BEAUTIES OF BERMUDA

Evening Star, Issue 23683, 17 September 1940, Page 10

BEAUTIES OF BERMUDA

HEW ZEALANDERS VISIT ISLAND PRAISE FOR AMERICAN HOSPITALITY A visit to Bermuda is interestingly described in his letter to his parents by a young Dunedin man who is abroad on war service. , Bermuda, he writes, consists of 360 small islands. These are generally very attractive to American tourists, but the. war has interfered seriously with the tourist traffic. St. George is a beautiful little town, all the buildings being of white limestone similar to Oamaru stone, though somewhat finer in' texture. The first thing that struck the visitor was the absence of motor vehicles, no cars being permitted on the island. People moved about cither on bicycles or in horse-drawn coaches driven by natives. These - coaches were picturesque in style, with the seats slung between the wheels and the occupants racing each other. Overhead was an umbrella type roof which could be adjusted at will. Four miles an hour seemed to be about the top speed. St. George itself was at the head of a small concealed harbour. It consisted of one main street containing the main shops, three or four small_ hotels, and the police station. The residential area was on the side of a hill, and most of the houses were modern in design. Bermuda was really America’s playground, so that most of the houses were occupied by wealthy Americans, and as such were large and beautifully laid out. Although the Americans referred to them as seaside houses, New Zealanders would call them palatial residences. Behind th-at area was the SI. George Hotel, a building with 400 rooms. It was the last word in hotels, each-bed-room having its own bathroom attached. There were both indoor and outdoor ballrooms, and modern swimming baths. Owing to the collapse of the tourist trade, however, it was closed at present. The writer describes a visit to Hamilton, the capital, at the other end of the island. Of the train, he writes; “It is a weird and wonderful train consisting of one carriage, divided into first and second compartments. It rattles

and clanks and groans and wheezes, and takes about one hour to do 12 miles.” The view, he continued, more than made up tor the train’s'deficiency. The rail was laid along the coastline, and one obtained a wonderful view of all the houses near the water’s edge. The houses, in the best American tradition, had tennis courts, terraces, and in some cases, swimming pools. They were built of pink or white coral. At Castle Harbour, on the way to Hamilton, which was one of the main tourist resorts, there was also a large hotel, 10 stories in height. It was also closed at present. Speaking of the arrival at Hamilton, tho writer said everyone was friendly. He visited the local swimming pool lor soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and had a great swim. A visit was paid to all the beauty spots. Two places worthy of special mention were the crystal caves and the aquarium. The latter contained all kinds of beautifully-col-oured tropical fish in their natural haunts, along with many different kinds of sea monsters. There was a zoo which had flamingoes, turtles, and monkeys. The crystal caves were hundreds of feet underground, full of limpid pools of water and stalactites and stalagmites by the thousands. The caves were electrically floodlit, and the pools wore bridged so that one could cross from cavern to cavern. “ Tho kindness with which we were treated by the Americans was truly amazing,” comments the writer. “The more 1 see of tho Americans the more 1 like them. For hospitality they are ‘ out on their own.’ ”