One of the most exciting and novel races that has ever been held on the waters of the Waitemata was the contest yesterday afternoon off the Calliope Dock between the Maori King Mahuta's handsome war-canoe Taheretikitiki, from the Lower Waikato, and two naval cutters each manned by twelve bluejackets from H.M.S. Tauranga.

The prize for the winners was £13 (Six months min wages, or about $16,000 today). The course was 3,000 yards in length.

The Maoris of the Waikato had made special preparations in connection with their much-admired big canoe, which had been brought down in several pieces from the Waikato. The 'waka-taua' had to be put together again, the two end pieces lashed on to the centre-part of the hull, then the top-sides laced on by means of flax fastenings, and the figure-head and sternpost securely fitted on at either end, and finally the thwarts lashed on, and the bottom of the canoe covered with a flooring or grating of raupo and small battens or rods of manuka, for the paddlers to rest on.

The Taheretikitiki has a somewhat interesting history. She is not a very old canoe, having been cut out of a big kauri tree at the Kaipara some 15 years ago by the members of the Ngati Whatua tribe. The canoe remained at Orakei for several years, and on one occasion took part in a race in the harbour against a twelve-oared cutter belonging to H.M.S. Nelson. Five or six years ago she was presented by Paul Tuhaere to King Tawhiao, and was taken up to the Waikato River.

She is 54 feet in total length, and her extreme beam is about 5 feet. The canoe's bottom is worn away through decay somewhat, about amidships; and some planking had to be fitted on by carpenters to improve her and present a smoother surface to the water.

It was shortly after three o'clock when the Taheretikitiki paddled in stately fashion from the little bay at the western side of the dock-yard up to the starting point. She made a brave show, packed with barebacked paddlers, and decorated at the bow with an elaborately carved native scroll-work figurehead, and at the stern with the orthodox high sternpost, at the foot of which was carved a Maori 'tiki,' or human image. The stern was decorated with Maori flax ornamental work, and from the front of the figurehead projected two long waving wands, known as 'puhi,' like the antennae of the butterfly in shape, and adorned with bunches of albatross feathers.

The canoe had a Waikato crew consisting of fifty-three Maori men all told. Of these, fifty were the body of paddlers, kneeling two abreast. There were two steering paddles at the extreme stern, wielded by young Hami Tukiri of the Ngati Whawhakia tribe, Huntly, and Ben Marshall, of the Ngati Pou tribe, Lower Waikato. Right amidships stood the functionary known as the kai-hau-tu, or leader, without whom no war canoe is complete, and whose duty it is to give the time for the strokes of the paddles and encourage his crew by voice and gesture. The kai-hau-tu' in the Taheretikitiki was a chief named Te Paki, belonging to the Ngati Whawhakia tribe, and he brandished a 'patuoaraoa' or whalebone 'mere,' with which he gesticulated and kept time rhythmically with the dip of the paddles.

Nearly all the paddlers were stripped to the waists, while the others wore singlets, and the men wore handkerchiefs bound round their brows and feathers in hair. As the stalwart paddlers bent to their work, the double row of bare brown backs was a unique sight, and gave a good idea of what a fully manned war canoe must have been like in the old days. The fifty paddlers in the big canoe were composed of an equal number from each of the principal Waikato tribes, as follows, commencing at the bow, the post of honour: Ten men of the Ngati Whawhakia tribe (from Huntly, Waahi, and vicinity), ten men from Ngati Mahuta (the Maori 'King's' tribe), ten belonging to Ngatii Naho and Ngati Tamaoho (Rangiriri), ten from the Ngati Hhine, and ten from the Ngati Pou.

A splendid start was effected by Mr E. W. Alison from the steam launch. The two men-of-war crews in the naval cutters got well under way first, but the big canoe soon gathered way and was quickly speeding down the course to the Devonport Wharf, her fifty paddles dipping as one. Rounding their respective buoys, the two cutters got round more smartly than the Taheretikitiki, which naturally took longer to turn, owing to her great length. On the race from here up to the buoys off Stanley Point the Maori paddlers bent well to their work, but owing to a misunderstanding made a long sweep out of the direct line in order to round a mark for yachts. This made her course several hundred yards longer than was necessary, and the HMS Tauranga's first crew passed her.

However, the plucky canoeists were not daunted. Urged on by the frantic shouts of the kaihautu balancing himself amidships, the paddlers redoubled their efforts and began catching up. By the time the Stanley Point buoys were rounded the first cutter was still half the canoe's length ahead. However, dexterously guided by the two steering paddles the Taheretikitiki made a splendid turn, taking a beautiful sweep, and came round as if on a pivot for the final race down to the dock.

Now was Waikato's time. Te Paki's voice was raised in fierce yells to his canoeists, and his whalebone club circled round and quivered quicker than ever. Waikato must beat the sailor men whatever comes. Hukere!' 'Hoea, hoea atu!' (paddle, paddle away). 'Tena toia!' (now pull away), 'Tena tiaia!' (now dip the paddles), vociferated the veteran kai-hau-tu' and faster and faster dipped the paddles, while the big canoe whirled along homewards between lines of foam raised by the manuka blades. Before half the distance homewards from the Stanley Point mark had been covered, the Waikato men had caught the leading cutter, and by dint of the hardest paddling, they fairly ran away from the bluejackets.

Cheered by the roars of applause from the shore, they bent still harder to their work and passed the winning post about a length ahead of the HMS Tauranga's first crew amidst great applause from the spectators. The win was a very popular one in view of the fact that the canoe steered a much longer course than the cutters, which made her victory all the more creditable. The Maori spectators were all delighted at the canoe's victory over the bluejackets, the general opinion before the race having been that the canoe would be beaten. The other naval cutter was several lengths behind when she finished.

Immediately the canoe had finished her race and paddled into the Admiralty Preserve near the Dock, the crew all rushed ashore to give a war dance in celebration of their victory. Armed with their paddles, they ran up to the grassy flat in a great state of elation over their win. Here they were received in good old Maori style by the jovial chief Te Rawhiti, secretary to King Mahuta, who took the part of the impromptu tangata-wero, or spear thrower. Taking up a long leaf of flax Te Rawhiti rushed forward in a mock attitude of defiance, hurled it at the advancing canoeists, as if he were throwing a spear, and then turned about and ran to a party of natives who remained in a crouching attitude some thirty yards back, pursued at top speed by the Waikato crew. Te Rawhiti reached the shelter of his party first; then turned about, and the victorious crew halted just opposite the others and formed up for a haka, looking warlike with their upraised paddles and their bare bodies, the paddlers shouted with one accord as they danced the following well-known Maori song:— 'Ka mate! ka mate! ka ora! ka ora!...

With Te Rawhiti leading, the Waikato men then sang with good effect another song, to the accompaniment of a very good haka dance, keeping excellent time with feet and paddles, the song beginning 'He kau ra, he kau ! ra! U-u!' Then they repeated 'Ka mate, ka ora,' and ran back to their canoe, which they paddled round and hauled up on the beach at the western side of the Dock, after their really hard tussle for the £13.