"KENEPURU"

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 83, 17 March 1931, Page 7

"KENEPURU"

, MR. T. KIRKWOOD'S IMPRESSIONS HOLIDAYINcTIN MARLBOROUGH BEST SOUND OF ALL "The ideal place to spend a holiday is, in my opinion," stated Mr. T. Kirkwood, of tlie County Hotel, Stratford, to the Stratford "Post," "the Marlborough Sounds, which include Queen Charlotte Sound, Pelorous Sound and Kenepuru Sound." Mr. and Mrs. Kirkwood returned last. Wednesday from a holiday with headquarters at Portage, which was central and enabled the tourists to visit the other Sounds. Leaving Wellington by steamer, Pieton was reached the same day, and another half hour's journey landed the tourists at Torea Bay. Then a motor run over the hill was made to Portage on the shores of Kenepuru Sound.

"Kenepuru is the best Sound of all," said Mr. Kirkwood. "The hostel there is particularly well conductojd and the charges are reasonable, no more than 10s a day. It is a very popular resort, but there are others at Te Mania and St. Omer, where the settlers take guests at £2 a week. There are no roads worth talking about, but one is "able to travel on foot or horseback 500 miles connecting up the 2,000 miles of coastline of the bays." Use of Launches Locomotion is principally by means of launches, which carry the mails or are owned privately, and enable frequent excursions to be run from each resort. A trip of over 30 miles to Pelorous Sound for the whole day costs only 6s, or one can run down to Havelock at the head of Pelorous Sound, and motor round the scenic resorts. Here is a wonderful beauty spot. The bed of the river being quartz formation, anil the water wonderfully clear, it is possible to read the lettering on a "conversation" lolly 30ft. down from the bridge 60ft above the'stream. At this spot the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of York had lunch on their tour of the country. On the trip between Nelson and Blenheim the road winds round precipitous hillsides, at one place there being a sheer drop of 2,000 ft. to the valley below. The driver of the car, in reply to my remark about the dog at his kennel in the valley below, said the animal was a horse near a two-storey house in a ten-acre section! One seemad to have been catapulted from a wilderness where 2000 snakes to the acre might live and never one be seen, into a heavenly beauty spot! All arrange-; ments are provided for campers in these regions, and every visitor is a camera fiend."

The Charm of the Sounds Blue waterways wind in and out among steqp hills, Tho hills themselves, bushed or bare, gracefully moulded. Islands and oddly-shaped peninsulas. Bays opening out endlessly on either side. Tiny coves everywhere along the shores, and hundreds of beaches—little ones all to themselves. Bush in great Torest reserves or small patches where the j settler has hold lus Hand. ReflecJ tions and sunsets and sunrises, the far hill top views over huge jumbles of land and water. Treeferns and nikau palms, rata and mistletoe and maiden-hair. All these, and lots more, go to make the charm and beauty of the Sounds. "In the Sounds there is splendid fishing—rock cod, kingfish, a few sharks and schnapper —and the launch trips are exhilirating in the extreme. Plenty of Fruit "There is an abundance of fruit, L but no market, and the settlers are only too pleased to allow visitors to help themselves. The people are wonderfully hospitable and love to welcome strangers in the true South Island style. The exchanges of visits between the hostels are very much appreciated by the guests at each re- ) sort. I met a fine lot of people, and it is always a pleasure to meet a lot of nice people. There were visitors from all parts of New Zealand, and indeed from the outside world. Evening amusements at the resorts take the form of ping-pong playing and dancing, with music on the piano or by musicians from Picton. Most of the accommodation have one or two tennis courts. Everyone appears to be out for enjoyment and there is a real holiday atmosphere. One feels (hat out' has known all the people for years. The acquaintances made are likely to be life-long, and I myself have received invitations to visit many parts of New Zealand to renew the acquaintanceships formed on these occasions.

"I cannot imagine a better trip for anyone requiring a real rest —although, in fact, there Is no rest; there is always something doing. The walking tours are very enjoyable. The Urge of the Sound "A feature of the visitors to the Sounds tliis year was the number of girls, which must he regarded as a sign of the times. There must have been at least fifteen girls to one man. The urge of the sounds is an appeal to a certain type of girl. They were all very pretty, and as J remarked at some of the social gatherings, one would have imagined that there was a competition on for the selection of Miss" New Zealand! 1 have received dozens of photos and letters by post, hoping we will meet again next year. This is my third trip to these Sounds—l am looking forward already to next year's visit." "The Kenepuru Sound is an eastern arm 20 miles long of Pelorous Sound. The rise in the tide here is i 14ft, while in Queen Charlotte Sound i a mile away over the hill the rise is I Bft. The scenery is very pretty; it j is wonderfully beautiful, the verdureclad hills rising steeply from the water's edge. It is to be regretted," said Mr. Kirk wood, "that the bush had not ben left all round the edges of the Sound in its natural state. There are small holdings on firstclass land, the principal primary in-

dustry being sheep-farming, affhough there are dairymen and cattle-rear-ing in several places." What Others Think 'And lastly, we can never forget Queen Charlotte Sound and the Portage. It was almost hy accident that we came there, hut if ever Ave were to go to New Zealand again, there is nu spot in all the islands that we should more desire to revisT. 1 find it quite impossible to analyse the elements which make up the charm of natural beauty, but I think they are all to be found there. I hope we shall never forget the views, the light on mountains and" sea and sky; but even more than these, perhaps, we shall remember the singing of the tui birds in the bush', the wild clematis, and the warm friendliness of our entertain- j ments." —Professor A. J. Grant,' Leeds University.