Deeds of fearlessness and valour are many in the adventurous story of New Zealand, but for deliberate daring there is one that in my belief surpasses all others and that is Alfred Warbrick's challenge to Fate by rowing across the boiling crater basin of Waimangu Geyser in a brief interval between its terrific eruptions. It was not an act of sudden impulse, and therefore it called for exceptional effort of will and courage. A quarter of a century has passed since this truly daredevil feat astonished New Zealand, and a generation has arisen which knows little of the excitement which the tremendous outbursts of the “Black-Water” geyser created among visitors to the Rotorua district. It is of some historical value, therefore, to recall the story of Warbrick and Buckeridge in their little dinghy afloat on a geyser-lake that only now and again—not when they were on it—was hurled hundreds of feet high by the enormous forces of steam—generated in the superheated regions below. There is a special interest, too, in telling the story now, in more detail than has ever been given before, for Mr. Warbrick, who has for forty years been guiding in Geyserland and for twenty-five years has been Chief Government Guide, lately escorted her Excellency Lady Fergusson through the Urewera Country forests and mountains to Waikaremoana.

“In the winter of 1903,” said Mr. Warbrick, “I happened to be visiting Auckland on business connected with the Tourist Traffic—I had lately joined the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, under Mr. T. E. Donne. At that time there was a lot of interest in the little craft Tilikum, the British Columbia Indian canoe raised upon and rigged as a yawl, which had reached Auckland from Vancouver, sailed by Captain Voss on a daring voyage round the world. With Voss was Mr. H. E. Buckeridge; he had left the canoe at one of the South Sea Islands, and had come on to Auckland by steamer. While here Mr. Buckeridge met a number of people interested in yacht-sailing and other sport, including my friend Mr. Ernest Davis, the yacht owner. One morning when several of them were together, the talk led from the voyage of the Tilikum to various deeds of bravery. One or two of them thought it was a very risky thing to sail around the world in the tiny Tilikum. Mr. Davis then took a hand in the discussion. Talking of that sort of thing, he said, in his opinion there was only one man in the country who was willing to face any kind of danger and that was Alf Warbrick the guide, who was then in Auckland.

“I am just repeating the conversation as it was told to me afterwards.

“One of the party said:

‘Alf Warbrick is no doubt a brave man, but there is one thing he is not game to do, and that is to cross Waimangu Geyser in a boat.’

“I must explain just here that Waimangu was at that time at the height of its fame; it was throwing the contents of its great pool, or small lake, more than a thousand feet into the air.

“Mr. Davis replied to the remark just made: ‘I know Alf Warbrick well, and I know that crossing the Waimangu Geyser wouldn't stop him. Now, let us go up to the Grand Hotel where he is staying, and one of you can put the question to him.’

“I happened to be in the hotel reading, when a party of seven or eight men came into the room. Mr. Davis and Mr. Buckeridge—the latter I did not know then—were among them. Mr. Davis introduced me to the party, and we all had a ‘spot’ together. Over our whisky Mr. Davis told me of the discussion they had had, ranging from the page 12 crossing of the Pacific to the crossing of Waimangu, and said that my name had been mentioned in the talk about deeds of daring.