NGARUAWAHIA'S GALA DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17112, 18 March 1919, Page 9

NGARUAWAHIA'S GALA DAY.

SUCCESSFUL REGATTA. SOME CLOSE CONTESTS. LARGE MAORI GATHERING. [by telegraph.— correspondent.] 1 NGARUAWAHIA, Monday. I The annual Ngaruawahia regatta was held to-day in perfect weather. The re-!' gatta grounds were crowded, there being about 10.000 persons present. There was an excellent programme of aquatic sports :übmitted, and great interest was centred , in both pakeha and Maori events. Thir- , teen rowing clubs competed, five being i from Auckland. The regatta was opened officially by Sir, F. W. Lang, M.P., who complimented the j officials on the excellence of the arrange- j ments. The Ngaruawahia regatta, he said, ! had become a time-honoured function, and | was much looked forward to by all per- i sons in the Waikato district. Dr. Pomare and Mr. R. F. Bollard, M.P., were also! present. _ I There was a large attendance of Maoris, j nue to the fact that the Maori Parliament House will be opened to-morrow. Of the : Maori events the most popular was the I "Race for a Bride." A Maori girl in a I small canoe is given a good start from ' he pursuing canoes, each manned by a crew of six men. When the girl's canoe' is caught she must get on board the cap-1 turing canoe, which then becomes the, canoe to be pursued. The excitement' among the natives was very great, and , ihouts of applause were given when Te | Karaka won, after a fine struggle. The I poi dance bv native girls in costume and the men's haka by various tribes were special features. The hurdle races in canoes were interesting, the girls' race being won by Mary Marjory, a canoe that further distinguished itself in the wahines' : i hurdle race The " under and over " race j •or men, which necessitates a wetting for ■ the crew, as the canoe is to go over the' ' hurdle, and the men under it, created much amusement, Kimiora with two sturdy oarsmen proving the winner. Much in- : terest was shown in the swimming race on • horseback. A feature of the regatta was the tug-of-war, which is a new departure from the usual regatta programme. Hamilton Crews' Successes. The pakeha events were quite as attractive as last year, and the various crews gave ereii exhibitions. Hamilton distinguished itself, doing well in almost! every event. West End and Auckland did fairly well, the former giving a good 1 exhibition in the junior fours. West End , had hard luck in the double sculls. I Side-shows were in abundance, and the j various wares found ready sale with the • natives. Many of the Maoris assembled for the opening of the Parliament House made a large encampment on the left-hand bank , of the Waipa River, and preliminary speeches were made all day by the ranga- ■ t/ras to enthusiastic audiences. There was ■ a great Maori dinner to-night, the food ' being cooked at the encampment in Maori fashion in ovens. The results of the regatta events are as , follows:— Sculling Events. Maiden -Hamilton (Going, Smith, Pat-erson, V. Smith), 1; Ngaruawahia (O. ;, Starr, Paterson, Park, F. Jackson), 2. i The only starters. When the crewe came into view a ouarter of a-mile from home Hamilton had a lead of several lengths, At the meeting of the rivers Ngaruawahia ■ gave up, and Hamilton won easily. Maiden Double Sculls, one mile.— ilton (Beaver and Prickett), 1; Waitemata (Magee and Brickler), 2. West End started, but did not finish, Hamilton win- ; ning by a dozen lengths. Junior Fours.—West End (Ryan, Trevarthen. Beamish, and Culpan), 1; Auckland (Rigan, Stevenson, Kirk, and Mur- ' ray), 2. Hamilton did not finish. A good race. i Single Sculls.—Mercer (Prose), 1; Hamil- ' ton (St. Clair), 2; West End, 3. Won by 1 a few inches on the line after a splendid ' race, the third man being 10yds behind. Maiden Fours (open), one mile.—Hamil- ] ton (Stuart, Bennett, Davis, and Marshall), i 1; West End (Cole, Jones, Cassey, and ' Jorden), 2; St. George's (Koghlin, Den- i: nelles, Hawkes Wood, and Chapman), 3. j Won by six lengths, with St. George's '' two lengths behind, rowing easy. 11 Maiden Single Sculls. — Hamilton i (Prickett), 1; St. George's (Clayton), 2. j' A good race. I Junior Pair-oars, one mile and a-half.— ( West End (Ryan and Trevarthen), 1; ! Hamilton (Fitzgerald and Jacques), 2; . Ngaruawahia (Patterson and Fifher), 3, i Won by five lengths, Ngaruawahia being well behind. Youths' Fours (open weight), one mile. —Hamilton (A. Lowman, P. Jacques, J. Going, A. Buckingham), 1. Maiden Pair-oari, one mile.Hamilton (R. Bennet and R. Davies), 1 f Ngaruawahia (W. Fuller and A. Rogers), 2. Ngaruawahia Challenge Shield Senior Fours (open weight), about two miles.— Hamilton (S. # Bea.ven, I. W. Sinclair, J. Hardner, C. Molesworth), 1. The only starters. Maori Contests. 1 Girls' Canoe Race, one girl in each canoe.—Mary Marjory, 1; Charlotte, 2. The only starters. Under-and-over Men's Canoe Race. — Kimiora, 1; Mary Marjory, 2. Wahines' Canoe Race. —Kimiora, 1 ; Mary Marjovv, 2. A good race. Large Kopaka Race.—Chicken-pox, 1; Tangi Tekoko, 2; Te Karaka, 3. A most exciting race, the first two canoes spurting in line until just before the finishing post. The second canoe entered a protest. Canoe Hurdle Race (man and woman).— Mary Marjory, 1; Kimiora, 2; Hare Kikito, 3. Race for a Bride. —Te Karakft* 1. Large Kopapa Race (10 wahines). — Chicken-pox, 1; Te Karaka, 2; Ohinewai. 3. The winner took the lead before the junction of the rivers was reached, and won easily. The second and third canoes had a keen contest. Canoe Hurdle Race for Men—Haere Kia Kite and Tirohea, dead heat, 1; Mary Marjory, 3. _______