MAORIS ON TOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14132, 6 August 1909, Page 7

MAORIS ON TOUR.

A HAPPY FAMILY.

FRATERNISING WITH RARO-

TONGANS.

ARRIVAL AT TAHITI.

INTERESTING FESTIVITIES.

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

Papeete, July 16. "Kapai!" says Kiwi, the leader of the haka. " Kapai!" say all of them. These are the band of Maoris who sailed away from Wellington on Wednesday, July 7, on board the s.s. Manapouri to conquer worlds unknown. Twenty-four men and 16 women and girls, they number 40 all told, and there never was a happier band of people than these same Maoris who are going to America under engagement to the firm of Shubcrt and Anderson, of the New York Hippodrome, and who may, before their tour is over, go farther still afield. At all events, it is next to certain that they will visit England before they come back. They have left New Zealand under the most favourable auspices, and one and all of those who are "sailing in this new Arawa canoe," as they poetically describe it, are determined to uphold the good name of the Arawa people. They have been sailing on the breast of their storied White Ocean for nine days, and the first stage of their voyage was concluded at 11 o'clock yesterday morning, when Papeete was reached. It has all been very new and wonderful to these people, and except for the first 24 hours they have sailed on a calm, unruffled sea all the way. To know that they were traversing the very pathway that their ancestors travelled over, to know that they were to see Raiotonga, the starting point of their own Arawa canoe, as of other canoes famed in Maori story, and that somewhere in the far distance in the direction they were sailing, lay ancient Hawaiiki, their ancestral home—these things were a source of indescribable pleasure to them. EPISODE I. It is unnecessary to say that the Maoris are good sailors, but I may say that they have once again proved it. They are all in the very best of health at the present time. The majority of them have been so ever since leaving New Zealand; the few who suffered from sea-sickness recovered their usual health and spirits in a day or two, and were able to join with the rest in their expressions of amazement at the intelligence that two Thursdays occurred in that particular week. The Maoris have many marvellous stories to relate about themselves ; they will tell you that Maui fished New Zealand out of the sea and other wonderful men of their race did equally wonderful things, but none of them, I think, ever imagined that a mere pakeha would eo far forget himself as to down his everyday, prosaic tools, and attempt to imitate them in the matter of magic, as seemed to be the case in regard to these two Thursdays.

This-was the first episode of consequence ia the voyage. It was incredible. It was full of tantalising mystery. When this thing occurred two days out from Wellington, there was no telling what strange things might occur as they got further on. It excited their wonder to an intense degree. Such a thing had never happened before in all their experience, and a korero was held to discuss the matter. The meeting ended unsatisfactorily. What boots it to repeat to such a people the fact of the existence of a place called Greenwich, and the effect of time-reckoning on places east and west of the same? It was quite beyond them, and they did not submit without a freely expressed suspicion that an attempt was being made to delude them.

It also excited the superstition of some, and incidentally, I believe, was responsible for the sudden appearance of a tohunga on board, who began to prophesy about the weather. It was blowing and raining the first-day out, and the second day was again stormy, with every indication of continuing. But that night, the nigh't on which the mysterious : announcement was made concerning : the cramming of an extra day without a ■■■ name into the week, a Maori prophet arose, and not only informed us that the weather would be fine next day, but would continue fine till we got to Tahiti. And it was so.

But the most curious illustration of the suspicion with which the Maoris regarded things Greenwich, was provided when Saturday came round, for they had a Sunday service on that day as well* as on the next, so as to make sure that they did the right thing, and that ho pakeha magic left them the worse off. ■ episode n.

; Was there ever such excitement as prevailed among Maoris and Rarotongans when the Manapouri cast anchor at Avarua, the lovely township in this outpost of the Pacific?—unless, indeed, it was when Maori fraternised with Karotongans at the Christchurch Exhibition. It might have been the Tower of Babel, such a hubbub was there, such a confusion of voices.

The Maoris had evidently come unheralded, for the natives of the island who arrived early at the ship's side stared in astonishment as they caught sight of the forty brown-skinned passengers on the vessel. But soon they clambered up on board —and they scuttled up the ladder with the rapidity of rats —and all was quickly explained. The Maoris setting out on this long trek became heroes in the eyes of their new friends. These two peoples could trace back their ancestors to a common stock, and one can well understand their feelings on this occasion. Before long a 'big boatload of Maoris was being conveyed from the ship anchored out in the stream to the shore.

I asked Pirika, the interpreter, whether they understood each other's tongue, and his reply was "a good bit"and he added that the Rarotongans spoke the true ancestral, unadulterated language, while the Maori tongue had become much "mixed."' And so while they were able to understand each other fairly well there was much in the two tongues that wan dissimilar.

There was great hand-shaking, but no rubbing of noses. Over in the town, this beautiful gem of a town, of the quaint loveliness of which your city stay-at-home has no conception, the Maoris were entertained royally by their island cousins.

And the Maoris, headed by Kiwi and Hemi, called on Queen Makea, the wonderful old woman who is spoken of us the good Queen Makea, and whose image is on the Cook Islands stamps. A wonderful old woman in many ways, this Queen, of the Rarotongans. Her former greatness may have departed, but she is a link in the days that were and the things that have been, and as such she is revered, and as such she receives homage. She has a palace, but it is a place of departed glory. The Cook Islands are ruled by a British Resident appointed by the New Zealand Government; Queen Makea is but a queen in name. But she has a regal bearing, and one can well believe that she made an ideal, peaceful island.queen. She is over 60 years of age, and stands over six feet in height. The queen received her Maori visitors with unmistakable signs of pleasure, and much interesting history was recalled on either ] side. She expressed regret that they were | only staying there for a few hours boat ! arrived at daylight and left shortly after —and hoped that they would come back by way of Rarotonga and stay there for a week or more as the guests of the native people. And the Maoris said " Kapai!" A number of Rarotongans were passengers by the Manapouri for Tahiti, attracted thither by the big French festival, and itwas a merry time that was spent on board after the ship left Avarua. Hakas and pois galore on the part of the Maoris for the de-

lectation of the Rarotongans; hula-hulas and himines by the Rarotongans for the edification of the Maoris. They were brothers all. » . ' And incidentally it may be mentioned that the party of Rarotongans on board claimed that they are descended from certain passengers from Hawaiki, who were landed at Rarotonga from the canoe named Takitumi, which took to Now Zealand some of the Maori people, and to the arrival of which canoe, I am told, the Hon. James Carroll, Acting-Prime Minister of New Zealand, is indebted for his existence.

EPISODE m., . From Rarotonga to Papeete, the fascinating capital of Tahiti, is a run of two days, the distance being about 600 miles, and the ivlanapouri sighted land early yesterday morning. It was the famous island of Morea, said to bo the most beautiful of all the South Sea Islands, and one writer who has visited it describes its strange, weird scenery as such that one might imagine Gustave Dore found his inspirations there. It is strangely architectural. In no other part of the world, perhaps, can Nature's architecture be seen to such advantage. Morea is an island of towers and steeples, of battlements and ramparts. Its mountains are mysteries. Its valleys are valleys of loveliness. We passed quite close to it, and it was a sight to remember. And Papeetewhat shall we say of Papeete? The ship was berthed about three o'clock—there was great delay because of the limited berthing accommodation and the record number of vessels lying here —and the scene along the waterfront was a revelation. One needed not to be told that something unusual was astir. When the French have a fete, they do the thing properly. What matters it that this is but a, colonial outpost of the Republic?they have just transplanted their French ideas and methods on Tahitian soil, the fall of the Bastille is being celebrated here with as much enthusiasm as in any other part of the French possessions, and certainly amid more picturesque surroundings and with stranger incidents than anywhere else. The Maoris were much interested in the native hula-hulas, or dances, in the Assembly Squaro fronting the Governor's residence this being the chief centre of attraction during this time of festival they unanimously voted it "no good." Truth to tell, the native dances of the present-day Tahitian are very poor affairs, and cannot be classed with the Maori dances. So this time the Maoris did not say " kapai." This afternoon, by special invitation of the native queen, the Maoris visited her establishment and were entertained at lunch. It was a long lunch. It began at one o'clock and finished late in the afternoon. The queen is taking quite a motherly interest in the Maoris, and to-night she sent down to the boat dozens of bunches of bananas and great numbers of cocoanuts and oranges to them—enough to fill a couple of carts. These will be appreciated on the.voyage in the Mariposa to San Francisco, which begins on Monday next. The beauty of this place has just enchanted them, and they will be sorry to leave it. .., '