ANGLER LOOKS BACK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23719, 27 July 1940, Page 6 (Supplement)

ANGLER LOOKS BACK

"New Zealand's Rainbow Trout Better Sporting Fish Than Salmon '

RT. REV. WINNINGTON-INGRAM'S BOOK

THE Rt. Rev. A. F. Winning-ton-Ingram, who for 38 years was Bishop of London, has very pleasant memories of his visit to New Zealand. Following are extracts from what he has to say about this Dominion in his splendid book, "Fifty Years' Work in London," just published by Longmans :

plished this feat, but I did have the honour of seeing Pohutu, the famous geyser, perform for me. I thought it was sulking at first and would only perform for Royalty, but it finally went up, 100 feet into the air. . . The Maoris are/ a -quick-witted people, and when one of the party, hearing' that one of the geysers was called "Glad Eye" asked the handsome Maori girl showing us round what the "Maori" for "Glad Eye" was, she replied, "Oh! We didn't have it till the Englishman came!" The Maoris themselves are a striking example of what mission work can do. A hundred years ago they were maneating cannibals; to-day they are all peaceable Christians. A Nine-pounder The former Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, said to Prebendary Cash, "My work to-day would be impossible without your work 100 years ago" and we can't think too highly of Bishop Selwyn and all he did in New Zealand.

I must hasten on to New Zealand lest that most delightful place should be crowded out of my book. I could describe New Zealand in three sentences —"The best climate in the world, the best fishing in the world, and certainly some of the most delightful people in the world." All the Bishops gave us a warm welcome" and Archbishop Averill and his wife, whom I had often entertained at Fulham, were kindness itself, but I have only space to mention two outstanding memories—one, the civic reception at Christchurch in the South Island, and the three days wonderful fishing in the North Island. Three Days' Fishing I begin with the last as it came first. My readers will gather that I had had a pretty strenuous time going round the world, and these three days' fishing were practically the only holiday I had during the whole time. Even in the ships I had to take the services and preach every Sunday. " But these three days' fishing were a refresher. We began at the famous Rotorua Springs, and saw the wellknown streams where you were supposed to be able to catch a trout in one stream, toss it over your shoulder and cook it in another. I never accom-

When one of these blatant ignoramuses whom you find sometimes on board ship said to the captain, "I don't believe in these foreign missions; they do no good!" the captain replied, "Well, they do this much good anyhow; 100 years ago if you had come to this part of the world, , you would not have been at the table, you would have been on the table." It was an argument hard to refute. But to get back to fishing; I got seven trout weighing 401b. in twentyfour hours. I did not waste any time as I got up at 4 a.m. and landed a nine-pounder at 5, and he must have leapt at least five times into the air. These rainbow trout are more sporting and difficult to catch than any of the many salmon I have caught in Scotland. The other memory was the reception at Christchurch in the South Island.

When I found - that my visit would coincide with the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York (our present King and Queen) I was inclined to leave New Zealand out of my programme, as I thought I might be in the way. But it made no sort of difference; the sporting Mayor of Christchurch gave me a civic reception at twelve, and "was quite ready to give another at five to the far more important person who was arriving then (the Princess unfortunately was delayed by a cold in the North Island). On the next, day, which was a Sunday, I left the Bishop of Christchurch of course to preach before the Duke, and_ I myself preached to the great Public School there, the Duke kindly coming up after his service and we walked round the school together: and in the afternoon, in spite of the Duke being in the city, I had at least 1000 people at my meeting in the Town Hall with the Mayor in the chair.

I felt very glad that I had not missed mv pleasant visit to New Zealand, as the Duke, I know, felt no displeasure at finding me there, and I need hardly say it was only a pleasure and honour to me to meet him again.