Australia -- Description and travel; New Zealand -- Description and travel; Windsor, Edward, Duke of, 1894-1972
A still, sun-filled autumn morning, with crisp sharp air that made it a
pleasure to be alive, on wide, sheltered mother-of-pearl waters, bounded
by grassy hills, with frequent hummocks and white gleaming cliffs,
greeted the _Renown_ as she neared New Zealand on the morning of the
24th of April, 1920. Dotted over the hills, like sheep at grazing, were
numerous red-roofed country houses, which developed pleasant gardens
with green fields between as the distance decreased. Out of shadowy bays
and inlets crept motor-boats in ones and twos and threes, the numbers
growing as township and village each contributed its quota, so that, by
the time the _Renown_ was amongst them, there had assembled a fleet of
very considerable dimensions decorated with flags and filled with
cheerful men, women and children, soldiers in khaki, wounded in hospital
blue, pretty girls in smart frocks, all clapping, cheering, and laughing
in the most inspiring welcome imaginable.
The Prince climbed to his look-out above the bridge, and waved back a
cheery acknowledgment. Bands struck up in half a dozen of the boats.
Flags leapt up like wind-swept flowers in a herbaceous harbour. The
hubbub grew. Numbers of sailing yachts joined the assemblage. Rowing
boats chipped in, and, by the time the first harbour buoy was reached,
the _Renown_ was sliding along with some hundreds of small craft racing
beside her, in imminent danger of collision alike with her and with one
another. The last headland turned, Auckland itself came into view, a
red-and-white city climbing up the sides of a beautiful, sheltered cove,
with clear, deep water in front, and a green, conical extinct volcano
behind. Coloured bunting fluttered from the rigging of all the vessels
in port, and long vistas of greenery and flags led up the volcano from
the water's edge. One caught glimpses of wide wharves, black with
clustering crowds, and of dark masses of people on the slopes of
Rangitoto, all on the look-out for the arrival of the Prince from Mother
England.
We had arrived at the first of the island continents which had drawn us
all, battle-cruiser, Prince and passengers, half-way round the world.
The ports of call behind us faded into instructive entertainments by the
way. Here was another home of the race, another place in the sun where
the breed throve and multiplied, and developed, under conditions fresh
and far from the source, the man and womanhood we are proud to call
British.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account