Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, MAR. 15, 1910. TRAVEL IN NEW ZEALAND.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12097, 15 March 1910, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, MAR. 15, 1910. TRAVEL IN NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealanders s are so generally inclined to regard, tneir. country as "the linest ever" from the point of view of its attractions tb'lhe tourist that they are apt to overlook its shortcomings m this respect, and it is, well sometimes- to have administered- a wholesome corrective such as was given last week by Mr 0. A. Weber, a travelling companion of Count Bismarck, ; who with a party is now: doing the sights of the Dominion. •'How do- you like New • Zealand," was the stereotyped question put by a Christchurch interviewer, to the ""Cerman gentleman, and the reply came with x shrug of the shoulders and a, smile that, was eloquent only of restraint ; "We think that we : have -'come- .too early — about 500 years too early." Where had the strangers been? They had been all over the world. Last of all tliey had spent 35 days m coming to New Zealand. Thirty-five days to reach this country, 55, days to return, and six "weeks for their sojourn. Seventy days afloat m order to see what? Yes, they hhd been to Wakatipu, to Invercargill,' tp Dunedin, to Cnristchurch, and to the West Coast, the Utira and Buller Gorges,, Nelson, arid Wellington. That had been their itinerary thus far, Wakatipu was beautiful, ; but . it could not, compare with Switzerland. And such a difference m trains) Switzerland was 17 hours by train from Berlin. "You call your trains expresses, but" — a grimace and shrug expressed far more than words. Certainly there was scenery m New Zealand — but fancy spending 70 days at sea, and Switzerland so near ! Switzerland?/ The st rail ger rattled off a dozen of its glories for the confusion of poor Wakatipu. And m Europe were the hotels, the theatres, the opera, the life, the luxury . ! Yes, Otira- was worth seemg — but how much easier to see Norway! The jHsitofs 'would go next week up th© Wanganui river and to Rotor ua. Doubtless the Wanganui would be very fine— but "the New Zealand Rhine !" It could not possibly be that. Mr Weber expatiated on the comforts and the refinements of Rhine travelling. "Perhaps in ' 500 years you will be; like Europe," the traveller admitted, and said that it would be unreasonable to expect New Zealand to become like Europe m 60 years. Ho was surprised to think that so much had been done m a short time. It was. a promising country, and tlie Count and he had never /beheld finer stock. No," they were not disappointed, because they had not expected very much, even though they had been told that they would see a country with attractions beyond any other. Tliat, they thought, was an exaggeration. They would not quickly give second place to the wonders of the Yellowstone Park. The interviewer ' gathered that to this type of traveller— the city type— travel m New £ea!nnd was attractive m patches: for the most part rather tedious, dull, and not uncomfortable. Whilst thero arc many travellers to New Zealand who have formed entirely contrary opinions to those outlined above, and have gone away expatiating on its beauties and natural wonders, it canrtot be denied by, the patriotic New Zealander who would be truthful that there are yet many discomforts m travel tliat must be repellant to people of refinement who have been used to the comforts and luxuries of European travel. Take, for instance, tho trip' 'to' Rotorua on a hot. dusty day, when for several' hours the passengers are compelled to breathe an atmosphere so heavily charged with dust that one's: clothes and hair and everything m the carriage becomes thickly coated with 'the fine particles of pumice. A similar grimy experience frequently occurs crossing the Canterbury Plains: The diningcars on the New- Zealand railways supply a plain 1 and wholesome meal, but it is not always cleanly and appetisingiy served, and m comparison with other

countries this department of our railway service is very poor indeed. Some improvement has taken: place on the Main Trunk line, which t is equipped with a larger and h.eti»£ '^tlass of carriage than those running' \m other routes, . but tc those who know the luxurious appointments of the Australian railways, New Zealand's train-de-luxe suffers considerably by comparison. Numbers of New Zealanders who have spent ten shliling.' on a sleeper on the Main Trunk train have declared that they -would not again repeat the uncomfortable nerve-racking experience. The German tourist re : ferred witli a sneer to Lake Wakatipit. the upper reaches of which many travellers have likened- to the scenery and atmosphere of Lake Conio, Italy, but the chief drawback to enjoyment of travel upon this and other ot. our New Jiea land lakes lies m the obsolete, uncomfortable .steamers that are eiiiployed — a defect that is about to be remedied' sc far rts Wakatipu is .concerned by the construction of a large up-to-date boat. Upoii the Wanganui river a very fair service is maintained, and a German tourist who travelled down that rivei the other day remarked that whilst the New Zeal una Rhine hud none of the grand i historical associations that went to make up tho charm of . its ' Prussian prototype, and whilst, moreover, it wa> but a tiny stream compared with tht great arterial waterway which carries a large proportion of , Germany's inland .commerce, for the beauties of natural •scenery, thc-ever-changing panorama ol bush and fern, it undoubtedly excelled. We have met other tourists who have not been impressed ' with the Wanganui river, the Otira Gorge, and other scenic splendours of the Dominion, declearing, as Mr W^eber does, that equal sights can be obtained much nearer Home, but who have been simply overwhelmed with the grandeur of the West Coast Sounds, and declared that these alone were worth the long journey to New Zealand. Others, have affirmed that the gloM'worm cavern m the Waitbmo Caves, where the visitor drifts down the course of an underground river .lit by what! appear to be myriads of tiny blue electric lights, the phosphorescence of countless glowworms clinging to the walls and ceiling of the cavej was a natural wonder m itself alone worth a visit to the Dominion. Some have even pronounced the trip through the French Pass, with a sight of Pelorus Jack, enabling them to tell the biggest fish story yet' published on their return to their homes, to be sufficient justification for a trip to these parts. Much depends- upon .the disposition 'and ' view-point of the visitor. New Zealand cannot expect to please everybody. It is, as the German critic points out, a young country— -much too young, m his opinion — but it will eventually outlive that fault, and if the .Government, continues its present expenditure , upon tourist resorts and' the improvement of travelling facilities we shall m course. of time have more of the comforts that are associated with travel m other lands. But people must not cavil and complain of 'extravagant •expenditure when the • Government j does a thing well and puts up such a bathhouse as graces the glorious gardens at Rotorua or a railway station that is a fitting adjunct to the: architecture of Dunedin and the extensive traffic at that : place. It is' necessary, if ' oversea visitors are to be attracted to our shores,- that we shall have some things to show that will compare favorably with the provision made for tourists m other lands. ,