THE MAORI RECEPTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 30

THE MAORI RECEPTION.

AN INTERESTING CEREMONY. I i (Faoii Ouk Special Coebespondext.) j AUCKLAND, August 13. This niorning broke dear and sharp — a trifle too sharp for most of the visitors, who had c-ros&ed the fine but a few days before. "I guess it took me 15 minutes' exercise to find out where I stood,"' said an officer on meeting a friendi. " I went to the baths this morning, and they warmed me through and through," was the reply. The speakers then repaired to the sanatorium grounds for the Maori welcome. Ths official party was met at the gate by a single Maori warrior, who, after much gesticulation, retired on his supports, a body of 24 braves, who, with most realistic contortions, defied the visitors to enter. Then, as usual, the comic -element asserted itself. A dignified old gentleman clad in a singlet, a pair of woollen underpants, and a big dogskin mat, started a demonstration on his own account. He treated the visitors to a fine diisplay. till something untoward happened to the support of his nether garments, and he retired behind the vegetation, much to the amusement of the crowd, especially the Maori small boys. The haka party retreated, and revealed* a band of dusky wahines, who danced their dance of welcome. Then the party moved to the natural amphitheatre in front of the new bathhouse. At the far -end a palisade had been erected, and behind" the walls a lookout platform on four poles and a crow's-nest on a single large tree were extemporised. In the larger lookout were two chiefs, who, on noticing the advancing warriors, shouted defiance and blew their oonch shells. Much to the agitation of the spectators, an old gentleman in the single tree woke up, and "by his exertions swung the trunk about in a most alarming manner. The usual preliminaries , -over, diifeient"" Arawa chiets came forward and delivered spirited) orations. J The palisade gate opened, and to the music of the concertina (which is the Maori piano), a party of poi dancers tripped lightly forward, and, led by one of the well-known Rotorua guides, manipulated their little raupa bells with euch dexterity and exactitude as to call forth enthusiastic plaudits from the visitors, %vho agreed that it was " right good." The garb of some old men and old women was wonderful to behold. Solomon in all his glory would have been a bad second to most of the Maori maidens. The men didn't go in for so much colour, but a hrbrid-pakeha-Maori dre^s was much in . evidence. | Each poi team was led in by a flag- ' bearer — an individual who had short knickers, a mat, and a Scottish claymore and eword belts. Another, instead of the J

ordinary waist mat, had a large bath towel round his loins. All the warriors , were stripped from the waist, but some would insist on wearing braces, perhaps a Tather necessary link with civilisation ! Sixteen Arawas, each of whom would have made a model for a statue of Hercules, danced a haka, making the ground tremble with their stamping until the ! old man on the lookout got so excited and made his rickety perch so dangerous that a ladder had to be produced to enable him to reach the earth in a respectable manner. The dancing over, a grizzled veteran, accompanied by Dr Buck, advanced to the official party, and his speech, which, translated by the doctor, ran something as follows: — "Greeting to you from America. The Maori was once a fighting man. No more he kills his enemies. Now, he is not allowed !" And the old man sighed. " This," he continued, "is an ancient taiaha. The Maori used to slay men with it, but the Maoris slay no ! more. We have no use for the taiaha, '' but we cling to them because they have been handed down from generation to generation. The American may have to slay men, therefore I throw my taiaha at the feet of the great sailor from over the sea." and he threw his valuable weapon on the ground, and retired. The next speaker explained the significance of the gifts, though he said that the Maoris, being a poor people, were ashamed to offer these miserable things. "But," he said, "words are not binding on the Maori. Bonds tied with ake fall as under the pakehas bond. The iron nail does not last for ev-er, but we desire to be united with you for all time in the bonds of fellowship, and so to cement our friendship. We present these presents (paltry as they are) to you to show that .13 we (Maori and American) are all of Causasian descent and are brothers. Therefore, I place before you this kiwi mat, this whalebone mere, this taiaha, and these huia feathers." Each member of the official party having received a kiwi mat, the visitors adjourned with their gifts, and Admiral Sperry, with a huia feather in his black hat, the kiwi mat over his shoulder, and with a mere in one hand, and his taiaha in the other, set out with the Prime Minister {who, although the broadest of the party, was wearing- a ridiculously small mat) to open the new bathhouse. SOAPING THE GEYSERS. In the afternoon the party journeyed out to irritate Wairoa. Passing the porridge pot, boiling brown mud, and arriving at Wairoa. the Admiral emptied the soap down Wairoa's capacious maw. Maggie, the guide, enlightened the party : " You put in a bar of soap, and in 10 minutes the water shoots up to 100 ft." ft certainly seemed longer than 10 minutes, and certainly more than one bar of soap was put in — more like three, I — and then, after a few preliminary | rumblings, the geyser made a fine shoot • of about 50ft and played beautifully for at least half an hour./ Pphutu was sur-

; reptitiously soaped, but apart from ffie - frothing .at the. mouth and the pungent, smell caused by the soap, nothing eventuated. However, -what with the 'boiling mud, the shot from Wairoa, and the visit to the model fortified pas, the visitors had, as they themselves expressed it, "a right merrry day." " What are you going to do to-night ?'*■ queried a damsel at the hotel. "We are to have a good time," was the replyi "No dress suits, no ball to go to—in fact, I should say we are going to have what we need — a good rest/ Thoroughly satisfied with New Zealand Wonderland, the party leave in g special train for Auckland at 7.30 p.m.