GOVERNNENT HOUSE GARDEN PARTY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 450, 8 March 1909, Page 3

GOVERNNENT HOUSE GARDEN PARTY.

, A VICE-REGAL CHRISTENING. Saturday proi ed beautifully bright and summery for the christening of the infant son of the Governor and Lady Plunket. The ceremony took place at All Saints' Church at 3 o'clock, and, by that hour, the church was filled with the throng of guests invited by their Excellencies. A large escort of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles, under Captain Palmer, accompanied the vice-Regal carriage, in ■which were Lord and Lady Plunket, Mrs. Wallis, and Captain Shannon, A.D.C., Lady Plunket wearing a most becoming gown of tho finest white cambric, beautifully embroidered, with a very pretty blue hat, covered with deep pink roses. Their Excellencies' children, including tho baby, followed ill a motor-car with their nurses The christening robe was of exquisite lace, and the babv reived the names " Dennis Kiwa," showing his Irish parentage and the land of his birth. Kiwa was a famous Maori navigator, after whom the Pacific Ocean was called To Moana Nui a Kiwa, "The Great Sea of Kiwa." The Bishop of Wellington, assisted by the Rev. C. C. Harper, vicar of All Saints', performed the ceremony, and the sponsors were Miss Williams (for whom her sister' Mrs. Wallis. stood proxy), the Hon. Helen Plunket, the baby's eldest sister, Captain Bingham, formerly A.D.C. to Lord Plunket, and Mr. Waterfield. A large number of guests 'attended the ceremony, and afterwards drove to Woodhey, where their Excellencies held a garden party, the spacious grounds looking very bright with the flower-beds and the gay dresse.s of the guests, who wandered over the lawns, along the paths, through the orchard, and down to the mile-long lake, where pleasure boats, were provided for them. Among those present were Lady Jane Gathorne-Hardy, in pretty pale biscuit-coloured frock and black hat; Mrs. Waterfield, fine white cloth costume, exquisitely embroidered, with large pink hat; Mrs. Monro, pretty champagne sillc with green embroideries;. Miss Monro, very becoming white net frock . with cerise silk sash and Targe straw hat with cerise silk choux; Mrs. H. Cooper, pale pink glace sillc, large purple silk hat with plumes; the Misses Russell were robed alike m pale blue ninon empire frocks, with long sash ends, and bodices were prettily trimmed with lace and silver corda, and large mole velvet hats with masses of roses on tho crown; Mrs. E. L. Broad, in a pretty blue and grey striped frbek with large white hat; Mrs. R. L. Levin, pale blue cloth with net sleeves, large white- hat, with long plumes and white feather boa; Miss May Wilson, pretty pink silk muslin embroidered, with green belt, and large green silk hat with white osprey; Mrs. L. A. Abraham, nattier blue directoire gown with white ruffle ?nd large black hat; Miss Marjorio Abraham was in old rose taffetas, with large floral hat; Mrs. Alan Strang, in saxe-blue directoire gown, with large black hat; Mrs. Cohen, pale blue satin charmeuse, with pretty black hat.