FANCY DRESS BALL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7678, 30 January 1904, Page 7

FANCY DRESS BALL.

New Zealand Lady Appears as a Maori Wahine.

A Faithful and Life-Like

Representation.

A London correspondent writes: — Miss Hilda Hatchings, of Napier, had an amusing experience at a fancy dress ball at Covent garden. With the aid of one of the leading London experts in fancy dress preparation, Miss Hitchings " got herselt up " with a degree of realism that had not previously been seen even at those famous bails. The complexion and tatooing of a Msori chieftainess were imitated to perfection, and Miss Sitchings her faithfulness of fepreseutjflpi to the extent of having her and appropriately stained, while when moving about she exactly imitated the walk of the Maori women, and when not walking or dancing she squatted on the floor with her short pipe in her mouth, in precise wahine style. Many of those present fully believed her to be a genuine Maori princess. Wherevor she went she was attended by crowds of admiring, or at ■auyrate curious, spectators, and when she first squatted ou the floor she was surrounded by some hundreds of spectators. As sbo advanced to receive her prize her progress was accompanied by hearty cheers and cries of " Bravo, New Zealand!"' Altogether her experience seems to have been quite an exceptional one.