SUNNY HAWAII.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17882, 1 October 1923, Page 13

SUNNY HAWAII.

MRG. t. ARMITAGE'S MISSIpN. "A.scrap of Paradise dropped down by a lucky flak© into the middle of the Sea of Endless Summer," was Lord description of the Hawaii Islands, and according to Mr G. T, the'executive secretary of the Hawaii Tourist Bureau, who is at present in Christcburch, he was not far wfo^g. Mr arid-Mrs Armitage hare nearly finished the first lap or a, toUr, whicli includes the principal cities of New Zealand. Australia and the. Orient. ''VVe. realise that busiriea people, need a frorn work oecasioa'aily, f said Mr Armitage in explaining jus mission, to a reporter yesterday, "and we believe in an interchange of visits between New Zealand and Hawaii. It's not Qocessary to say ntuch about the charm of Hawaii; because it is understood by inany New Zealand people, llomance attaches to the name of Hawaii, and it is the desire and hope of hundreds to see that paradise of the Pacific." He described larieny the wofldprful climate, the surf bithing and the scenery of the islands. The Ndtiohai i'afii, he said, contained Kilauea, the largest continually active volcano' in the world. The Bureau had noticed the increasing i trade with Australia and New Zealand I rind, it waited to increase it still more. It was trying to induce people to, make | a longer stay than-was allowed' by % ship's at the< islands, for in that small tutte they could gain no conception of the deiights of Hawaii. The round-trip./ from Christchurch to Hawaii could be made in eight weeks, and at the small cost of £ISO. The voytfge laited for two weeks, with a day's Suva, and the tourist had three weeks atf the Islands. "I am not here entirely, for'a selfish object," said Mr Armitage. ''l .am learning niuch about your railways, resorts and cities, so that the Tourist; Bureau in Hawaii will be m a better position to give information about your country and to encourage to take the-trip to New Zealand. What little I have se£n of the cotintfy, I am in love with, and it will be a pleasure to give information about it." The N.Z. Government Tourist .Bureau, he said, were fcnown very favotirabjy in America. The tourist traffic paid because it brougnt. money from outside into a country. Approximately 10,000 tourists visited Hawaii last year and brought in several million dollars of "absolutely new money." Although the Bureau gave most of its attention to the main land of America, it realised, that it was placed in the hub of the Pacific, and consequently bad jmen considerable attention to the residents of Australia and New Zealand. .Tlio; Hawaii Bureau wished to cooperate, with other bureaux, in an interchange; of tourists and visitors. "I'm afraid I was very ignorant of your land," Mr Armitage confessed, "bnt now that I havo been .here, I realise how mmh I have been missing. I wish I had more time to spend in appreciating it, but we have still Australi and the Orient before us." The visitors will leave for Wellington to-morrow, and they sail for~Sydnoy on October sth. Mr Armitage is a member of the Honolulu Rotary dub, arid *& i& to give an. address at the local Rotary Club. ,