A Northern Tour

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 9, 4 December 1931, Page 4

A Northern Tour

Three Southern Nurses Have a Pleasant Trip Interested in what they had heard of the scenic attractions of the North, three Hamilton nurses, Sister Morton, Nurse Hall, and Miss Dawson, masseuse, made the round trip from Whangarei to Spirits’ Bay in their own car, and are enthusiastic as to their experiences. From Whangarei they went to Russell by the new road, in places, they say, a most picturesque one. After a short but pleasant stay at Russell, where they admired the Bay with its fine scenery and historic association, they had their car punted to Paihia. Whangaroa harbour impressed them with its beauty and charm, and they thought the Kaeo valley a peaceful-looking place. They were delighted with Mangonui harbour and the magnificent Cooper’s Beach, and considered it as a very pleasant place for a holiday. The fine Ninety-Mile Beach more than fulfilled their expectations. There was a spice of adventure in the run to Land’s End, but the travelling proved easy enough. The summer camp of Pandora, with its pleasant surroundings and raupo whares, they thought a charming place, an ideal spot for a holiday away from the world. The scenery round Spirit’s Bay impressed them greatly, they were glad to have seen the most Northerly part of the Dominion. Returning southwards by the Mangamuka Gorge, they had to alight from the car and explore its beauties, and were very indignant to learn that it was proposed to destroy part of the

timber. Whoever would contemplate a piece of criminal vandalism like that, they thought, should be sent to » a mental hospital till he recovered his senses. Kaikohe rather surprised them by its size and evident importance, and * the great stretch of fertile volcanic land round it. After a short stay with friends at Mataraua, they travelled through Hokianga, where they reported the roads in first class order, to the Waipoua Forest, a very pleasant trip. Naturally they were much impressed by the huge kauri trees and paid their respects to the King of the Kauris, the Dominion’s greatest tree. After visiting Dargaville, they motor- 4 ed to Whangarei and homeward. » Summing up their experiences, they * said the whole trip had proved to be of the most pleasant character. They had been favoured generally with very fine weather, they had found the roads good, the scenery fine, and they had formed a high opinion of the people and their friendly helpfulness. They were glad they had come North, and, while looking forward to repeating the experience at some future time, they will sing the praises of the North meanwhile to all their friends as a charming place for a motor tour.

This is from an essay written by a pupil of Taihape District High School recently. The subject was “A Hundred Years Hence,” and the young essayist wrote: “Schools, there are none. Instead, a ray gun is focussed on the brain and all necessary knowledge shot like bullets into the head. Don’t I wish they knew how to do that now!”