SWIFT TOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23272, 15 February 1939, Page 12

SWIFT TOUR

WEALTHY AMERICANS 1650 MILES IN 9 DAYS PRAISE FOR MOST RESORTS SEVERAL DISAPPOINTMENTS After a Dominion tour of 1650 miles in nine days a party of 17 wealthy American tourists returned to Auckland yesterday and embarked on the Awatea for Sydney. In spite of th» hurried nature of the tour, which was mainly by special motor-cars, the tourists enjoyed most of what they saw, although there were several disappointments. They expressed regret that it was not possible to visit more of the South Island. Led by Mr. Deane Dickason, a travel lecturer and tour organiser, the party left Auckland at the beginning of last week and travelled to Wellington by rail. They then crossed Cook Strait and motored to Christehureh by way of Westport and the Otira Gorge. Returning to the North Island, they visited Wanganui, the Chateau, Taupo, Rotorua and Waitomo. Tribute to Christchuieh Christehureh was regarded as the most attractive centre visited and a drive along the Summit Road on the Port Hills overlooking the city was described as one of the best incidents of the tour. The trip through the Otira Gorge was thoroughly enjoyed, but it was considered that the Buller Gorge was greatly over-rated, or, at least, had little appeal to Americans. Several widely travelled tourists said they had rarely encountered clouds of dust as thick as those they drove through on the road from the Chateau to Taupo. At Rotorua they had the good fortune to witness dances by a party of Maori men and girls who were being photographed by membere of the Lerner scientific expedition. Sis members of the party had a highly successful trout-fishing expedition on Lake Rotorua, 39 fish being caught in little more than two hours. Many of the trout weighed about 51b. / The Waitoiao Caves' The party spent its last night in New Zealand at Waitomo. The caves generally were g'oatlv appreciated 3nd several travellers said tae visit to New Zealand would have b< en worth while if they had seen nothing other than the glow-worm grotto. On his arrival in thv'i Dominion last week Mr. Dickason criticised the accommodation in New Zealand hotels, basing his remarks on the experience of six earlier visits t<. the Dominion in recent years. Ye&erlay he said the accommodation and service at South Island hotels visited i>n the present occasion were far superior to that met with at North Island houses. A Christchurch hotel at which they stayed provided every service a tourist could wish for.

Mr. Dickason proposes to visit the Dominion again with another tourist party next year. He is arranging for an itinerary covering three weeks, a fortnight of which will be spent'in the South Island, and will allow visits to South Westland, the Otago lakes area, the Lglinton Valley and Mount Cook.