KING TAWHIAO.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1301, 12 February 1883, Page 2

KING TAWHIAO.

Almost half the adult population of Masterton took advantage of ft fine Sunday afternoon yesterday, to runover to Te Ore Ore. • Almost every coach brake, trap, and buggy available in this town covered the dusty road to the Maori village with full loads'of passengers. The scene at Te Ore Ore was less animated than might have' been anticipated. Large numbers of Europeans and Maoris hung round the pahs waiting, apparently for something to turn up. The monarch himself was not visible. Visitors. were informed that he was asleep, and" would not appear till he woke up. So they wandered about 1 the big pah' which had beep and carpeted for the reception of Tawhiao, and' the adjacent tenements.- 1 In .the; forft BUfflW of the Waikato natives' were located, and. were reclining in attitudes indicative of-slumber.' Apparently the W&ikatas have two alternatives for killing time on Sunday afternoons, one; is. sleeping, the; other playing euchre. -The king hitriself ia not in the great' pah;' ir is; 'said that on his arrival at; !Te t Pre Oro .it had affixed to.its frontal a logend forbidding strong drink being consumed witiiriits walls. The" king, when he read this announcement turned away from- the native palaoe avowing his fondness for " waipero," and;,took up his quarters in an adjacent weatherboarded house, the . property of Wi of, the principal chiefs: in the I 'Wairarapa. Here, it is understood,'..his Majesty can get his creature'comforts ad libtium, and is not so much at the mercy of the public as he would be; in the more pretentious building. This, cottage of Wi Waka was the principal attraction to visitors yesterday afternoon. If they could not see the monarch they could at least view the room'in which royalty was taking a siesta,iahd there at an open window sat his aide-de : camp and interpreter, a fine looking fellow who speaks the English .. language admirably, and who answered enquiries after his chief with courtesy. On the verandah of the dwelling,, too, were a number of native ladies, -Who. .were decidedly good looking.' Each one was admired as a possible queen by the curious crowd, and Tawhaio "obtainedconsiderable credit for the judgment he had apparently displayed in thij selection of. the ladies of his cdurt.yiAt.last it was rumored jußt as people were about to return disappointed;to Mas: tert >n that Tawhiao hadrawoke from his slumbers and would - show himself. Presently an excited: native policeman shouted out "fakehas, oorae this way, Maories stand' back." The pakehas obeyed';" the ■ pall,. and formed a line six deep round the rough paling fence which enclosed' J 'Wi i Waka's mansion arid propar.ed to" re-, ceive his Majesty. ; The;, King, /however, kept the crowd yaiiing nearly an hour. Occasionally a. white shirt Sleeve gleamed;through a*window' and word wa« ; passed; round;'that'his 'Majesty was dretsirig himself,' and .once : a eyenlhis .nether garments was obtained....ALlaß&he came"; forth ■ on 'to ;the/.v^^d^ i thei-whole a ' Dressed in native gab«rdine.he may be

an imposing but in ill-fitting (Europan raimentHshabby Boots, and a pv|wpe liaV lie somewhat the of |man in a spp minstrel However, he Nimeßjfbrward i; hat, and says ' tenakoe r "pleMan%. The spectators hesitate whether to . take off their hats or no. . They are,fencedof from hiriij and have been kept' waiting a long time, and they don't. This does not altogether please his Majesty who ' looks round to see the best way for a dignified retreat. A few ladies have been admitted bv-tte -eyer; JcourteousS Maories within the enclosure. With considerable; courtly dignity his Majesty before bolting steps down off the verandah, and offers ' his Hand to ( \ each, one; of- thein;i ; j >lt J was! itig the monarch was slightiy: shaky o!n .his ; pins, lurching a little to larboard and starboard, and this, we are boundto add, detracted a . little, from the solemnity of the scone. r On Saturday last Tawhiao received a considerable number of visitors from Masterton. Mr Bisk, the Mayor, called upon him, and • we understand kindly undertook to! drive him into the town at .an ; early date. This afternoon we believe there will be a formal meeting 'between the king and the Te Ore Oienatives, but while orediting the Maories there with this very best intentions, it is impossible to j rely upon the programmes - which they draw out. Some say the king will remain 'in this .neighborhood a , wejek, others that he will Wy a month, Probably Tawhiao acts On momentary impulses, and all his arrangements are ■purely matters of speculation,, -About half-past eight this morning his Majesty drove into Master to na cco rh pkn ie d-■ by a; large number of followers; he the,.,Club! Hotel, and'has since been holding a : levee.' The'sight is one that is seldom: witnessed in this part of the colony, situate, as we are, so fur from Royalty. : Seated between two ladies (who occasionally . wipe the prespiration from his brow with : a towel) he receives the homage , of his loyal-subjects in kingly "style j.hods majestioally to those presented,to hiraj and' occasionally' engages in converse tion; with them; and nlso take?'a friendly glass of the waiperb, of which there is plenty; The Boyal Chamber was filled to overflowing during his Majesty's stay;' every door, window, and aperature, being crowded with anxious faces to get a glimpse of him, This, evidently, was not so pleasing to him as was expected,, forabout ten o'clock the order was given to his aide-de-camp ■to have his carriage- in readiness, and in a quarter, of. anhour after the royiil party drove away to To Ore Ore, It is yery uncertain as to his Majesty's movements, as he evidently, acts on the spur of the moment. A meeting was to have been held this afternoon at 2 o'clock, but haa been postponed until to-morrow at noon, The party is expected to stop at Te Ore Ore about three days, when they return through the ,Buah. to Tamaki. .. i ■

; The ; Einp| after driving up and down Queen street onoe or twice, again adjourned to the Club Hotel for a final refresher, He was attended .by a large crowd of natives and Europeans, and left amidst loud cheers for the camp atTe Ore 1 .Ore at about 12 o'olock. . , . -j