“Knots of Paradise”---New Zealand's Island Possessions

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 194, 5 November 1927, Page 17 (Supplement)

“Knots of Paradise”---New Zealand's Island Possessions

(Written -for THE SUN by

C. T. C. WATSON)

o burst all links ol aftcl j|ag|s son reveals a poigshackling convention ol h Old World •to the boundless tlilm of the New. And all who Tve expe« enced the beckonin S of space s can well appreciate the 111 of so eloquent a soliloquy. t 0 voyage leisurely among the sum- . ... wipn these South Sea

Islands at New Zealand’s door, is sarely to throw off the fetters of a smelling world. All the islands are summer Islands. Many are knots of Paradise. Yet it is strange how little ' luiown about many of the most toantiful, those even a few miles off lire regular ocea.n track, lust where on the map to find the P' * s a task simple enough for the ’ork-a-day New Zealander. Samoa, Prominent in the public eye at the present time, commands that he "ould have a fair idea of its latitude “ longitude. Notorious happenings ate have thrown a powerful searchs t on the Solomon Islands, and the a 'rage newspaper reader can con‘u e a reasonably accurate impres--01 tke route taken by a warship tts expedition of inquiry. of locality of the Cook j. 8 comparatively few have even y conception. Pursuing the even j " their way in quiet prosperity . * ales hut seldom attract the at °° ot the outside world. Tiny dulled * le CB3 het ot the Pacific, and jjj. y many larger and flashier °f th 7 * laVt! * alled t 0 ca tch the eye aimed hurrying tourist. They are •w. . ° Ver aDd allowed to slip carelfss fingers to sparkle A ° n a mu *tttude of pretty things, ’-uies rh from 111036 w hose business iiod* m there ’ visitors to the Cook r*snlar Y lew and tar between. No nil, , to , uriat service between island ay , dls in operation. True, the '»ache° Jte 110111 Wellin Ston to ’Frisco 4, * at ttarotonga, the centre of Passengers have the opakore b t 0 Spend an hour or two SW,’ at moßt - °tily a passing A., . 0 r he charm and wonder of h lp{: iag° l 3 p ossib i e -“•t of T lles miles north»rs ran. * ui:klalld . and round about W ° ther iSlandS ° f the Hi Mitiaro’ Mangaia ’ Atiu - Mauke, "leuta 13 ° ne ot the lai 'S er com>:rhan 3 „ the Cook Islands and is isl SrandT ta mo3t beautifuL Rugged atitly 3 0(|( f peak attains a height of *H«» l ' Th e island is about 20 •rcumlerence, and Is clothed

with a rich vesture of luxuriant vege- • tation. “Palms In clusters and heavyfruited trees’’ fringe the shores, from which trading vessels carry the ripening wealth. The largest of the group, Mangaia, : is also the least fertile. Food does not ' grow with the same readiness as elsewhere, and in consequence the native has to toil to live. Low and flat Mauke is wonderfully productive and sustains a native population of 480 on its four and a-half square miles. There are only three white people is residence there. From the spa. A tin nnf llnlilro

Rarotonga, but is smaller. Atiu is noted for its coralline and limestone caves. It is said that one can walk a mile through the Interminable windings of a vast subterranean cavern adorned with crystal stalactites and reticulated by hidden streams. Native tradition has it that this cave was discovered by a woman seeking a hiding place from her cruel husband. Atiuans say that she lived there as a hermit for several years, subsisting on eels taken from pools in the cave.

It seems superfluous to mention that Captain Cook discovered the islands which bear his name. Yet they were originally called by him the Hervey Islands.

Christianity was introduced from Tahiti in 1821 by the Rev. John Williams and a Tahitian assistant. The minister, who was later murdered in

the New Hebrides, came to be known j as the “Martyr of Erromanga.” Until IS9O missionaries administered the government of the islands. They were taken over as a British Protectorate from then until 1900, when they were annexed by New Zealand,

-tand a Resident Commissioner ap- - | pointed at Rarotonga—Colonel W. E. i Gudgeon, C.M.G. ! There is spice of rare fragrance in _ j the following extract from a paper . j respecting negotiations leading to the j annexation, and laid before the House , of Representatives in 1900:—“All the sympathies of the Rarotongaus are English. The islanders of Rarotonga regard Auckland as the centre of \ civilisation.” Certainly, most certainly. Administered under the Cook Islands Act, 1915, the archipelago prospers in peace and contentment. When, in 1922, Wellington appointed Judge H. F. Ayson, Resident Commissioner at Rarotonga no happier selec-

tion could have been made. Firm, yet kindly, he reads the mind of the islander with that complete understanding which comes of a ready sympathy -with the native point of view. A considerable trade, not only with

New Zealand, but also with the United States is carried on by the islanders. All tropic fruits grow in great profusion, and in former years best “Tahiti” oranges found their way from Rarotonga to delight New Zealand mouths. What matter if, on the way

! to Auckland, with the ripening of the I fruit came a subtle change of nation- | ality? The manner of loading fruit ships is an interesting operation. There are no wharves large enough to accommodate intercolonial steamers, and no electric cranes for the quick handling of cargo. Dangerous reefs and shallow waters preclude the near approach of any but the smallest boats. Trading steamers are forced, therefore, to stand out in the roadstead at anchor when weather permits, but often quietly circling at a distance safe from coral fangs.

All inward cargo ashore, loading is begun. Dozens of excited natives jabbering and shouting on the beach announce the departure of the first whaleboat loaded to the gunwales with

as many as 30 cases, between the apertures of which can be seen the gleam of gold. Dexterously plying long oars the crew manoeuvres the unwieldy craft, toward the fruit-car-rier.

Crossing the reef, frequently in a smother of spray, is a hazardous business. But it is not often that a boat comes to grief. From early youth the islander is extraordinarily adept as a pilot. Nevertheless, in choppy water a top-heavy craft sometimes turns turtle. It is then that the erst-while-urbane fruit merchant proclaims to the world that Adam was his ancester. With his water-logged crew he clings to the upturned boat and a nautical inquiry into the circumstances of the mishap is prosecuted then and there. Tribal “amenities” are exchanged in that exquisite poetry of diction and colourful metaphor in which the soul of the native finds full and adequate expression.

Mr. C. N. Williamson, o£ Auckland, who recently returned from a protracted tour of the Cook Islands, speaks in enthusiastic terms of the scenic charm of the group. A traveller in many parts of the Pacific he was greatly impressed with the fine native types he met in the course of his trip. Several of the photographs on this page were secured by him. Aitutaki he considers the Island Beautiful; the most fascinating of the six. A great coral reef girdling the land encloses mysterious lagoons, vast aquariums, haunted by the daintiest most absurd, grotesque, and impossible freaks, of creation. One peers down, down, deeper and deeper, and there, among ghostly coral caves, discerns fish of every blend or clash of colour. Many of these queer forms

seem made for the amusement of some eccentric sea-god with a flair for the ludicrous. Literally there are square fish, oblong fish, globular fish and nondescript shapes vividly coloured as if daubed by a child revelling in a new box of paints. But not all are marine monstrosities. There are perky i

little streaks of rainbow darting impudently under the noses of foppish dandies swaggering about in the parks of under-sea cities, aristocrats, severe of mien associating condescendingly with nameless urchins, and corpulent old fellows, -with drooping whiskers, lumbering awkwardly on their aimless ways. Captain Vellenoweth, Government Resident Agent at Aitutaki, has made a remarkable collection of tropical fish which he has presented to the Auckland Museum. Talking of fish, one must necessarily lay oneself open to a grave charge of romancing in the relating of one particular way the natives of some islands go about catching their breakfast. They call their unique art fishdriving. That is hardly accurate. Intoxicating the scaly victims would be nearer the truth. Anyway, having obtained from the bush a vast number of berries with a Latin name as potent as the juice in them, the fishermen fling the lot into great pools left in the coral by the receding tide. Very soon the water becomes thoroughly impregnated with the drug. Down in the depths dozens of fish may be seen be having in a manner which suggests it must be just after six o’clock according to piscatorial

reckoning. It is then that the sportsmen get to work. Leaping into the tide they lay about them lustily with triple-pronged harpoons mercilessly transfixing the drunken fish. Frequently they wait until the harvest floats helplessly on the surface and garner it at their leisure. Indeed, it is a great sport. On Mauke a little London Missionary Society’s church attracts a large con-

gregation, for all the people ar< Christian. True, there is nothing un usual in the fact that islanders go t( church, but it is the manner of then going that is strange. At either end o: the edifice is an entrance and to th< doors lead two long separate avenues pathways fenced off one from the other. When the church bell summoni

the congregation two detachments of worshippers may be seen filing each to its appointed door. Tribal distinction, class hatred, whatever is the reason, these sections keep strictly to themselves. Inside the church the preacher is established in the centre with his flock each at its appointed end. Whether the supplications intermingle on the way up is not ascertainable. As with human kind the world over the island man of substance is proclaimed by the style of house he

keeps. Thus a roof of palm-thatch denotes the householder whose bank balance will hardly earn sufficient interest to purchase a dozen oranges. The big man who sits under a corrugated iron roof is wealthy—that is, he is worth more than five shillings.

Once a week in Rarotonga a picture show is held. Admission, one shilling or 20 coconuts.

Prohibition is enforced in the Cook Islands, and, according to visitors, is eminently successful. Two bottles of whisky a month are allowed white men for medicinal purposes, but the supplying of liquor to natives is unlawful. Albeit, they are human and resourceful. A party slips unostentatiously deep into the bush where the oranges grow. The fruit is crushed, and if that were all there would be no need to retire to temporary seclusion. The juicy pulp is boiled and a generous measure of yeast added. The concoction is allowed to stand for 24 hours, during which the dusky revellers are beside themselves with thirst. On the expiry of the period the brew is every whit as excited as the parched bootleggers, and is possessed of a “kick” most astonishing. The island toper, who imbibes deeply, soon ceases to take an intelligent interest in life. A day or two after the merrymaking the coterie dribbles back much the worse for wear but infinitely happy.

The similarity of the Cook Islander to the Maori invariably impresses the visitor as most striking. He is almost the physical counterpart of the New Zealander, exhibits many of his racial traits, and speaks a language singularly akin to the musical tongue of a native type unquestionably his bloodrelation.

The men are big, muscular fellows for the most part, great workers when under supervision, good unionists when not, and immensely good humoured when stroked the right way. They laugh, they sing, and toil for their bread only in proportion as the productivity of their island soil demands. Light of heart and caring not for any man —except Government officers—they subscribe unreservedly to the Scriptural injunction “Take no thought for the morrow, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink.” And why should they when a beneficent providence relieves them of a large measure of that worry?

Of course everybody knows all about the island girl. Her charms are lauded with wondrous fidelity in the two shilling moonlight-and-guitar love lyric disseminated periodically from

California for the edification of the chivalry garnishing Auckland’s e beaches during the “season.” On the i- cover of the “piece” a white man sits 0 twanging a stringed instrument, r crooning the words inside, near the l£ ear of a lovely island maiden. Her e flashing eyes speak the love within e ’ her, while sweet red lips are parted s appealingly. And the silver moon

smiles down upon the lovers through the palm leaves..

A trader, fine featured, but unshaven, scraggy, leans wearily against the door-post of his ancient shack and gazes fixedly to the south. He bites viciously at the stem of a scarred pipe, his lips muttering an oft-repeated curse on that mad will-o’-the-wisp called wealth that lured him from all that life meant to him. He is young and very lonely, although there are other fools like himself shut in this garden of paradise. But to-night he avoids their company. He is craving romance, the love of the girl away back in civilisation. Well—why not a mild flirtation with one of these island belles? Yes —why not? He recoils from the idea —generally. Indubitably fine specimens of native girlhood. Well built, exceedingly so, if getting on in the twenties. Anything up to 15 stone, aye, and more. If be-

tween the ages of 14 and 18 likely as not they are the mothers of from one to three babes. And most men are not anxious to go looking for trouble, despite what one may gather from the generality of authors who dabble blindly in fiction purporting to depict island life in its naked reality.

In every island group weltering under tropic skies girls mature at a very early age. and marry accordingly. Comely enough in their 'teens, even in European perspective, almost invariably with the passing of the years they begin to assume the proportions of extreme obesity. Occasionally some beautiful and charming types are seen in half and quarter-caste natives, but such flowers are rare in the wilderness of the South Pacific.

And so the young trader watches out from his door, perhaps down upon a happy group of people chatting over their evening meal, or singing quaint melodies handed down from their ancestors. He surveys the womenfolk of the little band, shakes his head slowly, and looks again to the south. O! to burst all links of habit—t® wander far away!.

0! To burst all links of habit—there to wander far away On from, island unto island at the gateways of the day — Larger constellations burning, mellow moons and happy skies, Breadths of tropic shade and palms in clusters, knots of Paradise. Droops the heavy-blossomed bower, hangs the heavy-fruited tree — Bummer isles of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of sea. —TENNYSON.