ISLAND LIFE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 39, 15 January 1943, Page 2

ISLAND LIFE

Official War Correspondent. South Pacific Base, Dec. 14. What the New Zealand soldier thinks ol' life depends largely on the part of the island in which he is stationed. Probably the most constant of living conditions is the climate, which for these latitudes is surprisingly good. The afternoons in particular are. hot, but still free from the overbearing muggincss of more tropical islands in the Pacific, and the nights arc cool. In many parts of the country there is nothing that marks it as tropical; beyond occasional clumps of bamboo and coconut palms and the crimson glow of hibiscus and (lame trees. Shingle streams flov through greenish-brown valleys occupied by occasional dairy farms and. flaked by the steep, rugged hills that arc the dominating feature of the island. Around many a turn in the winding roads is a view strongly reminiscent of parts of Hawke's Bay or North Auckland. The bush in these more temperate areas is mainly a variety of eucalpptus tree, stunted and sparse. In other parts of the island, however, it turns suddenly to vine-choked jungle. The New Zealanders live under canvas, many of them close to streams with excellent natural swimming pools. Fly-proofed mess huts are being built on the native pattern, with roofs covered with the thick, paper-like bark that strips easily from the eucalyptus trees, and with partly open walls. The.v are an ideal form of hot Aveather building. Civilian population is spread thinly through the island. Small villages arc situated many miles apart along the main highways.— some of them semi-European in style, others the thatched huts of the original stalwart, fuzz-headed, natives. Here and there an old mission station forms a landmark. It should be relatively easy to keep hoaKhy here. Water for drinking is purified by mobile equipment, and. the island is. free from malaria. There, are flies and mosquitoes in varying volume, but both are being controlled.