NEW ZEALAND FLORA ON THE RAND

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 264, 4 August 1936, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND FLORA ON THE RAND

For Empire Exhibition

SOUTH AMERICAN PRESS COMMENTS I Punga and cabbage-tree, toitoi and ramarama, are typical features of the New Zealand landscape, and so it often comes as a shock to New Zealanders abroad to find these old friends established in strange places overseas. At Torquay, in Devon, rows of graceful cabbage-trees rustle to English breezes along the Torbay waterfront. At Joue-les-’lours, among the vineyards of Tourdine, in France, wave graceful toi plumes, planted by two Aew Zealand, exiles to remind them of their southern home.

Now New Zealand flora has gone to grace the Johannesburg Empire Exhibition, and when the exhibition is over will probably remain to surprise and delight the New Zealander who visits The Rami In later years. Its arrival, under the supervision of Mr. M. O’Brien, of the New Zealand Government Tourist and Publicity Department, attracted the attention of the South African Press.

“The first consignment of New Zealand scenery’—beautiful tree ferns, myrtles, and the quaint cabbage plant —has arrived in Johannesburg for the Empire Exhibition,” stated the “Rand Daily Mail.” "They are part of the publicity scheme to attract tourists that leave South Africa with the wealth of gold mines in their pockets, from Europe to the islands which have become known as the ‘Playground of the Pacific.’

“With this scenery there came the ‘booster,’ Mr. M. O’Brien, New Zealand Commissioner,- who is arranging the New Zealand pavilion at the Empire Exhibition." "Our idea,” explained Mr. O’Brien, "is to attract tourists and to advertise New Zealand as a health resort. By our participation in the Johannesburg Empire Exhibition we want to stress the goodwill which exists for the sister Dominion. We ask the Union’s tourists to come and see some of our wonders.

“A series of remarkably fine photographs—many of them in natural colours—will advertise all these attractions for the sportsman, while others are intended merely to appeal to the ordinary tourist—modern hotels, the glaciers, the great Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers that come down to within 200 feet of sea level before the ice melts.

"New Zealand is essentially a country of forests and ferns,” said Mr. O’Brien, “so the centre of the New Zealand exhibit will be taken up by a fine horticultural display and it is for this purpose that the 37 different varieties of plants have been brought out.” ■ .