BUSY TOURIST SEASON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13095, 7 February 1906, Page 6

BUSY TOURIST SEASON.

STEADILY INCREASING TRAFFIC

The tourist traffic to Auckland scenic and health resorts is now a well-recognised factor in the volume of the province's business, and the number of oversea visitors arriving in Auckland is continually increasing. Every season there is recorded a larger ; and larger influx of tourists, and, notwithstanding the fact that the colony is so far distant from the great centres of the world, it is on the high road to becoming one of the most popular resorts on. the face of lie earth.

In the course of a conversation, yesterday morning, with Mr. E. H. Montgomery, the officer in charge of the Government tourist office in Auckland, a Herald representative was informed that the tourist office had experienced a busy season, and the tourist traffic from other countries and from other parts of New Zealand to the Auckland district had been exceedingly heavy. The favourite resort was, of course, Rotorua, where the thermal wonders were generally made the primary object of the tourists' visits, butother parts of the jnovince had by no means been neglected, and very many visitors had gone to the beautiful districts north of Auckland. The Taupo and Wanganui tour was now quite the recognised tiling, and the Waitomo and Ruakura caves were becoming increasingly popular, and well they might be. When better known they would be one of the chief attractions of the northern tour, The ,-Pepartment made every arrangement possible to meet the convenience of visitors, and supplied large numbers of guide books, etc., bearing on tho chief resorts. Asked if sufficient maps were always available, Mr. Montgomery said the provision in this respect was not perfect, but it was a matter that was not being lost sigh', of. Many excellent maps were available, but a felt want was a good, reliable, locality and road map of the districts surrounding Auckland city.' No other city in the colony could boast, of such beautiful environs as Auckland possessed around the Hauraki Gulf and Manakau Harbour, and to facilitate traffic to such places as Waitakerei Falls and the West Coast was one matter lie was endeavouring to make satisfactory arrangements for. With reference to the forthcoming International Exhibition,. Mr. Montgomery stated that he anticipated a record influx of visitors, and the Department was preparing to cope with it. The following were amongst the visitors registering their names at the Government tourist office on Monday and Tuesday of this week: Mr. A. Brown (Melbourne), Mr. E. Delprat and Mr. M. Delprat (Adelaide), Misses Alice arid Agnes Hall (Newcastle, N.S.W.), Mr. and Mrs. J. McWhac (Melbourne), the Very Rev. Dean Slattery, Rev. G. Kellv, and Monsignor O'Brien (Sydney), Mr. E. Walker, B.Sc, and Mrs. Walker (Portsmouth, England), and Mr. G. Miller (Chicago). Messrs. Cook and Son .have also been experiencing a busy season, and almost daily tourists travelling under the firm's aegis are arriving in or departing from the city. Amongst the most recent clients are: Dr. W. S. Ziele (Philadelphia), who leaves to-day, accompanied by Mr. Thornton, of Auckland, for Rotorna, thence to Wellington, via the Wauganui River, and returning by way of New Plymouth ; Mr. H. H. Aston (of Harborne. England), who leaves to-day for Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, via Wanganui River, thence .making a, general tour through the South Island, and departing by the s.s. Corinthic, for a tour in South America; Dr. Kelsall and Mr. J. M. Drummond (of Perth, West Australia), who are proceeding to the Rotorua district; Mons. Federoff (of Paris), a very well known tourist, who has returned from an extensive tour through New Zealand, and departs to-day for Tahiti; and Mr. Norman 0. Neil (of Glasgow), who is going right through the colony, spending a few days first at Rotorua. and then visiting Wcstland, Mount Cook, and the overland route to Milford Sound from Te Auau, thence proceeding' to Melbourne' and, Sydney, en route to Japan. • »'