te korero a to koroua a Tawhiao, Kingi Tuarua o te iwi Maori, ki tana Rongo-Pai: “Kua patua e koe te Ture-Marama, Kua eke tonu tenei wakawaka. Ra hoki, kua tangi te whawhapua, Kua hora te marino, Kua whakapapapounamu te moana. Kua tere te karohirohi.” Na o tamariki, ko Tuteao te tangata wero, ko Amohia he wahine pukana, ko Makereti puhi o Tuhoe, ko te kaumatua ra ko Teiki te kai-hautu a nga waka, ara, na koutou katoa e hine ma e tama ma, i tu na ki mua i te aroaro o te Kuini, i whakaoti te korero: “Pakipaki tu, Koakoa tu.” Ko te poroporoaki i Waitangi he waiwaipu no nga purepo o te manuao o Te Kuini, engari i konei ko te poroporoaki a Waikato he hautu whakarewa hoe waka, i wani ai i kake ai te pakotanga o te hoe ki te niao o nga waka taua o Te Puea. Kua roa ra raua ki roto i o whare maire, na no te whakaputanga mai popo tonu te tangata i to raua tira, pipiri ana. Kua noho hipae nga kotiro poi, ka waiata noho me te poi hei arai i to raua huarahi. Na te maia tonu o Te Hurinui ma i watea ai te ara ki te raua motuka. Tiaho manamanahau ana te kanohi o te Kuini, i te koa, i te hari mo te reka me te tau o nga waiata poi ki a ia. Ko te mahana o te ra, ko te pai tonu o nga whakahaere, tere ana ra i kona te karohirohi. No konei ka kite atu ahau i tetahi Maori nui puhuruhuru, puhutihuti atu hoki nei te ahua, i tara eke tonu atu ki to raua waka, ka pukana ona kanohi ki te Tiuka, me te tohu o te ringa ki te awa o Waikato me te haparangi o te waha: “Titiro, titiro he waka taua, ra, he waka taua!” Ka huri maui nga kanohi o te tokorua ra, a, ka kite atu i nga waka e utauta mai ra, ko te reo o Koroki, ko te mihi-a-wairua a Te Puea: “Ka pai, ka pai, Kapakapa to waka, Te Kuini! Haere ra … haere ra!” E poi taku poi, haere Erihapeti: “I te nuku o te whenua, Hei mana mo Niu Tireni, Potaea …” (Ko te wahanga whaka mutuga kei muri) and he soon discovered that these carved houses were the priceless heritage of our forefathers. As they entered your court, they mingled in spirit with that great lady Princess Te Puea, and with all the royalty of our Maori ancestry, and they were with Turongo, Mahinarangi, and indeed with all the chieftainesses and the captains of the seven canoes. But your portion was even more intimate, for you shook her hand, and who knows, but that when you meet again, you will fulfill the age old custom of receiving visitors contained in the proverb:— “The nasal salutation of time immemorial.” You have justly added lustre to the prestige of the Maori. Your tupuna's prophecy, Tawhiao, the Second Maori King, has been fulfilled:— “You have risen above the law, And your task is almost done, Behold, the voice of acclaim rings clearly, The land is in peace, The seas are greenstone calm, And the warm sunlight filters through.” There were your children, Tuteao the warrior, Amohia the hostess, Makereti a Tuhoe maiden, Teiki the elder and canoe fugleman, and indeed, all of your poi dancers, and the fighting men who stood in the presence of their Queen, and who made possible, “The clapping in dance and song, The dancing with mirth and laughter.” The salute at Waitangi was a salvo of twenty-one guns from the Queen's ironclad, but yours was the rhythmic beat of uplifted paddles which rose with a resounding echo, as they were dashed upon the gunwales of Princess Te Puea's graceful flotilla. They had lingered at length in your carved houses, and on their emergende the waiting tribesmen surged around them closely. Your canoe poi team of maidens sat across the pathway to their vehicles completely blocking their way out. It was only Te Hurinui's quick appeal that cleared the route back to their waiting escort. The Queen's face was radiant with joy, thrilled no doubt by the natural charm of the poi dances in her honour. So with the hot sun, and the perfect conduct of the reception, the scene was indeed a memorable one, and the Waikatos were delirious with excitement. It was at this stage that I saw a burly Maori with hair flying in the excitement of the crush, dash almost on to the royal car, and with eyes blazing looked directly at the Duke, and with hand pointing at the river below, shouted above the cheering crowds:— “Look, look! War canoes, war canoes! The Duke turned round and smiled, and looking over their left shoulders they saw two canoes fully manned with painted warriors racing at top speed down stream to keep abreast of the royal party; their chanting shanty swelled across the surface of the waters, their paddles gleamed in the bright sunshine, and crash they went as two hundred men (Continued on page 53)