ROTORUA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14447, 13 February 1909, Page 6

ROTORUA.

MADAME CROSSLEY'S VISIT. (Fkou Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, February 12. " I would go back to Rotorua to-morro\f if I could," declared Madame Ada Crossley to a press representative alter her return from the Hot Lakes district, "How anybody could come to New Zealand without visiting that wonderland I cannot imagine." Much of Jier conversation concerned the Maoris. She found them kind, inteiesting, and intelligent. The Maoris made much of the great singer, and danced for her delectation. Madame Crossley thought the hakas very weird and wonderful, and the canoe figure of the poi dance thoroughly delighted her. But it seems to have been the Native children who left the greatest impression. "They used to crowd round nic," she said, "with such quaint inquisitiveness. Anything I wore that sparkled seemed to take their fancy. I wore few jewels during my holiday, but one day I had to produce all I had to satisfy the children's curiosity. I was astonished at the remarkable voices of some of these children. Unc or two quite little girls bad excellent contralto voices. They all sang with a peculiarly natural or Native timbre in the voice. One night my husband and I sat for two hours listening to a group of children singing. They sang all sorts of things, using a very limited scale. On another occasion I played accompaniments for several Maoris at Maggie's whare, and then sang them a little Irish song. Oh, T think they are delightful people. They all called me 'Madame Aita.'"

Of Rolorna itself madnrne spoke with equal enthusiasm. She said that it compared most favourably with, the finest Continental spas, "if only you don't spoil it by artificial means." she said, "Rotorna will always be perfect. The natural wonders of the plr.ee are allsufficient. I have never seen anything like it anywhere. The scenic grandeur, the geysers, the wonderful terniccs, and, oh, those awful pools of boiling mud. I think the baths and sanatorium arc most up-to-date."

Here Dr Muecke intervened with a mark to the effect that the waters of Rolorua, both for drinking and for external curative application, could not be equalled anywhere. He spoke with knowledge of the subject. During his visit Madame Crossley, her husband, and the members of her concert parly were photographed in Native costume.' They dressed as chieftainess and chieftains iii handsome kiwi mats, and holding mer es and other Native curios. The gentlemen without exception went to the extent of being "made up"—that is to say, they allowed Maggie's brother Dick t'o decorate Iheir visages with imitation tattoo marks. The resulting photographs are amongst the treasured relics of a trip which in every sense madame declared was a very happy one.