OUR HOMELAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20152, 12 January 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR HOMELAND.

BT BLSIS K. ItOBTON.

A FLIGHT ACROSS TAUPO.

The Urcat Lake, beautiful Taupo-Moana, lay wide and blue as tho sea beneath tho Silver Plane as the voyagers took their way from Taupo village to Tokaanu. " It looks just like the ocean," exclaimed Pixio, " and I can't even see the other side. How big is Taupo ?" " Taupo is tho largest lake in Now Zealand," was tho guide's reply. "It has an area of over 230 square miles, and in places, a depth of from 400 to 500 feet. It is to Taupo that anglers como from all parts of the world for its splendid rainbow trout." And sure enough, as the piano flashed down the shore of the lake, Pixio and Tat could see men in waders whipping tho shining water with long, slender rods. i - Over beautiful little bays, past steep, imposing headlands, passed the plane, and as tho voyagers sped over tho calm waters the guido told them of terrible day when earth and sea wore in the making, how great volcanoes sent forth lea P l "S ttames and rivers of lava, their giant forces rending tho earth tnrough tho age., until at last fires cooled, and a great lako formed, with seething, boiling springs and geysers beside its calm waters to remind men of the days when ew was being slowly moulded by fire and water into tho beautiful land of to*day. Always ahead wcro tho glorious mountains, Ruapehu proudly wearing his eternal crown of snow, Ngaruahoe, youngest of all New Zealand s volcanoes, with. a Jay vhisp of steam rising from its funnel-shaped cone, longanro, red and sc s , seamed with tho terrible gashes of those by-gone days of conflict. Presently Pat caught sight of a wharf, and of fishing launches np near the shore. Tokaanu," said the guide, and told them stories of the great trout taken from ToKaanu's shores, and from the swift silver-rippled Tonganr , which runs beneath lofty Pihanga, tho beautiful Mountain Maul of the Uplands. Ho told them, too, how for the first time in the history of New Zealand, the Jing of England's son had visited this beautiful, remote spot, and how the Duchess of York had spent three days in a camp on the banks of longanro. " We will make a visit there before we land in Tokaanu, and then you can see for yourselves the place where the Duko and Duchess spent the happiest days of their stay in New Zealand." ... Jn a lovely, secluded glade, sheltered by giant kahikatea and k ° whai I ' re ® a ' Pixio and Pat tried to picture the Royal Camp as it appeared in March, 1927, the fine big tent where their Royal Highnesses found a luxury and ? ndr ®®"®, of in ordinary camping life. A few feet beyond the camp tho r ° n g ari ™ its way past banks crowned with waving toi-toi, its jade-green waters swirling silver 'ripples beneath the shadow of forest-clad Pihanga. In the trees the tu chuckled and fluted, and fantails darted from tree to tree with their hittle ch<serful " sweet-sweet." Tho children pictured the blazing bonfire outside the R°y&j t when evening fell, music coming over the air from hundreds of miles away, laughter and Jiappy voices, and the ripple of the river beyond. " It's a beautiful place," said Pixie wistfully. " I l only wish I had tho cha™-0 of camping here for a few days too! It is so quiet and lovely. I an^ n s " r . 0 hp th ® and Duchess will never forget coming here after all the travelling and the crowds. , . . Now, may wo go and see Tokaanu?" And jiext moment the Silver Plane was headed once more for the shores of t le lake.