Ratana, Glen Frag, Hydaspes and Maiwhareti began best of the front lot in the Telegraph Handicap, and Dolly Houi, after dwelling at the start, soon got amongst the leaders. Van Director was amongst the bunch as they went down the back and turning for home Ratana, Rosie Nut, Glen Farg, Van Director, and Maiwhareti were racing in close order. A fighting finish saw Van Director just beat Maiwhareti, who stayed on better than Ratana and Rosie Nut. Glen Farg, who was next, faded out after being temporarily in charge of the field.
Te Rangihīroa recounts migration
Dr Peter H. Buck, perhaps equally well known here by his Maori name of Ti Rangi Hiroa, and the interest of his subject "The Coming of the Maori" proved a dual attraction that brought together a large audience.
Dr Buck began by referring to the aspirations that were his as he crossed the Leith bridge 27 years ago, a boy fresh from Te Aute College entering the pakeha’s house of learning.
With the aid of a world map he showed the vital significance of navigation in the early movements of the Polynesians.
The early Polynesians made long voyages simply from love of adventure, and some of their undertakings were startling to the verge of impudence. The speaker outlined one of the Polynesian traditions describing what one of their voyagers had seen about the year 650AD. From this it appeared these men had gone to the "dark sea not seen of the sun" and had reached the Antarctic regions.
He told next of a voyage of Sandwich Islanders to Tahiti and back again, guided by the stars, and added very interesting details of their methods of navigation and of the "magic calabash" which aided them.
The man who got the most votes as having discovered New Zealand was Kupe. He certainly was the man who brought back news and sailing directions. It was quite likely that Maui was the man who fished New Zealand up out of the depths of the unknown, but he never told about it. Kupe lived about the year 950AD. He had some domestic trouble and thought the best way out of it was a sea voyage. (Laughter.) He sailed through Cook Strait, which should be Kupe Strait, and he named Somes Island and Ward Island in Wellington Harbour after his two daughters.
According to some traditions these early inhabitants were blown away from the west. The lecturer himself thought there must have been people here before 950AD. Men were specially selected and trained in self-denial to form the crew of a voyaging canoe. The crews that followed Kupe contained only men. They settled in the Bay of Plenty . Two centuries later, again owing to internal dissention in Tahiti, there was another migration of 22 vessels about the year 1350. Every Maori tribe in New Zealand traced its descent to one or other of the voyagers in these canoes. — ODT, 1.2.1926
