THE GOVERNORS VISIT TO KIHIKIHI AND TE AWAMUTU.
CAVALRY REVIEW. On Saturday morning the appearance of the sky gave promife of a fine day for the round trip from Cambridge to Auckland via Kihikihi, Te Awamutu and Ohaupo, and the drive from Cambridge, although for the first part rather wet, was, nevertheless very enjoyable, the fine bracing atmosphere being conducive
to good spirits, and the cavalcade was lively during the trip. Shortly- after nine o'clock, His Excellency and. suite, who had spent the night at Fen Court, as tke guest of Every McLean, Esq., arrived' in Cambridge, and in a few moments a start was made for Kihikihi, amidst the loud and hearty cheers,' of l.a large number of both Europeans ajid natives who had assembled even at that early hour to see the Viceregal/party depart. Although thevroads, were pretty heavy, and the progress correspondingly slow, the drive to Kihikihi was an enjoyable one, the very English aspect of the land round Rangiaohia adding much to the pleasure of .the drive. .The fine grass paddocks and tho hedges were much admired, the change from the dull monotony of the swamp road being highly appreciated. At Kihihiki, the reception was of the heartiest nature, the inevitable arch, with the of course inevitable "Welcome," this time in blue letters on a. white ground,: being cpnspicupus,ttnd : although hurriedly erected was very pretty indeed. Here old Rewi met his wife and child, a little girl, and they all seemed highly delighted at the re-union after so long a separation. The old man'kfipt his ; little daughter carefully near to himself during the remainder of the day, she sometimes being on his backy at others toddling alongside quite delighted at all the excitement going on. At Kihikihi, Sir Hercules received what must be considered a most valuable gift in the shape of a very handsome mere, of historic note, ifr having been taken some two centuries, ago (so legend says) by a Rarawa cheif whilst oh the Avar path down South, and again won. in battle by a "Waikatb," who in turn lost it to Apakura, a Ngatimaniaopoto, who was one of Rewi's ancestors. The stone was ornamented with ribbons of many colors. Of Course, an address accompanied the stone, which possessed the great merit of being brief, whilst containing the usual necessary aalutations on such occasions. His Excellency thanked them heartily for the reception accorded to him, and also for their present, hoping that his coming would augur good to both races, &c. A string of seven or eight carriages accompanied the party from Kihikihi, which place was left amid cheering, and a number of settlers on horseback .helped to give the procession quite an imposing appearance. At Te Awamutu, which was reached about 1.30 p.m. the reception was again cordial, and in a few moments the party were mounted and proceeded to Mr White's paddock, where the Cavalry were drawn up in line to the number of about 95, and the Band from Cambridge, under the leadership of Bandmaster Mcintosh. THE REVIEW.
The muster was a poor one on an occasion of the sortj the distance of the parade' ground from their homes preventing many of the Cambridge Troop and the Hamilton Contingent from being present. The horses, too, with their winter coats, did n6t look as well as usual, but, considering the state of the roads, they looked cleaner than could have been expected. On the review ground, however, they were all there, and men and horses alike bore testimony to the effectiveness of Sergeant Major Carley's exertions asdrillinstructor. Col. Lyon, the officer commanding the district, received His Excellency, attended by Major Jackson, officer commanding the Waikatb C.V. Lieut. TVhitaker acted, as Aiderde-camp to Col. Whitmore Bis Excellency was received with a general salute, the band playing whilst the party inspected the parade. The troops then marched, past in open column (right in front), marched past in file (left in front), marched past in open order of sections, galloped past in close column, and then, having formed into line, advanced towards the saluting point and formed hollow square, where His Excallency addressed a few words to them, ' saying that he was pleased wi:h what he had seen, and that they must not forget that they were laying the foundation of a great country, in the return, readiness for self defence, forming an important item in the founding of a free country. He wished them and all Volunteers success. The troops cheered his Excellency very heartly. Major Jackson replied on behalf of the Volunteers, and thanked His Excellency for his kind remarks. The shortness of the notice accounted for the small number on parade. He called for three cheers for his Excellency, Avhich were lustily given by troops and general public alike. Three cheers for Her Majesty were given, and an adjournment was made to lunch at Host Devin's, after which an impromptua'ace meeting was held, Sir Hercules having kindly given three money prizes, amounting to £lO to be run for. Wee Pet (Bond), won the first race. The Arrow (Taylor), the next, and the Maftri race was carried off by Thompson's Rattler. All the events were weli-contessed.
About 3 p.m. the Vice-regal party departed for Ohaupo, Rewi bidding farewell as follows:—"O, Governor, you have now seen the place where your people and my people fought in times gone by; that is now* done, and you see us together as friends. We shall meet again. You and G-rey and Sheehan and myself and the good things we have begun will be carried out, for love has pierced my heart and my love has pierced your heart, they have joined and may they never separate. Good by, O Governor."
His Excellency said he hoped the good results anticipated would ensue, and, wishing Manga a hearty good-bye, drove off (amidst loud cheering) to Ohaupo, where the train was in waiting. The party having embarked went to Hamilton, where they had tea at Mr James' Railway Hotel, and after an uneventful journey of four and a-half hours, including stoppages, arrived in Auckland at twenty minutes to ten p.m., having travelled 178 miles by rail and over 50 by carriage in 36 hours; the roads being heavy, and the weather bleak. Rest, no doubt, was welcome, and we rather imagine that early breakfasts on Sunday morning were not the order of the day. We were glad to see that all the arrangements on the trip were satisfactorily earned out, and that the comfort of the visitors was promptly attended to, no hitch or unnecessary delays having occurred on the trip, and the catering at various places visited giving the greatest satisfaction. His Excellency, who, himself, is no mean judge of such matters, expressed his opinion that, in Rangiaohia, Te Awamutu and Ohaupo, we possess a splendid agricultural district, second indeed to few he has visited in the colonies.
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Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1092, 24 June 1879, Page 2
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1,150THE GOVERNORS VISIT TO KIHIKIHI AND TE AWAMUTU. Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1092, 24 June 1879, Page 2
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