A Guide to Courtship Land.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVII, Issue 22, 1 December 1906, Page 28

A Guide to Courtship Land.

Approaches. —The time tables aa4 handbooks should not be consulted t«O closely, as they are likely to change without warning. Also beware of getting information from travellers who have beeu over the ground before. They are often misleading. Courtship Land may be approached through summer and winter resorts, in which ease the traveller will do well to provide himself with a return ticket, but the Home Routo is the one most reliable, and is recommended to those who intend to become permanent residents. The traveller should provide himself properly at the start with letters of credit and suitable protection from sudden storms, as it is always likely to blow hot and cold, the climate of Courtship Land being very unstable, the mean temperature sometimes varying nearly a hundred degrees in an hour.

It is useless for the traveller to secure' an accident policy, as the insurance companies have decided that in this country’ the risk is too great, and are issuing no more risks. To Sofaton.—-After leaving Introduction Station, the way leads through the quiet valley of Acquaintanceship, the train moving slowly along among orderly. regularly laid-out gardens until the summit of Mount Friendship is seen in the distance. Winding carefully around this mountain, we pass more rapidly through Handclasp Centre, where we view for a moment the beautiful Palpitation Waterfalls. There is' a slight delay at Kissing Junction, and almost before one realises it. Sofaton is reached. Sofaton lies on the site of Ancient Moundville. It is a quiet, sheltered place, limited iu capacity, it not being desirable to hold more than two at a time. Its springs are celebrated. Sometimes from Keyhole Centre a good view of Sofaton can be obtained. The lighting facilities of Sofaton are poor, but this does not necessarily limit the enjoyment. The traveller is advised to linger here as Jong as possible. Engagementville.—This is much more populous than Sofaton, and it is advisable to cash your letter of credit before entering, as it is expensive. One of the chief places of interest is The Ring—ait amphitheatre holding only a small portion of humanity, but of surpassing interest. The amusements are riding, driving, spooning. This latter is a game handed down by the original inhabitants and kept alive by tradition and constant practice. Great skill can be gained in a very short time. It is not advisable to linger in Engagementville too long. It is better to hurry on to Honeymoon Centre. —Here the traveller should abide. It is the capital of Courtship Land, aud stragglers who wander away from it oftentimes lose their way later in life, and stray out of C ourtship Land itself. Those who make it their headquarters, no matter how old they grow, are the happiest in the end.