OUR MOUNTAIN

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 25, 28 March 1928, Page 5

OUR MOUNTAIN

ATTRACTIONS OF EGMONT. FEAST OF SCENIC BEAUTIES. i Stratford people see Mount Egmont more or Jests etfery day and hi a nianner became) familiar to it- Parsing along, they will, perhaps, (Squally glance at the snowy pejak without ueing particularly impressed and certainly without thinking of it from) the point of view of sentiment. On scone occasions, the citizen's attention is arrested by a change in the aspect of the mountain. On a bright clear day its outline Is clear-cut and one iirom! its apparent closeness, that he will be able to.see minute objects on its slopes. Again, the mountain, is anarressiug s'ght m our clejxr winter nights, when the gleaming mantle of! snow form's a gorgeou s white triangle in the bright moonlight. So, from day to day, the Stratford, citizen goesi on. He sees the mountain etvery now and again, and, perhaps, notes its mcocl on the day more often than he isi conscious of. At home, in his daily round, the Stratford citizen, in the) main, takes the mountain for granted. He knows it is there, at the west end of Pembroke Road, and, very often, is elightlv amused when people from a distance become enthusiastic in speaking of its beauties, after spending a day on its slopes. And these; strangers may be a little perplexed at this amusemient, and at the Stratford man's apparent lack of appreciation of the Mountain. The( strangeirp. also, might be somewhat shocked on hearing the Stratford man's reply when asked as to his feelings of sentimental attachment to Mount Egmont.

SENTIMENTAL ATTACHMENT. But take this same Stratford man and send him away for Ms annual holiday—two, three, four weeks or more. Send him where no mountains axe visible- To him the landscape! seems lacking in some essential. Send him whore ho can see the Riutakas, the Ruahines, the Kaikouras, the Southern Alps, or any other of the greater or lessor ranges. He sees they are high mountains, but they have only a partial appeal; The hills ar&urid Akaroa harbour show a queer, formation, the, hills in the Sounds have their own appeal, and he must be struck with the grandeur of the mountains in ifiordland. In g]l cases, however, uis safe to say that the Stratford man always compares whatever mountains ne may see with the mountain which he ig used to seleing over his back fence, his front fence vjr his side fence; and it is equally' safe to say that in all cases, whatever may be the charms of the other mountains, his commendation has always in it a reservation in favour of the Monarch of Taranaki. On his railroad journey home again. Mr Stratford Man catches,, a glimpse* of the mountain somewhere in the vicinity of Pntea; and he) will, be a, queer Stratford resident if the mountain does not apnea! to him, as a, beacon, leading to Home. Sweet Homo. Quite. jinoonsieioulslv the mourn tain works itself into the life, of thfl Stratford resident, and only abseincp from home for a. frme brings to the to •. i\\n undeniably sentimental attach: ment. . SENTIMENT As a collector of clouds and precipitator oi nun Mount will near comparison witn any ox ms xenows, and some residents or the district may be attached to him only tor that reason. Their retrain may bo: "More rain, more milk: more milk,,, more money, Wood old Taranaki. • TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. Actually, Stratford nas in its ba.wiyaiu, i=(j lO speak, a u<Su.<iaj ai«4 tourist, resort in Mount .kgiiiuui;. it liub attractions ten- tne niouuiam-

ocv ana lor iM test, auventuious uigtitseer, and m more recent years an enueavour nas been muuet to wruiy, as claims beiore uie pumic. xno tuixst Committee of the jiginont .National i'ai'ii .board nave jjuauica ev-ery nerve to pqpulanse in© mountain, and it is pieaping to be able to record ciiat tueir enorts are no\% .meeting Willi a measure of success wnicn, augurs well roir tiie iuoure Wiien tne eheot of recent eiforts will begin u* oe lelt. Uyjeptives feiore the committee are a good ail-tne-year-round motor road to tne plateuu above tne House, a tobogganing and slu-ing switch'back tor tne winter montus lrom Curtis -Hut to tiie plateau and an ice skating rink oil tiie plateau itself. With these aids to amusement it is felt that the mountain would become immensely popular as a holiday resort. The present Eastj Committee are enthusiastic and energetic, and they have already donei a great deal with very limited resources; and their success so far suggests that their somewhat" ambitious scheme will very shortly be an accomplished" fact. The road to the Mountain House) hag been made an easy one for motors, and as a result the number of) visitors is increasing every week. On a recent Sunday there were about sixty visitors at the House. In the rictujse there is bunk accommodation for fifteen people, while another fifteen can be accommodated at a pinch. A new piece of read' has recently heen completed at the House. This continues in a circle through the bush and rejjoitts the 1 old road be lew the House, thus obviating fhe necessity of turning cars round for the return journey. It is, now postside \® park about 300' cars at the House