PEEPS AT ROTORAU.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1626, 18 December 1912, Page 8

PEEPS AT ROTORUA.

PAKEHA & MAORI. ODDS AND ENDS OF GOSSIP. II. [By "Mere Mere"] Rotorua, December 10. Sunny, summery skies, clear blue overhead, with fleecy clouds on the horizon— such has been liulnruu's port ion for over a week past. To tho Wellingtonian who has known not summer for ov-ar Iwo years, it appears oil too good. Tho Ileal- is 100 aggressive for a prolonged suu-bnlh, and tho shady spots lmvo to bo sought.

What a change! And wlion a light breeze springs up tho conditions aro delightful. With the cool, bracing air at eventide it is no wonder that Rotorua, with its other health-giving adjuncts, is such a tonic to tho convalescent, and an energy restorer to tho jaded business man. Tho glare of tho wido pumice pathways and streets, with the abundant tree foliage around, is reminiscent theso bright days of some of the street scenes of tho cities of Southern Europe, so projected at kincmatograph shows, with, of course, tho traffic cut out. Thero is no element of hustle here, and a local film would only show perhaps a two-horse wagonette in tho roadway,-and the total investment of each shop doorway by squatting groups of Maoris, a few pudgy offspring railing in front on the ..freshly-tarred footpath. If the shopkeoper finds that ho is totally blockaded, U'tf only requires a gentlo sprinkling of the firm's water-can to rniso the siege. And the jabber of Maori conversation is taken along cisewhero, and some other tradesman has an added quota. Money for the Natives. To-day the Government Lands Department is paying out about .£3OOO to tho Natives—land-purchase moneys. Tho shop-door-accommodation is therefore, in tho words of the junior reporter, "taxed to tho utmost," and tho shopkeeper "literally groans" as scions of the Nntive race rub fat and dirty little fingers over tho, onceglistening window panes. More venturesome wahines have monopolised the shop chairs, such being more comfortable from which to. hold, converse with cigarettesmoking friends sitting on the floor in the doorway! The English tongue is not heard in the land—just a never-ceasing highpitched babel of Maori haranguings. Brown Folk's Mannerisms. The young Maori dandy in black and white check riding breeches, fancy coat and vest,, cycling stockings, and tan boots is much in evidence, but the majority of his brethren are less stylishly dressed. There is much solemn hand-shaking,'with no speech on either side, and still more solemn hongis. Tlie .womenfolk's garb is variegated to a degree—highly coloured dresses and still more striking headkerchiefs. A diversity is, afforded by a demure damsel in a white silk dress and headgear—but why that black pipe ? . All are idly happy and contented, and extreme orderliness prevails. In fact, they seem entirely oblivious to aught but the chatter or the smoke of the moment. The passing of an exquisite model of-fashion in the tourist world causes hardly the raising of an eyebrow; wherens any knot of Europeans would be quickly summing up the cost of the costume, and questioning the comfort of the shoes. "Frequent Visitor's" Laments. I met "Frequent Visitor" the other day; he was pessimistic about things in general here. "See the grass growing on the roadways—that should not be; there were holes in the asphalt on tho footpaths; squares which before were noticeable for well-cut lawns were now oversown. And where .were tho people?" That also others in Rotorua were asking. "F.V." had come here to rest, but after a day or two became restive at too much resting, and he has now gnne where once moro he can hear the jangle and rattle of. the tram-car. In Lieu of Mayor. With its State ownership Rotorua has no Mayor or Borough Council; it is a direct pocket borough of the King. The Tourist Department is the controllin" hand in all local affairs, and the Resfdent Officer thereof says the few wellchosen words which open the jumble sale and set the Punch-and-Judy show in motion. I suppose tho mineral water and boiling springs make up a quid pro ouo tor the missing Mayor; but there is 'always something interesting about the peoples elect, be he Parliamentary or municipal. Rotorua township is all "Government leasehold—twenty and fortv vear' periods. A man, with a truthful-lookinr countenance told me that there was one freehold section.

Waiting for Boarders. , There aro many fine, well-built boardlngliouses; in fact, the whole town seems to bo boarding houses. Their categories enumeration rises up from A. to Z in the "Visitors Guide" provided by the Tourist Department. And, I suppose, tho«e places which aro not boardingkousos are willing to take in boarders, as the guide says that . during the season each room is worth two guineas per week, there are four hotels in the districttwo in Rolorua itself. And this generally causes the person who has the licensing question bump well developed to ,-ask why the Government does not also trv State control of the hotels in its own town. As he asks it, let him answer it also. A Banyan House. There may. be comparatively few visitors here at present, but the general statement of boardinghouse-keepers is that from the commencement of the holiday season the full accommodation is booked for months ahead. The largo places here can put up about eighty visitors. "The most extensive residence hare started from small beginnings, but 'as its list of patrons expanded the house next door was taken in, and joined ,by a corridor, and so, octo'pus-like, the' building mopped up the whole row of cottages till, with its connecting corridors and verandahs, it is a maze-like place to wander into, and the proprietor avers that at times he loses the run of some of his guests altogether.

Ohinemutu's Pa and Pools. Ohinemutu is the nearest show place to Rotorua, and here is the old township and pa. A gentle walk along the shore of the lake, from which steam is rising in places, and one is at the gates of a somewhat modern Maori pa. The dwellings are mostly of tho small cottage olass, two to four rooms, and tall manuka sticks, flax-laced, form the fences. The pa is not a very extensive one. There are certainly . moire boiling pools than houses. A statue of Queen Victoria, 'around which the Maori women ■hold their gossip gatherings, faces the gateway and the meeting-houses. The sightseer may not attract much notice from the adult Maori, but the youngsters quickly surround Mm, with cries that they will "dance a haka for a penny." Notices roundabout ask.that tho children shall not be encouraged in their begging, but the observance of three is apparently deemed more honourable in the breach, as the halm dancers reap many pennies, as also do the little brown-skinned bathers in tho concreted pool, with their "Throw a penny, mate." It is all good for tho depletion of the stock of sweets at tho adjacent email store. Intrusive Water. The pools serve the Natives for their cooking and washing, and consequently there is no need for the coal-man to call. Tho information that "ono woman, pakoha, not Maori, put foot through crust into hot pool, and badly scalded, makes you careful as . you look into the furiouslybubbling holes. "While sitting on the rail of the meeting-house, a small bubble came up through the roadwny, and shortly afterwards quite a miniature pool w;as steaming away. A genial Native, explained that this was a common occurrence, and ofttiines the little geyser would introduce itself through the flooring of the houses. At Whakawerawera a boiling spring unexpectedly got busy under tho church floor; so much so that flic building had to be raised on piles; and the spring piped oft'. "Tho church," the Maori concluded naively, "is quite safe now." Another story ho, rolated of the geyser's

unlooked-for acquaintance. An invalid gentleman had, with his wife, camped on a knoll for some time at Ohinemutu, and regaining his health, went his .way again. On tho night of his departure a long-dormant and unknown geyser became active, and in the morning the hillock was enveloped in clouds of steam. Lost—A Lake. Of a piece with this style of narrative is a happening at Ngongotaha, Rotorua's near neighbour. A small lake of an area of fourteen acres has just disappeared, and where there was up to a few days ago a depth of from ten to fifteen feet of water there is now nothing but a patch of slimy black mud. The local "Chronicle" says that settlers in the vicinity "attribute the disappearance to some incomprehensible phenomenon of the underworld, probably an earthquako shock. They are much concerned at tho loss of tho water. . . . The mystery is certainly one for tho attention of our local waterdiviners." It is to be hoped that if any settler finds that a straying lakelet has wandered into his backyard ho will report tho matter to the losers, and suggest means of getting it back again to its proper home, as in tho past tho Ngongotaha settlers have found tho water necessary for their stock, and they may want it again. (To Bo Continued.)