ADMIRATION FOR MILFORD

Southland Times, Issue 23677, 28 November 1938, Page 4

ADMIRATION FOR MILFORD

ITALIAN JOURNALIST IMPRESSED “SOUND SHOULD BE WIDELY ADVERTISED” Milford Sound, the scenic beauty of which has been extolled by visitors from all parts of the world, has probably never had a more enthusiastic admirer than Mr P. Chiglione, an Italian journalist who arrived at Bluff yesterday by the Maunganui. Declaring that it was undoubtedly one of the finest scenic resorts he had been privileged to see, Mr Chiglione said a visit to New Zealand would be worth while if a traveller saw nothing else but the sound. A sporting journalist on the staff of the Gazzetta del Popolo, Torino, Italy, Mr Chiglione is a keen mountaineer and looks forward with interest to his tour of New Zealand. He left Italy by aeroplane’and flew to Bangkok in five days, proceeding then to the frontier of China. A brief visit was paid to Singapore where he took a plane to Batavia. Mr Chiglione covered a great deal of ground in a very short space of time, and climbed almost every important peak seen during the journey. In Java, Borneo and Sumatra, he indulged his love of mountaineering and in Japan he ascended to the top of Fujiyama which he described as one of the finest experiences in his life. He went •to Australia, where he climbed the Blue Mountains, and he now wishes to explore the higher regions of New Zealand. Mr Chiglione is an enthusiastic photographer and has a collection of photographs that would be the envy of many. “I have travelled fairly extensively, but Milford Sound was a revelation to me when the ship called there on Saturday,” said Mr Chiglione, in an interview yesterday. The visitor said such a spot should be the means of bringing many tourists from all parts of the world. Perhaps its attractions should be advertised more, so that it could receive the recognition it deserved as a scenic resort. Mr Chiglione said he had seen the fiords of Norway but their grandeur, inspiring as it was, was nevertheless surpassed by the splendour of Milford. The South Island had a definite asset there and every advantage should be taken to exploit it. If Milford Sound could be regarded as a typical example of the scenery the Dominion boasted, he would look forward to his tour with the keenest delight, he said. Mr Chiglione declined to discuss the European situation or conditions in Italy. “I do not speak of politics,” he said. “My work includes sport only, and it is for that that I am making this tour.” The people he had met had been very hospitable, generally, he said. When he was in Japan he found the attitude of the authorities very friendly and he was treated with the utmost kindness.