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MAORI FEAST AT AKAROA.

(From the Lyttdtun Times, 25th inst.) The Maoris resident at Akaroa entertained themselves, visitors of their own race from every part of the province, and a great part of the inhabitants of the town of Akaroa, at the Kainga, on Thursday afternoon. The occasion was the opening of a new church there, and it was celebrated by the holding of a grand feast. The Maori settlement ia situate at Onuku, a pretty little bay two or three miles below the town, and thither visitors came, most by launch, but a goodly number on horseback. The church ia the property of the Natives of the Kainga, and is not intended for the special use of any one denomination. It will accommodate about 60 persons, and as at the service the preference in admission was given to persons of the Native race, but few of the many white visitors could obtain admittance. The religious part of the proceedings commenced at 12 o’clock, and was the ordinary morning service of the Church of England, with communion service. The Rev. Mr. Stack was the preacher, the prayers were read by the Rev. Mr. Anderson and the Rev. Geo. Mutu, and the lessons were read and hymns given out by tho Rev. Mr. Koti, the Native Wesleyan minister. The lay reader, Mr. Charles Tekau, was also present in surplice. The offertory consisted of £i 2s. 9d,, nearly all of which was contributed by Maoris, there being, iis already mentioned, but few white people able to gain admittance. The building is to be used solely for the purposes of a church and Sunday-school. After the opening of the church, came part of the business of the day, to which it must b” confessed in the estimation of the greater number of visitors the previous portion of the proceedings was subsidiary, namely, a grand feast. A good period of time elapsed before the feast was served,

but that circumstance helped to sharpen the appetites of the many present, and to give them opportunities of observing Maori modes of cookery. A quarter of beef, a pig, and a sheep, were cooked in true Maori fashion, that is to say, by being buried between hot stones in a , pit and covered with clay. The meat was kept clear of earth by being covered with leaves and then with a sack. The, odors that arose when the layer of earth was removed and the leaves reached were such that the most selfish could not grudge his neighbors a few whiffs of the same ; however, though the odors were unsavory, the meat was well-cooked and palatable. Sundry birds which had been treated for the table at a large kitchen range were veritable ancient mariners, and, to judge by their display of muscle, must have been some considerable time in training. Dinner was served in two marquees, one of which was occupied by the Maoris, the other by their white visitors. The supply of carving knives being conspicuous by their absence, some difficulty was found in dissecting the fowl, though a well-known Akaroa resident who lives not far from the Kainga, showed his experience of such old birds, which were not to be caught by ordinary arts of carving, by the manner in which he smashed them up. His strength of arm compelled everything to make way before a not particularly sharp knife. There was abundance of tea, cake, fruit, in fact, all luxuries of the season. The Maoris, in addition, regaled themselves with very substantial and indigestible looking plum duff, and there was no intoxicating drink on the ground to mar the pleasure of the day. Whatever delay or hitches occurred in the feasting were, however, overlooked in the evident desire of the entertainers to do their best; the will was taken for the deed. As the first relay of European visitors were about to leave the tent, The Bev. Mr. Anderson, who presided at the table, mentioned that he would make a few remarks on behalf of the Maori Committee who were managing the gathering. The committe were rather disappointed in one respect. They had counted on the offertories of their European friends at the service to help them' to pay off the debt remaining on the church, and which amounted to £BS. As the church was a small building, only few Europeans could gain admittance, and the rest were so deprived of the opportunity of giving their contributions to the offertory. The eommittee had requested that their should be a second service, but he did not like the idea of any visitors being invited to the church simply for the purpose of getting their contributions. The eommittee then resolved to throw themselves on the public, and to ask their friends to give as much as they would have contributed had they been in the church when the offertory was made. He requested those going out to explain the circumstances to those friends outside. Apart from being a clergyman, he considered that every one taking an interest in his species must be glad to see other human beings living godly and moral lives, and would help them in doing anything towards that object! The gathering was to open a church in which divine service was to beheld, so that their Maori friends might be instructed in those habits which enable them to live moral and Christian lives—an object which ha was sure had the sympathy of all whom he addressed.

A collection took place outside some time after, and the visitors from Akaroa appeared to respond pretty liberally. Good-humored big George Bobertson, the celebrated half-caste wrestler and rower, was collector, and his appeal to visitors—How much would they take out of the bag I —did not fail to draw numerous shillings into it. Mr. Montgomery, M.H.K., visited the Kainga, and was interviewed in reference to sundry native grievances. Before sunset the visitors returned to their homes, after a day’s outing which helped to vary the usually even tenor of life at Akaroa.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18780329.2.24

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5307, 29 March 1878, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,006

MAORI FEAST AT AKAROA. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5307, 29 March 1878, Page 5

MAORI FEAST AT AKAROA. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5307, 29 March 1878, Page 5

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