Mr. A.M. Samuel Paints Glories of Coromandel

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 417, 27 July 1928, Page 12

Mr. A.M. Samuel Paints Glories of Coromandel

Picturesque Scenery •‘WRITER OF FISH STORIES” (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Scenic glories of the Coromandel coast and hills, the pleasant warmth of its beaches, and the blue of the island-studded sea—these were pictured vividly by Mr. A. M. Samuel (Ohinemuri) when presentation of the Tourist Department’s annual report gave him opportunity to dwell on the attractions of his district. Gently incredulous, so richly did Mr. Samuel apply the colours, members often humorously twitted him, and Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) said of his deepsea fishing: propaganda that if not returned at the next election Mr. Samuel would doubtless be able to find profitable employment as a writer of fishstories for the Tourist Department. Of the round trip from Thames to Coromandel, Whitianga, and so back to Waihi and Paeroa, Mr. Samuel claimed it was the finest in New Zealand, if not in the world. Unfortunately, the road between Tairua and Whenuakite had yet to be completed. Mr. J. S. Dickson: I suppose you will have it concreted. Mr. Samuel: I did not catch the hon. member’s interjection, but I am sure it must have been an intelligent one. lie proceeded to compare the drive from Thames to Coromandel with that from Genoa to Nice on the Riviera. In Mercury Bay they had black marlin, blue marlin, swordfish, mako shark, and every other kind of shark. (Laughter.) At Whangamata they had a magnificent beach, and at Waihi there was another one. Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central): Where is that? Mr. Samuel: You ought to know. You worked in the mines there. After further references by Mr. Samuel to the rugged grandeur of the Karangahake Gorge, Mr. D. G. Sullivan contributed to the discussion, and referred to the wide belief in the South Island that the South had not had the same treatment as had tourist resorts in the North. The Hon. F. .J. Rolleston (ActingMinister) : The department’s South Island bookings are in excess of those of the North. Mr. Sullivan: I am glad to hear it. He added that he had had definite instances, within his own experience, in which tourists had been advised not to go to the South Island. Mr. F. F. Hockly (Rotorua) characterised this as incorrect, and an old cry. When such cases were probed they were invariably shown to be untrue.