THE COLD LAKES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13005, 6 January 1908, Page 7

THE COLD LAKES.

OPINIONS OF CANTERBURY VISITORS.

Mr and Mrs W. N. J. Thacker, of Banks Peninsula, who arrived in Dunedin on Friday, after a holiday tour round Lakes Wakatipu, Te Anau, and Manapouri, speak in glowing terms of the magnificent scenery and the invigorating atmosphere of' the Cold Lakes district (says tho 'Otago Daily Times"). "Tho grandeur of the snow-capped mountains, the deep blue waters of the lakes, and the magnificent native forests clothing the hillsides and covering the numerous islands in some of the lakes, and extending for miles along tho lake shores," Mrs Thacker remarked, "are fascinating and charming, and when.seen at this season of the year they impress tho mind with the "conviction that no country in tho world could be moro beautiful" than our own New "Zealand." "We aro both New Zealanders," Mr Thacker interjected to tho interviewer, "and that possibly, to some extent, accounts for our appreciation of our home scenery; but wo were fortified in our admiration of the lakes district by foreign tourists who were visiting the district at the same time as ourselves. One of these, a gentlemen with a title who comes from Germany, and also travelled in our company for some days, said the scenery in the Cold Lakes district was the finest he had over seen in his life, and he had visited most countries of tho world. 'You people,' the German visitor said, 'should be proud of your country; you have every reason to bo sol' " In the course of a further chat, Mr Thacker said at the time of his visit to the lakes there were four German photographers in the district, who were touring the world, visiting all the beauty spots, and they wero using their cameras very freely, taking views of the lakes and mountains. These tourists also spoke in the superlative strain of the grandeur of the scenery, and tho purity of the air in tho district. In reply to a query as to which of the lakes impressed her most, Mrs Thacker said: "We thought Wakatipu beautiful, Te Anau more beautiful, and Manapouri, dotted over as it is with seemingly innumerable islands and islets, timbered down to the water's edge, most beautiful of all. The rata in the forests was just coming into bloom, and the mistletoe, with its beautiful scarlet flower, was blooming freely, whilo streams of clear water were pouring down the hillsides and coursing through the valleys, making the whole scenic effect here and at the other lakes particularly charming." The magnitude of the lakes impressed the visitors very much, and Mr Thacker remarked that Lake Te Anau has a surface area of 90.000 acres, and in some places has a depth of 1100 ft., the arms extending for 17 miles. Hotel and lodging accommodation in the lakes district was highly commended, and Government provision at the State lodges at Lake Te Anau for visitors was also commended. . Mr Thacker said he was much impressed with the land about Wirrton, and also with the land along tho railway line in Southland, "back from Invercargill. The rich lands in the Clutha Valley, on the Tokomairiro Plains, and at the Taieri were also commended, and pasture and crops were highly Bpoke'n of. Regarding the Otago flocks. Mr Thaoker, who ia a sheep and cattle breeder and farmer, expressed a favourable opinion. "Your sheep," he said, "are well woolled, and I was particularly struck with the good condition of your flocks and herds. I observed, however, with a good deal of regret, the hold the Californian thistle pest is getting in some parts we visited. This agricultural and pastoral pest is thriving in the Queenstown district, also near Winton. and along the line of oountry from Invercargill to Stirling—patchy, it is true, but spreading rapidly. This is a serious matter for the settlers, not only in Otago, but also in Canterbury, and throughout the Dominion, and if the Government does not take the suppression of this pest firmly in hand it will be a very serious thing. If it costs a million of State money to eradicate the Californian thistle it would be money well spent."