LAKE WAKATIPU.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19014, 9 November 1923, Page 6

LAKE WAKATIPU.

WORLD'S BEAUTY SPOTS DWARFED. TRAA 7 ELLER’S ENTHUSIASTIC TESTIMONY. Lieutenant-colonel W. B. Brittain, Eastern director of the great Sheffield steel firm of Sanderson Bros. and Newbould, has been for the last two months in the dominion, and is an enthusiastic admirer of our country. He is in Dunedin for a few days now, and has just returned from a brief visit to Queenstown. He told a reporter last night that he had fallen very much in love with Queenstown and greatly regretted that he had not had longer time to spend there. He intended, however, to return later on. Colonel Brittain’s opinion on a matter of this sort is worth something, for he is personally acquainted with the most famous beauty spots of the world in Switzerland, Norway, and the Canadian Rockies. “They are all dwarfed by the beauty of these southern lakes, in my opinion’.” he. declared. ‘T am going to see tho rest of them. What has particularly' impressed me was Queenstown and the country round it.” He went on to draw attention to the fac-t that though one eonld easily get details of all the North Island show places like Rotorua and Taupo in London, he had never heard any mention there of (his lovely lake country in Otago. While Colonel Brittain was going up tho lake last Friday there was a very heavy squall, and that very materially enhanced the beauty of the whole scene. For four days the Rcinarkables were clear of^ cloud. Colonel Brittain is a brother of Sir Harry Brittain, the founder of the Empire Press Conferences, and indeed of Ihe Empire Press Union itself, ami ho is keeping the great Press Conference to be held in Australia in 1925 well in mind. He sees in it a groat opportunity for this country to be written up thoroughly in England and in other parts of the Empire by the Imperial press delegates. Those responsible here ought to get in touch with the powers that be in London as quickly as possible to ensure Otago being included in the itinerary of tho delegates’ tours. , .. , „ The interviewer mentioned that Otago suffered somewhat from the painful pictures of its climate painted by not, unbiassed rivals; in the north. Colonel Brittain admitted that that was so, but quickly added: “D’s partly your own fault. Cold lakes! J.t s a bad name, just as ‘Poverty Bay is a bad n-rne” The colonel is looking forward to doin'- the famous Alii ford track, and ta much interested to learn that an alternative return route to the head of Lake AXnkalipu is projected. “Of course, yon are getting a certain number of (he British sporting public ■ but it seems to me that the sporting possibilities of the South Island are not sufficiently well known. It is v. ell understood that there is ideal trout-fishing ah over New Zealand, hut what i.s not kno"n is the* doer-stalking and the side sports such as wild pig and wild goat. English sportsmen will go anywhere for sport that they cannot find anywhere else. AATId boars, for instance, aro something he has not already had.”