeared in toatuiuay s issue ol tne otar. it ocspeui-s poetical ability ot no mean order. xioivever, no made a sii^m. mistake wneu he reteireu to Meueniere as vi« Maori star of mora, in ius valuable worii, "me Maoris of i\ew Zealana/' uiiuer tue iieaamg or "'a i>ay at 'iiui'/' Mr James cowan says: -vil'ue royal town is &uy \»_u_ nags. A i<ui n«,gstair stands near us, naunting to tixs wind rour or nve. oiignt^-v-o^^xeu banners of curious design, xno toplnoat, nag, a ioug vvnue o^e, is leitoi^d 4Ji.o Mabuta te Kingi' (Mahuta is K.mg;, _witn an ovei-aiching raiuoow, wnieu is to tiie Maoris tne persoiiiUcauon and outward and vibioie sign oi tneir ancient god Leuuku. On the second flag, a very large one, is painted a war canoe, wiuii plumes axui

nau-tu, representative of tne historic Xani-ui, tne craft in wnich tne ancestors of Mahuta and tne WaiKato people crossed tne Pacific Ocean. Tomui is surmounted by a rainbow, as in the case or tne otner nag, ana tnere uue various devices, such as stars (the Pleiades constellation} and crosses, au of which bear meanings familiar to the Hingites. Tne rainbow god. tenuis v, say tiie Waikatos, guideu the Tainui across tbe lonely ocean to tnis country. On the topmost flag are worked two large stairs. One ot these represents Tawera, tne morning sta^-, and. tbe otner Meremere, tne evening star (.Venus). Tradition stales that? wnen Tainui was crossing the great sea from JtiawaiiKi (.tne ancient fatnetrla-hd) to the snores of New Zeariand, the bright Shining Ones cheeied the brave n«#.i.-is oi vuose ViKings of the Southern fcoas, wnose descendants now ruanirest men- gratitude by placing the Starr;' emiiiems on tlieir flags.'' j