‘Making N.Z. Beautiful'

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32351, 17 July 1970, Page 6

‘Making N.Z. Beautiful '

A photographer arrived in iChristchurch from Australia on Wednesday whose sole mission in the next 10 days is “to make New Zealand beautiful lin the eyes of Americans.” He is Mr R. Takis, director of photography in the public relations department of American Airlines, which be-' gins a twice-a-week service : through Auckland in August. I I The basic object of his! visit, Mr Takis said, was to’ start a photographic file onthe South Pacific routes whichAmerican Airlines will fly. He has completed this task in! Australia, and after New Zea-| land will go to Fiji and! I American Saomoa. Mr Takis said people in America find New Zealand a long way off and, from the j eastern seaboard, expensive to get to. “So before they travel out here, they naturally want to know something about it—and that's our job,” he said. The arrival of Mr Takis heralds a visit by several top American travel writers, who are expected to fly out with American Airlines to gather material for features on the ’South Pacific.

j Mr Takis, who is the only photographer employed by American Airlines, said hej hoped to start a whole new’ photographic image of New’ Zealand, and the other coun-’ tries he is visiting.

He will leave Christchurch today for Mount Cook, 'Queenstown, and Te Anau.