THE GOOD NEIGHBOUR

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 74, Issue 1, 15 January 1947, Page 92

THE GOOD NEIGHBOUR

Waikato’s Whare Whakairo

CARVED HOUSES

TO the majority of New Zealanders the name Ngaruawahia is for ever linked with that of Princess Te Puea Herangi, who has devoted her life to establishing a people dispossessed of their lands during the Maori Wars in homes of their own on a site sacred in the annals of the tribe. Of direct descent from Potatau Te W her ow hero, the first Maori King, and tracing her lineage back through 28 generations, this nobly-born chieftainess has toiled hard and long for the realisation of her dream, even contracting for scrub-cutting and similar work so that the revenue obtained could be used to buy sufficient land on which to build a village. It was in this manner that Ngaruawahia Pa came into being.

ONE of the earliest examples of her practical interest in the welfare of her race was her. adoption of the children orphaned in /the 191? epidemic, and these young folk for whose upbringing she had been responsible loyally assisted her in all her undertakings. Indeed, in later years, when Te Puea conceived the idea of erecting a house for tribal gatherings .in that part of Ngaruawahia called Turangawaewae, they toured the country with their leader giving concerts in the various centres to help raise funds. (The Princess is also head of several land development schemes under which numbers of Maori settlers have been very successfully established in farming. The recentlyopened Health Clinic in the Ngaruawahia township, which has an average attendance of over 100 patients weekly, is also under her auspices.)

As the visitor approaches Turangawaewae, where poppies and geraniums flame against the outer palisade of pongas and brilliant flower borders and curving lawns form a jewelled setting for the marvels of Maori architecture within, he is confronted with tangible proof of the outstanding capabilities of this gifted woman under whose leadership such a. wonderful transformation has been wrought in the gorse-covered wilderness surrounding the spring which had once belonged to her grandfather, King Tawhiao. On one side of the marae is the Kimikimi, the big social hall, used mainly for meetings and the arts of whare tapere (house of entertainment), and having a kitchen extensive enough to cater for a whole community when large gatherings are held. At the other end of the courtyard stands the carved house called after Princess Te Puea’s famous ancestress of 18 generations back, Mahinarangi, “the Moon-glow of the Heavens,” whose love story was as perfect as her beauty. It is indeed fitting to commemorate the Waikato chief who won her heart, and to bestow upon the residence of King Koroki, which adjoins Mahinarangi, the name of Turongo.

Seated on the marae with the other guests while the elders of the tribe, bearing green-leaved branches of rata in their hands, accorded us a powhiri (a ceremony of welcome), I had an excellent opportunity to observe the peerless loveliness of the carved timbers adorning Turongo and Mahinarangi House, the red carvings making a rich note of colour against the sombre background of treeshaded river and storm-dark peaks of the distant Hakari-

mate Ranges. The tall flagstaff in the centre of the courtyard is a striking example of the carver’s skill; so, too, is the porch pillar in front of Mahinarangi, with its ancestral images and taniwha emblem known as Waikatotaniwharau, “Waikato-of-the-hundred-dragons,” indicating, the superior strength of the tribe who boasted a village with a fighting chief at every bend of the river. A taniwha also disported itself beneath the window which was surmounted by a carving of the Tainui canoe, commanded by Hoturoa. Two round white stools, each a portion of a whale’s backbone, stood on the porch near the great doorsof Mahinarangi upon which was carved Te Paki-o-Matariki, the King’s coat of arms. This depicts two figures, Whakaora, the life-giver, and Hani, the destroyer, striving for mastery over Te Ao, the universe, represented by a circular scroll. Between their upraised hands is set the Cross,' signifying that in the struggle between good and evil in the world Christ is victorious, supreme. The seven stars overhead symbolise the .fleet of canoes which took part in the early migration to Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the large star in the centre typifies the celebrated! canoe of the Tainui tribes. To show man’s dependence on the products of Nature the design is further embellished by nikau fronds, used for the thatching of dwellings; harakiki (flax), of which clothing and cordage are woven; mamaku (black tree-fern), providing posts for palisades., para (king-fern), the edible roots of which are regarded as a delicacy and reserved for the sons of rangatiras.

Upon entering Mahinarangi I found the interior exquisitely beautiful with its intricate wall carvings:, its rafters decorated by a myriad designs of scroll work, and its tukutuku panels of reeds woven in “step pattern,” “starseed pattern,” “tear-drop pattern,” to name but a few. The entire floor was carpeted and there were additional whariki, mats woven from flax and kiekie, those trimmed 1 with bright-coloured wools having been made in Rarotonga. What at first glance I had thought to be a bone., judging by its shape and smooth,'bleached surface, was in, reality a kava root, the gift of Queen Salote of , Tonga. The gay grass skirts which formed such decorative window drapes were also from the islands (I particularly liked one' with a blue velvet waistband cut in points and em-

broidered with pearly shells), as were many of the necklaces and leis and triangular-shaped fans displayed round the pillars. Nearby stood a graceful antique cabinet which had been presented to Princess Te Puea; its glass-fronted shelves contained, many mementoescups and saucers inscribed with the names of leading British makers of fine china; a tiny throne of silver filigree on a tortoiseshell base; a facsimile of the Coronation spoons used for anointing the King (a presentation from the Countess of Oxford) ; and a set of silver fish knives and forks with handles of greenstone. On top of the cabinet were valuable Dresden vases filled with flowers.

. The dais at the rear of the hall was a museum of treasures meres and moa bones and mounds of unpolished greenstone; water gourds and a whole set. of shark’s teeth (much sought after for ear-rings) ; kiwi cloaks and canoe mats worn when paddling; paddles and patu patus (carved clubs) tewhatewhas and taiahas (spears used in battle). I felt most privileged to be allowed to handle a highly-prized cloak covered with crimson kaka feathers: how beautiful it must have looked on some dusky-haired Maori maiden. Other interesting items comprised the insignia of a Commander- of the Order of the British Empire with which Princess Te Piiea was invested in 1938; a dark, glossy kauri root that by some strange whim of Nature resembled a group of gnome-like figures such as those in an Arthur Rackham illustration; a clay effigy of a noted ancestor round whose neck hung a handsome tiki and a flat pendant ornament of paler greenstone; an Indian sari of royal purple with stitcheries of gilt thread, the silken folds serving as a curtain for a recess at the left of the platform; and a musical box given to King Tawhiao by Queen Victoria during his visit to England. The box had a repertoire of some half a dozen times, Strauss waltzes predominating, and later, when the mechanism was set in motion, I had the pleasure of listening to the strains of old-world melodies as sweet as the' notes of little tinkling bells.

I entered Turongo through the hallway connecting it with the assembly house of Mahinarangi. Here King Koroki has his private" quarters, including a dining-room and modern kitchen of imposing proportions. The polished table of heart of oak seats 24, and the matching chairs are upholstered in dark red leather. The deep window

seats, similarly cushioned, and the white curtains of fine net, and the black-patterned ponga vases on the small occasional tables carried out the colour scheme of the tuhi (scroll work) on the rafters. The enormous fireplace with fits magnificently-carved overmantel was flanked by two specially-made kava bowls, and an entire corner of the room was enclosed semi-circular fashion from floor to ceiling by three tiers of . doors of diamond-leaded glass. This unusual cupboard served as an ideal repository for the precious crystal and china with which Turongo is so plentifully endowed.

The sitting-room was also in the form of a half-circle, being roofed by a curved tower. The room was fragrant with the perfume of lavender drying in a Ming-shaped container of Carlton ware in that glorious shade of red known as rouge royale, and featuring a delicate sylvan design of butterflies and trees in burnished gold overprint and coloured enamels. Instead of holding floral decorations, the wall-vases above the silvery-beige and peacock-blue tapestry suite displayed a selection of toroa plumes worn in warfare by the King fighters when short of huia feathers.

The outer hall door with its leadlight panel bearing King Koroki’s coat of arms opened on to the sheltered verandah fronting Turongo, an excellent vantage spot from which to view at close range the carvings composing the exterior of the house. Even the wooden posts of the verandah were ornamented in this way, and the concrete foundations had been beautified in accordance with the notably high artistic standards of the Maori by being inset with paua shells brought at Princess Te Puea’s behest from the beach at Marokopa. Picture the lovely iridescence of these opalhued shells when the sun shines on them, each one a miniature rainbow in itself. It was very pleasant to linger m the King’s courtyard where waratah bloomed redly and a row of young manukas clipped to symmetrical perfection marched down the lawn to the muted music of water

flowing from a stone fountain, and look my flu upon the whare whakairo, the carved houses of Turongo and Mahinarangi, which are Waikato’s pride and glory.