BEACH CARNIVAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 111, 2 January 1932, Page 6

BEACH CARNIVAL

SUCCESSFUL DAY LARGE CROWD WATCHES NOVEL PROGRAMME AT COCHRANE -PARE RODEO AND BATHING BEAUTIES If the old year was very fittingly farewelled in Rotorua on Thursday evening, the New Year was quite as fittingly welcomed at Cochrane Park yesterday, when Rotorua was introduced to something entirely novel in the way of beach carnivals. Maori pois and hakas in their natural outdoor setting, the thrills of a steer riding rodeo, a bathing beauty contest, launch racing, water sports, a horse swimming race down the Ohau Channel, and a novel endurance diving exhibition made -up a distinetly unusual and interesting programme, carried out in the most attractive of outdoor conditions. b Cochrane Par^c is on the left bank. of the Ohau Channel. inlet from Lake Rotorua and in a few months,.its owner, Mr. J. W. Cochrane, has contrived to transform the whole of the area. Where previously there was only an ' area of tangled scrub and gof se, he has cleared an ideal picnicing beach, erected shelters, built a tea-rooms and canteen, and provided what is altogether a most attractive spot for camping and picnic parties. Yesterday 's New Year carnival, an entirely new venture in its way, more than justified itself and the confid- ; ence which its promoter had in its | success. A crowd of between two and three thousand people had gathered by the afternoon and transformed the point into a very gay and animated beach scene. Bathing costumes and beach pyjamas were very much in evidence and general attire was in keeping with the typical summer's day. There was a pleasant air of informality about the whole afternoon and in its unusual setting with the wide waters of the lake and Mokoia Island as a background, the carnival proved an undoubted success both as an experiment, and as a means of spending a very happy New Year's Day. Effective Maori Scenes One of the most effective Maori , scenes which has ever been staged in Rotorua was the piloting down the ehannel of a real Maori canoe, manned by warriors and a crew of poi maidens, who sang their poi song and twirled the flax balls in the actual setting in which the famous canoe poi first originated. It was a distinetly novel experience for both visitors and residents to see the poi done in this new and original setting, and gave to many their first glimpse of the original form of the dance. With Mokoia Island of their forefathers in the background, the crew of the canoe, 2ame paddling down the channel from ;he lake, the clear timbre of the girls' i voiees earrying clearly from bank to •>ank where the crowd of watchers was thronged. Following the passing of the canoe, a poi competition was held and here again, advantage was taken of the natural setting to give the dances an unusual effect. A point on the right bank of the channel had been cleared and planted with punga ferns and with the deep waters of the channel between them and the watching crowd, three teams of dancers made their appearance in competition. Then the warriors took the field and gave a most realistic haka, in a setting which gave the war-dance a great deal more force than could ever- be possible in the artificial surroundings of a stage. In addition to this delightful and typi•ally Maori entertainment, an area had been closed off in the sand where the ' iooking ovens were in full steam and the crowd conld watch the food being prepared after the native fashion. The Rodeo. The steer riding provided a new thrill and not a few spills. An excellent enclosure had been prepared in the soft sand and out of a specially eonstructed pen the steers were released. Fourteen competitors tried their luck and although many of them bit the sand a good proportion managed to ride their steers until they were subdued. Only a sureingle was allowed the riders, and the problem of sticking on a wild and cavorting steer, was one which kept every rider very fully employed, and the crowd very well amused. Bathing Beauties The competition for the most smartly dressed bathing girl drew nine entries and proved a very popular number. The girls paraded on a specially eonstructed platform on the edge of the water and with the island as a background. The horse swimming race was another novelty and one which aroused considerable excitement. Each with a Maori rider, four horses raced into t the lake, and when swam down the channel to the winning post by the landing stage. The event was highly spectacular and was a severe test for both man and beast. ^ Another innovation was a diving exhibition by a young Maori girl, Huia, who at her first attempt, went down to the bottom of the channel to come up with a live koura in her hand. The young diver showed a remarkable ability in remaining under water. A launch race between four boats provided a good finish to the day and it was a very satisfied crowd which took its various homeward roads. The Results. Results of the various events are as follows. — Bathing Girl Contest: Miss Thomson (Rotorua) 1; Miss Poynter (Rotorua) 2; Miss Jones (Rotorua) 3. There were eleven entries. Ladies Swimming: Miss Brocket 1; Miss Farren, 2. Men's swimming: Vercoe 1, Newton 2. Boys'. Swimming: P. Miller 1; R. Hammond 2; W. Cann 3. Ladies' Dive: Miss R. Warren 1; Miss Maxwell 2; Miss Brockett 3. Men's Dive: Parsons 1; W. J, Bush and Gibbs 2. Steer Riding: March Edwards (Mourea) 1; C. Steele (Tarukenga) 2; J. Russell (Petone) 3. There were 16 entries. Horse Race: R. Hunu (Mourea) 1, J. Maru (Rotoiti) 2, P. Thomson (Mourea) 3. Launch Race: Olive (Howden) 1; Moose (Raynor) 2; Westella (C. Alther) 3; Shamrock (Matheson) 4.