GABLE STATION LIFE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 169, 4 August 1937, Page 15

GABLE STATION LIFE

Our Own CorreBpondent.)

Tropical Atoll Off Beaten Track "HEAVENLY FOOTPRINT*

(From

AUCKLAND, Last Night. Even the waving froiids of tropical palms, the bluest. of &e&s and mdst gorgeous sunsets pdll times. At lea&t, thkt is an opinion they fprin at Faililitig Is= land, that lonely little British htoll in the Northern Pacific, which is one of the most important cfiblfe sthtions in the world. Lifo on Fanning Islafid was- described by Mrs jE. L» LeeffibruggeH, wife of tlie British administrative oflicer, .^ho was a ■passengei' by the Monowai on lier way to Australia, where she will meet a daughter who has just finished school. Mrs Leembruggen Will take her daughter back home to her island home, Mrs Leembrtlggen. sajd tha native name of Fanning islafid Was TapUirdfii, which meant "heavenly footprint." . There were 20 whit'e people there, including seven women, and a good mdfiy natives. The islafid had a circtmiference of '39 miles, and the lagoon Whs six or seven miles wide. Tennis, fishing and canoe-sailing were the princibal sports ; they had occasional dances dfid little dinners. Three times a year a sUpply stearher callea at the island. Those were redLetter occasions, as a large mail was brought. Occasionally one of the Ariierican yachts, which had been calling.at Honolulu, made a visit. Still, liie island was off the beaten track of shipping, and they did nOt have many visitors. As compensation for isolation, Fanning Island had a beautiful' climate. Most of the soil is Sandy, but good sbil has been brought frcm a neighbourihg island, and- serioliS attempts have befen made to produce fiower gardens. Tiie tropical fiowers, and particularly hibiscus, grew amazingly, and added a vel'y bright touch of colour. Mrs Leembruggen admitted that the Fanning Island menu was somewhat restricted at times. There was plenty of fish, but fresh meat and vegetables presented a problem, despite the fact tliat they had electricity and cold stojage. However, they were a very happy community, and although cut off fro|n the rest of the world to a large extent, the time "passed pleasantly. ' i Some of the visitors who came thefe were much interested in signs of an early occupation, which is suppoSed to date back to the Sixteenth Centur^-. These were fashioned 6tones, Bome weighing half a ton, and a distinct and large letter "L" on them was a charaiteristic. It was supposed to be the work of some native race, but the whole thing was a -irtystery. Some visitors had explored the." island for treasure, but nothing had ever deen found. . " A nice place to st%,'' was the findil co-mment of Mrs Leembruggen on Fanning Island. Then she added, "but- not ior too long."