Rotocua

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 828, 23 November 1929, Page 23

Rotocua

Spend Your Vacation This Year at-

The Spa-Town of the Southern Hemisphere, Where Nature and Man Have Together Produced a Paradise for the Holiday-Maker

Mr. Mayor Says — FASCINATING ROTORUA j CENTRE OF OUR THERMAL WONDERLAND THE TOURISTS’ PARADISE The holiday season is approaching aacl ' many Aucklanders toho do ‘not intend to '■ travel far afield will be wondering which ' pare of the province holds the most j attraction for them . il'e have invited the Mayors of the chief Boroughs outside Auckland and its immediate environs I to contribute articles setting forth the holiday attractions of their towns . The Mayors (and, in some cases, chairmen of town boards) have responded cordially to THE SUN’S invitation. bach, in turn , j will advocate the charms of his town. So. 11. | (By Mlt.. THOMAS JACKSON, Mayor of Rotorua.) '■ impression exists in the minds | of certain sections of the comj munity that Rotorua as a tourist and holiday resort is a thing of the past; [ a place whose glories have departed. Much has been written and still more I has been said of the decay into which j | the place lias fallen, i These things are not true. They are the exaggerated concepj tions of over-fertile imaginations. The worst that can be said is that under | an unsympathetic administration, cer- , tain Government properties have | fallen into disrepair, but Rotorua, with I its thermal wonders, its bush-clad 1 hills, its amazing combination of natural beauties and unnatural weirdj ness, still holds charm and fasclna-

tion for old and young, stranger and , old acquaintance alike. To those in j search of recreation it offers a varied i choice. The golf links on the Ariki- j kapakapa Reserve provides facilities ! which even the most fastidious de- j votee of the game cannot despise, j The bowling greens and tennis courts in file Government Gardens are v;ell maintained, and provide at reasonable cost the requirements of the visitors whose tastes lie in that direction. The lakes and streams in the vicinity provide abundant opportunity for the disciples of izaac Walton to practise the gentle art. Even the sportsman who seeks solace with dog and gun i finds game in season whereon to ex- j pend his powder and shot. Then there are the orthodox trips I —Wuimangu. Tarawera. Wairoa. with ! its buried village and superb falls; I the Blue and Green Bakes; Hamurana !

j with its monster spring into which j one throws coppers for the pleasure j of seeing them float just out of ; reach, and last, but by no means j least, the beautiful six lakes trip, each I of the lakes a source of wonder and I delight to visitors who see them for I the first time. j Apart, altogether from the routine • trips there are many beautiful things i to be seen in the district, some of

| them within quite easy reach of the j town. Around the shores of Lakes i Rotorua and Rotoiti are many dei lightful bays, ideally situated for picl nics, which may be reached by water or by road. Historic Mokoia Island, arising imposingly in the centre of the lake, presents a strong appeal at all times, and an irresistible fascination when the cherries ripen. Two miles to the south of the town lies Whakarewarewa. After crossing

the bridge, where Maori children dive I for pennies, a motley collection of shacks in various stages of decrepitude strikes a note of discord and justifies the severe criticism which they have provoked. Even these are speedily forgotten when the Wonderland itself is reached. Boiling pools, crystal clear, reflecting in their depths chameleon-like the varying colours of the sky; boiling mud-pools, mud volcanoes, and an amazing variety of geysers are a source of endless wonder. True, the mighty Wairoa geyser now rumbles only in the bowels of the earth, but as he has become quiescent his little brother : Pohutu has become increasingly j active, compensating for his lack of inches by his astounding vivacity. At the northern end of the town, nestling on the shore of the lake, is

the native village of Ohinemutu, where still more thermal activities may be seen. Here is to be found the beautiful Maori Church, the in- | terior decorations of which are a joy for ever to the studeut of Maori art. Here, also, is the workshop of the Board of Maori Arts and Crafts, j where the ancient arts of the natives | are perpetuated. Throughout the whole district there is much of natural beauty strangely j intermingled with the thermal won- ■ ders. The green of pastoral lands j creeps up the hillsides to merge with the darker green of the bushclad summits. and in the cool of the summer evenings the scent of the pines and eucalypts brings peace and healing to the tired bodies and jaded nerves of such city dwellers who are wise enough in their generation to avail i themselves of the good the Gods pro- : vide. No! Rotorua is not a thing of the j past. It is a district with a future, i A future that will be proportionate ■ to the wisdom, vision and courage with i which its legibilities are developed.