Clinton's croak charms titled trio

By Warren Gamble

Despite strained vocal cords, President Bill Clinton had no shortage of dinner conversation with three prominent New Zealanders at an Auckland restaurant.

"He was suffering from vocal tiredness, and really should not have been talking as much as he was," said opera diva Dame Malvina Major, who lives in fear of such an ailment.

She was joined by Sir Edmund Hillary and the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, at the exclusive Five City Rd Restaurant on Monday night.

Dame Malvina, who was invited only three days before, said she was apprehensive about dinner chit-chat with the President, his daughter, Chelsea, and mother-in-law, Dorothy Rodham.

But Mr Clinton had set the mood early on, taking off his jacket and relaxing into a wide-ranging discussion. "He was a very down-to-earth, normal human being," Dame Malvina said.

"He had an enormous knowledge of things in New Zealand and internationally, and we talked about everything from music and golf to the America's Cup."

Dame Malvina said Mr Clinton told Dame Te Ata he was impressed with the process for settling Treaty of Waitangi claims.

He chatted to Sir Edmund about Mt Everest and told Dame Malvina of his wide-ranging love of music, including opera and jazz.

He said he hoped to attend her performance at an international concert for children in Washington in November.

The President and Chelsea Clinton said they had loved their time in New Zealand and wanted to come back. "He was obviously very smitten," said Dame Malvina.

Mr Clinton had tuna sashimi followed by a grilled venison rack with a foie gras risotto, and after the 31/2-hour meal ended around midnight he took time to chat to other diners.

Last night in Queenstown, the President and his daughter had dinner with New Zealand actors Lucy "Xena" Lawless and Temuera "Jake the Muss" Morrison at the Boardwalk restaurant on the shore of Lake Wakatipu.

Lawless is heavily pregnant with her second child.

Hollywood actor Chris O'Donnell was also a guest at the dinner.

Security guards kept media representatives well away from the restaurant.