SWIMMING

Te Ao Hou, June 1959, Page 72

SWIMMING As a recreation, it is very popular, but competitively Auckland has seen very few Maoris. Miss Moana Manley, now Mrs Whaanga, was our most notable exponent. Holding several Auckland records, later broken by Miss Gould, Miss Manley was a picture of grace and beauty as she glided effortlessly through the water. As a backstroke swimmer, Moana justly ranks with New Zealand's best. Many were her doughty battles with Olympian Jean Stewart. Miss Manley was a New Zealand junior champion and intermediate champion. She was also selected in an Auckland team that went to Australia, where she won in New South Wales. Another of Auckland's better known swimmers was Mr Jock Taua, who won the D. M. and L. Wallace Cup for the Auckland 3½ mile championship open harbour swim. A powerful swimmer with splendid stroking, he competed in numerous long distance races with success against swimmers of the calibre of P. Mathieson, a New Zealand champion, and R. Buchanan, another champion. His most exciting experience was when he ran aground and had to walk home, which took much longer than swimming. He captained his club at water polo when they achieved championship honours.