NORTHERN HEALTH AND HOLIDAY RESORTS.

Evening Star, Issue 11265, 12 June 1900, Page 6

NORTHERN HEALTH AND HOLIDAY RESORTS.

ROTORUA, ROTOITI, TE AROHA, NAPIER, AUCKLAND, Etc. [Br Tegxas Cocli,.] Among the many resorts open to tovrists and seekers after health in our own picturesque colony there are none more novel or enchanting than soma portions of the thermal district in the North Island. Some weeks ago a few residents of Oamaru and Dunedin. in the south, made np a small y.-Miy ar ; :l visited Lakes Rotorua, Rotoiti, the Maori vsiiages of Ohinemutu, Waka-i'j\<'a->'eT:'... the hot springs of Te Aroha, inc'iu'in;; the p!eit?ur.l, and health-giving city "I Aapier, on the east coast of that island. and .-ithcr places. Our trip was taken by way of Auckland, which we made our startin.!: point, and a few notes taken at the time will probably be interesting to many of your readers who Live not been over the same ground, but who would desire to go. Auckland is a bright but irre-fular-built city, our own city of Dunedin comparing very 'favorably a-s regards solidity, appearance, and surroundings. There is what may be termed a dowdinexs about the town, which, were it not for the blight sunshine, would be very marked. Its harbor and suburbs are, however, very beautiful. The kopjes or cones of about sixty-extinct volcanoes, which can be surveyed from Mount Eden, make the view from that point, very picturesque. The numerous ferry steamboats running between the Auckland jetties and Devonport, Chelsea, Birkenhead, and other places give life to the scene, and afford the inhabitants a constant opportunity of a short sea trip for a few pence. One of the great, commercial industries of the city, which I had not seen before, was the sugar-refining factory, from which we nearly all get our supply of' sugar. This establishment is situated at "Chelsea, a mile or two up, on the north side of the Harbor. A ticket for admission has to be obtained from the office in Auckland, and no ladies are admitted, most of the laborers having to work in the nude, in consequence of the great heat. 11 is a sight to see the stores of sugar in the rough, as brought by ships from the Queensland and other plant*, tirns. There are immense sheds, tilled with stacks of the raw material, reaching sixty or seventy feet high, covering what seemed to be several acres of land—enough to supply a nation with sugar for years. Lanes a few feet wide are made in these stacks so as to get about the stores, and there are ingenious mechanical contrivances to lift the sacks to the top of these cliffs of sugar, which they do a-s deftly as one places a, loaf of bread in a, press or cupboard. In the factory we were shown how the coarse brown sugar material is turned into pure white by means of centrifugal basins, into which it is placed af'er it has gone through certain processes. These basins revolve, with great velocity, ;ip.'l as they revolve you can see the sugar ' '■ ' ! !!ge its color from dark brown into white -■■' vuy wonderful optical spectacle. The >■■ sidu." extracted from the sugar by the " essfails through a hole in the centTe of U:yh\ into a receptacle below, and comes ••-! the golden syrup of commerce. Altoh(i- it is well worth a visit. It is as ■.'••■':. perhaps, as we sweeten our coffee or

'. ' our lollies, that v.e :ue not aware of some »i the processes through which the sugar g.u'.s i;i its refining, and takes its place upon !>■::• tabic, or we should not, possibly, relish ii- so much. This Auckland industry is part of a syndicate called the Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide Sugar Refining Company, and is one of the best paying concerns in the co'ony. The Auckland branch commenced with turning out sixty-five tons per week; now it makes ninety-five tons per day, besides producing forty tons of golden svrup or treacle ptr week. 'Yet it can scarcely keep up with the enormous consumption. The manager told me it would soon have to be enlarged to meet the' increasing demand. The bagmaking in connection with the industry is a large concern of itself, some of the employes in this department earning as much as £3 per week, being paid at the rate of _2s for every 100 bags. The way in which the rolls of coarse canvas were" cut up, sewn, and made ready for use was .'•imply marvellous. There were three sizes of bags made to hold the sugar—viz., 401b, 58! b n ,nd 701b. When tilled they are carted int^barges, sent to town, and distributed throughout the colony. A. visit to Auckland would not be comliiete without seeing Lake Takapuna. It is a wonderful sheet of fresh water, a, few miles from Devonport, on the northern side of the harbor, and reached by a conveyance from that plaee, which runs "at short intervals. The singularity of the lake consists in its being close to the open salt water of the surrounding ocean, and in its situation it appeals almost, impossible it could retain its freshness, and yet I was informed it was pure and fresh drinking water. It is supposed to be the basin of an old crater of one of the many volcanoes formerly abounding in that district. A visit to the tower o'f the Takapuna Hotel, where a good cup of tea may be obtained, should be made by the tourist, as from it one of the most charming and wonderful views in the colony may be seen, together with the lake, immediately beneath you, and that is saying a great deal". Between Auckland and Rotorua, a. distance of 170 miles, a nice halt on the journey can he made by stopping at Okorire, a s a!ion about forty miles north of Rotorua, o.i ihe banks of the river Waiau. At Okor';e ! here is a comfortable and well-ap- ] • ■';-led hotel, with a. variety of mineral ,; ... o-'.-> of which is called the Fairy ■" ,: - The water is surrounded by an cn"o u-e c-!' few;, and the. bath is oj>en to the • : ■'. ()•.] summer evenings these fern leaves ■■•■ ; ' v-iV"! with glow-worms, which shed :■ •'.' uiar radiauc.6 on the water. The b-i'.h itself is of a very agreeable t'emnera-

l >!■ :. and delvditfullv soothing after a day's i■ dv.'av travelling through a somewhat dustv ai'nosphere, caused by the pumice of the soil, nf which this iiart of the district is largely coinpo-ed. The next day the jourT'"v can be continued by a forty-mile drive through most splendid forest scenery, at a very trifling extra expense. As you pass along the road the coachman gives the passengers an interesting lecture upon forestry and the' names of the great variety of trees to be found in that portion of the New Zealand bush. It was singular to see how the rata, climbs up the gigantic totara., every four or five feet throwing out a kind of tentacle, clasping its arms round the trunk as tightly as any octopus that can be imagined, and so in time kills the tree with its embraces. In the centre of this forest a pretty little accommodation house is provided, where the tourist can alight and discuss the luncheon basket which has been provided by the .Okorire Hotel people. A good cup of lea is provided for visitors, and Maori baskets, made up of all shades of colored grasses, and which make nice presents, may be bought for a. trifle. Being halfway to Rotorua, the ride is resumed in a different coach, the two vehicles meeting at this point. Before long the smell of sulphur vapor is distinguished by one's nostrils, and soon the beautiful cobalt blue of Lake Rotorua sparkles in the sunlight like a large gem in the landscape. About four o'clock in the afternoon one reaches the township, and drives np to the Grand Hotel, an establishment well served and pleasantly situated. There are, however, plenty of private board-ing-houses and other hotels to suit all tastes »nd pockets, from 6s or 7s per day to 10s or 12s.

Rotorua itself is jjear the centre of the thermal district, and is generally made the stopping-place for seeing the surrounding country and its wonders. To describe it fully would lake up far too much- space. The Government have spent a great deal of money in ir, and it is much improved during the la.>t few years. The sanatorium grounds at." beautifully laid ont with paths and ■ flower beds. A new bowling green was L. i'ig formed while we were there, to be :■■■ ilv for next season. The various baths ;::;•:! for rheumatic affections, skin com-p'-iii:is, and other diseases are well appointed ;.;,.! served. Madame Rachel's bath, so railed for the smoothness it gives to the skin, is much patronised ; and so is the bine bath, a good-?ized sheet of blue-tinted water —used by the more general bather—and of an agreeable temperature. After tho fashion of more pretentious watering-places, entertainments are got up by the Maoris for the amusement of visitors. Dances or concerto arc given during the season on Saturday nights in the hall of the adjoining village, at Is per head. About forty or fifty Maoris, principally girls, gc

through a number of evolutions with wonderful precision, and their horrible gestures, roiiing eyes, war and novel antics are something quit* ont of the common.. A laigo nanibsr of trees have recently been planted the side of the streets of Rotorua, which give an agreeable shade in the heat of the day. Nearly all tradespeople are roprwented in the township, and are l««g it most become an important centre f»»r the surrounding districts. A newspaper has recently been established, called the ' Hot Lake? Chronicle,' and every known visitor, whether distinguished or not, has his name registered in its columns, with the date of his arrival and departure. One of the places which every visitor should make a point of visiting is the village of Whakarewarewa, about a mile from the township. There you see the thermal phenomena in all its activity. Caverns tilled with water, boiling with great fury; geysers spouting out volumes of the same element; mud lakes, flopping and spluttering like vast porridge pots: holes full of mineral oils, which supply the oil baths ; the very ground being iu some places too hot to place your hand upon ; and other phenomena. The male Maori children, in a state of nature, are ready to dive into the stream for a copper or threepenny bit off the bridge at the entrance to the village at the slightest encouragement, and when tourists are about they must spend a lot of their time in waim water. There are some delightful excursions to be made in the neighborhood of Rotorua either by coach or steamboat. Some of these have but recently been opened out. Haying been to the wonderful district of Waitopo by coach on ;i former visit, we decided on going to Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti. Comparatively few of our Southern fteople know where Rotoiti is situated, but they will see, in glancing over the map, it is north of Rotorua. Tt has not been at all. accessible to general visitors until the last few years. The lake is not a very large one, but it is one of the mos't charming ] have seen either in the Old Country or in New Zealand, and I have been to-most of the. English and Scotch lakes, as well as to our Southern lakes and those on the West Coast (Kanieri and Mahinapua). The Government have had built a fine new pleasure steamer to run on Rotorua Lake called the Haniarania, of about sixty tons, and on Rotoiti Lake there runs a' steam launch called the Lady Alice, about as large as that in use on the Taieri River which takes one down to the se:t from M'Kegg's. The whole excursion from Rotorua to the waterfall at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti takes one day, and the charge is 10s per head, but not including provisions, which are supplied by the hotel people. We started early from the little stone pier erected nearly opposite the Minri village of Ohinemutu, and got to the head of Lake Rotorua about noon. The whole country is full of interest to the dwellers in Maoriland. On the eastern side of the lake, as you travel along, you can see the district of Tikitere, in some places smoking away like a lime kiln. This district is popularly known as the "Gates of Hell.'' so full is it of sulphur fumes, steaming holes, solfataras or beehive kind of earth ln'omuls, continually bursting and sending out clouds of stench which smell of ammonia and ot her suffocating chemicals. To an imaginative mind it seems as if old Mother Earth was relieving herself of her humors the. same as a, cancerous boil does for the body in its discharge. It is, indeed, a most "uncanny locality. Tf the visitor prefers, he can have a return drive through the Tikitere drstrict instead of coming back by the boat. Xearly at the head of Lake Rotorua and at it's centre is the island of Mokiii, a beautifullv green spot, and one of the very sacred spots of the Maoris. Innumerable legends*are connected with the island. One of the principal is in connection with a rocky enclosure called Hinemoa's bath, made famous by a Maori princess who swam from the adjoining shore of the lake some three or four miles to the island iu search of her lovr. On arriving there in a state of great exhaustion she bathed in this particular pool, and so <|iiickly recovered from her exhausted condition as to be able to make herself presentable to him that evening, when he was thinking she was in another part of the country altogether. Soon after there was a great marriage feast. On reaching the head of Lake Rotorua tourists have to land on a white sandy shore and walk about a mile to its outlet, where a boat is waiting manned by some stalwart Maoris to take you to Rotoiti Lake. This outlet forms a river, and is bounded on each side by rushes, willows, and water plants of all descriptions. The river itself is as clear as crystal, and one can see the pebbles, gravel, and stones which form its bottom with great distinctness. So clear is the stream that it gives one the sensation of floating upon air, and the many reaches of the river, caused by its turnings, add to the beauty of the surrounding. A few miles down you arrive at a Maori village, and another change is made. We all had to cross a small peninsula of land of the most fertile description, and then got into another punt-looking boat, to be transferred, three at a time, to the Lady Alice, the steam launch, waiting, with steam up, to take us up the lake. There was just enough risk in this undertaking to give a little piquancy to the effort, but we all ultimately got on board. The crew consisted of one o'f the Maori boatmen and a young fellow who steered, attended to the engine, and acted as a kind of factotum and guide in describing the many islands and the beauties of the little lake. This young fellow was a wonderful talker, and would make a good showman in any concern, describing in grandiloquent style the manv interesting localities we passed by—what was taptt and what was not, what" this and that place was noted for. Some of the bush-covered little gems of islands were used as burial places by certain Maori families, and a more peaceful resting-place could not be imagined. Our guide also kept us in good humor with no little wit. We were sailing along admiring the beautiful scenery and absorbed in our surroundings, when he cast his eyes upon myself, and exclaimed : " I say, old man, do you know vou are gohl" to be lucky to-day?" I replied : " How was that? I am glad to hear it." "Oh. you have got a kink in your hat." "A kink" I replied ; " what's that ?*' " A dent, sir!" he said, alluding to a smash I made in my felt hat in getting into the boat. "Yes." he continued, " and I want vbu to give me the tip, mind." '-Give vou the tin'" I remarked. "Yes," he said. "Don't yon know it s the Rotorua races to-morrow, 'and I suppose you have backed your favorite with a good round sum." I informed him 1 was not a. racing man nor ever went to races. I think I fell in his estimation of not being a possible clever " booky," but I was glad it was not mv general get-up but only the kink in the hat that made him so patronising. However, he never lost his <?ood humor, but was very attentive, and kept us amused during the day. Some of the little, coves or bavs of the lakes are very charming. Clothed with bush to the water's edge, we could see the branches of the peach trees and what is called the Maori cherry both loaded with fruit. At the northern end of the lake we all got out of the launch and walked as far as its outlet to see a fine waterfall and rapid forming the source of the river Kaituna. The Government have here made a road to the waterfall, which is realty a magni"ficent sight. The lake empties itself into a ravine about half a mile in length, whose sides are clothed with verdure, through which the water travels at a tremendous pace. Suddenly, as you walk down the declivity through which the road leads you below the falls, a vision of wondroHs beauty opens out, and you see a long reach of the stream formed of broken water, as white as snow, rushing and foaming with immense force. The effect was heightened by the beautiful green bush which overhung it's sides, and the glimpses of the mid-day sunlight through the waving verdure "falling upon the water made it sparkle and flash as to be dazzling in its radiancy. In the centre of the fall were some large rocks, over which the water rolls with majestic motion, scarcely seeming to move, and looking like clear glass, through which the bare rock was to be seen, and then soon after breaking into a thousand fragments of pure white spray. I must confess the vision almost took my breath away. T tried o compare it with some other falls I have seen, but none has produced the same effect, though there are many much larger. It is something to feel that there is that within us which responds to the grandness of Nature, and seems to tell us we are not merely »esh and blood after all. As Dr ! 'o> •

George Mathieson savs: " Nature is not dead ; it is all force,* all energy, all life; it is brother to thine own soul. What I ■ Wi, . n . t »". * le co "tinues, "is the vision cf a spirit in nature, of a life beyond nature, of a soul within nature. It was a dreary thought that once possessed me—that in ail outside there was nothing to speak to me, that I was a solitary foreigner, a late comer into a home well prepared for its first inmates, but not prepared for ' me.' It is sweet to And that I was wrong, sweet to know that life—my life—is the oldest thing in the world. The solitude is broken. I am no foreigner in a dwelling unfurnished forme. I am brother to the universe, brother to forest and stream. The life that is in me is ulsto behind me—from eternity. Therefore I admire the beautiful. My Jove of Nature's loveliness is the meeting of the new with the old. Life is the oldest thing in the world ; the world itself is not so old. Life is not a manufactured article. Hundreds have tried to manufacture it, but they have failed. Life is not made. It is that which makes everything else. It precedes all things, and all "things' are its manifestation. I can understand why St. John, iu his book of the Revelation, saw so many material tilings iu Heavenrivers, and trees, and rainbows. It was because they were not 'material' at all—they were all 'alive.' The fountain was a 'living' fountain, the river was a 'river of life,' the tree was ' tree of life.' Matter was 110 more dead to him than it was to the Greek : it was leaping, bounding, vocal; it. was fellowship with the Father. Is there then to be no fellowship with the Father, creation's God''" These grand words of Dr Mathieson are ven- much in keeping, with the impression produced upon many "minds in looking upon some of the scenes jn Nature, such as the Rotoiti waterfalls. After remaining some lime to enjoy the scene, we returned to the launch and had our lunch. Some parties who had reached the falls before us we found sitting on the. greensward just under the falls engaged in a similar operation, and I thought it was an ideal pla-ce for such a function. A snowwhite cloth was spread over the ground, and dainties of all kinds laid upon it. The hotelkeejiers at Rotorua know how to make up a luncheon basket.for their visitors. Hum and beef, poultry, salad, fruit, and cake, with cutlery, plates, napery, tea cups, and other numerous things left nothing to be desired. When we got back to the hoal the Maoris had brewed an excellent cup of tea, which v.e discussed in the launch on our return, and so our visit to Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti has become a pleasant memory to look back upon, and leads us to prnphcsv that in time to come they will attract many visitors to their shores." There are several other places to visit in the same neighborhood of great interest, especially the famous Hamanaia springs at the head o'f Lake. Rotorua to the left. These. I was told, were, equally beautiful to anything we had seen, but time is exacting, and we wanted to see another thermal district before we returned to Dunedin, and that was the interesting neighborhood of Te Aroha and its famous hot springs and baths, known in the North as the " Modern Bethesda." THE TE AROHA HOT SPRINGS. The township of Te Aroha, is situated on the banks of the Waihou River, 115 miles from; Auckland by rail. Immediately behind the town rises a. Wutiful mountain called in the Maori language the " .Mountain of Love," clothed to the too with native hush. It is 3,400 ft high, and 'from its summit a splendid view may be obtained of the Thames Valley, the celebrated Coromandel range of lulls and mom-tains, the Bay of Plenty white sulphur Hand. Ruapehu and Tongarir'o mountains, and a large stretch of countiy to the south. The climate is equable and very salubrious, the mean temperature being recorded a< 56deg in the shade, and the maximum 89deg. For a please.ni s-iell from the distractions of ordinary business life we know few better places for recruiting in. Visitors come from all parts of the world to bathe in the waters, and its pomilarity may be estimated by the fact that during the last season there were 35.000 bathers, and manv of them testified as to the benefit they received. In the domain a most magnificent bathing house has receniv been built by Government, costing several thousands of pounds. '.rile house contains twenty bathing rooms, fitted up according to the latest and most approved thermo-therapeiitie methods. It is by far the best of anything of the kind south of the Line, and is similar to the snas of Yichv. Ems, and Aix-les-Bains on the" Continent of Europe. The waters are known to be efficacious hi gout, rheumatism, sciatica, in ailments due to excess of acidity, eczema, and in ordinary derangement of the kidneys, liver, etc. The various springs and baths' of which there am twenty, .vc situated in what is called the " domain." an enclosure of about sixty acres, .nl] well '.aid out with paths, seats, and pagodas, the latter containing pumps to draw up the drinking waters, which in one of these structures is just like soda water. These drinking springs are acknowledged as the best in the wliole of New Zealand. There is a. .spring for bathing the eyes, in which I saw "several visitors dipping their handkerchiefs and washin«these organs. The water of this spring i's of a rusty-iron color, caused by the presence of precipitate of sulphur and other minerals For real invalids there is a qualified medical practitioner, in the person of Mr James Muir, a certificated hydropathic specialist, who has had experience in the Old Count it and the. colonics in these matters. This gentleman has received an appointment to the baths, and gives advice as to their judicious use for a trifling fee. For special complaints he superintends the packing process used in some of the hot baths"with wonderful results. In one portion of the ground, on the east side of the domain, a small tunnel has been excavated into the sides of the hill. Several visitors were sitting on a bench tit its entrance, and thev laughingly informed us if we went in we should find it rather hot. Our curiosity was aroused, and in we went. We found the tunnel very roughly excavated, its sides held uji by boards, and water was dripping in all directions. Sure enough, it wa.s like a baker's oven, and if we stayed in long enough stood a chance of being cooked. It was quite patent that the interior of the " Mountain of Love " was a. pretty hot shop, and if we could have penetrated further still goodness knows what degree of heat one might not have been subjected to. But the excavation had stopped short a few dozon yards from its entrance, and there it now remains, perhaps' to be further experimented upon on some future occasion.

There are a number of recreations provided in the domain for visitors, among which may be mentioned a. fine library and reading room in the domain office buildings, and a tennis court, good links for golf in the near neighborhood, ouoits, and twice a week ♦he local brass band plays in the grounds. Then there is rowing on the beautiful river Waihou, also many' other attractions. The wooded range at the back of the' township gives great pleasure to botanists, geologists", entyinologists. and others. It may he as well to state that there are in the township Anglican, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches for the spiritually-minded. Good hotels and boarding-houses abound, who charge very moderate tariffs, some as low as 4s per day. We patronised the Hot Springs Hotel, belonging to Mr Knock. This hotel ha.s a. private entrance into the domain, and a fine balcony, from which a good view is to be obtained over the grounds. It was very comfortable, has sixty-two rooms, a good service, and a tariff of about 7s or'Bs per day.

A visit, if time allows, should be paid to the Waiorongomai gold mine and hattery. near the town, belonging, I believe, to Mr Hardy, of Dunedin, whose son is manager. It can be reached by the coach for 6d. It is called " Hardy's mine and battery." The stone is brought from the top of a high hill near at hand, and to see the machinery crush large and hai-d boulders into small pieces, and to carry the crushed material over fine gratings and through sluice-boxes till it mixes with the quicksilver and the gold becomes amalgam, was very interesting. Mr Hardy showed us some balls of this amalgam about the size of an ordinary tipple, each containing £35 or £4O worth of gold. What the average earnings were I forgot to ask, but it struck me they must be very good. We take this opportunity of thanking Mr Hardy for showing us over the laboratory aud offices connected with the l'nine. There are other interesting localities which may be visited with pleasure if time could be found, notably the Waiera. -Falls, 500 ft high, Rotohoka

Gorge, etc., but sufficient is written to show that, for- an ordinary lover of Nature or seeker after health, Te Aroha is eminently suitable, and scarcely anyone can come away disappointed with the locality. NAPIER. On our journey we. put:into the township or city of Napier, on the east coast of the North Island. In days gone by a tug'or ferry boat came out into the open and landed passengers at a place called the Spit, but now steamers, such its the Mararoa, in which we were sailing, can go up to a jetty at the end of the breakwater, and the travellers can comfortably get on shore. It is the chief town in the provincial "district of Hawke's Bay, and has about 7,000 inhabitants. The district is principally a grazing one, and the port ships more surplus stock than any other port of New Zealand. The breakwater, upon which immense sums have been spent, is well built, it being formed by immense blocks of concrete of many tons weight, and is :;till in process of formation. After landing, a ten minutes' walk or ride takes you to the town, which has every.appearance Of prosperity and brightness. The climate of .Napier is well known as being the finest in New Zealand. The citizens have, erected' a sea wall of considerable length fronting tha open ocean, with seats every few yards and .semi-tropical trees between every seat. This promenade is lit at nights by a large number of gas lamps, and there is a fine bandstand a short distance down the promenade. Fronting the sea on the western side of the roadway are a large number of villa residences with gardens in,front, the whole aspect of the place putting me much in mind of English coastal towns, such as Brighton, Hastings, or Bournemouth in the Channel. Those who have sailed up the Channel at night have noticed the lights facing the sea as they passed along. The same illuminating effect must be produced by the line of lamps along the coast of Napier to passing vessels or steamers. If some of our Dunedin citizens interested in the sea wall at St. Clair could see what a much smaller town has done for the comfort and beauty of theirlittle seaside resort it would be w'ell. The. business portion of the town is bright and clean, the shops putting me in mind of the Adelaide shops, especially Rundle street. One of the attractions of the town is the splendid Anglican Cathedral, which must have cost, a large sum of money. It is the headquarters of the bishopric of Waiapu. It has a most beautiful'carved wooden roof, and appeared to me as large or even larger than i.nristchurch Cathedral. What to me was « novelty in cathedral architecture was the red-brick pillars, skilfully pointed with white, cement, capped by carved free-stone. All I he appointments are" singularly fine aud appropriate. The altar, the choir stalls, the .'■creen. the organ loft are productions of the best workers. Indeed. Napier must have some grand eitwns amongst its population who have sprnt their money in making this city a delight. WELLINGTON. | In coming down South we stayed at Wellington a few days, and noticed many improvements in the empire city. Large numbers of new erections were being put up, many old shops and shanties are"being demolished and new ones put up in their places. Several splendid hotels, worthy of the town, were heing built, notably'the Empire and the Royal Oak, the latter having been destroyed by fire a year or two ago. This hotel is especially up to date in all its appointments. It has electric lights in every room; (he new dining room Is a veiy handsome apartment, and the proprietors have a small instrumental band playing popular music during the dinner hour. There are lounges, well furnished, on each floor ; the baths are fitted with hot and cold sprays, as well as shower; the reading smoking, and writing rooms are very fine" and there are all sorts of conveniences found •i the. most, modern hotel. Wellington folk are evidently becoming alive in their efforts to make the city attractive to visitors. We were, however, glad to get back to Dunedin, with ihc sense that our colony contains within itself all that is necessaiy for change, health, or recreation, and cannot be beaten for variety and beautv of its natural scenery Dunedin, May, 1900.