ARRIVED AT LAST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24633, 14 June 1941, Page 10

ARRIVED AT LAST

GIFTS FOR KING AND QUEEN PRESENTED BY ARAWAS (0.C.) LONDON, May 20. Carved gifts for the King and Queen and Lord and Lady Willingdon have arrived in London 16 months after they were despatched from New Zealand by the Arawa tribe. They were shipped in the Matakana, which was wrecked in the West Indies in April, 1940. Except that the forearm of one of the figures has been broken and that' there is a slight taint of kerosene about them, the presents have come to no harm.

Mr W. J. Jordan, the .High Commissioner, accompanied by Lord Willingdon, are to visit Buckingham Palace shortly to present the gifts to the King and Queen. The King is to receive a carved wooden inkstand. There are two gifts for the Queen. One is a carved wooden box holding pois, and the other is a piece of kauri gum mounted on carved wood. Shells and marine fossils are mounted in the gum. There are two small dolls for the Princesses. They were originally given to Lady Willingdon, but as she thought they would make an acceptable gift for the Princesses she has asked Mr Jordan to* present them to the Queen. The gifts for Lord and Lady Willingdon were presented to them while they were in Rotorua by the Atawas. They include a carved warrior.

“I am delighted with them,” said Lord Willingdon, when he collected the gifts from Mr Jordan at New Zealand House. “We were very disappointed when we were told that the presents were feared to be lost, but we are extremely glad that they have arrived at last.”

The gifts include a kiwi on a log carved from solid kauri, a wooden bowl cut from totara, a rush mat, and two rugs.