MONDAY'S CEREMONIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21716, 3 February 1934, Page 13

MONDAY'S CEREMONIES

LITTLE SPACE FOR PUBLIC ACCESS ROADS WEAR WELL MOTORISTS ALREADY IN CAMP [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WAITANGI. Friday More than 20 parties, undeterred by the wet weather, had arrived at the Waitangi motor camp up to this evening. Automobile Association patrols were very active to-day placing numbers o:t additional signposts, mostly for the guidance of drivers in and around Waitangi regarding parking and the like. The road from Waimate and the Pakaraka turn-off are reported to be standing up well to the traffic, in spite of heavy rain. Some signs of wear were noticed at corners, but these are being dealt with. The situation regarding roads has not altered, but for the information of intending visitors on Monday it should be stated that no very large number is likely to obtain a good view of the Maori entertainment. It is generally agreed that with 5000 Maoris in camp there will be no space to spare on the marae., The grandstand, according to official information, seats only 210, and will accommodate few besides the official party. The space allotted to European members of the public is estimated to hold 2000 if they sit compactly on the ground. There may be room for more along the seaward side of the ground, but the space for a front view of the hakas is definitely and severely limited by tents, buildings and the declivity to the beach. Thus there is little room for doubt that visitors exceeding, say, 3000, will see very little. It is perhaps too much to expect of individuals to be content to see only one cf Monday's ceremonies, but if those who witness the Parliamentary welcome in the morning make way for others to see the Vice-Regal ceremony in tho afternoon, the congestion will be much reduced. On Tuesday afternoon at the Residency there will, of course, be almost unlimited space.

TRIBES GOING NORTH OLD ENMITIES FORGOTTEN RAROTONGANS IN AUCKLAND The passage of southern Maoris through Auckland to the celebrations at Waitangi has become almost a traffic. Peoples who were once hostile, in the days when the Maoris regarded 6trict warfare as an essential, are now meeting in the city to engage in a journey to the North characterised by a spirit of mutual friendship. The party' of Rarotongans, led by Makea Nui Tinirau, arrived in the city yesterday afternoon from Hawke's Bay, East Coast and the Bay of Plenty, where they have taken part in what have been virtually reunions with their own people. The Rarotongans have not had a sufficient opportunity to see Auckland proper, and they are to leave this mornihg for Waitangi. Makea stated last evening that his followers were hopeful of seeing much more of Auckland, the city of which they had heard so much, before they left Wellington for Rarotonga on February 20. Up to the moment the Island visitors had received remarkable receptions from their Maori cousins, and there had been an unrivalled opportunity to note the close association between the Maoris of New Zealand and the Rarotongans. A further party, representative of the great Ngati-Kahungunu tribe of Hawke's Bay and the Wairarapa, is to reach Auckland to-day. The Hawke's Bay Maoris have notified their willingness to give a concert in the Town Hall this evening in aid of the Mayor s unemployment fund. About 150 Maoris from Tarauaki, representative of the Ngati-Awa and Ngati-Ruanui tribes in the main, and 100 from the Wanganui district, representing the Ngati-Hau, are expected to arrive in Auckland to-day on their way to Waitangi. The arrival of the representatives from ther-ie particular districts. is notable in that it is a reunion with other tribes, especially those of the Waikato districts, which were once hatec. enemies. A supposition which is common is that many Maoris passing through Auckland would be bewildered by the sights of the city. Unfortunately for that idea, most Maoris are well accustomed to modern conditions and notions, and the parties which have stayed for any length of time in the city have, to the disappointment of those who expect a taste of olden times, shown a marked preference for the latest talking pictures and dances.

CEREMONIES AT ROTORUA RECEPTION TO RAROTONGANS [by TELEGRAPH —OWN COB respondent] ROTORUA, Friday Thi3 Rarotongans who left Rotorua to-day for Waitangi were given a reception by the Arawas last evening. They were welcomed on behalf ot the people of Rotorua by the Mayor, Mi • T. Jackson. . ~ Tho proceedings took place in the open in front of the Tunohopo meeting house, on the laljeside at Ohinemutu. In reply to the addresses of welcome, the spokesman of the visitors made an eloquent speech, in which he thnnked the people of Rotorua and the Arawas for their warm welcome. He said his people had kinship with the Maoris, and he traced the gcneological tree from the launching of the Rakitutimi canoe from Rarotonga. Over 100 performers took part in hakas and poi dances given by the Arawas. Presents of mats and kits were made by the visitors to the Arawas. AMBULANCE SERVICES TWO MACHINES AVAILABLE An ambulance from the Rutland Street headquarters of the St. John Ambulance, with four men, will leave Auckland for Waitangi to-morrow morning. A machine from the Whangam branch of the organisation, with two :men, will also be available at Wai' tangi. The Whangarei machine will be stationed near the main Maori encampment, and its crew will be available to attend to any accident victims requiring first-aid, while the ambulance from Auckland mil cover a wider area, including roads leading to the scene of the celebrations.