EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19101, 20 August 1925, Page 12

EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

DELEGATES AT ROTORUA. RECEPTION BY THE ARAWAS. GREAT ENTHUSIASM SHOWN. FINE DISPLAY BY POHUTU. IBV TELEGRAI'U. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] ROTORUA, Wednesday. The reception of the Arawas to tho Empire Press delegates at- tho model pa at Whakarcwarewa this morning was one of the happiest functions of the kind that Rotorua has seen for many a day. It was a perfect morning, following a frosty night, and the volume of steam ' rising from Nature's eternal fires made an exceptionally dense white cloud down tho valley. Tho Arawa people wero tired after the series of ente.taiiiiuents they have recently been called upon to provide, but there was nothing slipshod or hall-hearted about tho ceiemony of welcome. They well understood tho significance oi tho visit. As Kihari said m his speech: "Your faces represent the world uud your thoughts represent tho world, because your thouglits are put into print for the whole world." So it was that the Arawas strove to givo their best. Tho press party were received iu tho traditional manner at the pa gate by the challenging braves, who advanced with wild geatuie and grimace to utter defiance. In thuir hands ttioy carried the twig, tho token of challenge, which was thiown at the feet of the visitors. These challengers, who typifiod the bravest of the old-time Maori braves, wore tho piu piu mat, and the muscles of their bare backs rippled beneath tho skin as they shook their taiahas, at least one of which was an exceedingly old weapon, which in tho past more likely than not was flourished when tribal war was tho common occupation. Beneath the carved top was tho fringe of kaka feathors and -beneath that again dog hair encircled tho staff. The wood was ako ako, which attracted the admiration of many, who were assured that no swordsmen ever stood against a skilled warrior armed' with tho taialia. The Welcoming Haka. Retiring into the pa tho challengers drew up with the bare-backed war party, behind which wero the women, whose red garments and piu piu mats made a most colourful and attractive sight. The women waved green twigs, the token of good will. Suddenly, the shrill cry of haeremai! haeremai! was raised by ono of the women, and then the whole party plunged into the hak'a. The thudding feet made the ground resound and the shouts and grimaces quite convinced the intensely inteiested visitors that they had come upon a unique experience. The party took their seats in front of tho meeting house and tho Maoris sat before them while the speeches were delivered. Mita Taupopoki was tho first speaker, tho interpreter in each case being Mr. A. Warbrick. Mita, brave in his famous mat and feather headdress, paid all the compliments, his references to Mr. Hill, the resident tourist officer, and Mr. Wilson, the Auckland tourist official who is travelling with this party, being particularly pleasing. He described the visitors as coming from the "wide open world," whose thoughts carried them far beyond the surrounding hills. He spoke of" the loyalty Of the Arawas to tho great queen, a reference that surprised and delighted the delegates, who applauded loudly. Mita refused to acknowledge anything of the commercial in the gathering. Lord Burnham was not head of the Press Union nor the controller of the Daily Telegraph, but tho representative of tho King in the eyes of Mita. Tenra then" spoke, and he gave a practical touch to the affair by asking the delegates not to forget in their writings the name of the Arawa people. Hihari spoke of New Zealand as the "youngest child of the great queen. To the King is the honour and glory," he concluded, "but you are the mouthpiece." Fine Spirit of Youth. Sir Frank Newnes and Mr. J. H. Woods, the Calgary representative in the Canadian section, replied appropriately. It was the informal part of tho function. however, that fully established feelings of mutual regard. Age rather than youth may dominate the delegation, but there was a delightful spirit of youth among them as they mingled with tho Maoris. Groups formed and the girls were persuaded to sing again some of the haunting refrains, such as the canoe song, and to. teach tho movements of the poi. In one corner a merry party representing Scotland, Burma, Malta and our friend, Mr. Punch, of London, sang in chorus with the girls. They slurred most of the woids, but knew the captivating time. There was some rubbing of noses Lord Burnham gaily submitting. Elderly men, having become bovs again, went off arm in arm with laughing wahines to see the sights, and the real sight of the regions was in store. The party had not assembled around Pohutu more than five minutes before the cauldron began to boil ominously. The Prince of Wales' feathers were then drowned by the spray, and suddenly the sight that is so often missed by the passing stranger was presented, Pohutu began to play arid continued or at least a quarter of an hour. The boiling water reached at least 50ft. Thoroughly satisfied with the sight the party went to tho native reserve, where cookine nnd bakin<» '>v s!p:>m wero investigated, and potatoes hot from the steam holes wero eaten in primitive style. For tho rest of this very happy day the delegates were free to follow their own inclinations. Some played golf, others tennis, and numbers went walking or drove to places of interest, including the Forestry Department's nursery. The party will proceed to Wairakei to-morrow, where the night will be spent.