ROYAL VISITORS TO NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 78, Issue 3, 15 March 1949, Page 313

ROYAL VISITORS TO NEW ZEALAND

r J~'flE visit of H.R.H. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, to New Zealand in 1869 was described in the previous article in this

series which appeared in the February issue of the “Journal.” This article, continues the series by Enid B. V. Phillips on Royal Visits to New Zealand and describes the tour of

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York

YT was not till after the turn of the century that Royalty again visited these shores. Arrangements for the Duke

and Duchess of Cornwall and York to undertake a trip to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were in the course of completion when Queen Victoria died, and though it must have been difficult for the new Sovereign to part with his eldest son during this time of bereavement when he had to shoulder so many onerous duties of state, he put his personal feelings aside and gave his permission to proceed with the original plans. So the Orient Company’s steamer Ophir was chartered as a Royal yacht and with the cruisers Juno and St. George as escorts sailed from England on March 16, 1901, to take the Heir Apparent and his consort on the 35,000 sea-mile voyage to the other side of the world and back.

Triumphal Arches in Auckland

The Ophir was due in Auckland on June 10, and several days before this date saws and hammers were being plied with pronounced effect. The driving south-easterly which turned the scoria-paved streets into quagmires did not deter the decorators in the least, and triumphal arches blossomed overnight and native evergreens twined about tall Venetian poles and each citizen tried to outdo his neighbour in the size and splendour of the transparencies in his windows. Under the direction of Lady Ranfurly the ballroom and drawing-room at Government House had been beautified, feathery trails of lycopodium wreathing the gasoliers and festooning the white walls of the lovely room where the Duke of Edinburgh was entertained many years before. The crimson-carpeted dais was flanked with decorative foliage and such a profusion of arum lilies as to astonish the Royal visitors, the blooms being comparatively scarce in England.

Every vessel in the harbour was dressed with a rainbow of bunting and the little ferry boats were crowded with passengers eager to see the big white ship which had anchored off Devonport overnight and was now steaming up. the harbour to the sound of a Royal salute of 21 guns from the men-of-war of the visiting Australian squadron, the New Zealand artillery responding with a similar salute from the shore. The Governor, Lord Ranfurly, with the Premier, the Hon. R. J. Seddon, and his ministers went on board the Ophir to present an address of welcome from the people of New Zealand, the beautifully-illumined scroll being contained in a greenstone casket. Then they took, up their places on the platform at the head of the wharf. The silvery notes of a bugle proclaimed Their Royal Highnesses’ appearance on deck, the Duke in the uniform of a Rear-Admiral and the Duchess wearing black with a matching toque and a feather boa about her neck. As she descended the gangway she had a curiously puzzled, timid, hesitating expression upon her face (to quote the words of an eyewitness) as if she did not quite know what was expected of her. The bronzed, bearded Duke, however, smiled confidently. As they reached the foot of the gangway they paused a moment and the Duchess, with commendable intuition, now stepped forward and pressed the button on the table before her, thereby sounding the signal which spread the news of their long-awaited arrival throughout every town and hamlet in the land. Indeed, the efficiency of the telegraph service was such that the message was received at the Bluff within 2 minutes of its trans-

Colony's Boundaries Extended Another momentous happening that day was when Lord Ranfurly read the official proclamation announcing that the boundaries of the colony had been extended to include the Cook Islands and other groups in the Pacific. Two prominent Cook Island chieftains were seated on the dais with the official party, which included Auckland’s Chief Magistrate and Mayor, Dr. J. Logan Campbell, who looked very patriarchal in his civic robes. Later he placed the title deeds of his famous One Tree Hill estate (worth many thousands of pounds) in the hands of His Royal Highness, who gladly consented to its dedication as Cornwall Park. At the Government House reception after the State dinner the ladies all wore half mourning out of respect to the late Queen Victoria, the Duchess being gowned in black satin merveilleux with a collar of diamonds and a diamond tiara. Most of Her Royal Highness’s gowns were made by the Maison Frederic, London, from the richest materials obtainable from English and Irish looms. The chief fashion accent was in the matter of sleeves, which were extremely elaborate. Puffs predominated, especially at the elbow, and often the rest of the sleeve was tightfitting right to the wrist and garnitured with lace or embroidery. Sometimes when the upper part of the sleeve was composed of triple puffs each puff would be tied with ribbons, and a chou of flowers or a chic ribbon bow was used to adorn another type of sleeve where two. points of lace met in the centre of the upper forearm. Evening gowns had shoulder straps of velvet, jewels, or flowers, with a second strap falling below the shoulder in the merest hint of a sleeve. An equally striking effect was obtained by bouffants drapery of tulle or mousseline from the shoulder strap, leaving the top of the arm bare. Whether full length or only a decorative suggestion of a covering, the Duchess’s sleeves were truly a triumph of artistic ingenuity and set a new style among the more fashionable members of the colony’s feminine population.

Duke Dazzled all Eyes

All the same it was the Duke who dazzled all eyes with the splendour of his attire when he reviewed the troops in Potter’s Paddock and presented medals to the returned contingents from the South African campaign, New Zealand having sent more men to the front in proportion to her population than any other part

of the Empire. He rode to the parade in the scarlet uniform of a Colonel of the Fusilier Guards, complete with a huge busby which tended at times to tilt forward and slightly obscure his view. The Duchess’s brother, Prince Alexander of Teck, who had served in Matabeleland and South Africa, and was now A.D.C. to the Duke, was in Hussar uniform and both Viscount Crichton and the Duke of Roxburghe wore the gleaming cuirasses and waving plumes of the Royal Horse Guards. There was little respite from official duties with a Veterans’ luncheon to attend, a State dinner, and a Mayoral reception timed for 9.45 p.m., and in order that the Duchess might obtain a modicum of rest, the Duke deputised for her in laying the foundation-stone of the Victoria High School for Maori girls at Parnell. The Maori children’s singing greatly appealed to His Royal Highness and their tuneful haka so amused him that he insisted on an encore.

Maoris at Rotorua

He became further acquainted with the Maori people during his visit to Rotorua, the train in which the Royal party travelled creating a record by covering the journey in 7 hours. The ordinary express took 2 hours longer. The dusk was deepening as the Duke and Duchess descended from the train and hundreds of natives, bearing leafy branches, leaped and postured before

them. x Some of the leading chiefs were clad in choice mats, others wore the frock coats and bell-toppers of civilisation, but all joined with equal fervour in the powhiri, the chant of welcome. The Maoris’ joy communicated itself to all beholders, causing their hearts to throb, their pulses to beat faster. Waving their weapons they rushed after the Royal procession with exultant cries, Their Royal Highnesses being obviously fascinated by this , strange, dramatic sight. They were met at the entrance to their hotel by a party of poi dancers who performed their graceful movements, at the same time “speaking with their expressive eyes more haeremais. than their tongues could utter.” The Native Minister, the Hon. James Carroll, in a speech glowing with the poetic imagery and rhythmical cadences characteristic of Maori oratory at its finest, voiced the sentiments of his race toward the grandson of the illustrious Queen whom they had revered so deeply. Ancient Ceremony of Welcome The early morning, sun shining on the huge columns of steam rising from the hot springs changed them to shimmering gold, making it a perfect day for visiting the pretty little lakeside village of Ohinemutu where the Mao Arawa tribe had assembled in front of the whare-runanga, the carved meeting-house, to receive the Royal guests with the ancient ceremony of welcome, the chief standing before the statue of Queen Victoria in the centre of the courtyard to present them with gifts of mats and greenstone meres in accordance with the native custom of bestowing offerings in memory of the departed. Then they drove to Whakarewarewa and “did” the sights just like any other tourists, the Duke in charge of Guide Maggie and the Duchess accompanied by the soft-voiced Sophia, survivor of the terrible Tarawera eruption in 1886, when the pink and white terraces were destroyed. - . When they reached the plateau the Pohutu geyser was playing and by a little judicious soaping Wairoa was induced to perform also. Never had the guides’ tales been listened to with greater attention, nor had they escorted visitors more eager to see the marvels of this thermal wonderland. While they were passing the native houses, the owners of which had put their potatoes and other edibles to cook in the boiling pools outside, a band of Maori youngsters shyly offered the Duchess some childish gift, whereupon Her Royal Highness smilingly shook hands with each one of them right down to the tiniest toddler to the tremendous pride of all concerned. Before > crossing the lake by the steamer Hamuana to view the hot springs at Tikitere the party was entertained by a picturesque assembly of poi dancers and teams of stalwart warriors who engaged in tribal hakas each more fearsome than the last. This was but a foretaste of events to come, for the following day a great hui was held at the racecourse, the natives having journeyed from the most distant parts of New Zealand to pay homage to the Royal couple. The Duchess completely won the hearts of the vast gathering by draping over her black

costume the kiwi feather mantle given her at Ohinemutu and placing in her bonnet a trio of white-tipped huia feathers, thus identifying herself as a chieftainess of the Maori people. The Duke, too, had donned the emblems of a rangatira. The Hon. James Carroll, wearing a dog-skin mat over his suit, was the master of ceremonies, and for close on 3 hours the quiet plain resounded to the war chants of bygone days as the mighty fighters of each tribe in turn flung themselves into the frenzy of a war dance. (Apirana Ngata, M.A., LL.B., led his tribesmen, the Ngatiporou, in their haka.) At length the maidens began the poi dance of peace, singing as they twirled their pois: “Oh, Princess, you have come to add lustre to the Maori people.” Presentation of Priceless Gifts Then the chiefs and chieftainesses came forward with priceless gifts—feather cloaks and flax mats of the finest weaving in the “falling water” pattern, ancient tikis and taiahas, greenstone meres and patus of polished whalebonelaying them before the Duke and Duchess till they were nearly buried beneath the pile of treasured tribal heirlooms. The venerable chief Te Pokiha, better known to the pakeha as Major Fox, whose bravery won him a sword of honour from Queen Victoria, rising from his seat beneath the flag the late Duke of Edinburgh had presented to his Arawa bodyguard, long years ago, now gave His Royal Highness a carved model of the canoe in which his ancestors had voyaged to New Zealand. (The Duchess, concerned at his only too evident frailty, had asked him at Ohinemutu pa the previous day why he had ventured out, and the whitehaired warrior had replied with the inherent courtliness of his race: “My joy at the hope of seeing you was so great that I could not lie down.”) When the Otaki maidens had finished their single and double poi dances they advanced in single file and, bow. ing gracefully, placed their pois at the feet of the Duchess, an unexpected tribute which so charmed Her Royal Highness that she leaned down and touched the hand of the last little dancer, a mere child, as she went laughing past. The Duke’s speech of thanks was loudly cheered: “Kiaora te Tuika!” (“Long live the Duke!”), and