HOMER TUNNEL

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 87, 6 January 1940, Page 4

HOMER TUNNEL

> Visitors Impressed “Everywhere we looked there was beauty—a feast for tired eyes _and jaded minds; Sydney has nothing like this to offer,” declared two Australian tourists who, with a party of more than 60 other travellers from Southland and further afield, made a trip in service buses through the Eglinton Valley to the Homer Tunnel. Some of the party, after travelling over a scenic road which is believed to have no equal in New Zealand for the majesty of its surroundings of mountain. ' bush, and lake, picked their cautious way through the Homer Tunnel to within 250 feet of West Coast daylight. To' that point the drilling of the tunnel —one of the greatest engineering feats in the Dominion—has proceeded, and the mountain is expected to be pierced in about five weeks' time. The Homer, to quote two Dunedin visitors, was a revelation. They enjoyed every minute of the trip. Most enthusiastic were the two Australian tourists, who were thrilled at the majestic grandeur of the mountains and revelled in the beauty of sparkling waterfalls and the restful green of the surrounding territory. They wondered if Southlanders realized what a great scenic asset they possessed in the Homer and its .potentialities as a tourist attraction. Mountain lilies, mountain daisies, and white violets which were growing in pro-, fusion to the foot of the mountains were admired by delighted women passengers, who expressed a wish that the flowers should be planted in their gardens as a “reminder of a memorable trip.” Southland’s scenic iplaygrounde were well ipatronized during the New Year weekend, and also at Christmas time, Last weekend about 70 persons tramped over the famous Milford. Track. Tents and! caravans were numerous at the new,motor camp prepared by the Automob'ile Association (.Southland) at Te Anau, and campers had set up their temporary quarters at points in the Eglinton Valley, particularly at Cascade Creek, where nearly a score of parties were accommodated in ideal surroundings. The Te Anau hotel has been well patronized by visitors from many parts of New Zealand, who were fortunate this year in the good weather experienced.