Margaret Seeks Adventure In Maoriland

NZ Truth, Issue 1197, 8 November 1928, Page 19

Margaret Seeks Adventure In Maoriland

"Youkw** 0 ?, '-says Margaret Bannermdw earnestly y^'yourW thing I have ever seep." Somehow, one believes thaty for Margaret, despite the fad that she hqs spent years m London and Paris, preserves the fresh and enthusiastic mmd } of youth. H is [impossible to imagine her blase, for she is one who never finds life stale.

SHE h'ds the keenest possible appetite: for new countries, new people, new experience's, v „, : Here m Wellington,, she will buy a blue leather travelling case with just as much excitement and pleasure as she will hunt for. a model "gown among the Paris shops. . Perhaps that' s. what has kept her. so vitally alive and girlish, with a perfect skin, slim figure, and ?clear, blue eyes. She, however,^ attributes':, these favors of the gods to, the fact tliat she' lives mainly on fruit' 1 arid approaches ; . the fleshpots of Egypt-r-or of Wellington—, with an exceedingly wary eye. ■ New Zealand has been kind to her, since her ari'ival at the end of September. She has been touring, in-company with her husband, m a big' French car which they brought, out from England. The 'trip'-. commenced at' Auckland and there. has been a wonderful week of sunshine; geysers, Maori music and many other attractive things, at Rotorua; which, she says, is "New Zealand just'as I. had pictured it." 1 The Maori guides, particularly one of the' most celebrated , of the younger generation up at Rotorua, took a great interest m their young; visitor, and Rangi arranged a concert at which: Miss Banrierman was bewitched by some of the haunting little melodies of the tribe's.' ■ - ' '■" •". The Maori girls, she says, have charming voices, sympathetic and birdlike, and there are several sheets of Maori music on the big piano which has been installed m her rooms at the Midland. . Both Margaret and-her 'husband take great pleasure m adventures' with the camera and they have acquired a fine collection of New Zealand snaps, which will be added to when— at the end of her Wellington visit— she goes south. The tour, m all, is .to take, ten weeks, and after that she will go back to Melbourne;, -where, slie, hopes to study music at the ..Conservatorium for a; whiie. • !; ;-Aa recently "as 1916, :the 7 y6urig Caria-r

dian aqtress was m" the chorus at- a West End theatre— "arid," says she, "a jolly good school it is." ! '. ' ' She flirted for a while with ; cqmedy, musical comedy and the ■.straight-out play, which /last eventually -claimed ; her. v. -:'.'■• ':.-)■ ;.7 '■ -;; . ' .•;•■:_/■ ; - .". But: since; the; success, , of ; "Our Betters," she has had. several^ tempting offers from riiusical ' comedy 'meri, and

, Oscar Asche wants her to take the part of a blonde Chinese princess iri' a musical play of his which is to bear the title "Kong' 1 .and be partly /Chinese, partly Javanese. . She's riot quite sure if this is ■ really going to be her firsystep after 'the return to London,' but the blonde lady of Cathay; certainly, sounds as if 'she-might 'be fascinating to play. '."..,-

What. attractions has New Zealand to offer? Well, she loves the audiences, and, by the way, do we know that we have been broad-minded enough to pass a play, "Sexes and Sevens," which, the English censors firmly and urgent- v ly tabooed? / .. ' '! It's very French and very witty, and nothing very terrible -really happens, though sometimes. it. looks as if; it might. But perhaps" the. censor's breakf ast bacon was done wrong that morning. , ! . • Then, New Zealand; has adventure to offer. Margaret and her husband are doing, a bit of deep-sea; fishing whilst m Wellington. Where? "Lord knows," says Margaret; succinctly. "My husband thinks he's discovered a good hole." Let's hope the Wellington fish will rise to expectations.' ,; The coat m the picture on the opposite page is a -wonderful Par,is-made thing of dark green; its sleeves, cut quite -"short,' have black foxes, heads and all, for '-.'■ cuffs, and a 'f .great- black fox is curled round 1 the bottom. . The dress beneath is of a soft reseda green and its,. "tight sleeves show beneath ■ the short-sleeved coat. •■ Another; coat is trimmed with real brown bear fur— "at least half a Bruin" —and there is a wonderful larch-green evening frock, spotted with tiny golden moons,, whose long flared panels can be caught up by unobtrusive little clasps whilst the wearer is dancing. All . : - Margaret's V coat-hangers she. covers with the ribbons- from bouquets given her by sundry enthusiastic audiences." ' ' •■■■•-■ : '-..; '■ '• : *. ';■ ' .. ,-. ' '*' •■ She is fond, m moderation, of jewellery, and wears a bracelet' -'bf very old blue Egyptian beads and an Egyptian necklace, yet older, m which the beads look' exactly like, a living chain of bluebells.. '.- '■ ■• ' \:. " ':' ..' '• .-■' ;■■■".- ■■■ ; ; But she's not a' f ussy woman- — asK the , three ■ big Alsatian . dogs, who romp with.her at home, and who now, owing tp ; quarantine i'-'' 'difficulties,- await patiefltlyHbelr lady's return. •'•-,