Ngati Porou Farmer SAW THE WORLD

Te Ao Hou, Winter 1954, Page 13

Wallace Tako and his sheep. (Photo: John Ashton) Ngati Porou Farmer SAW THE WORLD by MEL TAYLOR From the remote lands of the Ngati Porou tribe, dominated by majestic Mt. Hikurangi, to the gay capitals of Europe and America, and to the teeming cities of the East was the recent thrill-packed journey of Mr Warihi Tako, East Coast sheep farmer. Mr Tako is well known to the “Ngatis” as “the Lion Man” or “Maori Millionaire.” He comes from Waiomatatini—the settlement famed as the home of the late Sir Apirana Ngata. Reputed to be New Zealand's wealthiest Maori, he is sheepfarming in a big way. The round-the-world trip whetted his travel appetite. When he arrived home he felt that he might make a trip to Australia about next Eastertime. Also, he had a hankering to go big game hunting in India. It is 46 years now since, as a seventeen year-old lad, Mr Tako started breaking in virgin land. It was hard work. There followed long years of toil, working his way up to his present status in a class with the country's most substantial sheep men. One of the Lion Man's best known characteristics is the fact that he does not like to spruce up—even on trips to Gisborne. Formal education finished for him at standard two. “For the rest,” he says, “I let nature take its course.” During both world wars Mr Tako helped finance entertainments for many Maori servicemen. As another social service he helps with the expenses for Maori meetings. While in Dublin on his recent trip he bought a 900-guinea racehorse. He hadn't intended buying that horse—he just saw it at the Dublin Horse Show, thought it looked a good yearling, and bought it. Also, while overseas he bought some watches. He found the idea of having to set his watch to different times in various parts of the world too confusing. So, as well as his New Zealand watch, he bought one in London and one in Switzerland, hoping that one at least would give him the right time, but when he arrived in Auckland all three were wrong. Mr Tako had had the travel urge for a long time. Finally he decided to go overseas at Coronation time, leaving Wellington last May. He flew to Sydney, where he stayed a week and then to Singapore for another week. Then, with stops at Ceylon, Bombay, Karachi

Drafting at Wallace Tako's station near Ruatoria. and Cairo he stayed at Rome for a week before flying to London, arriving there on June 1, the day before the Coronation. For the Coronation procession he had a third-storey window seat. When he could not actually see the procession he could watch it on television. The millions of people milling around London that day made an impressive contrast in Mr Tako's mind to the isolated East Coast settlements. Just before the Coronation procession arrived it was announced that the New Zealander, Edmund Hillary, had climbed Mt. Everest. At this, the people nearby patted the Maori visitor on the head. In the days following the Coronation he went to garden parties at Buckingham Palace and to the races at Ascot. New Zealand House arranged for these visits. He spent about a month in London doing the sights. During that time he spent a memorable day with Lord and Lady Bledisloe. A Scottish tour followed, inlcuding visits to Edinburgh and Aberdeen. After that he returned to London before flying to Paris for four days. At New Zealand House in Paris, the Charge D'Affaires, Miss Jean McKenzie, showed him the teko teko which once belonged to Titokowaru, famous Maori fighting chief. Miss McKenzie got the carvings and some historical papers from a French museum and intended sending them back to New Zealand. From Paris he entrained for Berne, Switzerland. After that there was a whirl of Continental travel, including Zurich (three days), Hanover, Berlin, Brussels and Rotterdam. Then back to England and over to Ireland, where he went on tour before returning to England. From London he flew to New York (four days), Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Coming home he flew to Honolulu, where he stayed a week with a well-known Maori minister, the Rev Manu Bennett. While in France and America Mr Tako was often asked how it was that in New Zealand a native had been able to prosper as he had. His reply was “the Treaty of Waitangi”, under which the Maori people were guaranteed the right to their lands.