HEW ZEALAND.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XX, Issue 2064, 8 January 1925, Page 5

HEW ZEALAND.

“PUREST PLACE I KNOW.” TH FjVLB-NAIL IMPRESSIONS OF AUSTRALIAN TOURIST. • • WOWSER LEGISLATION. ’ ’ “New Zealand is the purest place T know .... “And I’ve seen them all.” Sitting next to me in a deck chair aboard an American steamer, a prominent- Sydney merchant was holding a post-mqnpii on the world (says A.J.8., in the Sydney Sunday Times.) After dinner in the smoke-room he repeated the above observation and said if he made New Zealand his permanent homo he would nover die. A couple of New Zealanders, who had received 2s a lb for tlieir wool at Gisborne sales, and were coming over to Sydney to spend Christmas, did not seem even mildly interested in las remark's. Evidently they agreed with him or were too polite to start an argument in the smoke-room of a steamer. AUCKLAND COULD BE SMART. Auckland is the largest town in New Zealand—it is about as big as Brisbane or Adelaide—and could be brought up to date and madea real live oitv. A wealthy Englishman whom 1 met at Rotorua, visits that wonderful spot every year, and takes the baths. None of the Continental spas benefits him as much, but he toid, me lie hardly ever spends more than a day in Auckland. “What can one bally well do there?” he asked. For instance, the tourist, who is accustomed elsewhere to half a day’s racing on Saturdays, is told when he arrives in Auckland that the Waitemata (or ‘pipe tomato,” to give it its colonial name) is a great spot for yachting. boating and tishing, and that the howling greens are unsurpassed. Wowser legislation Ims decided that out of, •gio days in the year 160,000 Auckland' folic shall only enjoy horse-facing on 2D of them. Whenever racing and beer are mentioned in New Zealand, the wowser; put their hacks to the wall ; m«l vote according to their conscience. CONTROL OF RACING. A fmmv incident occurred to me one night as ‘l got back to Auckland from a picnic race meeting. The G.P.O. clock pointed to midnight!, and'ram --.-ns fumbling dovsyi, when a man approached and apologised for holding one up in the storm. He wanted to know what dividend the hurdle winner had paid than afternoon. I told him. and asked why he did not buy an evening paper. “I’ll guarantee you come from Australia,” he replied. “Tapers in New Zealand can’t publish .livdondb." A commendable feature of racing in New Zealand is the exclusion from courses of crooks, urgers and ci Evicted criminals. Recently an ownoi was asked to make his language a little more anaemic in the paddock. MILD FLAPPERS. I scarcely noticed a girl in Auckland with bobbed or shingled hair, and as for the New Zealand flapper, she is the mildest thing I know. The vamping industry is practically unknown in Queen Street, the main thoroughfare. Girls walk down the street at four miles an hour, and never glance to the left or the right.- They arc still wearing long skirts. Sydney girls are supposed to be bold. . . ■ Sydney men are sheiks. . • Sydney never goes to bed. All the burglars ii New Zealand arrive there as the resuli of a brief boat trip: An Aucklam oarty is as bright as Scotland on tin Sabbath, or Wigan on a wet Wednes day. i went to one party. Nobod: had anything to say or singjbout, am the “spots” ran out at 10 p.m. One afternoon I went across Auck land harbour for a swim, and afte coming out of the water was told l was illegal to sit about on the beac in a costume, but as three schnappe were on sale at the wharf for ls thei was nothing to people eujoyin their tea. Near the wharf was a large sigi board branded: “If you want the Fii Brigade ring 247. If you want tl plumber ring 34.” xV bit Woop Moo ish \ IN WELLINGTON. After seeing Wellington 1 cuu® readily understand how that partic® lar city came to be inhabited. In bo® places the people are very r affable ; H fact, much more polite tnan folk, but they do not know yet how ■ enjoy themselves. They take pleasures sadly, whisper to each in cafes and dining-rooms, and suspe® strangers. The majority of the cafl are far from being imposing. V hotels are dull places. H New Zealanders like English P CO M immensely and never use the Pommy, even to describe a wicked n® aiiicaf. They style them they wish to decry them. Larks s'H in New Zealand and buttercups ® 1,0 seen in the paddocks. New landers are very loyal. At the AuM land hotel where I stayed the orclies* played the National Anthem dinner. Those who like good sport can shoot wild pig, deer, haflH and rabbit. Trout, swordfish whales are there for the fishing ternity, but we don’t} all fish. WONDERFUL ROTORUA. ■ Rotorua is made up of wonders. There I saw a geyser The adjacent ground shook and bled as the boiling water was up hundreds of feet in a ouufmin-like column. Gurgling b®H mud and frightful chasms, beau®H lakes and wonderful baths are all After a big niglil a dive Duchess Bath is better than all prairie oysters. The water is and full of medicinal properties. ®B held the championship of the wur® | soda water there one night.