Youth in the 'Nineties

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21906, 15 September 1934, Page 4 (Supplement)

Youth in the 'Nineties

By ISABEL M. CLUETT—No. V.

A day looked forward to by old and young was Regatta Day. Everybody mode a picnic of tho day, trooping off to tho beaches with hampers of food and all tho children in their best clothine early on the morning of tho magic 29th. How lovely the Waiteinata looked on those bright mornings long ago, for our modern harbour "improvements" had not been thought of then. Though part of tho water on the town sido had even then been reclaimed, most of tho pretty bays were still left unspoiled—Campbell's Point, Judge's Bay, St. George's. Orakei, Kohimarama, and St. Heliers. There were no ugly tide deflectors or sewers, and no beach-shacks, and there was a dear little quaint islet called the Sugar Loaf, which wan later pounded to pieces to obtain rock-spoil for filling in somewhere.

Out on the sparkling water lay the flagship, one of H.M.'s cruisers, decked from stem to stern with gaily-fluttering flags. Ferry boats moved briskly back and forth across tho water. They were black with people for the greater number of tho sightseers chose North Shore as the best position from which to view the boat races. Some, however, preferred to look on from tho deck of tho flagship, so many of the ferries disembarked passengers there. Those funny old ferries wero very different to the big, handsome, modern boats wo have now, for they were small and rather grimy with falling smuts, and their canvas awnings were perforated by sparks from the funnel, but they never missed a trip, or broke a time-table, and however bad the weather they always gallantly put out to sea. As a signal for the racing to begin a gun was to be fired from the flagship at a given hour, and punctually to the minute the gun boomed out and the first race began. There were contests for yachts, sailing-boats, cutters, whaleboats, and tho excitement was intense as one saw one's special favourite bowling along with swelling sidls and fluttering pennon, or watched with anxious eye 3 some other boat overhauling her, creoping up and up until, with cheer on cheer from the crew, she flow nast, tho spray showering her decks anu pattering on her white sail as she lieoled over almost to the surface of the water.

The whaleboat races, when the big, deep, manv-oared boats were manned by sailors from the man-o'-war, as the cruisers were always called then, was a splendid sight. The sweep of the flashing oar-blades was like tho movements of a machine as the boats flow along over the blue water, raising a white crest of foam and leaving a snowy wake tossing behind. Then, as they returned to tho ship's side, all their dripping oarblades, flashing in the sun, were raised in the air, amid ringing cheers from the defeated crews! but the part of the regatta enjoyed most intensely by the children were tho Maori events. For months the Mnori tribes of the Waikato, and as far as Rotorua, had been looking forward to the regatta and training for the events. Their big feathered canoes, some of them largo enough to seat a hundred warriors, had been paddled

A GALA DA

down tho rivers, and in some placos transported across land by means of log rollers, and tho panting labours of the strong half-naked natives, hauling on either side and chanting encouragement to each other, in order to reach tho sea. They brought theii* families with them, down to tho smallest brown piccanniny bundled in a shawl on its mother's back, for this was to be a glorious camp-picnic for them. They also brought astonishing quantities of food, baskets of corncobs, sweet potatoes, fish and dried shark, whole pigs, and crates of skinny fowls, and in a very short time had erected raupo whares and " sottled in." On the day of the regatta they were all brimming with childish excitement, chattering and laughing and dancing their " hakas" in overflowing spirits. The long canoes, with fifty or a hundred rowers wielding short, carved paddles, were painted dark red and decorated with snells and feathers. They had tall, carved figureheads of native gods with fierce expressions and lolling tongues, and pawa shells for eyes, and as they tore through the water at terrific speed, driven on by the paddles of the halfnaked, bronzed rowers, it looked as if the up-reared figure-heads were alive and riding the waves. In each canoe an old woman in the bows shrieked and writhed and made hideous grimaces, urging on the panting rowers to their utmost speed. It was a wonderful sight to see the even flash and dip of all those carved paddles, the flying spray, and the rhythmic movement of all tho bare, brown backs and black-feathered heads as the canoes cut a white path in tho blue water. Near the shore the greatest fun was going on where the light-hearted Maori wahines were having an event of their own. This was an obstacle-race, in which all the women competed, while their babies were left parked in the sand in charge of older children, who would keep tearing down to tho water's edge to encourage their mothers with shrill jabbering and rolling black eyes. Tho competitors sculled themselves in small, flatbottomed punts, which had to surmount wooden hurdles, driven into the sand just beyond shallow water. What yells of excitement, what jabbering and laughter and comical groans of dismay there were as the smartly-driven punts just failed to clear the hurdle, rested for a moment ,on its top, and then slowly toppled, spilling their occupants into the shallow water. But each wahine would rise, dripping from every pore and broadly grinning, and still brandishing her paddle, she would right her punt, climb in and begin again. There were prizes for all, successful and unsuccessful, in this novel event, which, to tho children, was the most popular one of the day. Well, the children of to-day have many amusements that were never even thought of in our day, but for sheer rich enjoyment and long hours of delicious fun and excitement give mo a fine regatta day in the nincties - There was such an air of jollity and enthusiasm about it all; bands were playing, flags were flying; pedlars of sweets and buns —no ice-creams in those days—were doing a brisk business among the small fry on the beaches, and at the end of that day of delights and fresh air and sunshine, when the children settled down to sleep, it was to dream of next regatta day.

I thought perhaps that a letter describing the different flowers I have put in my Circle, might be interesting. I have had to sketch the flowers from memory or copy them from pictures that had been done previously, as it is far too early for any native flowers to be in bloom in this district. There is a great variety to be had from the bush around here, and I found it hard to select the flowers to put in my Circle, and also to find ones that would be distinct when shown in black and white, ns there are some that are very similar. I have put in two mistletoes, the scarlet and the large yellow, that grow on Mt. Ruapehu. There is a small yellow one almost identical with the red, which my uncle brought from the mountain quite a number of years ago, and which my mother painted. It is rather interesting, as it was the first time it had been found on Ruapehu since Mr. Field found it over thirty years ago. I do not know if it has ever been come across again.

The red and yellow kowhai we have growing in our shrubbery. The red kowhai or kaka beak needs a lot of

protection here, and ours has very nearly been killed out several times by the frost. The lovely little green orchids are quite easy to find in the bush, while dainty bamboo orchids can be gathered hanging from the logs just before Christmas. I could not manage to draw the bamboo orchids from memory. The kotukutuku, or wild fuchsia, are common, but it is very hard fo get the berries as the birds like them very much. The little violet is also a native, and can be found in damp corners. We have a number of varieties of daisies, but I have only drawn you my favourite —the tiny one that grows on the banks on. the sides of the roads. They are. only about two inches high, and are so small and dainty. The little star-like flowers grow on the plains, and are very tiny. They have long stringy roots, and lie flat on the ground. The tiny totara plant grows only about three inches high. Why they call it totara I do not know, unless it is because of the shape of the green. It has little white bell-shaped flowers, which have a touch of pink on the outside, and these give place to quite

a large red berry for such a small plant. I have often discovered it growing on the banks beside the road. We have two kinds of convolvuluses—the large white and a pretty pink—that grow over the bracken on the hills in the reserve. I have only drawn you one, as I could not show the difference between them. The large yellow buttercups grow on the mountain. The white heather, or lily of the valley, as some people call it, can be found in the moist ground near the lakes, and is a pretty sight when covered with waxen flowers. We have no pohutukawas here, and very few ratas. I have never seen one growing, but there are old pieces of vines in the paddocks.

The dainty little bluebells are found out on the plains with the little white star flowers, and are not unlike tbe English harebell, but smaller. We also have several kinds of clematis growing in the bush. I have only drawn the large white one for my Circle. The other flowers I . have in are the honeysuckle, puriri, manuka, lacd > bark, lawyer, koromiko and a smu cup-shaped flower. I would have likw to have put in more, but there reafljr did not seem room, but I have managed to get twenty-three varieties in.