TE ARAROA NEWS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19622, 4 May 1938, Page 15

TE ARAROA NEWS

STORM-TORN .MAORI HALL FUNCTION (Herald Correspondent.) The face of the Whatumatarau hill. just above Te Araroa, is scarred with large slips. One native cottage was crushed out of existence, but fortunately the owners had moved to a new home. Te Araroa Domain is covered with debris of trees, boulders and mud. The junior football ground has disappeared under a sea of silt, but the senior ground is only half covered with debris.

Although the hosts and guests at Te Araroa were isolated, the Rongomaitapui hall for nearly a week was a of gnintV Thf> pi PSPIICO ->f Bishop W. F. Bennett, and Mrs. Bennett, of Sir Apirana and Lady Ngata, and of Bishop Bennett's trained choir, lent lustre to the gathering, and good dance music was provided. Among the guests of honour were Captain W. H. Scott, Mrs. Scott, and their three daughters. During the ceremony of planting by Mrs. Scott of a young pohutukawa, Sir Apirana Ngata presented her, on behalf of the returned men, with a carved paddle, a carved patu, and a kit. Mrs. Scott expresed her appreciation of the gifts and of the tribe s kindness to her, her husband and her family. Later in the evening Mr. R. I. cohere, on behalf of the grandparents and parents of Maori soldiers, presented Mrs. Scott with a kiekie floor mat two kits and a woven vase stand. Mr.'Kohere also announced his intention of planting a grove of pohutukawa on the foreshore, to be named Alice Scott grove. .Me mentioned ho had already in hand the sum ol ■>- < 13s for the purpose. Mr. Kohere expressed the graliuici.of the local people to Sir Apirana toi his work in beautifying the meetinghouse and the hall. Sir Apirana Ngata said that 1 orourangi, the carved house at Wfl-O-matatini, had been valued at and that he valued llinerupe, tne carved meeting-house at Te Araroa. ai £IO,OOO and the hall at £'looo.