By Kyle Dalton, External Relations Officer.
The first eleven Pākehā settlers landed in Whanganui on the 27th of February 1841. On the first anniversary of their arrival they held a ‘Fete and Regatta’ to celebrate the founding of their new settlement. Little is known of these first celebrations; however, the following year the ‘Fete and Regatta’ was an event worthy of mention in the Wellington newspapers. The wonderfully named New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser stated that on Monday, the 27th of February 1843, the second annual ‘Fete and Regatta’ was celebrated in Whanganui with much enthusiasm.
Nearly two hundred Pākehā and fifteen hundred Māori assembled from all parts of the district to witness and take part in the day’s sports events. The festivities commenced with a shooting competition which was won by Mr Paterson who, we are told, hit the target with every shot. A waka race with Pākehā crews was well contested and was won in fine style by Mr Churton's Nix with Mr Dighton's Crawler coming in second.
The premier race of the day was contested by about twenty Māori waka. We are told the race was so ably contested by two waka that the judges were unable to decide who had won and it was decided to let them run again. The second race was also a dead heat and it was decided to give a prize to each of the waka.
The day was too perfect for some of the events. The fine and calm conditions prevented a good display of sailing on the river and only a running match was contested. Mr Nixon's River Queen won by about a boats length.
On land the traditional Victorian games of jumping-in-sacks, wheeling-barrows-blindfolded, and jingling were played. Yes, jingling. A large circle of rope was occupied by 8 to 10 people, all except one of them are blindfolded. This player is called a ‘jingler’ because they carry a small bell which is rung constantly. The blindfolded players must locate the jingler during an allotted time. The first person to catch them is the next jingler.
In the evening a large feast was held to celebrate the founding of the settlement and also to acknowledge the cordial relations that existed between Māori and Pākehā.
