EGMONT AS A PASTIME.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1935, Page 6

EGMONT AS A PASTIME.

The publication of the annual report of the Mount Egmont Alpine Club draws attention to the existence of one of the finest youth organisations in Taranaki. What the “hiking” and various tramping clubs are to Britain and the Continent the alpine clubs are to Taranaki. They provide, at comparatively light cost, one of the most enjoyable and healthy recreations possible, foster good companionship and love of the open air, and generally tend to strengthen their members both physically and mentally. Indeed their existence emphasises a point too little appreciated by the people of the province. That a prophet usually has little honour in his own country is as true to-day as it was centuries ago, and it may with equal truth be asserted that the most valuable possessions we have are often unappreciated simply because they are close at hand and easily" obtainable. The very people who are loudest in their praise of Mount Egmont and Pukekura Park, and most vigorous in their condemnation of the authorities for not encouraging tourists to the province, can in many cases, one fears, claim but a very limited acquaintance with these heritages that lie., outside their back door. One of the tragedies of the full existence of to-day, with its motor-cars, its radio, its cinemas and the multifarious other modern inventions of science, is that people are losing touch with Nature and the simplicity of life. No luxurious limousine ever brought the same true happiness as gardens and green fields, rivers and mountains. If Mount Egmont has not entirely succeeded in luring the wayward tourist it at least provides a recreational paradise within reach of almost every Taranakian. The alpine clubs are worthy of commendation if for no other reason than as a reminder to many people of what they are missing.