DOMINION SCENES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22670, 6 March 1937, Page 12

DOMINION SCENES

PICTOKIAL KECOED [ VISITOR FROM CAPETOWN ATTRACTING MORE TOURigj 1 A complete pictorial record of u I scenic attractions of New- Zealand I the form of 7000 ft. of motion-can^ 111 I film, has been obtained in the com!» | of a four-months' tour of the Bomif I ion by Major J. W. Blunt, of CV 1 town. Major Blunt, who came to Jfej I Zealand in November after an absent* 1 of 16i years, was accompanied by V | Blunt and their son. They left bv a I Wanganella yesterday for Sydney "Z | their way back to South Africa, ww" i the films will be widely shown. | "I am taking the films back tn I South Africa with mo to prove $5 | New Zealand has some incompar'aW. scenery," Major Blunt said yesterday On his arrival in New Zealand, Mai» Blunt bought a motor-car, and withit he toured from Rawcne in "the north to Queenstown in the south, coverin! in all 5250 miles. In addition, he jfe over the Southern Alps to secure pie. tures from the air, and made extensive use of launches to photograph the beauties of many of the lakes and for hours in both the North and South Islands. Films in Natural Colour Many of the films secured by Major Blunt are in natural colour and, in addition to those he took himself h e obtained from the Tourist Department a further series to make a complete record of New Zealand's scenery, gj intends to show the films in some of the schools in Capetown and at social functions there, and later to distribij* 6 them among members of a cine leap e to which he belongs for screening $ other parts of South Africa. The opinion was expressed by Major Blunt that manjg; people from South Africa would visitTNew Zealand if thej knew more of the country. It was rare!? mentioned in the newspapers there, and he had see;, very few posters, advertising the Dominion. He hoped that his films would assist in bringing the beauties of New Zealand before the notice of South Africans, many of whom were in a position to tour the Dominion. Help from Exchange Rate The fact that the exchange rate was at present in favour of South Africa to the extent of 25 per cent was aa added inducement and, in addition, there was a pro|>osal for a better and faster ocean service to make the present tedious trip more pleasant. ' Major Blunt first came to New Zealand after the Boer War. He remained here until the outbreak of the Great War, and commanded the Taranaki company of the Wellington Battalion at the Gallipoli landing, where he was wounded. Later he was in England and commandeer the New Zealand depot at Salisbury Plain, and ultimately returned to the Dominion. Major Blunt returned to South Africa in 1920, and his recent trip was in the nature of an extended holiday visit to renew associations and friendships and to ste again places jof interest with which ta was already familiar.