CANOE'S LONG VOYAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22769, 1 July 1937, Page 8

CANOE'S LONG VOYAGE

PRESENT FOR A QUEEN

PACIFIC ISLANDERS' GIFT

[from our own correspondent] SUVA, June '2l

After an adventurous voyage of over 200 miles a fine specimen of a native canoe arrived In Suva recently. It is to be shipped to Tonga as a present from natives in the Lau Group to Queen Salote of Tonga. It is a double canoe, about 18ft. long and ■with a 6ift. beam. Three natives sailed it to Suva without map or compass. ■ ■ ■ *

C'anoe building was formerly a great art in Fiji, but, like many of the old handicrafts, it is fast dying out. The natives of the Lau Group, who were particularly noted for their canoe buijding, have strong racial affinities with the people of Tonga. TJfe Lau Group is comparatively close to Tonga and the Tonga 3.11 influence of the old days is still very marked in the . features and customs of the Lauan people. Six day? out from Lakemba the canoe arrived at the island of Gau and, being anxio.us to know what weather was expected, the crew Janded. A Europesfn resident told them that the weather report would be broadcast, and they waited to hear it.-They said that they heard the voice of the radio, but could not understand it, as they knew no_ English words. The European ; told." thorn, however, that the voice had said that to-morrow the wind would blow from the southeast and the weather would lie fine. Jsc-xt day tho weather did improve and they set out again, but after a while the wind changed, and they were, blown away, from the main island of Viti Levu, for which* they were making. However, they landed at Ovalau, where a priest at the Koman Catholic mission gave them food. This is the first canoe of its kind for many years to make such a journey.