Sir John Gorst, re-visiting New Zealand after forty-three years, set foot once more in Te Awamutu on 3rd December, 1906, and renewed his acquaintance with some of his old native pupils and travelled over the old familiar ground. He was welcomed with immense enthusiasm by pakeha and Maori alike, and there was a peculiarly pathetic touch in the speeches made by the few Maori survivors of the old regime in Waikato. Sir John, with Miss Gorst, visited Captain D. Bockett, one of the original military settlers of Rangiaowhia, who occupied the historic mission-house. He went through the old buildings and the well-remembered church. Then, with a large party, he visited Mr Andrew Kay at his farm at Otautahanga, and talked over the old Waikato days; and on the day’s drive passed over the battlefields of Hairini, Rangiaowhia, and Orakau. At a great gathering at Te Awamutu to welcome “Te Kohi” one of the speakers was the veteran Tupotahi, one of the heroes of the Orakau defence; he had been a member of Aporo’s war-party which invaded the Government station in 1863. Ngati-Maniapoto greeted with a quite extraordinary enthusiasm the distinguished manuhiri whom they had driven from their midst in the days of the racial quarrels, now happily buried for ever. There was more than a touch of the poetic in the farewell to “Te Kohi” and his daughter at the railway station, Te Awamutu, when the venerable man bade good-bye for ever to his friends old and new. Two pretty native girls, Victoria and Ngahuia Kahu Hughes, daughters of William Hughes, of Kakepuku—one of Mr Gorst’s old pupils at the mission station before the debacle of 1863—stood hand-in-hand on the platform and sang very sweetly this parting waiata: Hoki hoki tonu mai Te wairua a Te Kohi. Kia awhi-reinga Ki tenei kiri—ee—ii! Ka huri koe i Te Awamutu Ka tahuri whakamuri; Mokemoke rere a te aroha—ee—ii! Ka eke ki tereina, Ka tahuri whakamuri; Mokemoke te rere a te auahi—ee—ii! Ka pinea korua Ki te pine o te aroha, Ki te pine e kore nei e waikura—ee—ii! (Translation.) Return, return, the spirit of Te Kohi, To greet me once again In the shadowy land of dreams. When you look your last on Te Awamutu Send back your love to us, To the lonely ones you ne’er will see again! And as the railway bears you far away, O backward turn your gaze; Like the smoke that backward drifts—ah, me! Farewell, a fond farewell! We will pin you both to our hearts With the pin of love, The pin that will never rust! It was a pathetic little song with something of the sentiment breathed in Tom Moore’s beautiful old Irish melody: