YOU can discover NEW ZEALAND

Cue (NZERS), Issue 36, 30 November 1945, Page 22

YOU can discover NEW ZEALAND

PERHAPS withfthe chief object 'in view of “checking up” on some of the extravagant claims of the “other side” in the old North v. South Island wrangle, many servicemen will be using their furloughs to see either the Northerners’ or the Southerners’ homeland for .themselves. Here, CUE hopes to give some guidance as to what can be seen in both Islands, with suggested itineraries for your travels.

There has always been a noticeable inclination for “N. Z. Roll-ers” to commence making exhaustive inquiries about the home addresses of their erstwhile companions-in-arms, all of which data is carefully entered in a little notebook. This is no less than a carefully compiled “bludging list” which enables the possessor to descend without warning upon your hearth and lay claim to food and shelter which you have rashly promised at some alcoholic moment in the past. Therefore, it is wise to use a little discretion sometimes in imparting the information desired. One cautious soldier solved the difficulty by informing his Northern friends that he lived at the Bluff, while Southerners will search vainly for him at North Cape. This is perhaps carrying discretion to the extreme, but if you give your address with some qualifying remark such as: “We live in a caravan and move around quite a bit... and most likely won’t be home anyway”, it may suffice.

For the sole reason that it is nearer the equator the North Island will be dealt with first. Southerners, a new world awaits you!

The point is Wellington, which as the unhappy scene of your embarkation for overseas requires?no introduction, of course. The capital city is famed for its wind, but the harbour, surrounded by its high hills, is of equal importance in the estimation of its inhabitants. The following itinerary will embrace most of the tourist attractions and scenic wonders of the “Mainland”, or “49th State”—whichever way you care to look at it. As far as possible a round trip is made to eliminate “doubling up” on places where your welcome may have worn a little thin, anyway.

The first step is from Wellington, via the Wairarapa, to Napier. Those who have seen Cassino will be greatly interested in the way the residents have cleared away the earthquake debris in the last 14 years. The Marine Parade is Napier’s pride. From Napier the next stop could be Wairoa, with a road trip to Lake Waikaremoana through some of the most luxurious forest in New Zealand and then via the Urewera Country—scene of the last retreat of the Rebel Maoris after the 1860 uprising—to Rotorua. This main thermal centre of New Zealand with, its geysers, lakes and magical spas as well as its Maori residents making use of these phenomena in the most matter-of-fact way, always has great appeal for the sightseer. The lakes and Waimangu, Wairakei and Whakarewarewa are full of bizarre surprises.

Waitomo Caves, home of stalactites and stalagmites and the famed Glowworm Grotto, is the next calling place,

and from here the trail leads via the King Country to Te Awamutu and Hamilton on the Waikato River banks. From Frankton Junction on the Main Trunk line it is but 90 miles to Auckland. This, the largest city in the Dominion has well been called “Gateway to New Zealand” (among other things) and has a fine harbour, the Waitemata, which is held in such high esteem that the local beer is named after it. Rangitoto Island, an extinct volcanic cone, stands sentinel-like at the harbour entrance. There are many fine beaches and resorts, and the view of the city and suburbs from Mt. Eden is exceptional.

Continuing northward, the next objective is Russell, on the shores of the Bay of Islands. You probably will not remember that it was the site of the first settlement by Europeans in the country. It is now world-famous for its big-game fishing— Grey was a regular visitor before his death. Russell is reached by train via Dargaville, Opononi and Whangarei. Hokianga harbour at Opononi is picturesque, and legend has it that one of the first canoes brought the original Maoris there from Hawaiki. The Waipoa State Forest and Trounson Kauri Park near Dargaville contain

the last large kauris, many centuries old, some towering to an extraordinary height. Mineral springs at Kamo will restore shattered tissues after the long train journey.

Setting out from Auckland on the homeward leg, Lake Taupo, an angler’s paradise, and the Huka Falls are well worth a visit on the way to Tongariro National Park, which is a “must” as the Yanks would say. Here are the three great peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu and the Ketetahi springs, with the hot lake of Ruapeho. Next on the list is the west coast town of New Plymouth, with Mt. Egmont towering above, and then via Hawera to picturesque Wanganui, on the river of the same name. From Wanganui to Palmerston North, with its beautiful public gardens, and finally Wellington, is only a short distance by train and here, “as the sun sinks low in the evening sky... etc.,” we say farewell to the North Island.

Northerners, we now turn South. Here is your promised land. The crossing from Wellington to the picturesque little port of Picton, in Queen Charlotte Sound, is not nearly as bad as it is made out to be; there is only about

an hour and a half of travelling on Cook Strait itself, the remainder of the journey being along the sheltered inland waters of the Sound. The Marlborough Sounds are well worth exploring. Blenheim, in Marlborough province, is reached by rail from Picton, and then the road leads via Havelock, at the Head of Pelorus Sound, to Nelson, the sunniest city in New Zealand (2000 hours annually!) From Nelson the road runs through the Hope Valley. Murchison and the Buller George to the coal-mining port of Westport and then to Greymouth and Hokitika en route to the Fox Glacier at Weheka and the Franz Josef at Waiho Gorge. There are 17 miles of mountain road between Weheka and the Waiho Gorge, during which some of New Zealand’s most beautiful scenery is seen at every turn.

In the intervening valleys are cataracting streams and dense ferny ravines, while overhead tower the verdant slopes of steep mountain sides.

From Hokitika the next stage of the journey is eastwards across the island towards Christchurch via the magnificent Otira George and Arthur’s Pass. Christchurch, on the River Avon, is the Cathedral city, largest in the South

Island —as no doubt a native will inform you. The next part of the journey is across the Canterbury Plains to Timaru, and thence inland to the alpine lakes of Pukaki and Tekapo and across alpine streams and ancient glacier beds to the Hermitage at Mount Cook, king of the majestic peaks here abounding.

The next stage is to Wanaka on the shores of the lake, thence to Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. Further south are Lake Te Anau and the celebrated Milford Track. Milford Sound can be reached by this track, which has been called “the finest walk in the world.” From Te Anau the steamer journey up the lake to Glade House is full of interest. Native forest grows right to the water’s edge. From Glade House the Clinton River is crossed and a winding track up the Clinton Canyon leads to Pompolona, Lake Mintaro, the McKinnon Pass and down the Arthur Valley to the Quinton Huts, with the Sutherland Falls (1904 feet) near at hand. On the launch trip down the Milford sounds, reached via Lake Ada along the Arthur River valley, are passed the famous Bowen Falls, Mitre Peak, Mount Pembroke and the Stirling Falls and, after rounding Dale Point, the Tasman comes into view.

Lake Manapouri, regarded by many as the most beautiful of the South Island lakes, should not be missed. The next objective after returning to Te Anau is Invercargill, the most southerly centre of population of any size in the British Empire. It is a well laid-out town —one of the best in the Dominionand is notable at the moment for its licensing experiments and for possessing the Ranfurly Shield. Nearby is Bluff, famed for its oysters, and off the coast across a choppy sea is Stewart Island, the mountainous little brother of the two “mainlands”, with its sheltered bays and forest-fringed inlets providing grand and beautiful scenery. It, too, has oysters and, in addition, mutton birds.

Turning northwards again, the traveller goes by train to Dunedin, the fourth largest city of the Dominion. Dunedin is largely inhabited by Scots, but these days, by profuse use of Italian, it is possible for the visitor to make himself understood. From Dunedin, the last stage of the round trip is past the

pretty little town of Oamaru, through Timaru again, and thence to Lyttelton, where the inter-island steamer is taken for Wellington.

It is impossible to give a full account of what great treasure lies before the seeker of beauty in New Zealand. Only the better-known attractions (and by no means all of them) have been listed here. But with plenty of time at your disposal, excursions into the by-ways off the beaten tracks, as well as along those tracks themselves, will unfold many peerless panoramas. One thing is certain, wherever you go you will realise the soundness of the claim that New Zealand is a tourists’ paradise, and as “tourists” of no little experience you will probably compare remembered beauties of other lands with those of New Zealand and reach the conclusion that so many other New Zealanders have reached before that, even apart from sentimental ties, there is no place that can compare with the “Playground of the Pacific.”