PARIKINO SPORTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 63, 14 March 1936, Page 8

PARIKINO SPORTS

ROAD IN GOOD ORDER FINE WEATHER ANTICIPATED. Tv DAY b BIG MEETING. Parikino will be en fete today a •he occasion of the annual sports.* For several weeks the energetic pakehn Mauri committee has been at w».»rk preparing the programme. T e.* terday a start was made to handle the “kai” arrangements. Pigs. da. ks, turkey-. gp«*e and all manner of dainty eat able* will be cooked Maori fashion i • entertain the hundreds of guests wh » ' ill make Parakino a picnic ground today. The open hor.-e jump a ill i.p t >•' major event this afternoon and »*-t--fries have come from far afield. Bit apart from horse jumping and at‘-hti*'-the programme includes wood choppin-.’ events, and competitors from a*- far away as Hawke’s Ba- and the Wair.t r apa will be on hand to try and lift !l e liberal prize menry offered. The road from Wanganui to Pa r ‘ kuift i« in gnnd order and a record r-nwd is anticipated. Many people delight in studying the vi*w from the top of “Gentle Annie” hill. It pre the best picture of the river to he seen nn the lower reaches— the bright waters winding away to the hinterland between the willow lined banks. When Parikino acts itself out D» cater for the world without it has n > peer among th* settlements along this roast. There is a quaint pioneer dahospitality abroad there, which, to th* accompaniment of fluttering flags an 1 strTnrners, the ringing of bells, and the thudding of horses’ feet, takes mentor; hack to the sports gatherings of tli° olden days, when blond horses and k? n n sportsmen rauie from fa- and wide t • compete against each other for hou ours. Parikino sr-’ks ♦<» retain those old-world gatherings and it» couunit t e has been moulded along llm.-e lines l.y Mr. J. J. whij i«; nne of the keenest organisers in the Wanganui district. Lord tocdisloe, th« lat«* GovernorLeneral <»f New Zealand. «a- great I v taken with Parikino and the %o<ifenms welcome he got from the natives then. One ran still tividlv picture the rotund Tanginoa Ta pa. his broad brown ba«*k. bear to the waist, his eves rolling ami i.»ngue protruding like his ancestor# f old. giving greeting*- to flir Great White King. That King notv lies peacefully at rr--t. ami a new Sovereign nrrupje. his Throne, but the loyaltv of the natives nf Parikino in still as fervent as ever. Tt is staunch and as purposeful as their hospitality, ■\hicli will he displayed in full force in that hictoriral shady corner on Mr. Lisserte « property to day. A big flag will adorn the gateway to remind any casual pa .-.-er by that the sports ground is within. It is quite a pleasant motor drive from th*' '-ity to Parikino. and people who wish to attend the snorts tan do so. pirnie in the bu-h. ano be baek tn town for the pictures Perhaps, if their fancy sn takr« them, they ran stay the night at Parikino and enjov the dance at the hall, which remains in sway until the dawn. Then comes breakfast and the journey home in the pale morning light over the mists of “Gentle Annie.’’ with, memories m Tarikino's great dav still - pry vi.id.