PLEASANT POINT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2489, 13 April 1893, Page 4

PLEASANT POINT.

The following account of the way in which the Pleasant Point schoolboys spent their Easter holidays has been supplied to us ; We have much pleasure in laying before our readers the conclusion of our report on the Easter Encampment of the Pleasant Point Schoolboy’s Tourist Club. Nearly the whole of Friday and Saturday was spent by the boys at Arowhenua, and these two days, so far as we can learn, seem to have formed by far the most eventful portion of the visitors’ stay at the pah. The first excitement was a football match between the Tourist Club and the Temuka District High School. The boys, in charge of Mr Lindsay, walked over to the Victoria Park, and after a well contested game the local team proved victorious by six points to nil. Dinner had no sooner been despatched than large numbers of visitors from Pleasant Point and Temuka began to arrive at the settlement. The Maori Prayer Service, conducted in the Mission Hall by Mr Tauraki, was first attended, and at its conclusion the visitors received a very interesting account of the present and future prospects of the natives of Arowhenua. At three o’clock the children received the plcasuruble announcement of an entertainment in the way of athletic sports, and for fully an hour and a-half Messrs Love and Lindsay were kept busy with the Maori and Pakeha races that formed the order of the day. Prizes of toys and fruit, which the club had thoughtfully brought with them, contributed in no small degree to make the sports a great success. The strong point among the Maori children is their wrestling, and in this exercise they showed a very considerable amount of skill and proficiency. In the tug-of-war, on which the greatest interest centered, fifteen youthful Maoris pulled against an equal number of whites. The latter gained a few inches at the start but could hold their own for only a quarter of an hour, though encouraged to hold out longer by an amount of shouting and cheering that argued well for the strength of native voice and lungs. At 4.30 in the afternoon the club entertained the visitors and friends from Pleasant Point and Temuka at a very excellent afternoon tea within the marquee, and from 6 p.rn. till 7.30 p.m. the visitors had the privilege of being present at the Maori Chapel, where the service in English was read by Mr Scowen, Mrs Struck presiding at the organ. At 7.30 the adults, Europeans and Maoris, were entertained at a coffee social, and at 8 o’clock the great event of the evening commenced a combined Maori a.nd European concert. Native and English songs were sung, and the children, under the guidance of Mr Struck, performed most succcessfully the kinderspiel “ Punch’s Party,” the costumes for which had arrived from the Point during the afternoon. At the close of the concert, Mr Kahu gave a running account of the Maori habits and customs in which he explained very clearly how the native race in New Zealand had been affected by the arrival of Europeans. At ten o’clock the entertainment broke up, but almost the whole pah remained to witness the grand display of fireworks, which immediately followed. Old and young were delighted with the beautiful rockets, falling stars, crackers, jumping-jacks, Catherine wheels, roman candies, coloured lights, etc., which caused the remainder of the evening to pass so rapidly. The fun being over, Mr Struck delivered an address in which he thanked the Maoris for the friendly spirit which had been shown by the residents of the Pah to himself and the school boys. He assured them that, speaking for himself and the boys too, they would be able to look back in afterlife on their visit to the Maori Settlement at Arowhenua with the utmost pleasure and satisfaction. They had learned things during their visit that would be the greatest service to them in life, and which no amount of book learning could have taught them so thoroughly or so well. He had great pleasure on calling on the boys for three hearty cheers for the Maoris. These were given most readily and willingly, and then the Maoris replied with three deafening cheers for the school master, also three for Mrs Strack. Then after a good supper the junior section of the club remained in the tent under the charge of Mr Love, while about 15 of the senior boys were taken over to Temuka, and by the kindness of the editor, Mr Twomey, were shown through the office of the Temuka Leader, and had the various stages of printing carefully pointed out and explained to them. Saturday morning saw the children armed with notebooks and pencils, taking down the information which the Maoris were so ready to give in answer to their many questions on various words, phrases, etc. The methods of making flax cups, plates, dippers, baskets, mats, bags, eelpots, etc., were all thoroughly explained, and practically illustrated, and everyone felt sorry when after dinner the work of packing up required to bo commenced. The commissariat having handed over its store to a few of the aged Maoris, the tent was taken down and sent off to Timaru; the children got their swags made up readv to quit as soon as the traps should arrive which were to take them back to the Foiut. A good game at football finished the iutci’/luo.i, and aitt-s 1 wishing the Maoris good bye the return journey was made in three trap;-, which arrived, at the Point before fdx o’clock, just in time for tea and without the slightest mi.hrp having occurred to spoil the pleasure of a &•.’.•!t-j-ato outing. The club dodri’s through our c Lfmna to tender its best thanks i.o mcssvs Kasim, Willis, Walker, and Taiko ; and to Mesdamea Kahu, Fowler, Helm, and Govenati, for the kind manner in which they assisted to render successful the first expedition of the Pleasant Point Schoolboys’ Tourist club ; also to Messrs Nicholas and Holwell for the valuable assistance they gave by granting the club permission to use their boats.