THROUGH THE PROVINCE WITH THE GOVERNOR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue XIV, 8 April 1899, Page 444

THROUGH THE PROVINCE WITH THE GOVERNOR.

OPOTIKI, TAURANGA, COROMANDEL AND THE THAMES.

(Special Correspondent.) The prosperity of the Bay of Plenty is undoubtedly retarded by the fact that the settlements along its shore are. with the exception of Tauranga, either situated on small bar-bound rivers, or have grown up on open bays where the landing of persons and cargo, or the shipment of the same, are not only tedious, but attended with a certain element of danger. Opotiki is a thriving settlement, the prosperity of which is due to the 10.000 aeres of really’ excellent land which comprise what is known as Opotiki flat; but the advance of the place is prejudiced by the lack of communication with the outside world by any other means than by’ water, and that under the handicap of a shallow bar-bound river. When the vice-regal party landed on the morning of the 23rd ult., there was no wind, and the bar, which has to be passed broadside on, was quiet. It was negotiated under the guidance of White, the harbourmaster and pilot, whose experience of Opotiki and Whakatane rivers has extended over a great many years. His Excellency has more than once expressed the opinion within the hearing of the present writer that the reception which the people of Opotiki district accorded him was, without question, in proportion to the size of the place, the best that he has received anywhere on his official tour of this colony. And certainly the crowd which were present at the formal welcome in the centre of the township was so large that one was justified in concluding that a great percentage of the residents of the district were present. At a very- prettily arranged platform at the Bank of New Zealand corner was presented the usual address from the Town Board and County Council on behalf of the people while the school children, drawn up opposite the dais, added their quota by the singing of a patriotic song and •God Save the Queen.’ It was a great day for Opotiki ‘entoirely,’ as an Irishman would put it, and possibly’ a greater day for the Chairman of the Town Board than even any’one else. In faultless frock coat, tall hat, expansive buttonhole —his immaculate attire bore the stamp of being a collateral for the occasion—who shall say that he was not the observed of all observers. A very nice luncheon was given in the Opotiki Hotel, and the afternoon was occupied with a drive to Waioeka pah, some eight miles out. The expedition was very different indeed from that of Sir Geo. Bowen over 30 years before, when he visited the present site of Waioeka. and looking up the heavily bush-clad gorge, saw how hopeless the pursuit of the disaffected natives into the fastness of the hills would be; or even than the military expedition of a decade baek, which, after riding up with great secrecy from Poverty Bay, spent the night in Opotiki, thus allowing news of their approach to reach that wily conspirator Te Kooti, whose arrest they had come to effect, and permitting him an opportunity to leave Waioeka, of which he availed himself. Lord Ranfurly’s was purely a visit of peace, and to him was extended a cordial welcome by the Whakatohia people, whose peaceful settlement Waioeka now is. Although the settlement is still designated a pah, it reveals no indication of what were formerly the lines of defence; nevertheless, the place has changed less than most Maori settlements. and the native whares are still almost entirely of brushwood and raupo. The most modern feature of the place is possibly the £4O worth of corrugated iron with which the natives have very largely spoilt the appearance of their fine meeting house. Throughout the day evidence of the stirring times of more than a quarter of a century back were cropping up. I the morning St. Stephen’s Church was visited by His Excellency, and the loopholes in the building were pointed

out. The grave at the rear of this church was also inspected. Here lie a portion of the remains of the Rev. C. S. Volkner, who was murdered by the fanatical Hauhaus in March, 1865. Its neglected state is possibly due to its being no ones duty to look after it, and it probably only needs for the attention of residents to be directed to the matter for something to be done in its renovation. Alongside Volkner’s grave the Governor was introduced to old I’ihana Tiwi, who recovered portion of the remains of the murdered missionary for burial, and who was instrumental in saving at least two white men (Messrs Grace and Davis) from the fate which must inevitably have befallen them at the hands of the Hauhaus. At Waioeka in the afternoon the old days of strife were again recalled, for the number of natives at the pah was swelled by visitors present who had been attending a tangi on the remains of Whaio. Whaio was the executioner of the Rev. Volkner, who was murdered by hanging, and avoiding by keeping to the back country the death penalty which was carried out at Napier on two of the other principal participators in the murder, lived subsequent to the granting of an amnesty at Waioeka. With the passing away of this native disappears one of the few remaining links which connect some of the East Coast tribes with a shameful past. These reminders of a dark epoch in the annals of the Maori people, however, served rather to accentuate than to overshadow the cordiality of the welcome extended to His Excellency by the Whakatohia people. A very fine haka —unfortunately cut short by the untimely appearanee of a kodak fiend, and unexpected bashfulness on the part of the dancers—was given; the usual speeches and grievances received an airing; and the vice-regal party had perforce to partake of some very Maori cooking. A novelty was unearthed in the ventilation of grievances. which is the unique possession of the Waioeka people. I gathered that they complained that the land on which their settlement stands had never been formally transferred to them subsequent to the cancellation of the confiscation: consequently, having no title to the land, they were in danger of being turned off the place, which had been their undisputed home for a quarter of a century. Returning to Opotiki. the party was greatly augmented by many who had made an earlier descent on the pah. The vehicles extended over about a quarter of a mile of road, while on

either hand rode many more visitors to Waioeka. A pleasant breeze was blowing from the sea, and for those from midway and towards the tail of the procession the eight miles constituted one dust absorbing act, not, of course, on a par with the great dust experience on the Poroti-Whangarei road, but possibly as distasteful, as the Opotiki dust bore evidence by its sharp grittiness of being born of a metalled and not a clay road. Five o'clock saw the vice-regal party embarked on board the Fingal, while the loyal people of Opotiki, determined to see the last of the Governor, were assembled in considerable numbers on the wharf. As the steamer moved away three very hearty cheers were given for Lord Ranfurly, three more for the regrettably absent Countess, and a final cheer for the Hon. Jas. Carroll. It proved fortunate that the Fingal had been detained as tender, for the sea had risen considerably during the day, and the ship’s big life boat, which in the morning had safely taken the party ashore, was nearly swamped in towing back to the steamer behind the Fingal. The Tutanekai again anchored under the shelter of Whale Island for the night, and crossing the ten miles ot intervening sea after breakfast next morning (Friday), arrived off Whakatane about 9.30 a.m. it had been arranged by telegraph from Opotiki that the pilot should come out to the steamer at Whakatane were the weather favourable for a landing. He did not come, ami although a landing could with some little difficulty have been effected. His Excellency' unwillingly decided to abandon the function at Whakatane, being largely influenced by the increasingly threatening state of the weather, it was feared that in the afternoon the sea might be so heavy ns to preclude re-embarking, so to prevent the possibility of the other arrangements being interfered with. Whakatane was passed—with the more regret because a big native reception had been arranged. Glowing accounts

of the arrangements that the natives at Purupuru had made were received the following day at Tauranga from Mr W. H. Herries, M.H.R., who had proceeded overland from Opotiki. A true Maori welcome with spear throwing, and the introduction of many of the old customs which had not been witnessed elsewhere, was to have been extended by at least five hundred natives. Further, a great marquee had been erected, and while all the delicacies that delight the Maori heart had been prepared to spread out down the centre, those dishes which tickle the palate of the pakeha, who likes not taro, pig, and dried shark, were also provided. However, the exigencies of arrangements which must needs be kept resulted in Whakatane having to be passed, probably as much to the disappointment of His Excellency and the vice-regal party as to that of the natives. The steamer went on to Motiti Island, where she anchored before lunch. The wind had in the meantime changed more to the north, and it had come on to rain. The afternoon was spent in fishing in steady rain, every member of the party meeting with a fair share of success, while Lord Ranfurly’s total of close on half a score was considerably above the average attained by those fishing. Weighing anchor about 4.30 p.m., the Tutanekai ran into Tauranga, and was berthed alongside the wharf at 6.15. Tauranga is a place that boasts fine weather, and certainly, although when Saturday broke it was plainly evident from the appearance of the horizon that it was raining at almost all points of the compass, no rain worth speaking of fell in Tauranga itself. A very nice triumphal arch was erected at the head ot the wharf, and flags were hying in various parts. The Corporation, who have recently acquireu the old redoubt at the northern end of the town and erected a flagstaff with the proceeds of the sale of the prison which formerly occupied part of the enclosure, of course had flags flying from this point of vantage. Some enterprising person who took the trouble to look up in the code book on board the Tutanekai what the interpretation of the flags displayed was, discovered that they stood for ’Be very careful in your intercourse with strangers.’ Another amusing feature of the Tauranga reception was the performance of "God Save the Queen’ by the two Maori bands. It can be well understood that during the three weeks’ tour the party heard our National Anthem played in many ways, but a more dirge-like composition than it proved as given by the Tauranga bands it would be impossible to conceive. Whether the people had heard these bands practising the tune, and had so been frightened from putting in an appearance, or whether the poor attendance was attributable to some other cause, was not explained, but the fact remains that the reception contrasted unfavourably with that at Opotiki two days before. After an address of welcome had been presented on behalf of the residents by the Mayor (Mr G. A. Ward) and the County Chairman (Mr J. M. Davidson), and a welcome extended on behalf of the Maoris by Hori Ngata, an expedition bore down on the famous Gate I’ah, and the place was occupied without opposition. Where was once the famous Maori pah, and later a British fort, is now nothing but a gently sloping grass hill, but the place retains its historical associations. The points of interest were shown by Hone Taharangi (who appears in the snapshots published), a native who was engaged in the famous repulse of the Imperial troops. After lunch in the room of the Tauranga Hotel, where Lord Glasgow was banqueted about three years earlier, a drive was taken into the country. The land is good, although not so rich as Opotiki flat, where crops of maize yielding from 89 to 100 bushels an acre are not considered out of the way. and about 3,000 aeres are sown in maize every year, and about 90 per eent. of the income of the people of the district is derived from maize and fat cattle. It is only about 11 miles to Waihi from Bowen, which is at the head of an arm of the harbour, and what the people of Tauranga want is a light railway or a tramway to convey their produce from the now deserted township of Bowen on to the goldfields. Another of their passing wants is the expenditure of £ 2.009 in completing good road communication with the Waikato. The advantage Tanrangaites expect to delive from such a road is largely in the direction of filling the want of Wai-

kato people for a summer seaside resort. It is a boast of the Tauranga resident that a man had to be killed to start the cemetery (the first man buried in the local cemetery was murdered). and that tlje place is unable to support a doctor. There are at present three doctors in Tauranga, but as they are all there principally for their own health they do not, of course, count.

After returning from this drive the vice-regal party were entertained at afternoon tea by the Mayoress. Mrs Ward, at the Tauranga tennis court, a function which concluded the Tauranga reception. Sunday proved stormy and wet, so after visiting the naval and military cemetery a start was made for Coromandel. It was rather unpleasant running up the coast, but the majority of the party were at lunch. The meal was taken under some difficulty, as it was only with considerable trouble that many of the articles on the table could be prevented from descending, presumably to pursue investigations, on the saloon floor. As it was a couple of dozen plates found their way in one pile on to the floor, much to their own detriment, and it is to lie presumed little to any one’s advantage. However, by nightfall the Tutanekai was at anchor off Cabbage Bay. under the lee of the land. By Monday morning the strong breezes of Sunday had developed into a howling north-east gale with incessant rain. It was not till after ten o’clock that Captain Post considered it safe to weigh anchor, and when the Tutanekai arrived in Coromandel Harbour at noon to land was out of the question. A premature lull in the storm after dinner was, however, availed of. and a landing was effected with some difficulty. The reception committee, some members of which had been round the harbour in the morning in the little steamer Falcon and had for the most part—to put it politely—been victims of mal-de-mer, were not expecting that the Governor would land, so that there being only one cab at the wharf a number of the members of the party had to walk the better part of a mile to the town in a blinding rain squall, which was the final effort of the passing storm. The reception committee consisted of delegates from the County Council, the Oddfellows and Foresters. and the schools. The arrangements they had made were of the most perfect description, and there were indications that had the weather remained fine the decorations in Coromandel, which as it was included three arches, would have been more than usually extensive. The address of welcome was presented on the hotel verandah at five in the afternoon, and the weather having cleared a fair number of people were present. Later came the big function, the banquet. Mr Jas. McGowan. M.H.R.. presided. Some sixty people were present, including the officers of the Mildura. and the affair, which was really well done at Rolleston’s Coromandel Hotel, was a great success. Tuesday proved as fine as the previous day had been wet. and a visit to the Royal Oak mine, on the far side of the Tokatea range, occupied the greater part of the day. The view from the summit of the pass—l.799ft. high—is one of the finest in the world, for on the one side of the peninsula, on a clear day, it is possible to see far away into the Bay of Plenty, while on the other lies the town of Coromandel, with its extensive harbour, forming a foreground to the wide panorama of sea and land which the Hauraki Gulf, with its innumerable islands, presents. His Excellency started the new plant which the Royal Oak Company have, at a cost of £8,099, constructed to provide motive power for the various operations at their mine. His Excellency. liefore starting the plant, said he had great pleasure, at the special request of Captain Hodge, in christening the plant as the Ranfurly water-power scheme. The blue ribbon was secured on the wheel by a silver pin, with the letter ‘R’ thereon. After lunch, held under somewhat unique conditions in the interior of the battery-house of the Royal Onk. a return was made to town, where His Excellency driving with cavalcade of about 50 following, the party arrived shortly after four. The Governor visited the hospital, and subsequently the Hauraki ami t'nion Beach mines. Captain Hodge, who is manager of these mines, conducted His Excellency, and pressed

on his acceptance some fine specimens of quartz, characteristic of the district. A return was made to the Tutanekai at 6.30. and the steamer left at five on Wednesday for the Thames.

The Tutanekai proceeded up to Kopu, where the vice-regal party was met by the Mayor (Mr 11. J. Greenslade). the County Chairman (Mr T. A. Dunlop) and the Chairman of tin- Harbour Board (Mr W. Deeble), who had proceeded from Grahamstow n by special train at 8.39 a.in. Lord Ranfurly and party then proceeded by special train to the central station at the Thames. A procession, in which that old company the Thames Navals and the Naval Band were prominent, was formed, and the addresses of the local bodies and Thames Miners’ I nion were presented in the presence of some fifteen hundred people, on a raised and deeorated platform by the Borough Council Chambers. and adjacent to a very fine arch, on which was einblazened the one word, welcome. Altogether the day at the Thames proved as interesting as any portion of the Northern tour. The arrangements had been capitally made, and as much was crammed into the space at the disposal of the Reception Committee as could possibly have been done. Without doubt the local bodies, including the Borough and Count! Councils and the Harbour Board, are deserving of praise for the manner in which they made the visit of the viceregal party both pleasant ami. shall I say, instructive. The crowd which assembled at the corner of the Borough Council Chambers in the morning was both large and enthnsiastie. A feature of this formal welcome was unquestionably the singing of the school children, under the leadership of Mr Grigg, who not only taught them the patriotic song’ they sang (‘My Own New Zealand Home), but also composed and w rote I lie words. His Excellency asked that the school children lx* granted a holiday on the Thursday, so that their vacation extended without a break over Easter, a concession which the children demonstrated their approval of by the hearty manner in which they cheered. Afterwards came the portion of the programme which combined instruction without the sacrifice of interest —the visit to the mines. Coder the capable guidance of Mr James Park, F.G.S., supervising engineer, and Mr Ezra Cartwright. underground manager. His Excellency and party were first shown over tile Moanataiari battery. Later the Tararu Creek mine was visited, and here Mr D. E. Thornton, general manager, acted as showman, while Mr G. D. Ingall was also present. The new battery is now in full operation, and the party were shown the process from the trucking’ of the ore out from the hill through the stages of crushing. passing over the concentrators, cyaniding, to the conclusion in the lurkish bath like retorting’ house. Returning. His Excellency, with the forethought which characterises him. spent a few minutes at the Old People’s Refuge - sufficiently long- Io say a few cheering words to the inmates. The state of affairs in the institution His Excellency considered in the high est degree unsatisfactory, and as a result of the representations that have at his instigation been made a thorough enquiry should result. The big plant which the ThamesHauraki Company have erected, with its ten Cornish boilers and tremendous winding and pumping gear, were then inspected. Mr Dunlop, the man ager. chaperoning the party. A brief visit to the Hospital followed, and the pa’rty then drove to the Royal Hotel, where an excellent cold lunch was provided. The toasts were confined Io ‘The Queen’ and the health of the Governor. Both were proposed li\ the Mayor (Mr 11. .1. Greenslade). When speaking- to the latter Mr Greenslade dwelt at some length of the prospects and history of the Thames district. Responding to the toast of his health. His Excellency said he had now visited every town of importance in the colony, and every district with any particular industry, and had included in his tours both Europeans and natives. This, when it was taken into consideration that the islands were 1.100 miles in length, not toHiien tion their breadth, was somethin" aceomplished. He had devoted himself exclusively to going- round ami making the acquaintance of the pioneers

as far as possible, anil had inquired into tlie industries which had adinnced the colony, one of the most important of which was mining'. lie feit that in New Zealand he had one of the finest of Iler Majesty's colonies in Ins charge, and he had done his best whilst here to make himself acquainted with the people and its requirements. He meant to do his best in the future to use the knowledge that he had obtained in the interests of the colon v.

After the toast of the chairman had been heartily drunk with musical honours, a. start was made for i’arawai. where a somewhat unique entertainment in the form of a race meeting had been promoted for the occasion. En route His Excellency was presented with an address of welcome at the native meeting house at Parawai. The natives residing here are now few in number, but their sentiments of loyalty and welcome were absolutely unexceptionable. The party arrived at the race meeting about three, unfortunately just after the chief race of the programme, the Ranfurly Stakes, had been contested. Everything passed off very well, the arrangements of the stewards (Mr Jas. MeGowan, M.H.R., is president of the Club) were first rate, and the racing interesting. His Excellency waited till after the last event, and arrived back in the town at 6.30.

An informal dinner was given to His Excellency at the Royal in the eviening, and the party returned to the Tutanekai by special train at 9 o'clock. A pheasant hour was spent in the saloon at the invitation of the Governor. There were present of the ship's company Captain Post and his officers —Messrs Mayes, chief; Wornley. second; ami Greenfield, third. The (engineer department was represented by its chief, Mr Bethune; while Mr Souter, chief steward, was also of the party. His Excellency, in proposing prosperity to the Tutanekai and her company, spoke of the manner in which Captain Post and his officers had put themselves about to carry out the complicated 'arrangeinents of the tour. In. his remarks on the courtesy which had been shown to everybody 1 am sure that Lord Ranfurly was only echoing the sentiment of every member of the party. After Captain. Post had responded, and subsequently proposed the health of the Governor, which was drunk with musical honours, several songs were given and n most pleasant gathering terminated by all singing ‘Rule, Britannia.,’ ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ and ‘God Save the Queen.' Thursday, when some little time was spent in unsuccessful fishing off Waiheke and Motnihi, concluded the Auckland, and likewise the New Zealand official tour of the Governor.

The arrangements for the Auckland Province were, with the exception of the Wihakatane function and the first da,y at Coromandel, kept with a punctuality which was simply marvellous. Credit is due to Captain Alexander, His Excellency's private secretary, for the* arranging of the details of the tour, and to the ship’s captain and officers for the admirable performance of their party. The Surveyor-General, Mr Percy Smith, also gave valuable assistance in the initial stages of the arrangements of the tour. That the trip should have proved thoroughly enjoyable to everyone on board, as it unquestionably did, was due in the first place to the courtesy and kindness of Lord Ranfurly, and secondly to the earnest seconding of his endeavours by every member of his staff, with the consequent good fellowship which prevailed thrtoughout the ship. At the various places ineluded in the

tour the same endeavour was put forth to do what was possible as visitors to make the arrangements of the hosts a success. That the trip will long remain a pleasant memory with those who made it, and with many people in the places visited is the honest conviction of the writer of these lines.