THE NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1847, 15 April 1887, Page 13

THE NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD.

(By W. M'H.)

NOTES ON A SIX MONTHS' HOLIDAY TOUR ROUND THE WORLD.

No. 2.—Among the Islands. No voyage across the ocean is complete nowadays without a concert; so on the appointed night we have one, and a capital one it is too. First we have an original poem, descriptive of the voyage so far, contributed by a gentleman from Melbourne; then songs comic and songs sentimental—the latter principally by the ladies, and the former by a professional negro delineator returning to the States; and finally we have several prose contributions, some good, others indifferent; among the latter may be classed that supplied by the before-mentioned thought-reader. Taken altogether, we spend avery pleasant evening, the audience, numbering some 50 or 60, being very impartial and hearty with their applause. Late in the afternoon of Saturday, January 3, after a most delightful run from Auckland, we eight the island of Oahu, and as we near its reef-bound shores, and the landmarks become more distinctly visible, the bow of our ship is crowded with passengers anxious to obtain the first glimpse of Honolulu, THE PARADISE OF THE PACIFIC, As its admirers fondly term it. The first thing that strikes us is the peculiarly rich vivid-green colour of the masses of tropical vegetation clothing the valleys and embowering the city, contrasting strangely with the bare and arid-looking heights of " Diamond Head " and the " Punchbowl," two extinct craters in close proximity to the town. The next thing that strikes us j \i the mosquito, the locality is the nose, and the effect most exhilarating. Later on we learn that the two great controlling powers in the Sandwich Islands are mosquitoes and Chinamen. Presently we take the pilot on board, and steam slowly through the only apparent opening ia the surf which marks the line of reef extending on either hand as far as the eye can reach ; subsequently we discover that although these islands are unlike many of the Pacific isles of volcanic origin, a band of coral reefs with but very few openings encircle each and every island of the group. As yet the town has been invisible, but a small forest of masts ahead denotes its whoreabouts; then a sudden turn in our course, and the wharves and shipping of Honolulu lie before us. As we approach our berth, a boat manned by Kanakas shoots out to take our hawser. The steersman as he stands athwart the boat, gracefully swaying his supple body with the oar, pre- | Bsnts quite a handsome picture. His dress consists of spotless white shirt, blue pants, natty red-topped knee boots, and broad-brimmed straw j hat gaily decorated with flowers —a decorative i custom we presently perceive to be universal among the natives. Nor is the custom of-wearing garlands of flowers confined to the Kanakas alone; for upon all festive or special occasions one or more "leis" of flowers or evergreens are worn by many Europeans, the wreaths being thrown across the shoulder or twined around the hat. On the steamer leaving again for 'Frisco we saw quite a number of ladies and gentlemen fairly laden—almost hidden, in fact—with the parting "leia" their numerous friends had insisted on decorating them with. Looking down from the deck of our vessel, the Honolulu wharf presents an animated and most interesting sight. Of the 1000 odd spectators crowded together probably nine-tenths are native Hawaiians, as happy, handsome, and careless a looking race as might be found anywhere; rich brown skins, fine soft eyes, and, lanerally, beautifully white teeth, set off with lustrous wavy hair of a jet black hue. A farther acquaintance proves that their looks do not belie their character, and we £nd them a lazy, good-natured, generous people, exceedingly fotul of riding and swimming —nearly every Kanaka, big and little, male and female, owning a horse of some kind, which is ridden on every possible occasion. So fond of riding is the Kanaka, that, althongh scorning to labour in the sugar plantations for less than a dollar a day, he will willingly hire himself and his horse for a cattle hunt for half .that .sum. . As it is Saturday evening the town is full of bustle and stir, and we sp£n(d three or four hours in a futile endeavour to make ourselves acquainted in the dark with the topography of the city. Although somewhat unsuccessful ia this, we enjoy ourselves most hugely, and are deeply interested- with- all we see and hear; everything is so new and strange, aud as we stroll along examining the,shops, many of them with doors and windows thrown'wide open, listening to and watching- the garrulous, frolicsome groups of Kanakas at the street corners, we conclude that even one such evening as this alone compensates for the time and trouble of a trip across the Pacific and all the miseries of mal de mer incidental thereto* Presently we return to the steamer, and after a refreshing bath essay to sleep. This, however, is out of the question, for 20 or 30 stentorian-voiced, hilariously disposed Kanakas are loading up the vessel with sugar, and the unusual noise and bustle is too much for our already highly excited nerves; so making a virtue of necessity, 1 get up and sit by the open window watchlug the animated scene below for at least a couple of hours. The whole wharf and surroundings is brilliantly lit up with electricity, and as the Kanakas run their hand-barrows across the wharf from the sugar shed opposite they relieve the monotony of their occupation by snatcuesbf native songs, jokes at each other's expense, and loud shouts of musical laughter. . I have said that the Hawaiian is constitutionally lazy and averse to hard work, but upon reflection I do not know that the race is strikingly peculiar on that account. -Manycomparatively well-civilised whites exhibit to the full the same pleasing trait of character. The Kanaka s aversion to manual labour is not due to any lack of physical strength, buf to the enervating climatic influence of a delicious, neverending summer in a land where a " taro " patch *«t square supports a man and his family all the year round; and although perhaps incapable of tne long-sustained exertion of the plodding, inaustnous Chinaman, the Kanaka when he » at work puts a lot of life and energy into it, and for odd jobs of a certain kmd will put the work through with a «asn and vigour unequalled by any other ft rer:, white or black > I ever saw. In loading !. ac sma" steamers with sugar from the plantains round the island coasts the boat hands are "equently compelled to carry the bags some disaSlfk On o«e) r backs ' Two ba« 8 ' weighing from W\° V ?F b ' is '.the ÜBual lo<f <* each man, i™, BfK°^ dan 7 one Kanaka put on a third™ a m?f 8a" the others immediately follow iw, each scorning to be outdone by his fellows..

In sailing between the islands the skipper of bur craft confirmed this, and pointed out one of his own hands, a sturdy Hawaiian Hercules in small bulk, who on the previous trip had started carrying two, but ended by carrying six bags up the plank, or the enormous load of between 7001b and 8001b ! There are few whitejmen who could skip up a plank with a load like that, and fewer still who would do it for the mere fun of the thing. Hotels and boarding houses are a distinctive and somewhat conspicuous feature of colonial life, and no colonial township of repute is complete without its half-dozen or more hotels (some " townships," indeeJ, begin and end with ; ■the hotel), and in any of our larger cities scores of hotels and well-conducted private boarding houses are met on every hand. It is therefore with no little astonishment we learn that in Honolulu, a city of some 20,000 inhabitants, there are no boarding houses proper, and absolutely only one hotel hi the whole city. On further inquiry we discover that the American "liquor saloon," with little or no sleeping accommodation, supplants the colonial hotel, and in lieu of the boarding house the city clerk and-,. artisan sleeps in a "lodging" house and v " grubs "''Sit indifferently-conducted restaurants, where he pays "a-quarter" or "two bits" (Ant/lice a shilling) for meals largely composed of apologetic mutton chops, sweet potatoes, and deceased flies. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is, on the other hand, no ordinary establishment, being owned and " run " by tho Hawaiian Government, who built and furnished it some years ago at a cost of £20,000 for the special attraction and accommodation of the ever-increasing stream of visitors to these islands. The hotel will accommodate 200 guests, and is a fine, copl, deeplyverandahed building of three storeys, including a sunken ground floor and a smoking room on the roof, from whence a most splendid, all-embrac-ing view is obtained. The bedrooms, &c., are spacious and comfortable, and the table simply all that could be desired. As compared with New Zealand, the tariff of 3dol per day (12s) seems excessive, but as the colonial visitor soon discovers to his cost, everything in Honolulu is 30 to 40 per cent, above colonial prices. Here, as in America, ice is used in great quantities, the consumption of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel being 5001b weight per diem, or nearly two tons per week. On Sunday morning we attended the American Congregational Church, and find that, as in Sydney, almost everybody is provided with a fan, and finding a spare one in our seat, I proceed to use it as assiduously as the rest. To my Preabyterianly educated senses the service partakes very much of a musical entertainment. The choir occupies a small gallery or stage behind the preacher's desk, and consists of eight or ten excellently trained male and female voices; the instrumental accessories being a finely built organ, grand piano, and — shades of Messrs Begg and Bannerinan — a violin ! First, we have an instrumental duet splendidly played by organ and violin, then the choir sing a concerted piece of difficult music with organ and piano accompaniment, and then the preacher reads, after which a young lady comes forward to the headlights — no " footlights" being available — and sings a solo. The words and the singing are very beautiful, but somehow |we cannot divest ourselves of the feeling that it is a sacred concert and not an ordinary church service we are attending. Nor does the minister's subsequent discourse tend to dispel the illusion, his peculiarly theatrical style of delivery, American idioms, and pronounced nasal twang being totally unlike anything I ever before heard from the pulpit. I hasten, however, to add that the discourse was most fluently delivered, and the preacher, if peculiar to us, was undoubtedly an able and earnest minister of the Gospel. Attracted by two high towers and the sound of singing, we wend our way in the evening to a large stone building, and find it is a Kanaka church, where service is being conducted by the natives themselves in their own tongue, and in much the same fashion as the Plymouth Brethren and others, various speakers addressing the meeting from different parts of the church, all of whom seem to speak with remarkable fluency and fervour. Impatient to see more of this interesting city, we are up at daylight exploring the suburbs, and presently find ourselves in a portion of the town quite recently burnt down, and known as " THE CHINESE QUAKTBE." The fire devoured property valued at 1,500,000d01, and devastated an area of nearly 30 acres; but, with characteristic energy, the Chinese at once began the task of rebuilding, and scores of shops and dwelling houses are now in course of erection. All the work is being performed by the Chinese themselves, and as it is the first time we have seen the Chinese bricklayer and carpenter at work we are not a little amused and interested at their mode of procedure and primitive tools. We also find quite a number of Chinese blacksmiths in the neighbourhood, and on going into a smithy have a long yarn with the Mongolian son of Vulcan, who informs us that a set of light shoes costs 2£dol, or nearly double the amount the same article costs in New Zealand. In strolling through Chinatown we find almondeyed tradesmen of all kinds at work, mostly at widely opened doors and windows, the laundrymen and barbers being especially diverting. The Chinese love narrow, crooked streets, and many of the new shops, &c, are being put up with but little regard to a proper line of road, and one cannot help remarking upon the stupid oversight of the town authorities in not taking advantage of the recent fire to lay out this part of the town afresh, and do away once and for all with the narrow, tortuous alleys so dear to the heart of the Heathen Chinee. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY. The " Glorious Fourth " having fallen upon a Sunday, it has been determined to hold the festivities to-day (Monday) instead, and everybody holds high holiday, the shops are all shut, and the merry pleasure»seekers are gaily decorated with their floral garlands. An energetic -committee have arranged a programme of exercises for the day, .and towards 11 a.m. we make our way to a large skating rink, where about a thousand Yanks are gathered together to sing their national anthem and listen to more or less, high-falutin' speechifying. An eloquent oration is delivered by the Rev. Mr Cruzan, his subject being "The America of To-day"; and it is needless to say that his stirring periods are cheered to the 1 echo by the enthusiastic Americans. A special feature in the proceedings is the playing of " The Star-spangled Banner." by tbe Royal Hawaiian Brass Band, kept and maintained by King Kalakua. With the exception of the bandmaster — a German, of ' course, — the performers (numbering some five and thirty) are all native Hawaiians. They play at the king's palace every Monday evening, and at the Royal Hotel and other places through the week, generally playing a musical farewell to the mail- steamers; .and better music -is not discoursed anywhere. When I mention that at a grand band contest some years ago in San Franpisco the Hawaiian Band took first honour^ it;

sufficiently indicates the proficiency of the sable performers. , ' ' „i - , After lunch we walk' a mile and , a-half in the broiling sun to witness some sports being conducted in Kapiolani Park. * These we find consist almost entirely of foot races, the Kanakas working np a big excitement over each race, yelling and waving their hats in. great glee. After listening to a selection of Scotch airs by the band, we make our way down to the beach, where the Hawaiian Rifle Association is holding its annual prize meeting ; and where we witness a Kanaka making as good a record as the best. In the eveniug we go down to the wharves and watch a very feeble display of fireworks, while the youth and beauty of Honolulu trip the " light fantastic • toe " at a swell ball given by the American Legation in the Academy of Music. Our next excursion is to the iJop of the Punchbowl (450 ft), where from the edge of that, extinct crater a splendid ■view of Honolulu and surroundings is obtained, and where we are surprised to find half a .dozen formidable-looking cannons, some set up in position,'others ignominiously lying on the ground half buried in vegetation. From this .eminence a very fine view is obtained of a portion, of Nunanu Valley, the loveliest- spot in a lovely landscape, Oabu College, and the fashionable watering resort of Waikiki, situated on a 'fine pebbly beach at the foot of " Diamond Head, " I speak of having a view of Honolulu, but strictly speaking this is incorrect, for beyond the palace, Government House, and the tops of one or two lofty buildings, the city (although immediately beneath our feet) is completely and entirely hidden by trees, and such trees !— feathery algaroba and tamarinds, fantastic screw and Norfolk pines, graceful waving date and cocoa palms, all are beautiful beyond comparison. One never seems to tire of wandering round the beautiful suburbs of this tropical town, where every house is a picture and every garden a fresh delight. Nunanu avenue, with its wealth of beautiful trees lining the road on either hand and throwing a grateful shade Over the footpaths, forms one of the most delightful walks imaginable. - So far as the town .itself is concerned, the two most important and imposing buildings in Honolulu are the King's residence — •'lolani Palace"— and the Government buildings, or •• Alieolani Hale." The former is a large square substantial three-storeyed building, surrounded by an equally substantial 10ft stone wall, with armed sentries mounted guard at each of its four gates. THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, Legislative Chamber, &c. was built in 1872 at a cost of some 200,000d01. It is a roomy, cool, and substantial concrete pile, with a splendid statue of Kamehameha I on the lawn in front. The biennial session of the Hawaiian Parliament being in full swing, we are afforded the opportunity of , visiting one of the most unique legislatures in the i world, where a coloured race is working out its own destiny under a constitutional form of government. Under the friendly wing ,of a son of one of their "excellencies" — as' the King's ministers are styled— we obtained a good seat, and listen for an hour or so to the gifted and tireless interpreter translating, without a stop or stumble, Hawaiian into English, and vice versa, every speech or remark being in this way repeated twice over, once in each language. Most of the representatives are Hawaiians, the chiefs generally being splendid looking fellows, but there is a fair sprinkling! of whites, including the Speaker, the Premier, and, an old New Zealander (R. J. Creighton), who. figures as "His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs." Everything is, conducted with the utmost decorum, and the business is much of the same character as is annually discussed in our empire city. One relic of heathendom, however, crops up which is highly amusing. A vote of some 12,000d0l is being taken for " The preservation of national records" or some such other euphonic title when a firebrand on the Opposition benches v brings down the House " by. graphically describing how the last vote was expended or squandered, as he professionally puts it. It appears that among other things the money was expended in gathering up from various odd corners the bones of departed chiefs and depositing them with the illustrious dead in the national mausoleum. SSo far so good, but it not infrequently occurred that ancestral remains were somewhat mixed, more especially if upon dissolution they had furnished a repast for borrowing friends or triumphant enemies, in which case the bones of high-born chief presumably mingled freely with the Kanaka of low degree. To get over the difficulty the bones were carefully sorted into heaps, each heap, so far as their anatomicalknowledge went, representing a defunct Hawaiian ; then, as a professional expert, a white pig was introduced to decide which was which ! Being led up blindfold and. the bandage removed, whichever heap the pig first "went for" was carefully bagged and' sent off to the mausoleum, piggy's inspired eye and prophetic snout being held to be absolutely .infallible ! Lest it should be thought I am romancing, I refer sceptics to the Honolulu papers of about flth or 7th of July last or the San Francisco papers of a week later, which contain full particulars of the " pig episode." .