THAMES NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10186, 9 April 1912, Page 2

THAMES NEWS.

OUR BOYS AT ROTORUA.

THAMES- LADS IN CAMP. |. "SEEINIG THE SIGHTS." I (By One of the Boys.) ■ —Friday Night.— Arrived safely after a somewhat , tedious journey at 7.4-5 p.m. In the gloaming wo marched two deep headed by two mouth organists- and to- the tone of "Harrigan" and "Yip I Addy," strolled leisurely behind the luggage cart to the camping ground. Here we found ample straw and firewood—■• thanks to an old Waio-Karaka. boy now a resident of Rlotorua—and with aid of 16 candles—more or less —we pitched our tents and were installed comfortably before 9 o'clock Gwi cook soon had a roaring fire and after a hot cup of tea retired dead weary. ! —'Saturday.— . I Up at 5 a.m., tidied camp and added: finishing touches. Forenoon spent in sanatorium grounds'—J-ho'ir { in "Blue Bath"—to be seen and telb , to be appreciated.' Visited the Zoo, - fed monkeys with, peanuts, saw tennis tournament. Found! our way to "Lower Towns-hip"—Ofainemutu—ha ) our eyes opened at its terma! wonders —charmed d-msky maidens—home to camp at 12.30. After dinner mounted our bicycles and were 1 off to Whaka ■ reAVflreiwa. Our oamp captain, well known at Whaka, secured for us: the privileges of viewing the wonders 1 . m the native ressei've for nix—tourists •2ls each .Spent all afternoon at Wihaka<—must go there again. After tea viewed "Rotorua. Oh Saturday night S. Amiy hand from Auckland proved) more attractive than o-.ir mouth organist®, now 8 in mmibcr. j Rletired aibout 9 p.m. WakenedT about | 2 ai.m, —thought, end had cornercamp captain's reassuring cry "all right" boys 1, don't be alarmed, il's only an earthquake"—was somewhat : relieving. 'Went off to sleep, knev i nothing more until Sunday momiug. j —Sunday.—• j Up at 6 a,.in. Rained steadily for ] some time, but. camp as dry as toastu Spent most of morning in "hot water' j —becoming expert diversi—rivalling j the brown boys at securing pennies J thrown by tourists into the water. Whaka visited again in afternoon, i Dame (Rtumo-ur had it going; that Wairoa was to be soaped, and at, the famous geyser we mustered strong.. but evidently there is a scarcity of soap up here or else Dame Rumour here as elsewhere is a lying jade for no eruption took place—'anyhow n i pleasant afternoon was spent and 5 j o'clock saw us! once more round the ] festive board. Finished the day like j good boys by going to church, and j are now just turning in for the night, j O|ur camp is nicelyl situated, handy . to everythingi—Sanatorium, station, post office, Lower Township, and thanks to the local schoolmaster we have every liberty extended to us. Schoolmasters in camp, are jolly good fellows. It is a pity they were not always the same. We hare a little bit of graft! to do. Four of us in turn, are scullery boys, the remainder are' housemaids' —and I can assure you, Mir Editor, our eiunp is O.K. ■ I